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megamanxfanfics · 6 years ago

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S.V - Ep. 9: Fight On At All Costs

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EXT. UNITED KINGDOM – Airspace - DAY

---------------------------------------------------------- Caption: 12:00 Noon – London Time Zero flies at swift speeds amidst the sky. SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered) Emergency! Dynamo has come back here to attack! What on Earth does he want?! -pan inside his cockpit- Zero stares at his receiver in awe. ZERO: (reacting) WHAT!? What the Hell is he doing, back? SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered, retorting) Well it doesn’t matter, we have to fight him! X is engaging him, now. ZERO: Oh man… and I’m hours from home!! Damn it!!! (v.o, thinking) X… You gotta handle this… -cut to-

---------------------------------------------------------- EXT. NEW MHHQ – Space Shuttle Dock - NIGHT ---------------------------------------------------------- Caption: 4:00 AM – Hexagon Time X clenches his fists as he stares at the smug Dynamo, who has just crushed Freeze Alopex. DYNAMO: Hey there, you’re X right? Nice to meet you. Did you guys miss me? He steps off of her neck and walks toward him. X: (annoyed) rr.. Stop pestering us, Dynamo! What do you want? DYNAMO: I told the other guy. I want to disturb you. That, is my mission. It may not seem it, but this is my job. And since you guys are always so serious, I’m a little serious too, this time.. okay? X gives him a confused look, then shakes it off into a grimace again. DYNAMO: (smirking) Ready to die? [Insert Title Card – Fight On At All Costs]

X: …No…

X quickly inserts a sub-tank into his stomach, which cleans the scuff marks off of his armor and face. He dashes back and charges up.

X: Hyuu/ah!

X shoots a level 3 charge shot at Dynamo, who easily high-jumps over it and comes after him with a pink blade.

X: Ah!

He narrowly dashes below and away from it as Dynamo passes him on the other side.

When Dynamo lands, he turns around and smirks at X.

DYNAMO: Heheheh... Learned a few of my tricks, I see...

X backs up and quickly /takes level 1 shots at Dynamo.

X: /Hmph!

Dynamo grins as he puts an arm up and takes the hits.

DYNAMO: Hehehehe, you’re kidding, right?

He holds out an open palm and charges up a dark power ball of energy.

DYNAMO: TRY THIS!!!

He pounds the energy ball into the ground, which causes five streams of dark light to rise up from the ground.

X: /Ahhh!!!!

X gets caught by the blast and holds onto his chest, panting.

DYNAMO: Haha/!

He summons another wave of light to rise from directly below X.

X: /AGH!!!

He dashes mid-blast, but still gets caught in the crossfire.

DYNAMO: HAHA!!/

He summons a final wave, closer to his own vicinity, where X has landed. X rolls out of the way and watches the power waves dissipate into the sky in fear.

X: (v.o, thinking) Haw man! This guy is gonna kill me if I’m not careful!!

SIGMA: (v.o, responding) Yeeees, he iiiis…

X’s eyes become even wider as Dynamo dashes over to him.

DYNAMO: Aww, what’s the matter? Lost your nerve!?

X gets up and blocks a blade attack by grabbing Dynamo’s hand.

X: No! ..damn it.. I won’t let you.. Win!

DYNAMO: (grinning) Hm.

He makes a buster with his other hand and /shoots him in the ribs at close range.

X: /Ogh!

He doubles back and falls to one knee.

ALIA: (frightened, desperate) X, try the new chip!!

X nods and takes out the wing spiral chip from his compartment belt. He quickly inserts it into his buster as Dynamo jumps after him. Suddenly his base armor morphs into white and yellow.

DYNAMO: Hm?

X uppercuts the intruder, which unleashes his new spiraling wind attack.

DYNAMO: /Whuuooooh!!

The tornado throws Dynamo high into the air, and makes him plummet down helplessly onto the scaffolding.

DYNAMO: Aughh.

X: Hmph. Looks like that worked.

Dynamo looks up at X, amused as he gets up.

DYNAMO: Ohhh, we’re just getting started, big boy.

X: Hm?

Dynamo charges up an open palm again and slams it down against the scaffolding.

X: Oh No!!

He jumps away and instinctively forms his Falcon Armor, once airborne.

Surprised at his own reflexes, X quickly charges up and shoots a piercing laser at Dynamo, who rises another set of beams towards X.

X: /Gaahhh!!!

X gets struck by the blast and falls to the ground near Dynamo.

ALIA: (worried) EeeeeeX!!!!!

When X lands, he shoots another wing spiral, which shoves Dynamo into the wall.

