Mega Man X7 had problems. No, wait, that's being too kind. Capcom tried to reinvent a formula that had no business of being reinvented. As a result, the series kind of betrayed the nature of arcade charisma that it possessed in the first place and became a bit of mush. I couldn't wait to usher that sucker back to the video store and fire off a letter to Capcom expressing my disappointment. The company tried to make amends with Mega Man X8 a bit later down the road, but I still sensed flaws with the design and still couldn't find myself getting back into the groove I established in the old days playing Mega Man X on my SNES.

But 2006 vowed to be a comeback year for Capcom. They finally released their long-delayed Mega Man X Collection, which was just a slight bit less in quality over their Mega Man Anniversary Collection but still celebrated the golden days of the series. But they've finally gotten over the hump and wiped away the painful memories of X7 with a well-established sequel for the PSP, Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X, which is one of the first six portable titles for the system from the Capcom camp. They are off to a very strong start.

To be honest, Maverick Hunter X isn't entirely a new game. It is in fact a remake of the original Mega Man X, but with revamped visuals, a better soundtrack, and a handful of extras that make it define itself on its own. There may be the slight issue with the fact that the game isn't terribly long or complicated, and some may feel they're treading on familiar territory. But that's slight compared to the goodness within.

In the game, you'll switch off between X and Zero as they fight all sorts of enemy robots, including boss enemies and plenty of other characters that force you to use a number of your abilities, such as wall jumping and dodging bullets. The challenge level is just fine, even though a skilled player can probably beat the game in a matter of a couple hours. Not to worry, though. Once you beat the game, you have a couple of options open up for you.

First up is the animated clip packed in. This is real nice, showing off some quality animation on the PSP that makes you glad it has UMD video playback. But the real treat is the fully playable new character, the enemy boss Vile. He's got vicious robot punches and cannon fire that can help clear away enemies rather easily. It adds a nice touch to the game and makes it worth playing through a few more times.