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 Back in 1993, Capcom landed on the formula that would keep the Mega Man series afloat. Amidst criticisms that the series had run out of steam, and that each of the sequels were more of the same with increasingly absurd opponents, Capcom created a new series, Mega Man X, which featured a darker vision of the Mega Man universe, and finally made some much needed evolutions to the gameplay. It was a smashing success, and Capcom did what they do best: release as many sequels as possible before running the series into the ground again. So in 2002, Capcom tried again with Mega Man Zero, pushing the series further into the future and placing the focus on the saber-wielding former second banana Zero. Everything old was new again, and the fans ate it up. Three sequels and as many years later and the Zero well had begun to run dry with sagging sales and critical press crying "more of the same."
And so Capcom has another crack at it with Rockman ZX and God damn it if it hasn't worked again. ZX is a fresh spin on the series that makes things exciting once again, while still making sure to preserve what made these games work in the first place. ZX can be seen as a spin-off of the Zero series in much the same way Zero was spun off from X. Set hundreds of years after the Zero games, ZX focuses on two teenage orphans named Vent and Aile, who come across "LiveMetals," living substances that contain the memories of the past. These LiveMetals in particular carry the spirits of X and Zero, and are able to bond with Vent or Aile to allow them to take the form of these heroes whose legends have been lost to time.
Unlike the crushingly bleak vision of the future portrayed in Zero, ZX lightens up a bit and creates a tone more like the original Mega Man X. There are cities in this world full of life. Reploids and Humans mostly live in harmony, but of course the Mavericks rear their ugly heads once again. Vent and Aile join the Guardians, a group dedicated to fighting the Mavericks, which have begun using the LiveMetals to their own ends.
The LiveMetal premise allows for one of the biggest changes to the gameplay. Instead of simply absorbing the weapon of a defeated opponent, Vent and Aile gain entirely new forms to play with. These forms have different abilities, ranging from mid-air dashes and hovering to special punches. The "elements" to these powers can be turned on and off as well, so it's possible to use the different LiveMetals without consuming ammo. Also, while, as per tradition, there are still eight main mavericks, they only offer four different LiveMetals (the latter half of these bosses will simply increase the power of existing forms). This actually helps to make each more useful though, and keeps the game more balanced.
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