X gets back up on one knee again and switches to C-Shot.

X: Stay out of our Base, Dynamo!

X rapidly fires crescent slashing shots at Dynamo, which seem to chip away at his armor pretty well.

DYNAMO: (hurting) Uuughh. Hahahah! But why??

He swiftly spins a double-sided blade fully around with his wrist, making it serve as a shield.

X stops shooting as the C-Shots deflect off of Dynamo’s defense.

DYNAMO: We’re having so much /Fun!!!!!

He throws the double-sided blade at X, who dodges it. It comes back around like a boomerang and /slices him in the back on the way back to Dynamo’s hand.

X: /AAhhh!!! Damn.. you…

DYNAMO: Hahahah!!!

He high jumps after X to capitalize on the punishment with his blade.

X dashes away, dodging the swing.

X: How’d you even find us?

He shoots a charge shot.

DYNAMO: It’s no secret. /Agh. Sigma sent me!

He summons his wave attack once again.

X: What!?

X’s eyes widen as Dynamo’s attacks near him.

He /evades as best as possible as the attack starts to become predictable.

DYNAMO: That’s right! / He /Hired me to get in your way, and /Trip you guys up.

X anticipates his next two moves, by //dash-jumping in the opposite direction once Dynamo’s palm hits the ground. After advancing and effectively retreating from the following blasts, X takes his moment to hit Dynamo with some quick level 2 charge shots//.

X: /…You…/ Pest!

He flies toward his opponent.

DYNAMO: Hmhmhm!

He high jumps to X and takes another swing from his blade.

X narrows them and pushes another Wing Spiral uppercut into Dynamo’s chest.

DYNAMO: Whaaaaa!!! Come on, Man!!

X flies into him and punches him in the gut, in mid-air. Then he grabs him by the neck.

X: You think this is a GAME!!? HUH???

The smile on Dynamo’s face could not be bigger.

DYNAMO: Hahahahahh…

X’s face scrunches up as he uses his left hand to punch Dynamo in the head a few times.

X: You think you can just come in here and mess with us??? You just killed my Friend! And for what?!? For a little FUN!!!????

DYNAMO: Y-y-yeeah…

Irate, he throws Dynamo to the ground and fires another piercing charge shot at him.

After sinking into the scaffolding, Dynamo raises a hand for mercy.

DYNAMO: (hurt, conceding) Ogh… She wasn’t the target.. Just in the way…

X: I DON’T CARE!! YOU’RE IN MY WAY NOW. AND I HAVE TO SAVE THE WORLD!!!!

At close range, X activates his Falcon Armor’s Giga Attack.

Streams of his piercing charge shot rise from the ground and rain down on him within their vicinity.

Holes are blown through Dynamo’s armor as his circuits start to sizzle.

DYNAMO: (hurt, shocked) Hooouuuuggghhh!!!!! …So… You ARE strong… I fought.. seriously this time… Agh..

He pulls back and huddles into himself, in pain. Then, he surprisingly maintains his composure and manages to stand upright.

DYNAMO: (damaged) ..Anyway… I’d need 9 lives if I stuck with you… So… I’ll take my leave. No more games.

X lets out a breath and lowers his guard.

DYNAMO: You should think about your future, too or… you’ll die someday… I’m getting out of here, because I want to live.

He lets out another friendly smile, just as he did with Zero, before.

DYNAMO: Adios!

He teleports away, leaving X to wonder if they’ll ever see him again.

X: Dynamo…

He looks up and watches his trail disappear into the early morning darkness.

- pan up to the sky above them –

- fade to -

------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. ABEL CITY – Trailer Park Complex – NIGHT

------------------------------------------------------------------ Caption: 4:30 AM We pan down from the dark sky to see a small Trailer amongst a community of quiet mobile homes. While everyone else is sleeping, the windows from this Trailer sporadically spark of electricity as the sounds of drills and metal work can be heard through the night. We zoom in closer to the humble Trailer Home.

