Megaman X leaps boldly into full 3D for the first time, and the results are stunning. Capcom has outdone itself with this masterpiece: after failing so horribly with MegaMan X7's botched storyline and 2D/3D mix, they finally got it right. Incredible attention to detail, believable characters, beautiful cel-shaded graphics, and a storyline that will keep you riveted to your chair all make Command Mission a game for the ages.

You start off playing as the Maverick Hunter X, separated from your partner Zero and a new character named Shadow, navigating your way through the dark and stormy Lagrano Ruins in search of information regarding the latest threat to peace on Earth -- the Rebellion leader, Epsilon. As you press onward through each progressive level the plot thickens, suspense builds, and distrust and betrayal lurk just around every corner. RPG fans can't go wrong buying this game.

The gameplay is immaculate, particularly the unique turn-based battle system that relies on "WE" (Weapon Energy) to power certain special attacks and fuel devastating combos. WE recharges itself by a certain percentage each turn, and each secondary weapon fired during that turn drains WE from the character's reserves. Add to that the ultra-powerful but limited-duration Hyper Mode, which raises max HP, increases offensive and defensive capabilities, and can even change the character's base element (X's Hyper Mode, "X Fire," changes him to a Fire-type), and you have an addicting battle system that, in my humble opinion, is one of the best RPG battle systems ever created.

Weapons are in no short supply in MMXCM. X alone has no fewer than 25 equippable primary weapons, and that's just the beginning. All told there are 118 main weapons available for use -- I won't even mention the number of secondaries. There is a weapon for every situation...and trust me, you'll find yourself swapping out weapons to take advantage of elemental weaknesses until you reach the higher-level weapons like X's Turbo Buster and Zero's Red Lotus Saber.

All new to the X series is the Force Metal system, a slew of powerful radioactive ores that can give your characters special abilities and enhance their stats -- but be warned, using Force Metal in excess of your party's radioactivity tolerance levels can cause adverse side effects during battle, such as halving of current HP. Needless to say, you'll want to keep your characters in the green throughout most of the game, but there is a time for taking risks...

The environments are incredibly beautiful for the most part, and while the interior of Ulfat Factory gets a little monotonous, the graphical glory of places like Central Tower, Vanallia Desert, and Gaudile Laboratory will leave you breathless. ...Granted, you'll be too busy anticipating your next random encounter to pay the graphics too much attention, but the way Capcom designed the stages is near perfect.

All told, MegaMan X Command Mission is THE game for MegaMan fans and RPG-goers alike. I'm on my second playthrough as I write this; my first file has a cumulative play time of nearly 80 hours (I'm a die-hard 100% completionist). If all you want to do is get through the storyline and not bother with all the optional stuff you can nab on the side, sit down, plug in the console, grab yourself a Coke and a few pizzas, and get ready for 20 hours of play time MINIMUM, depending on your skill level. This game doesn't play around. You WILL be killed multiple times even if you're the RPG player of the century. The random encounters, the maze-like levels, the beautiful cutscenes, and best of all the lengthy boss fights will all serve to stretch out the hours. I hope you enjoy this Capcom masterpiece as much as I did!

For years and years now, Megaman games have always been side scrolling button mashing action games, sometimes reincarnated into different genres (even soccer!). But this is the first Megaman RPG and for a first try, I'd say the folks at Capcom have done prettty well for themselves.

You play as Megaman, Zero, Axl, and a whole bunch of other new characters with great design. The battle system is fast paced and addictive, while many times, the encounter rate is grossly high, as the battles are all random, besides the scripted ones.

Even with the fun battle system, Megaman X Command Mission goes wrong in different ways. First off, the game is very linear most of the time, as you'll have a hub area that connect to all the levels, and the levels usually consist of hallways. Second of all, it doesn't take long a all to beat this game, for an RPG. I think that Capcom wasn't really sure, because the basic platformer action game that they usually make are 10-15 hours, which is how long Megaman takes to complete. And last, despite most of the other Megaman games being overly hard and frustrating, Command Mission is quite on the easy side. This isn't really a problem for younger players, but for veteran players, it's not great. It's not just the battles that are quite easy, but also the simplistic puzzles lean on the easy side also.

All of this aside, even if you're a veteran player, it's still REALLY fun and addictive to play. This game is deffinitely not for everyone, but for those who are fans of Megaman, it's very fun, and those who want a change from the epic Final Fantasy games and those hardcore sword fighting games and the such will enjoy Command Mission for a nice breather, with a more light hearted plot than most RPGs.