Johnny vs. Mega Man ZX and ZX Advent

[@SomecallmeJohnny]

Booty. For 65% off with HelloFresh PLUS free shipping, use code SCMJ65 at bit.ly/3wjJP69

[@Gale_Storm_]

Edit: Wait. Ciel (Sky) and Prairie? Alright. When you said you'd be looking at these games, I immediately thought that the word "Booty" might be made as a joke, just judging by what I remembered from ZX Advent. I completely forgot about it. I saw this comment, with a link, and just assumed it was referencing merch. Then I realized... It's like hearing a knock knock joke over and over again as a kid, forgetting about it, and being told that same joke as an adult. Always a pleasure watching your videos. Still my favorite KZbinr, and more than likely will be for the foreseeable future.

[@zenone9698]

You should review xenoblade series.

[@jonieljoestarzawarudo8172]

Booty.

[@mecburnablasta6811]

ZX was very draining for me the first time as for everything great about the game, there’s just as much small annoying stuff that adds up. Like the Quest to get the Subtank in the Lava Area took me close to 2 hours because of how excessively excessive it was, easily the worst part of the Duology. ZX Advent fixed a lot of the issues ZX had, and while it still has issues, like the Rival Mega Men are all terrible characters because of how shallow they are especially when compared to the Guardians of Zero, the game was still a lot of fun. Other than the Secret Ending, I personally feel the ZX games work as a Duology

[@QF_Dan72]

i really enjoy these 30-40 minutes videos. You should keep it this way for future video

[@TheKpa11]

There’s a line of dialogue in advent where apparently psudoroids regenerate over time when they’re destroyed, an in game explanation if you want to take on the bosses again for those medals So yes, that indeed means *Pseudoroids hide themselves while they repair themselves*

[@mecburnablasta6811]

“Somehow, Fistleo came back again for the third time today”

[@___________0Z0X]

Take my like stranger on the Internet!

[@homuraakemi103]

Somehow, Chronoforce returned.

[@Argonisgema]

is that a reference?

[@ITNODove]

@@Argonisgema It's the excuse Zero gives for why he's back from the dead after the events of X5. "I hid myself while I repaired myself:

[@ZestuboArchfiend]

I love how in ZXA, depending on who you choose between Grey and Ashe, leaves a dark implication for the other. Take for example, if you choose Grey to be your character. Ashe and her friends pretty much gets killed by Prometheus while trying to recover Model A. Whereas if you chose Ashe instead, Grey dies after falling to his death from fighting the Mechaniloid. It's subtle but I like that.

[@legendarycryptid2629]

I remember reading about that... compared to ZX, the fact the player character you _don't_ choose is implied to have died at the end of their prologue fight just to make sure your story is the only one that progresses kinda shook me.

[@ZestuboArchfiend]

@@legendarycryptid2629 Yeah, like it didn't click with me at first when I was younger. But when I got older and looked into. I was like "Shit!" I didn't think they could be dark like that. This hits home a lot more because, since Grey feels more like the the true canon protagonist in Advent. This would mean that Ashe canonically dies before the events of the game.

[@Crow_Rising]

There's no outright proof that the other character dies. They don't show up or get mentioned at all, not even in reference to a tragedy happening somewhere. Likewise despite Vent and Aile co-existing you only ever meet one or the other in either playthrough. You could just as easily put two and two together that Grey and Ashe both survived but each playthrough is only half of the story to force you to replay the game for the full picture of what happened. This logic could extend to the first game as well. In particular, advertising for ZX in Japan showed Vent and Aile working together in a short little anime trailer, implying that canonically they do in fact co-exist but have their stories split apart to stretch out the game length. I generally chalk it up to just being a really weird and unclear design decision by Inti-Creates. It's hardly the only thing in these two games that's really off, despite them both being some of my favorite games alongside the Zero series.

[@DarkEinherjar]

@@Crow_Rising When you go to Hedgeshock's lab as Ashe, you start off at the same spot where Grey fights the Mechaniloid in his own story. The hole created by their battle is there and both Ashe and Model A comment on it, implying very strongly that Grey indeed fought the Mechaniloid there and most likely fell to his death afterwards.