-pan to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. TRAILER LAB – Gate’s Work Space - NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------ Gate and Isoc are working together on rebuilding his creations. Resting offline are the shells of Blizzard Wolfang, Blaze Phoenix and Infinity Flea. They are currently working on replicating Commander Yammark’s design from Gate’s 3D Blue Prints. Suddenly Isoc’s chest beeps twice with a blinking red light. GATE: (distracted) Hm? ISOC: Oh, excuse me, Gate. I have to take this call. Gate nods and turns back to his design with a smile. -pan to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. TRAILER LAB – Trailer Park Complex – NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------ Isoc steps outside and slowly walks away from Gate’s Trailer as he takes the com-link. ISOC: (soft, discreet) What is it? SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) The Assassin failed. ISOC: (gasping) ..Is he dead? SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) No… But I just might finish the job. ISOC: No need, sire. My associate is coming around. SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) Hmph… He’s the one you originally wanted to hire, right? ISOC: Yes. Ever since our plan has been televised, he stirred into a panic. He asked for my help to rebuild his reploids. SIGMA: Hm!? For what?? ISOC: He hopes to survive this and rebuild a society of Elite Reploids. SIGMA: (o.s, filtered) Hmm, that’s interesting... They might factor into my plan after all. I like that you are thinking ahead. Thank you for your assistance as always, Doctor. Isoc’s eyes twinkle from the reflection in the moonlight as he grins. ISOC: My pleasure, my Lord. -pan up to the sky- -fade to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. UNITED KINGDOM - Airspace - DAY

------------------------------------------------------------------ From afar, Zero’s aircraft zooms through the skies. -pan inside his cockpit- Zero flies on with an uneasy glare in his eyes. After a little while, his dashboard receives a com-link. ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Zero, this is Alia. Come in. ZERO: (gasping) Alia! What’s up?? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) ..Dynamo attacked us again, but.. We're okay... Most of us, anyway. ZERO: Is X, alright? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) He’ll be fine. He just needs to rest for now. How are you? ZERO: Uhh.. I’m alright. But Rho & Frenzy are uh... ALIA: (o.s, filtered) ...Ally, too. ZERO: (shocked) Freeze Alopex is gone??? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Dynamo killed her the moment he got here. ZERO: That Bastard!! ALIA: (o.s, filtered) I know. Frostbite ran away... It’s terrible... but now we have to focus on our next move. ZERO: (nodding) Yeah. ALIA: (o.s, filtered) I’m analyzing the specs on your Aircraft. If you can push that thing to Mach 10, you should be able to get here in an hour. ZERO: (shocked) I can do that?? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Well, it’ll take a bit of hacking, but that’s why I’m here. ZERO: Whoa, Alia. You’re amazing!! -pan to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. NEW MMHQ – R & D Lab – NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------ Alia beams at her computer screen. ALIA: (responding, pleased) I know. Now, sit tight and let me work my magic. If I can upload the enhancement data remotely, you should be here in no time! ZERO: (o.s, filtered) Heheh.. Okay! -pan further away, and into the room- Around her is a series of lab scientists, researchers and technicians that have been rescued by X and Zero. They are all eagerly working with Douglas and studying plans for the Space Shuttle. ALIA: Alright, guys! We’ve got some work to do. Who wants to help me remote-hack into a Repliforce Aircraft? The former Repliforce Technicians in the room raise their eyebrows, surprised and rush over to her. TECHNICIAN 1: We built those things! We can help. ALIA: Alriiiiight! -pan over to Douglas and a few Scientists- Douglas concentrates as he puts the finishing touches on a new chip and looks over to his new colleagues. DOUGLAS: The new parts are almost ready! These will really help X out. ALIA: Now we’re talking!! -cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. NEW MHHQ – Infirmary – NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------ X is sitting up in bed, with tubes attached to his arm and chest, while Lifesaver studies his body’s contamination levels. On the monitors, everything is evened out. Despite the tremendous pressure X is under, his neuros are calm. LIFESAVER PRIME: Okay, X. All of your systems look good. You just need some good old-fashioned rest. X nods and gets up. X: Unfortunately, I don’t really have time for that. Lifesaver puts a firmer hand on his shoulder. LIFESAVER PRIME: Energen IVs and Sub-tanks will only go so far. Give it an hour, okay? X: But... we’re running out of/- LIFESAVER PRIME: /Sleep, X. He /forces a needle into his neck. X: (weary, fainting) Tiiiiiiime... He falls back into the bed. -fade out- -slow fade in- ZERO: (o.s, echoing) What the Hell?? -blurry winks bring us into focus- Zero can be seen, pointing a finger at Lifesaver. LIFESAVER PRIME: He wouldn’t rest. I gave him something to ease the pain. ZERO: What are you doing!? We have 4 Hours!! Just give him my Sub-Tank!! LIFESAVER PRIME: That won’t be enough! And I need to look at you, too. ZERO: Don’t touch me, Doc. /Here!! As the blurry red figure gets closer, a pressurized swell of energy is /injected into his sub-system. Jolted with energy, X rises, becoming more awake and aware of his surroundings. X: (weak, groggy) H-hey, what gives? Is that you, Zero?? He rubs his eyes, before getting up as Zero comes into focus. ZERO: Yeah. I just got here! Caption: 5:45 AM LIFESAVER PRIME: X! You shouldn’t be up yet. ZERO: What is this? Are you TRYING to mess up this Op? We gotta get back out there. LIFESAVER PRIME: I understand, but I need you both, Alive!! If either of you keep substituting artificial energy as a life force, you’re going to burn out at the worst possible moment. I don’t want that for either of you!! ZERO: Well that’s a risk, we’re just gonna have to take. X gets up. X: (tired) I’m fine... We’ll all be dead soon if we don’t finish that Shuttle. ZERO: We have 4 Hours!!!! X: (urgent) Then we’d better move... -pan to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. NEW MHHQ – Hallways – DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ The two worn-out heroes walk through the halls once again for another round in the field. They both share a stoic frown as they look ahead. ZERO: Man, that was really screwed up... X: He thought he was helping... Zero shakes his head. ZERO: Not cool... X: Yeah... Thanks for the Sub-tank... ZERO: Of course, man. They continue to walk in silence. ZERO: Listen, uh.. I’m sorry for blowing up before about Repliforce. X: (exhausted, passive aggressive) You did what you had to do... And this time they actually went Maverick, so. Good job, I guess... Zero looks down at X, taken aback. ZERO: Ya know what? Screw you, man. He runs ahead and doesn’t look back. X frowns with an annoyed glare as he watches Zero run off. His brow tightens into a scowl as he cricks his neck and sinks to his level. X: Yeah? Well, Good luck out there! I bet you can’t wait to finish them off! -pan to Zero- He just winces with tightly closed eyes as he continues to run away from X. -pan back to X- X passes by the R & D Lab with a mug on his face. ALIA: (o.s, calling out) X!! He stops short. X: Hmm? ALIA: (o.s) Come here! - pan to –

