Mega Man X6

Mega Man X6
Also known as: Rockman X6 (JP) Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Platform: PlayStation Released in JP: November 29, 2001 Released in US: December 4, 2001 Released in EU: February 8, 2002 Released in KR: November 13, 2002 This game has unused graphics. This game has regional differences. This game has revisional differences. This game has a prototype article

Notoriously continuing off where the X series should have ended, Mega Man X6 takes place three years weeks after X5, where a Reploid researcher has found a piece of Zero's body, and uses his DNA in an attempt to create his utopian world. Made and released in just under a year, it was understandably not without flaws, and the bad English translation didn't particularly help it.

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Prototype Info

Unused Graphics

Armor Oddities

At first glance, X6's armor system would appear to be exactly the same as the one in X5, with one set carried over from the previous game (in this game, the Falcon Armor) given in the intro stage, two more found via Dr. Light's capsules (the Blade Armor and Shadow Armor, each requiring all four parts to be used), and the Ultimate Armor obtainable by code at the title screen.

Falcon Armor, X5	Falcon Armor, X6

However, there is a fairly revealing (yet barely visible) difference. Whereas in X5, frames of X specific to the Falcon/Gaea Armor did not have "normal" X underneath them, most likely to save on space…

…However, in X6, all armour specific moves have an underlay of regular X.

Blade Armor (seen)	X (unseen)

Shadow Armor (seen)	X (unseen)

This is bizarre, since as mentioned, it is more space efficient to have underlays split into the necessary parts than to have entire sprites if the underlays themselves cannot appear. Indeed, in X4, "normal" X was always kept below the Fourth/Ultimate Armors, where the former is collected one part at a time, allowing normal X to be seen with armor parts layered on top. With this in mind, it seems likely that a completely customizable armor system was planned for X6, allowing players to use any armor parts obtained in conjunction, as later featured in X8.

This explains the existence of the Shadow Armor's charge shot animation; with its buster part equipped, the charge shot is instead a charged saber slash. If the customizable armor system was implemented, the animation would be visible on the other three parts.

However, this animation can be seen in-game if using the Overdrive part, which gives X or Zero the ability to fire their busters rapidly for a short period of time.

Shadow Armor Subweapons

Much like the Gaea Armor in Mega Man X5, the Shadow Armor has weapon color based variants that go unused given the armor's inability to use special weapons. Using GameShark codes will allow the player to switch to the boss weapons' color scheme, but attempting to fire them will crash the game.

Falcon Armor Flying

The frame of the Falcon Armor flying up still remains as a leftover from X5. It is currently unknown whether the corresponding downwards frame still exists.

As one might expect, a frame of Armor-less X exists for this sprite, despite one not existing in X5.

A pre-release trailer shows Falcon Armor once had this upward-flying ability at some point of game development.

Rainy Turtloid

There are unused mugshots for the Nightmare Investigator Rainy Turtloid, but they do not match the mugshot system used in the final game.

Unused Black Zero unlock method

Boss levels in X6 are tied to the number of Nightmare Souls the player has obtained, up to a max of Level 4 at 5,000 Nightmare Souls. If Nightmare Zero is beaten at level 4, Zero is unlocked with the black armor from the previous games, normally only unlockable in X6 with a cheat code entered at the title screen. However, due to an oversight, the final stage is unlocked automatically when the player obtains 3,000 Nightmare Souls, meaning that Nightmare Zero is impossible to fight at level 4 without a GameShark code (300CCF5F 0003 for US version of the game), since he becomes unavailable when the final stage is unlocked. It is also worth noting that when this code is used in conjunction with the cheat below, Zero's armor immediately turns black when the stage clear jingle plays upon defeating Zero Nightmare, as opposed to being enabled once the next stage is chosen.

Zero vs. Zero Nightmare Dialogue

If a Zero vs. Zero Nightmare battle is triggered by using hacks or the Gameshark code, 300CD30B 0000 on the NTSC version, it will re-use dialogue between Zero and High Max - except in one area: Commander Yammark's stage, where it will reveal an unused dialogue in between Zero and Zero Nightmare. This dialogue is a variation of X's, meaning it would be possible for Zero to encounter Zero Nightmare at one point of game development (note that for some reason, when Zero replies to Zero Nightmare, the name switches to X):

Zero:
Who are you!

Zero Nightmare:
It's me. Don't you 
recognize me?

X:
...You are pitiful. 

X:
What do you want?

Zero Nightmare:
I've been looking for my hunters... 

Zero Nightmare:
To wipe out!
You will die now!

(Source: MMKB)

Regional Differences

Title Screen

As in X5, the Japanese release's background art of X and Zero was replaced with a generic tech background for the International releases.

JP	US

Music

The Intro stage theme gained an electric guitar in the US/EU releases.

JP	US/PAL

• In what may or may not have been an oversight, the Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 re-release discards this change and uses the JP version of this theme universally, regardless of the game language change.

Voice Acting

As in X5, some voices (X's charge shot, etc.) were cut from the US/EU releases, though they were fewer this time. The title screen and stage intros were voiced in Japanese.

Revisional Differences

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 changed the opening and ending songs in both English and Japanese modes to a new song. However, the Japanese Rockman X Legacy Collection 2 still uses the same songs just like in the original releases. Also, the original Rockman X6 had a narrator during the intro, but this narration was removed in the Japanese mode of Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2.

Japan	Original English	English Legacy Collection 2

• The opening tracks "Moonlight" and "The Answer" by Showtaro Morikubo (X's voice actor from X5 up to X7) were replaced with the track known as "The Crisis Continues"

Japan/Original English	English Legacy Collection 2

• The ending track "I.D.E.A." by "RoST" was replaced with the track known as "End Of File".