[@Crow_Rising]

@@DarkEinherjar I'm well aware of the location. You also missed the stuff around the end of the Oil Fields similarly connecting to Ashe's intro. You're also entirely missing the fact that in both stories, the characters survived without help. Grey fell, but did not die and was found by a Hunter. Ashe was knocked out by Prometheus, but was disregarded by him after and was brought back to camp. In either event, the character should be fine later. Even if Grey wasn't found by a Hunter (Which is unlikely considering there was clearly an active mission in the area and the Hunters are already willing to risk their lives for rewards) he would simply wake up on his own and wander off somewhere. Likewise, there's no reason for Prometheus to be any less disregarding of Ashe as a bug unworth his time, and we know the mission was still successful because Model A still gets recovered in Grey's story. That's again, on top of advertising in Japan showing Vent and Aile working together, discrediting the split timelines idea. There's a lot more I could get into, but I don't really want to stretch out this comment that far so I'll cut it short for now and elaborate later if need be.

[@MaxusFox23]

Fun fact about the bonus Omega fight: That was his intended AI behavior and damage values for MMZ3 but couldn't be implemented due the GBA limitations. Yep, that's how HARD Omega's 3rd phase was originally supposed to be, instead of the piss poor one we got back then.

[@VelvetAura]

Omega still really kicked my ass the first time on that final phase as a kid but I did beat the Omega boss in ZX a few years later so I think maybe it was the right call 😂

[@MaxusFox23]

@@VelvetAura Model ZX's rolling slash ignoring invincibility frames sure helps with that fight ngl

[@megamanzero29]

Wasn’t omega supposed to also have Zero’s X series design but because of the GBA’s limitations they had to go with a palette seap?

[@MaxusFox23]

@@megamanzero29 Not GBA limitations, but they just couldn't make the shoulder pads on the sprites look good.

[@DarkEinherjar]

That would've been extremely cruel considering you have to fight two other bosses before it...

[@pridefulmaster1390]

14:07 If memory serves, the writer of the ZX games didn’t want to risk stepping on whatever plans Capcom had for Axl. Because the X8 cliffhanger wasn’t resolved at the time, Model A was designed in homage to Axl rather than making it directly connected to him. A nice sentiment, but given that we still don’t have an X9 I don’t know if it was the best move 😅

[@jesusa.adorno6933]

Yeah, he said he’s is like Axl, but he ain’t Axl. Model A’s plate on his head is based on the idea if Axl had to replace it after being K.O. by Lumine at the end of X8, this breaking his crystal.

[@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32]

I still feel like if Capcom revists a timeline, it's x or zx. Can't see classic right now as 11 is really hard to top, battle network and starforce are done, and new ips are really hard to do

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

If that's the reason, why even make it Model A at all?

[@kat_lynx]

@@UltimaKeyMaster Plausible deniability. If Axl was supposed to die or be destroyed after X8 (i.e. him potentially going Maverick), then Model A is just a callback to Next Gen reploid tech Albert built. If Axl was to live, then it can be chalked to Albert being an egotistical asshole who somehow attained the actual Axl's data and created this Model, naming it after his own hubris. Either way it would've worked for Inti Creates, since they were not allowed to interact with Value Wave, who at the time were handling the X series, as Inti themselves are ex-Capcom employees and Japanese work culture does NOT like "traitors" (Inti CEO Takuya Aizu entered Capcom straight after graduating, worked on Mega Man 7, hated the Capcom work culture of being underbudget and super crunched, if you've read MM7's dev cycle, you know it was miserable, so ALLEGEDLY after being told by Inafune "If you don't like it, make your own", Aizu took a good chunk of the MM7 and MMX2 team with him, which is why X3 had to be outsourced as the people hired to do Mega Man were no longer there.), Inafune had to basically beg to his bosses to let Inti handle MMZ, as the Capcom execs were NOT happy ex-employees returning 6 years later to work on the series they were ORIGINALLY hired to work on, as subcontractors. It's also why MMZ1 feels so underbudgeted, and the CD Dramas were paid from Inti's own pocket, as Capcom were sure as hell not giving MMZ the anime treatment they did to Battle Network.

[@Pikatwig16]

@@kat_lynx There were plans for a ZX anime. No network wanted to pick it up, though.

[@Lippalate]

5:33 "It's been a couple of centuries since the end of Mega Man 4" Can't really argue with that, no.