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. NEW MHHQ – R & D Lab - DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ He steps inside the R & D Lab, surprised at all the people inside. X: (humbled, focused) I.. don’t have much time. ALIA: I know. We just wanted to give you this. She tosses him a new enhancement chip. X: What’s this? ALIA: It’s a Virus Buster. Now you can blast Sigma’s stupid face away next time he tries to haunt you. X: (shocked, happy) Whaaaaat? How!?? ALIA: We analyzed Sigma’s Virus data the moment he tried to interface with your systems. Lifesaver was wary and wanted to study you as long as possible, but we’re just glad you’re okay! X: Oh, my God! /Thank you!! In an instant he /hugs her out of sheer gratitude. She immediately /blushes in his arms. ALIA: Ah/huhh.. You’re welcome! When they disembark her flushed cheeks regain their original color. X: I gotta go. You rule. Later guys! RESCUED REPLOIDS: Byyye! DOUGLAS: Bye, X. Douglas frowns as X runs out of the room. Alia keeps grinning as she looks at her new colleagues. Then, she nods to Douglas. ALIA: What’s got you all bummed out? DOUGLAS: We didn’t get to show him the Speedster chip. Alia just looks at Douglas and laughs. ALIA: Hahahahaha! DOUGLAS: (offended) Heeeey, I worked hard on that! ALIA: We can always beam it to him, silly… -cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ INT. NEW MHHQ – Control Room - DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ Zero teleports away the moment X gets inside the room. X: Alright everybody. This is it! SIGNAS: Good Luck out there, X! I believe in you. X: (smiling) Thanks, boss. He walks over to a teleporter and is taken to Axle the Red’s location.

-cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. UKRANIAN JUNGLE – Rose-covered Fence - DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ Caption: 3:50 PM – Ukraine Time. As the sun sets in the Ukranian Jungle, X teleports onto the unnatural, metal ground. He lands near a barbed-wire fence that is covered in vines and delicate roses. ALIA: (o.s, filtered) The secret Repliforce base that is hidden deep in the jungle has become infested with Mavericks. X: Wait. This place is Repliforce!? ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Yep. I bet if you go a little deeper in the jungle, you'll find the Orbiter Engine. X's eyes widen. X: How deep did their secrets go...? -cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. KENYA – Sunhouse Mountain - DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------ Caption: 4:50 PM – Kenya Time. Zero stands tall by a large well, which provides the entrance to a hidden volcano underground. ZERO: This it... Sunhouse Mountain. This is where it all started. Zero clenches his fists as he remembers how different everything was 3 years ago. -FLASH-

