Mega Man X9 is a certainty at this point. With the Legacy Collection, live concert, and the very blatant tease from the album.
Knowing that Capcom is most definitely working on the continuation of X's story, here's what I personally hope for with the next sequel.
New Playable Character
Mega Man X7 and Mega Man X8 featured the newcomer, Axl.
While many fans see Axl as a representation of the lowest lows in the X franchise, I have nothing against his inclusion. I certainly appreciated it more than the possibility of only having X and Zero for the 5th game in a row. While in X7 he was merely a carbon copy replacement for X, he found more of a gameplay identity with X8.
With that being said, I still want a brand new playable character to offset the odd number cast we have now. Having the inclusion of Axl meant we had two gun-based characters, but with Zero as the lone melee-style character. I would love to see a new character that would be focused on more melee focused attacks to allow for a new play-style for fans who enjoyed Zero's style of gameplay.
Larger Maps
MegaMan X8 had a unique approach to it's stages when compared to past entries. Each stage had a sort of "gimmick" to it's design (Like a rail shooter level, a level that's a singular boss battle, a stealth level, etc.). While unique, an issue that came of this is that many levels were painfully short, some of them only lasting about 5 mins, boss fight included. I think something I would like for the next Mega Man game is non-linear levels. Not specifically Metroidvania style levels, but levels with several varying paths to the end-level boss fight. I think a bonus to this would be having paths that are only possible for each individual character, possibly leading to a specific challenge that would be rewarding with something like Armor Parts.
The Return Of The X8 Composers
While I would have rather chosen the composer for X5, he unfortunately left Capcom soon after the game's completion. Still, I think the composition team of Yuko Komiyama, Naoto Tanaka, and Shinya Okada knocked it out of the park with X8. They deserve another shot based on the Jakob Orbital Elevator theme alone.
The Return Of Dynamo
Dynamo was a stand-out in Mega Man X5. He's brash, arrogant, and bursting with personality. He remains one of the series best sub-bosses. He even returned again in Mega Man X6.
However, unlike most sub-bosses in the franchise, Dynamo never actually died. His story in X5 and X6 pretty much ended with him getting pissed about losing and leaving. Seeing how Vile returned at one point to be a sub-boss again (and had an incredible redesign to boot), I could easily see Dynamo returning. Plus, we need a modern remix of his incredible theme.
Sigma To Stay Dead
Please, I don't think anyone is clamoring for another reveal "twist" of Sigma being behind it all for the ninth game in a row. Just let him stay dead. It's stale at this point. Mega Man X8 even ended with you effectively killing Sigma's soul.
The story of X8 ended on the cliffhanger of the copy-reploids (like Axl and Lumine) being a major threat to come, there's really no reason to not introduce a new baddy at this point.
With all that said, what else do you hope to see in Mega Man X9?
Knowing that Capcom is most definitely working on the continuation of X's story, here's what I personally hope for with the next sequel.
New Playable Character
Mega Man X7 and Mega Man X8 featured the newcomer, Axl.
While many fans see Axl as a representation of the lowest lows in the X franchise, I have nothing against his inclusion. I certainly appreciated it more than the possibility of only having X and Zero for the 5th game in a row. While in X7 he was merely a carbon copy replacement for X, he found more of a gameplay identity with X8.
With that being said, I still want a brand new playable character to offset the odd number cast we have now. Having the inclusion of Axl meant we had two gun-based characters, but with Zero as the lone melee-style character. I would love to see a new character that would be focused on more melee focused attacks to allow for a new play-style for fans who enjoyed Zero's style of gameplay.
Larger Maps
MegaMan X8 had a unique approach to it's stages when compared to past entries. Each stage had a sort of "gimmick" to it's design (Like a rail shooter level, a level that's a singular boss battle, a stealth level, etc.). While unique, an issue that came of this is that many levels were painfully short, some of them only lasting about 5 mins, boss fight included. I think something I would like for the next Mega Man game is non-linear levels. Not specifically Metroidvania style levels, but levels with several varying paths to the end-level boss fight. I think a bonus to this would be having paths that are only possible for each individual character, possibly leading to a specific challenge that would be rewarding with something like Armor Parts.
The Return Of The X8 Composers
While I would have rather chosen the composer for X5, he unfortunately left Capcom soon after the game's completion. Still, I think the composition team of Yuko Komiyama, Naoto Tanaka, and Shinya Okada knocked it out of the park with X8. They deserve another shot based on the Jakob Orbital Elevator theme alone.
The Return Of Dynamo
Dynamo was a stand-out in Mega Man X5. He's brash, arrogant, and bursting with personality. He remains one of the series best sub-bosses. He even returned again in Mega Man X6.
However, unlike most sub-bosses in the franchise, Dynamo never actually died. His story in X5 and X6 pretty much ended with him getting pissed about losing and leaving. Seeing how Vile returned at one point to be a sub-boss again (and had an incredible redesign to boot), I could easily see Dynamo returning. Plus, we need a modern remix of his incredible theme.
Sigma To Stay Dead
Please, I don't think anyone is clamoring for another reveal "twist" of Sigma being behind it all for the ninth game in a row. Just let him stay dead. It's stale at this point. Mega Man X8 even ended with you effectively killing Sigma's soul.
The story of X8 ended on the cliffhanger of the copy-reploids (like Axl and Lumine) being a major threat to come, there's really no reason to not introduce a new baddy at this point.
With all that said, what else do you hope to see in Mega Man X9?