[@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32]

...oh

[@topbananafrosty8739]

Fun fact if you play as both Vent and Aile you get to keep Model X in future playthroughs. I honestly really like that because sometimes a buster is better than the sword

[@SilverHairedFreak25]

Oh definitely. The Double X Buster RIPS through bosses almost as fast as ZX's Rolling Slash, and doesn't require you to get up close.

[@MontyJojo]

The only issue with Model X is that it's attacks can't really reach the final boss

[@JustBrandon-i]

@@MontyJojo But Model X does make Ω Zero an ease

[@xinfr4z893]

The X2 buster casually destroying bosses two centuries later

[@DarkEinherjar]

@@MontyJojo To be fair, once he starts spamming the purple dust, unless you can avoid it every time, the only thing that can reach him are Model Fx's shots...

[@raikohzx4323]

A fun thing about Ciel as a human is that she's actually canonically the first Humanoid, a bio-augmented individual that would effectively pave the way for the Humanoids in the ZX series. It's why she can utilize technology and interact with Cyber-Elves the way she does. Plus ZX shows Ciel in the data logs before Serpent went evil, implying that unless Serpent's betrayal was many years ago, she's somehow survived for centuries. Just another unanswered thing with these games.

[@DarkEinherjar]

If we're talking cyborgs (humans with cybernetic enhancements) here, technically Weil was the first human to be enhanced in such a way, though his case was extreme and meant to be a punishment. Ciel probably got cybernetics after the events of the Zero series and the creation of Sage Trinity.

[@lukasruston8618]

@@DarkEinherjar I'm pretty sure it said somewhere in the Zero series (maybe in some of the audio dramas, idk) that the reason Ciel is so smart despite being just a kid is that she was essentially experimented on at birth and was given robotic parts that allowed her to something something technology and something something that's how she built Copy X despite being a teenager... at least I'm pretty sure.

[@xemnasxiii3992]

I thought during the mission of recovering the files in the ice level it was clear that Ciel was the one who made the recording and that she couldn't be saved in time

[@RealLotto]

@@lukasruston8618 Cyborg Ciel was a concept idea that never made it into the game. Ciel in Z series was a genetically modified human, which explains her intelligence at a young age. She didn't have robotic parts, but she did have a visor that allow her to see Cyber-elves, which are invisible to the naked human eyes.

[@oguzhangungor9117]

A 3rd ZX game with playable Pandora and Prometheus is something a lot of fans are hoping for. Heck, you don't even need 2 campaigns, just use a character switch mechanic from X8. Prometheus can use Model P and F elemental abilities with close range attacks while Pandora could use Model L and H abilities with long range attacks.

[@Rabbitlord108]

I think I heard that the ending of said 3rd game would tie into Legends (I think J said it in his review of ZX Advent. But I haven't seen that in a while so if anyone can correct me. Be my guest)

[@oguzhangungor9117]

@@Rabbitlord108 I don't think J is someone that should be taken as fact when it comes to games or lore considering how impulsive he can get at times.

[@KeroKaminaX]

6:40 game actually does say it outright in Vent's playthrough that Prairie is Alouette. messign with the plushies in her room does give you an item too btw

[@quintorro]

@5:33 "It's been a couple of centuries since the end of MEGA MAN 4" I had to play it back 🤣

[@meganinten0078]

We can say that Megaman 4 is one of Johnny's favorites classic MM games 🤣

[@Rabbitlord108]

OOPS!

[@DannyJennyArtz]

Fun fact: There's a neat customization option for Aile in the ZX game. There's a female Guardian inside the one of Guardian Base's rooms. She can change your clothes soon after you obtain access to the area, it lets you customize Aile's clothes and hair colors. It's mainly for aesthetic, but it's a neat way to change up your human form if you ever wanted to do that. Also, in Area A-2, there's a little girl (Luca), Once you take her mission (finding her purse), talk to her a few times, and she will add more color schemes to your clothes, too.