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. OLD MAVERICK HUNTER BASE – Cain Labs – DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- X and Zero walk in to Dr. Cain’s Lab. Magma Dragoon is sitting at Dr. Cain’s Mother Computer, waiting for them. MAGMA DRAGOON: Hey guys… X: You wanted to show us something?? MAGMA DRAGOON: Yeah.. -flash- MAGMA DRAGOON: I’m under the impression that Dr. Cain was about to conduct an internal investigation of the Repliforce and that he wanted your teams to do it. -flash- MAGMA DRAGOON: ...I’m going to volunteer my Team to investigate this case. There’s got to be something more going on here that we just can’t see at the moment. And I’ve got to find out what! ZERO: (v.o, narrating) 3 years ago, before Dr. Cain died, he always sensed that there was something wrong with the Repliforce. Magma Dragoon took it upon himself to figure it out. -FLASH-

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. OLD MAVERICK HUNTER BASE – Meeting Room – NIGHT --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Magma Dragoon and his 14th Unit continue to investigate Repliforce’s activity from their computers. MAGMA DRAGOON: Its Burn Dino-Rex! I can’t believe it! I KNEW something was off with him and here it is!! FRENZY FOXKIT: What are you on about, boss? TETHLON: What did you find?? MAGMA DRAGOON: He has an Illegal Weapons Warehouse located in Southeastern Kenya and Repliforce doesn’t know anything about it. He’s funding their own crime-prevention! If word of this gets out, their whole organization is finished!!! ZERO: (v.o, narrating) Dragoon narrowed it down to you... You were the crack in the Repliforce that we were looking for! -FLASH-

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXT. SOUTH EASTERN KENYA – Illegal Weapons Warehouse – DAY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A warehouse is filled with stacks of ammunition crates. Caught in the act, Burn Dino-Rex can only stare in fear as Magma Dragoon takes out a badge and holds it in front of him. MAGMA DRAGOON: (smiling) Maverick Hunter Special Investigations Unit. Got a minute to talk? BURN DINO-REX: I.. have nothing to say to you! He immediately guards himself, ready for battle. -flash- He powers up into an aura of flame and dashes after him. -flash- Magma Dragoon charges into a flame aura of his own and catches his hands. They begin to pursue each other in a power struggle. BURN DINO-REX: How did you find me!? No one knows that I’m here!!! MAGMA DRAGOON: I’m a detective. It’s my job to know things like this. BURN DINO-REX: You’re going to wish you never found me! MAGMA DRAGOON: Is that a fact? Magma Dragoon puts his right foot behind Burn Dino-Rex’s right leg and trips him to the ground, while still holding onto his arms. The abrasive trip turns the move into a tackle as he holds him down on the ground. BURN DINO-REX: Agh. -flash- He blasts a heavy wave of fire out of his mouth, which causes Magma Dragoon to lose his grip and cough. MAGMA DRAGOON: Aghhh. –kuh- -kugh- Come on man!! Burn Dino-Rex punches him off and gets up. -flash- BURN DINO-REX: You just had to stick your nose in my business. Now I have to kill you. MAGMA DRAGOON: No you don’t. Our factions are allies. If word of this got out, your whole organization would be compromised. BURN DINO-REX: That’s why I cannot allow you to live. Magma Dragoon shakes his head. MAGMA DRAGOON: No man. You don’t get it. You can’t hurt me. And we can’t be seen fighting! BURN DINO-REX: Hahahaha. You’re scared. I get it.. He pounds a fist into his hand. MAGMA DRAGOON: Hah. Hardly… I came here to help you out, moron. I tried to be civil. Maybe cut a deal... …But if you’re too dimwitted to see that, then forget it. I’ll just have to beat it out of you to cooperate. BURN DINO-REX: Hrrraaaaahhhh! MAGMA DRAGOON: Nyaaaaaahhhhh!!!! The two flame up and run after each other with burning hands of fire. ZERO: (v.o, narrating) But something happened.. I still can't figure out what! They continue to clash and crackle at each other with flaming fists and feet until the feed gets cut off by static. -Flash- When the static picture is fixed, we see Magma Dragoon standing before Burn Dino-Rex’s fallen body, looking down at his own fist with a dark grin. ZERO: (v.o, narrating) After that, suddenly Dragoon played double agent until he finally betrayed us and switched sides completely. He took down the Sky Lagoon just so we would fight him. He caused the whole Repliforce War... Just for a stupid grudge. -We see a set of grainy images depicting Zero’s victories over the Repliforce.- Zero stylishly uppercuts Web Spider with a saber, while X takes a Charge Shot in mid-air to his exposed core Zero forms his broken Z-buster and impales a downed Slash Beast with the Thunder God Attack. Zero dashes into Jet Stingray’s cross-cut back and performs Slash Beast’s Shippuuga for the first time. Zero grabs the hilt of his saber with both hands, upside down and thrusts it directly into Frost Walrus’ heart. Zero destroys Storm Owl with his upgraded Rakuhouha Giga Attack. Zero pulls his Saber down and shrouds it in ice as he carves a Frost Blade through Colonel’s chest. Zero holds the fallen Iris in his arms, with remorse. Zero slices General across the chest with a pink Shippuuga slash. X takes a Plasma Shot from the ground. Trapped in a Dark Hold, Spiral Pegasus is finished with a final E-Blade uppercut. ZERO: (v.o, narrating) One by one, I've taken down the Repliforce, and we even got rid of Dragoon, but there's still a loose end. That's you. -FLASH-

