More X8

Let’s see, more X8 thoughts. Because I have nothing else to write about, apparently.

1) I hate when video games, ANY video games, lecture you after the first time you do something. Examples of which are the following:

a) The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past – You’re in Ganon’s tower, find a treasure chest with bombs in it, and they share the lost secret of how to use and throw a bomb to you. Just like you’d been doing the past 12 or so levels.

b) You’re nearing the final showdown with the Mother Brain in Super Metroid, and obtain a standard set of missiles. Which of course, they tell you how to use.

c) Pallette won’t stop insulting my intelligence when I get back to the lab with a rare metal in X8. Yes, I figured that rare metals could be used to make new items. I doubt the laws of the universe changed that much since the last time I got one.

2) What the bloody fuck happened to Sigma?(I don’t really think that’s spoilerish)

3) Item descriptions still kinda suck in this. I think some of the directions are wrong, in other words. Like, if I’m not mistaken, one of Zero’s commands for a special move is actually given to you backwards from what you have to do to perform it, not unlike the reversed Ground Scaravich move in X6.

Additionally, there is an item that says that when you receive damage, it drains your weapons energy rather than your life energy. Watching Red drive through Yeti’s stage, however, I noticed that this was clearly not the case. Exception? Or rule?

On top of that, there’s an item that gives you a quick recharge when you loseWeight Exercise all your life energy. I’m not sure the way it works, though. Sometimes it seems to give it to the active character immediately, while other times the one who lost all his energy will teleport away, just to revive later. So I’m lost. And I’ve tried stalling to wait for #2 character to come back while this thing is equipped, just for him to no-show. So what gives?

4) Obtaining Rare Metals to be able to buy Full Life bottles is a crock. A Sub-tank, I can understand, but a full life bottle? There’s just something retarded about that, especially since, in a story sense, aren’t rare metals supposed to help them develop new technologies? Since when is full higher tech than half? Technically, shouldn’t it be a single and a double? How can you have half if there is no full?

5) Red ponders if the stuff was written for us, with Japan getting a translation of our stuff. I would love that. Just imagine them squirming as they try to figure out what the hell happened.

6) I think Bulbrites are looking to be the new mascot for the X series. They’re cute, everywhere, and really have no explanation. And the icon on the memory card, IIRC, is one of them. I’ve mixed feelings on them. Red loves them, and I think they blow up good. But it’s weird, they’re everywhere like the Nightmares were, but those at least had a reason to be there. Ditto for Servbots. And you can look at a Mettaur’s helmet and figure it out. But what the hell is with these things?

Like I said, they’re like Nightmares, but cuter. Ought to call them Daydreams or something. 😛

7) It sounds like you have to get pretty much everything possible in Normal to unlock some stuff for Hard. Including Rare Metals. I hear one of them, you have to get all S-ranks in Optic Sunflower’s stage. Frankly, this annoys me.

And I guess that’s about all. Wishing strategy guides around here were more affordable, though. So that when I’ve got a question about this stuff, I can check it for info. And unlike GameFAQs, they have neat art and pictures.

8) The more I see this new Vile, the more I like him. The extra detail on his helmet is a big plus, IMO, with the crest and all. For some reason, the colors and his penchant for flight make me think “airborne ranger.”

9) I really hope I’m able to see everything in this game without being on speedrunner level. That bothered me a lot about Sonic Adventure 2 Battle; to see/get a lot of the cool stuff, you had to have an absurd level of skill. And much of it was for multiplayer anyway, making it essentially not worth getting to me, but fortunately that’s not a problem here.

10) How do I get the slagging Intermissions? The only one I have is the one for Noah’s Park.

11) Know what might make the vehicle levels more fun? Besides not being there, or being reserved for Intermissions as I felt should be done, that is? Weapons upgrades. The sequence, Yeti’s especially, is essentially a shooter; it’s Space Invaders on crack, speed, and ecstasy at once. I think some R-type or Gradius elements would be nice, like an upgrade to your character’s gun, maybe something else that fires behind you, etc.

Hell, even Mega Man 8 had Auto and the boys filling that kind of role.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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