[@idiotsplay580]

i use the ciel color scheme all the time

[@alicevioleta3184]

i've been playing ZX since nearly release and this is the first time i've so much as heard of this, wtf

[@DarkEinherjar]

You only unlock Model Ox after beating Omega and finishing the game, and it doesn't carry over to New Game+, so you basically only use it in Serpent's building, the final area of the game. You do, however, regain the ability to play as Model X (which is stripped from the player after gaining Zx) if you start a new game after beating ZX with both Aile and Vent once, and Model X's double charged buster is overpowered. Also, in ZX Advent, if you collect all 24 medals from the Pseudoroids and start a new game, you unlock Model a, an 8-bit version of Model A that plays just like classic Mega Man, only it can also wall jump in addition to shooting lemons and sliding (no charge shot, though). Like Hedgeshock, Model a can also run through narrow gaps because of how tiny it is.

[@baomai1411]

A bit of addendum to Model O, it's not available on Easy mode (unless you use cheat codes on DS), only Normal and Hard.

[@MaxusFox23]

Adding to Model Ox: You can get it by either defeating Omega or the 8 old Maverick bosses thru linking MMZ3+4.

[@louievelayo4100]

​@@MaxusFox23 By linking, you meant inserting Zero 3 or Zero 4 into the DS' GBA slot right?... Figured it'd be like how to unlock the Battle Network related side quests in Star Force and Star Force 2...

[@MaxusFox23]

@@louievelayo4100 Yep, exactly like that. And just like Johnny showed, the legacy collection emulates GBA slot link. So you either have 8 "easy" fights inside 2 doors or one "hard" duel past disappearing blocks on top of spikes.

[@chimuoma390]

@@baomai1411 221045D2 000000FA Is The Code For Model OX On Easy Mode!Have Fun!

[@uhobme2028]

"When is Legion ever used in a positive context in fictional stories" _"Hope sustains organics during periods of difficulty. We… admire the concept."_

[@AKidNamedHiggs]

That Legion is the good ending.

[@CCaptinnemo]

“Does this unit have a soul”?

[@DocJak9988]

Came looking for it! Best Legion

[@Road_to_Dawn]

“…There was a hole.”

[@BaxterAndLunala]

Yeah, I was just thinking that Legion was used in a positive context (player driven, that is) in Mass Effect 2.

[@Raganui]

The Secret ending to ZX Advent always felt like someone was trying to set up for the story of Legends, taking ques from the backstory you hear about there.

[@Twilight17Petkoton]

Yeah, you have beat normal couples times or playing hard difficulty to get a secret ending in Megaman ZX Advent.

[@Oshamoff]

I'm pretty sure the whole Axl-Albert mixup was on purpose as a plot twist, not really a way to confuse the players. And while Albert created Model A, yeah, he was obviously working with some sort of template, there's no way he made it all from scratch. And that template was most likely Axl, hence the similarities.

[@Castersvarog]

Tbh if someday we ever get a third game that’s one of three things I hope they do with that game alongside Ciels whereabouts and the cliffhanger we’ve been hanging in for over a decade

[@Greyhoundsniper]

​@@Castersvarog and explaining how the world got flooded but that may be a whole new series needed to lead up to legends

[@DarkEinherjar]

I honestly see no mixup... Model A having Axl's copy ability and personality is merely homage.

[@Belanduraz]

I like to believe that Albert just shoved Axl's DNA soul into Model A which is why they have the exact same personality and similar voices.

[@DarkEinherjar]

In my opinion, Aile's and Grey's stories fit the narrative better. In Aile's story, Giro has been the Mega Man Model Z for a long time and has been a protector for Aile and one of the Guardians, and that story transitions better into ZX Advent, as Serpent mentions the blood connection between Aile and Albert just before he dies. Meanwhile, in Vent's story, Giro doesn't have any of his connections and becomes a Mega Man about the same time as Vent. In fact, the only benefit of Vent's story is that you find out that Model W was created when Ragnarok's remains merged with Weil. In Grey's story, the fact that he was made for Model A makes a lot more sense than Ashe being compatible just because she happened to be Albert's distant family. And yes, Grey's search to find out who he is fits the plot better (I just wish he hadn't been voiced by the same guy who did X in X7...).

[@legendarycryptid2629]

I mean, Peter von Gomm made _some_ improvement... sadly not enough to fully save his performance. Plus Grey's one of my favorite characters in the franchise. Being the successor to the Wily incarnation, who outright wins more or less in becoming a God and achieving his goals before dying, and the point where he returns to the lab he was created in were the biggest highlights of his storyline for me.

[@sussy3778]

Gray's narrative also fit the themes of the game better and make Albert's fall at his hands have a good flair of irony behind it, he wants to make the world evolve and reach its full potential, but got defeated by his own successor who proved to be superior to him.