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXT. KENYA – Sunhouse Mountain – DAY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He walks up to the well and looks inside. ZERO: You may have walked away from the Repliforce, but you're still up to no good. You were the one who started this mess in the first place! X doesn’t seem to understand that, but right now that doesn’t matter... He jumps into the well and takes a swift fall into his secret base. - pan to -

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. SUNHOUSE MOUNTAIN – Well Entrance – DAY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He lands on one knee, and rises up with closed eyes. ZERO: Now I need that Booster Engine. And one way or another, you’re gonna give it to me. He takes out his saber, and looks below with a determined gaze. -Freezeframe. Grainy Effect- SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) Go, X & Zero. We have 4 hours left…

#X vs. Dynamo #Sigma #Isoc #Gate #Lifesaver #Alia #RoseRed Stage #Dino-Rex Stage #Zero #Repliforce Flashback

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entergamingxp · 5 years ago

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Rune Factory 4 Special Review — It’s Always Been Special To Me

February 25, 2020 1:30 PM EST

Rune Factory 4 maintains its full and outstanding spark, charm, and polish for the Switch audience. The new content isn’t substantial, but the old content remains exceptional. This is absolutely worth your time.

Ahhh, Selphia. I missed you. It’s good to be home again.

I played the ever-loving hell out of Rune Factory 4 back on the 3DS, so getting the chance to revisit the Switch version was a welcome task. Even with this prior history, however, I’m amazed at how effortlessly it drew me in. The hardest part of writing this review has genuinely been dragging myself away from the game long enough to do so. Odds are that once I’m done here, I’ll be right back to it. Let that stand as a ringing endorsement of the game if nothing else.

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“The hardest part of writing this review has genuinely been dragging myself away from the game long enough to do so. “

For those just tuning in, Rune Factory is a farming life sim that began as a fantasy spinoff of the Harvest Moon series (and which changed its name to Story of Seasons following disputes with Natsume over the title). It sought to spice up the more relaxed series by introducing magic, monsters, and other such elements to the mix. Rune Factory 4 was the latest in that subseries, and it added the most features, opportunities, and mechanical depth to date.

The game opens with a brief introduction of the player character (you choose the name and gender but no other customization at first) on an airship. They’re on a mission, but we don’t learn what that is because they’re promptly attacked by stowaway soldiers. Moments later, it’s revealed that they’ve come down with a case of amnesia — a Rune Factory staple — and promptly get punted off the airship.

You crash land on top of a dragon named Ventuswill, who assumes you’re the prince that’s due to arrive in town. It’s quickly clear that that’s not the case when the actual prince Arthur shows up, but that doesn’t stop him from foisting his responsibilities on you to focus on other tasks. With your sudden royalty established, you’re set up to live in the town of Selphia until your memory returns.

Though it comes across as something of an excuse plot at first, there’s a lot more going on here. As you play more, new characters will be introduced to Selphia, and new plot threads are uncovered. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s present, and it’ll take you through several interesting arcs over the course of the game.

With that in mind, Rune Factory 4 never forces such a thing on you. Like the series it originates from, it’s a farming life sim first and foremost. Your day-to-day activities will involve you restoring and managing the farm in Selphia, growing crops, and taming monsters. Beyond that, you can wander the town and interact with the many characters. The real meat of the story is in the dialogue of this colourful cast. Even the most bizarre or bland of them quickly proves to have a lot of personality, and I found myself happy to chat with and befriend them as the days passed.

No good life sim is complete without the ability to take those friendships one step further, however. To that end, there are 12 romanceable characters among the cast: six bachelors and six bachelorettes. There aren’t any same-sex options, however, so keep that in mind if that’s something you’re looking for. And no, the dragon Ventuswill is not dateable. As you befriend your chosen waifu/husbando, you’ll get the option to profess your love, go on dates, and eventually marry and have a child. Margaret is best girl, don’t @ me.

