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Official Site: Capcom

Mega Man X4, known as , is a video game developed by Capcom. It is the fourth game in the Mega Man X series. The Sega Saturn and PlayStation versions were released simultaneously in Japan on August 1, 1997. A North America release followed in September, while Europe received only the PlayStation version on October 13, 1997. A PC version was released worldwide in 1998.

The plot for Mega Man X4 is presented by both fully-animated full motion video (FMV) cutscenes and in-game text. The storyline differs slightly depending on whether the player chooses Mega Man X or Zero. Taking place in an ambiguous year in the 22nd century (21XX) and following the third defeat of the "Maverick" robot Sigma, Cain Labs issues an initiative to create a supplementary military force to complement the "Maverick Hunters". The army, called the "Repliforce", is a strict regime led by General and his second-in-command, Colonel. Six months following the inception of the group, Cain Labs finds its methods to be ineffective, questionable, and potentially dangerous in the Maverick defense. To make matters worse, behind the scenes, General has been meeting with a mysterious figure who plots the Hunters' demise, insinuating that they are a significant threat to the jurisdiction of the Maverick Hunters. Mayhem breaks out when the Sky Lagoon, a massive floating city, is sent crashing down onto the city below it, killing millions of civilians, humans and Reploids alike. The game begins here where either X or Zero is dispatched to investigate possible causes of the disaster only to become entangled, once again, in a struggle against Sigma to save the world.

The gameplay in Mega Man X4 is similar to the previous installments of the Mega Man X series. The player is presented with a series of action-platforming stages that can be cleared in any order desired. Each of the eight initial stages contains one Maverick boss, and defeating this boss gives the player a new ability. Every boss is weak to a particular ability, adding an element of strategy to the order in which the player completes the stages.

At the beginning of Mega Man X4, the player chooses to play through the game either as X or Zero. The two characters cannot be switched. Though both of them go through the same stages, they operate differently and are challenged differently from the terrain. X wields the "X-Buster", a plasma cannon on his arm that he uses to attack foes from a distance. It can be charged to fire stronger shots. A new weapon is given to the player with each boss defeated while playing as X. These weapons have limited ammunition, displayed by a meter next to one's health, both of which can be refilled by picking up power-ups dropped by destroyed enemies. In some stages, the player can find hidden capsules that contain armor upgrades that greatly enhance X's capabilities. Zero is more melee-oriented than X by using a "Z-Saber" sword. The Z-Saber's power and accuracy compensate for its lack of range. Rather than acquiring weapons from bosses, Zero learns special techniques such as the "Hienkyaku" air-dash and "Kuuenbu" double-jump. However, Zero cannot upgrade any of his body parts in this game.

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