[@ZestuboArchfiend]

It also helps that with Aile, she's actively trying to figure out what's going throughout the story. Asking the big questions in the grand scheme of things. While Vent is just... pretty much just goes along with everything without so much as a simple thought. But ultimately I do agree in that Aile/Grey feels more canon to the ZX/ZXA timeline. To be perfectly honest, I don't think Vent and Ashe were really planned/intended at first. Ashe more so since she just felt... slapped in at the last minute. At least with Vent, he was promoted and such.

[@armaggedon390]

I think with Vent's story that Giro was lying. That he trusts Aile more with the story because she's more level headed.

[@ZestuboArchfiend]

@@armaggedon390 I don't think there would be much reason for Giro to lie to Vent at that point. Especially with all the shit going down. Cause by him lying, that would imply he wouldn't want Vent to get further involved in the whole Guardian thing.

[@eh9618]

Fun fact, the artist behind the z and ZX games is a rider fan, as johnny did say about the transformations. Makoto Yabe enjoys Toru Nakayama's work and since Nakayama is a big tokusatsu fan, even made 2 pieces of art depicting Kamen rider black. One based on the original season, the other is the recent Kamen rider black sun, MegaMan ZX has a lot of toku references

[@jouheikisaragi6075]

The DS Megaman games are very heavily inspired by Kamen Rider. Little did I know, they'd become the source of my eventual massive love for Henshin Heroes

[@MrElbowsmash]

He didn't actually do the art for the ZX games, that's a commonly held misconception. Makoto Yabe was the artist for them. They were very clearly inspired in the same way Toru Nakayama was, though.

[@eh9618]

@@MrElbowsmash ah, i see, thanks for the clarification

[@manamaster6]

That thing about becoming the king of Mega Men sounded quite similar to the premise of a Kamen Rider season.

[@jouheikisaragi6075]

@@manamaster6 Ryuki right? Though I think Gaim had that also happen

[@MaxusFox23]

It's pretty haunting and creepy to think Model W was born out of the pieces of Ragnarok, which Weil had fused with, meaning that the sole reason why Mavericks are still a thing during ZX is because of Weil's "soul" corrupting Reploids and feeding off of the data equivalent of negative emotions. That's pretty much a cursed inanimate object! No f*cking wonder Dr. Weil's theme is called "Curse of Vile"...

[@kat_lynx]

It was even foreshadowed! Cockapetri in MMZ4 mentions Dr. Weil's "virus" is already complete and there's "no stopping what's to come". Considering Weil is an AI of a human mind, and he had successfully managed to decipher how Dr. Wily's technology and program (namely, Zero himself and the original Virus) work, His own desire to destroy the world that shunned and expelled him, the world he blames "wouldn't listen" to the threat "self-aware machines bring", make it all just more haunting.

[@DarkEinherjar]

I mean, just look at that nose. That thing is never going away...

[@lyuanfranco7842]

12:58 " as long one of us lives, we are a legion" (Legacy of kain: Soul reaver) this phrase is use to justify why kain can sacrifice everything for it's cause as long as one lives(mostly himself)(sorry for my bad english)

[@highvoltage7797]

You can tell Lewis edited this one and I love it.

[@mechashadow]

I mean it's been just him lately.

[@highvoltage7797]

@@mechashadow Well the Doctor Who and Bethesda references are very much appreciated.

[@Sonicfalcon16]

Yeah he was in the credits. I asked him to edit something for me and he was working on johns video. So I used the time to clean up some timestamps for him

[@NeoKad99]

5:33 Yes, it's been, to say the least, a couple centuries since Mega Man 4!

[@meganinten0078]

Yeah. I heard that too 🤣😆 Maybe Johnny actually likes Megaman 4 so much. Don't blame him. That game is underrated

[@Xx1SailorScoutxX]

Who WOULDN'T like Mega Man 4? It has the most bad@$$ robot master in the Classic series: PHAROAH MAN

[@ratcicleking]

If I recall correctly, the director(?) of Advent said they didn't make Model A be Axl because the X series was still happening, with X8 being pretty recent and everyone unaware that'd be the end of it, so they didn't wanna step on anyone's toes when it came to Axl's fate, but liked Axl enough to make Model A an homage to him without BEING him to keep his future vague enough for the next X installments

[@lsd-rickb-1728]

Where X9 then huh... give me answers for the future Installments

[@ThatGuy-tc6uv]

13:01 The Legion of Superheroes? I think? And regarding the whole "Model A isn't Axl" thing: It's not that the devs hated Axl, but that his fate after X8's ending is left unknown, so the devs made Model A a "homage" to him. Despite this, said fate apparently inspired Model A having a cap rather than a "lens" or gem like the other Mega Man.