“There are 12 romanceable characters among the cast: six bachelors and six bachelorettes. There aren’t any same-sex options, however.”

For many, this is likely the thing they’ll aspire towards in Rune Factory 4. With all that said, relationships take time to develop, so you’ll be off partaking in the rest of the game’s activities in the meantime. Beyond farming and interacting with Selphia’s denizens, you’ll be able to roam around the game’s world, fighting/taming monsters and plumbing the depths of dungeons. There’s a hell of a lot to find in these places, and lots of materials to gather from defeated enemies or resource points scattered around.

Once you’ve got your haul back to Selphia, you can choose to sell it off or stockpile it for use in the crafting system. You can make all sorts of weapons and equipment, as well as farming implements or medicines. There’s also a ton of cooking recipes as well, many of which offer consumable buffs that will be crucial in clearing some of the harder content. You can also level up your equipment by fusing various materials to them for added effects, so there’s a use for damn near everything you find.

Leveling up also extends back to your farming, too. Better farm tools make your chores quicker, which means you can expand your operations to more fields in less time. Improving the quality of soil and seeds means the crops you grow also improve, having stronger effects and higher value. You can grow crops into giant versions of themselves, have an orchard of replenishing fruit trees, or even grow a dungeon to clear out. Everything you do ties back into farming, and in return it allows you to excel at these other activities.

One of the best features of Rune Factory 4 is the skills system. Much like an Elder Scrolls game, your character will pick up a huge array of skills that can all be individually leveled up. Your various weapons, magic elements, and crafting types all fall into these, but even basic or esoteric stuff like Eating, Sleeping, and Bathing all have a skill. Increasing these will gradually increase your base stats as well, so no matter what you choose to do, you’re making progress and becoming more capable.

Because of this, the wealth of content on offer in Rune Factory 4 never becomes too overbearing. You don’t have to rush the plot, or maximize your farming early, or any other such thing. It’s up to you to determine what you want to do on each given day. There’s a lot more to do than another game of its ilk, but the leisurely sense of playing at your own pace remains.

It’d be fair to say that Rune Factory 4 is very much greater than the sum of its parts. Part of the reason it can flood the player with content is because most of the pieces are fairly simple. There’s depth to juggling all the various moving parts and maximizing your stats, sure. But taken on its own, each mechanic is fairly straightforward.

Combat is an action-RPG affair that sees you mostly mashing your attack button with your weapon of choice. You have the ability to dash as a soft dodge, and this can combo into a different attack, but beyond this, it’s very basic. You also can equip magic abilities to supplement this, but you’ll rarely be doing anything truly complex. Dungeons are long sequences of small rooms with very light puzzles and a mix of enemies on offer. Even on the higher difficulties, it mostly comes down to moving at the right times and having higher stats or more healing than the opponent.

Again, though, this all ends up serving the package as a whole. Combat isn’t too deep, but it increases your skills and grants materials for crafting. The crafting lets you proceed further, and also helps you with the farming. The farming likewise can give you stronger materials, consumables, or produce the right items to gift townsfolk. You can even use them on some monsters to befriend them, taking them into combat to supplement your abilities or keeping them on the farm to do chores and produce materials. Simple pieces, but it makes for a very large and beautiful puzzle.

“Rune Factory 4 is very much greater than the sum of its parts.”

By now, you hopefully have a good idea of what’s in store for you in Rune Factory 4. Everything I’ve said so far has all been true of the original 3DS release, though. So what else is new about Rune Factory 4 Special?

There have been a few adjustments made to compensate for the lack of the 3DS dual screen on a Switch. The second screen was usually dedicated to a minimap or other information, but instead, this is now presented in a transparent window in the corner. You can resize the minimap with a press of ZL, though, so it doesn’t get too intrusive. There’s also been a number of tweaks that allow you to enlarge text boxes, while ZR has been mapped to the frequently used Escape spell. Enough care and concessions were put in to make sure the transition to a different screen size is smooth, which is appreciated.

With all that said, it’s still very much a 3DS game in terms of appearance. The resolution has been increased and many of the models or images have been smoothed out, so the game looks far less pixelated than the original. Unfortunately, this is something of a double-edged sword; many of the flat images now look dull and simplistic despite the clarity. It was a lot harder to tell how everything was compressed to fit a 3DS screen and cartridge, but now that illusion has been lifted. The 3D models look good enough, but it’s all still clearly born of a handheld game. Those expecting high graphical fidelity won’t find it here, though the developers have done their utmost nonetheless.

