With such a wide variety of emulation represented, technical proficiency becomes the key to a successful collection. Three of those four were remakes or retellings in one way or another, so their absence is understandable. Only missing are a handful of Mega Man X curios: the pair of Xtreme Gameboy titles, the Maverick Hunter X remake for the PSP, and the strangely endearing spin-off RPG Command Mission. True to its name, this set captures the legacy of MMX–from the original Super NES classics, to their natural progression onto 32-bit systems, to the somewhat disastrous journey into 3D on the PlayStation 2. The Mega Man X Legacy Collection pays homage to the series in its near-entirety, with only a few shortcomings to detract from the overall quality of the compilation. The two series are joined by some loose themes and for being peak action-platforming in the ’90s when competition was fierce, but Mega Man X has always been a little more complex and experimental, for better and worse. Whereas Mega Man is plucky and wholesome, Mega Man X is often melodramatic and grim. Mega Man and Mega Man X are related, but only just.
