Mega Man X7

Mega Man X7, known as Rockman X7 (ロックマンＸ7) in Japan, is the seventh game in the Mega Man X series, and the first on PlayStation 2. The game brought a return to FMV sequences, yet introduced the X series to 3D graphics. It got some outcry from some fans and critics since it mostly deviated from the traditional 2D flow of Mega Man.

This game also debuts a new Mega Man X character, Axl.

Story
After the Eurasia and Nightmare incidents that left the Earth's surface devastated, Reploids have worked diligently to clean up the world and make it habitable for humans once again, and is slowly recovering. However, Maverick crime is on a rise. The Maverick Hunters had weakened when X retired from the front lines to assume a support role and achieve more peaceful solutions. To take care of the rising crime, the group of vigilantes Red Alert was created under the command of Red. Initially they only fight against Mavericks, but one day the group changed, acting strange. One of their key members, Axl, noticed he was being used and goes AWOL. Red sends a giant Mechaniloid to take him back, but it is stopped by Zero and Axl is taken to the Maverick Hunters headquarters. Red contacts them and issues a challenge - he released some of the Mavericks Red Alert has in custody to various locations around the globe, challenging them to see who can defeat more with Axl as the prize. In the end, it is revealed that Sigma is behind the change of Red Alert, having been drawn to Red Alert after realizing Axl's power. Once again, the Hunters face Sigma and he is defeated.

Bosses
Eight Mavericks:
 * Soldier Stonekong
 * Tornado Tonion
 * Splash Warfly
 * Flame Hyenard
 * Ride Boarski
 * Snipe Anteator
 * Wind Crowrang
 * Vanishing Gungaroo

Others:
 * Mega Scorpio
 * Mole Bore
 * Red
 * Sigma

Armor
Mega Man X7 returns to the style of armor collecting first featured in the original Mega Man X. Rather than being forced to collect all four pieces of an armor before it can be used, as in Mega Man X5 and Mega Man X6, each piece of the game's armor, the Glide Armor, is received upon collection and upgrades one of X's functions. Upon completion, the character team select menu will give the player the option of choosing between the Glide Armor X and normal X, but not both on the same team at the same time. Absent from this game are the common secret armors: Ultimate Armor and Zero Armor.

Trivia

 * Despite this being titled Mega Man X7, X is not initially playable — Zero and Axl are the starting characters. To unlock X, the player must either defeat the eight Mavericks or rescue 64 Reploids.
 * The back of the case shows X in the opening stage, which is impossible considering there are no Rescuable Reploids there and the player hasn't beaten any bosses. Even in New Game+, where X is playable from the start, the game still forces the player to use Axl and Zero for the intro stage.


 * Even though only two bosses are fought in a 2-D boss room, 3-D elements are still present (a circular stage when fighting Soldier Stonekong and Wind Crowrang flying into the background).


 * This is the first X title to not feature ladders or boss shutters.


 * The is the first game in the X series to feature the health bars of some bosses containing multiple layers. 1.25, 1.5 or 2, depending on the boss and difficulty level: Level 5 is 1.25 bars, level 6 is 1.5 bars, and level 8 is 2 whole bars (the only level 8 boss in the game is Sigma's second form on Hard difficulty). This is also the first game in the entire franchise to feature horizontal health bars as opposed to the traditional vertical bars.


 * All eight bosses feature an "R" symbol on their health bars, referring to Red Alert. This is the second X series game to use the letter "R" as a symbol of an organization, the first being Mega Man X4, where it stands for the Repliforce.