Beyond the presentation, a few little additions have made their way into the port. English and Japanese dual audio is now available, toggled from the menu. There’s a new difficulty mode that’s quite punishing, but I honestly just found it more of a nuisance than an interesting challenge. Some games better suit being challenged on high difficulty, but Rune Factory 4’s combat depth is too basic and stat-driven to really warrant it. It’s there should you desire, however!

As for the new content… there isn’t all that much to it. Both showcased additions to Special are available on the main menu, but you won’t be able to access them immediately. Another Episode is a series of short segments displayed and voiced like a visual novel, each one focusing on a romanceable character. There’s also a bonus one for Ventuswill, which is the closest fans of the dragon goddess are gonna get this time around. Ultimately, these are simple, short, sweet, but not a particularly large chunk of content. They’re also DLC, but will be free for the first month or so if you get the game early.

The Newlywed Mode adds more gameplay in the form of an epilogue with your partner after you get married. Again, there’s one for each, and these remain locked until you marry that specific character in a playthrough. Given the overall length of the game, only the absolutely dedicated or determined are ever likely to see all of these.

But here’s the rub: I didn’t get to play any of these episodes in the course of my review. This isn’t for lack of trying, either. I clocked up well over 40 hours of playtime on Switch, and I’ve beaten the 3DS version previously. I know what I’m doing to speed things along, but outside of rushing and ignoring non-essentials, it didn’t happen. Not only did I not make it to marrying a character, but I’m not even close! I only really just started dating my waifu of choice. As such, I honestly can’t tell you about the quality of this new content or what’s entailed. I intend to come back after the game has launched and cover it once I get there, but I just wasn’t able to get through enough to make it in time for this review.

Despite this conundrum, I think it loops right back around to showcasing just how much content there is in Rune Factory 4. This game is utterly enormous. It’s varied, it’s engaging, and it’s a great time. Whether doing chores at a relaxed pace or grinding hard to overcome a particular challenge, this holds true.

There is a major criticism I can offer, however. Town Events will spring up at random throughout your game. These involve a selection of the cast and some antics going on in their lives, and often lead to some great insight into their personality or history. Nonetheless, these events are random. On a day determined by the game (it’s not set), one of these events will trigger. Your save file will always have an event trigger on that day, and reloading prior to that day will let you cycle through events to access a particular one if you’re dedicated.

“This game is utterly enormous. It’s varied, it’s engaging, and it’s a great time.”

Now, this might not be an issue if these were exclusively minor little events. The problem is, these Town Events also include a number of key scenes. In order to marry your partner, you’ll have to see all their prerequisite events, and some have more than others. More egregiously? The entire third Act of the plot including the last major area is locked behind this!

If you didn’t look online and just try playing at your own pace — as I did on the 3DS — it might take you a frustratingly long time to even realize that the plot continues and there’s more to do… only for you then needing to cycle the events until you trigger the right one. It’s utterly maddening, and the largest complaint I could level against Rune Factory 4. I was hoping this would be adjusted for Special, but alas.

As major an issue as this is, however, it’s one that you can overcome with a little patience and a touch of frustration. By the time you’re likely to reach this point, you’ll have played a tremendously large chunk of video game already, with still more ahead. It really astonished me just how much content was in a 3DS game, and this is still remarkable even now on a different system. Given that this is my only problem with the game outside of small nitpicks, it’s far from a deal breaker.

“While no individual aspect is the best of its kind, the overall package exudes charm and entertainment that is hard to match.”

So this is where we stand. Rune Factory 4 Special is an amazing game. It was my personal favourite 3DS game out of the large and varied library. It’s a game that I was more than happy to return to even if there was no new content whatsoever. I still know my way around Selphia and relish my time with it. Many love Stardew Valley, but as quality as that game is… I’ve never been able to play it without eventually going back and replaying Rune Factory 4 instead. I expect I’ll still be playing even when Animal Crossing rolls around. While no individual aspect is the best of its kind, the overall package exudes charm and entertainment that is hard to match.

If you haven’t played the original and this sounds even remotely like your kind of game, I heartily encourage you to try it. If you did play the original, you probably won’t get too much that you didn’t already experience. Should you just feel a little nostalgic for it and want to go back to one of the best farming life sims ever made, though? That was more than enough for me to adore my time with Rune Factory 4 Special, and will continue to do so long after you’re done reading this. Here’s hoping the upcoming Rune Factory 5 manages to capture that magic again.

February 25, 2020 1:30 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/02/rune-factory-4-special-review-its-always-been-special-to-me/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rune-factory-4-special-review-its-always-been-special-to-me

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