Mega Man Xtreme

Mega Man Xtreme, known as Rockman X: Cyber Mission (ロックマンＸ サイバーミッション) in Japan, is a spin-off title in the Mega Man X game series, developed by Capcom for the a Game Boy Color. Chronologically, Xtreme takes place in between Mega Man X2 and Mega Man X3.

Xtreme features the same gameplay as its predecessors. An action-platformer, players attempt a series of stages, collect various power-ups, and defeat the boss of each stage, assimilating its signature weapon. Xtreme also features stages, enemies, and bosses from both Mega Man X and Mega Man X2. The game was followed by one direct sequel, Mega Man Xtreme 2, also for the Game Boy Color.

Story
The mother computer of "Hunter Base", the Maverick Hunters' headquarters, has been hacked by an unknown source. All of its data was overwritten in an instant, and the resulting fake data has sent the whole world spiraling into chaos. The command center sends X out to face the as-yet unidentified enemy, who has resurrected Maverick data from the past.

Main Characters

 * Mega Man X
 * Zero
 * Middy
 * Techno

Eight Mavericks
Normal Mode:
 * Storm Eagle
 * Flame Stag
 * Chill Penguin
 * Spark Mandrill

Hard Mode:
 * Armored Armadillo
 * Morph Moth
 * Magna Centipede
 * Wheel Gator

Xtreme Mode: Contains all eight Mavericks.

Other bosses
Hackers:
 * Zain
 * Geemel

First boss:
 * Vile (VAVA)

Sub-bosses:
 * Thunder Slimer
 * Radar Killer
 * Old Robot
 * Pararoid S-38

Final bosses:
 * Bospider
 * Serges
 * Sigma

Development
As a last minute decision by Capcom, the Japanese version of the game made its initial, inconspicuous debut as a playable demo at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May of 2000. The game was later shown again at the Tokyo Game Show the following fall.

Haruki Suetsugu was the sole artist responsible for the game's character designs and cover art. The entirety of the game's cover illustration was done in Painter, forgoing the usual cell painted look of central figures, as Suetsugu wanted to give the whole image "a sense of summary as well as luxury." His only regret regarding the piece was that he didn't use crisper colors. The twins Middy and Techno were designed so that if one's helmet was turned 90 degrees, it's shape would mirror the other. Additionally, Middy was illustrated with soft, round lines and Techno was given sharper, pointed angles, to better reflect their personalities. Going by his instructions to make "armor" characters, Suetsugu designed Zain and Geemel in contrast to one another by giving them heavy and light armor plating respectively. Initially, he felt their illustrations would be too complex for the Game Boy Color's graphical capabilities, but was greatly impressed with the outcome, praising the skills of the game's graphics designers.