Key Points
- Mega Man X is a successful spiritual successor to the original Mega Man series, known for its fast-paced gameplay and challenging difficulty.
- Speedruns of Mega Man X require months or years of practice and optimization of game mechanics.
- Tokyo, also known as Tokyo90 and Tokyodc2, holds the world record for the fastest Mega Man X speedrun.
- The speedrun by Tokyo showcases impressive boss fights and relies on techniques like dash shot, slope jump, and gap jump off walls.
- Mega Man X speedrunning has seen a steady increase in world records since 2012, with Tokyo finally claiming the record in February 2012.
A lot of the time, spiritual successors to much-loved video game series don’t always stand on their own merits. While Mega Man X definitely piggybacked off the popularity of the original Mega Man series, it has become a major success in its own right. Along with Street Fighter and Resident Evil, Mega Man has made a name for itself as one of Capcom’s most popular franchises. There are many similarities between the original and the X series, but Mega Man X tends to be a little faster-paced, as well as easier on beginners. However, compared to a lot of other titles, it’s still very challenging. This difficulty only increases when it comes to Mega Man X speedruns.
X is a classic title for competitors to test their mettle at, thanks to its intense action sequences and reliance on precise movements. Speedruns are often as entertaining to watch as they are affirming to complete. Today, we’re going to see a new record for just how fast this game can be completed, and it’s simply amazing.
How Hard Are Speedruns?
Speedruns are somewhat deceptive to the casual viewer, in that they can look a lot easier than they actually are. Speedrunners often dedicate months or years to their chosen games, optimizing every part of the game’s mechanics that they can. When you add glitches into the mix, even more practice is required to pull them off consistently. Platformers tend to have their own difficulties as well, since the games are essentially designed to make travel rather awkward. While Mega Man X doesn’t have too many game-breaking bugs to make use of, this does mean that your competitive score mainly depends on your skill alone. Therefore, it’s still not an easy undertaking, especially if you’re going for the top spot.
- Includes every game from the main Mega Man X series
- Mega Man X Museum and Challenge mode added
- Revamped visuals and audio
- Nintendo account required to download Collection 2
Background of the Speedrun
Tokyo gives us this amazing run. He also goes by the names Tokyo90 and Tokyodc2 and mostly focuses on speedrunning games in the Mega Man X series, as well as Metroid and Zelda games occasionally. Mega Man X2 is one of his favorite entries in the series. While he generally does any% runs, there are some 100% runs on his channel. Naturally, any% runs are shorter, as you can complete the game with any amount completed, rather than having to obtain everything possible. You can check out more of his videos on his YouTube channel.
Mega Man X Speedrun by Tokyo: Highlights
First, let’s look at the special moments in this run:
- Took over 2 years to beat the previous record
- Boomer Kuwanger and Spark Mandrill fights are basically perfect
- He set a new personal best for the Bospider fight
This is an amazing run overall, with few mistakes being made. If we had to pick some, it’d be a few slip ups during the Sting Chameleon and Launch Octopus fights. In addition, there’s a delay during Sigma’s final form where X is blocked by a claw. However, these may have added a couple of seconds to Tokyo’s final time, if that. It’s taken almost 2 and a half years for the previous record to be beaten, so it’s an incredible feat.
Some of the boss fights were spectacular, particularly against Spark Mandrill, Boomer Kuwanger, and Bospider. Toyko set a personal record with the latter, which definitely helped him secure the world record. These types of runs are all the more impressive because there aren’t many glitches that can be used to gain an advantage. The main techniques involved are the dash shot, slope jump, and gap jump off walls.
History of Mega Man X Speedruns
There weren’t many online records for Mega Man X speedruns before 2013, but we can safely assume that runners got involved with this title soon after it was released. The platformer elements and non-linear gameplay lend themselves well to developing speedrunning strategies. Generally, there have been around 4 or 5 new world records a year since 2012, although there were none in 2015 and fewer in the following years. This would change in 2018 when WalrusPrime took first place in the last month of the year. This record would stand until February 2012, when Tokyo would finally beat out the competition and claim the world record.
Summary Table
| Highlights |
|---|
| Sting Chameleon and Launch Octopus fights |
| Delay during Sigma’s final form |
| Spark Mandrill, Boomer Kuwanger, and Bospider boss fights |
| Techniques: Dash shot, slope jump, and gap jump off walls |
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Aisyaqilumaranas/Shutterstock.com.