[@legendarycryptid2629]

Ah, this duology takes me back. I played ZX as a kid after borrowing it from a friend, and I originally owned ZX Advent until I lost the cartridge one day. I replayed the crap out of Advent as a kid and loved it, so I'm glad the ZX duology got a re-release... though I wish we got that third game, that cliffhanger still gets my blood pumping and irks me that Capcom just didn't do it.

[@omegaman255]

I still have both cartridges from way back in the day. Played the snot out of both of them. Still do but more on the Zero/ZX Collection these days.

[@DarkFrozenDepths]

It sucks in general that Capcom backpedaled on so many ideas for the Megaman games. A 3rd Legends, a 3rd ZX, a MMO, a Megaman version of Mario Maker.... I mean seriously, what made them scrap so many potentially good ideas?

[@MaxusFox23]

@@DarkFrozenDepths A 3rd Legends was because of both Inafune doing a no-no and Capcom not having stopped it before to save face, a 3rd ZX (codenamed "ZXC") was due to poor sales and the MMO was due to "being a bug-filled mess". I still don't know what made them backpedal on Megaman Universe tho. The one that hurts me the most is the Irregular/Maverick Hunter X series, and all because the PSP did poorly in the west aka the target audience the MM series is heavily reliant on...

[@ToshisGarden]

As a Viewtiful Joe fan for about 20 years, I feel your pain. Both 1 and 2 literally promise a Viewtiful Joe 3 (2 ends at the very moment where 3 would have begun), and we never got that. We got a platform fighter spin-off, and a Ninteod DS game that introduced 2 important characters and yet still did not conclude the story of the original trilogy. We also got an anime, but it was essentially just a retelling of 1 and 2, but with a few more characters introduced.

[@TeoReviews]

I really want that 3rd game. The first ZX was just essential for me cause I went to Brazil for a year with it on my ds, and Advent is just a good time. I really hope they make a third eventually.

[@frankybuster]

The first ZX game had full voice acting too, but only for more important lines in the Japanese release, the international release cheaped out there.

[@DarkEinherjar]

You can find "undubbed" roms on the internet, which have the japanese voices and english text.

[@carlbloke8797]

So it’s like the same situation with Warioware Get It Together. Wow that sucks and is shitty

[@ZeroKnight95]

A lot of the voice cast for Mega Man ZX Advent also did the voice work for Mega Man X7. In fact, the voice of Grey is also the voice of X in Mega Man X7.

[@dannyfonseca07]

You know it’s a good day when Johnny uploads

[@hakeemxsonicgarner5165]

Another Reason Why he's one of my Favorite KZbinrs

[@kbowman772]

Legion is used in a positive context for the Legion of Superheroes.

[@Rutgerman95]

12:31 Was really expecting to get Ryuki-rolled considering the plot

[@michaelrhett4958]

A Ryuki fan? Nice. Henshin!

[@byg4299]

As someone who grew up with the games back on the DS, I'm honestly fond of ZXA voice acting and hearing the mastered dub in collection is so wild. Some performances sound almost completely different, I'm amazed they even still had those lying around

[@yurareigiryu]

How's that lock picking coming?

[@omegazeroINFI]

im certainly glad they did. in zxa, aile had 1 line while underground introducing herself and x, the only non compressed line in the game which is jarring if you paid attention. sounded so much better than the rest.

[@lsd-rickb-1728]

Same. The remastered voice acting was great. It felt like watching an anime with the characters having cutscenes

[@TheSwordsman100]

My biggest problem with the ZX series is how model X is handled, despite it fusing with the other bio metals in practice its really just that other bio metal as a playable character and if you want to play as X instead of Zero, Harpuia, etc. outside the beginning you have to beat ZX twice with each character. ZX Advent is even worse in this regard where he isn't playable at all.

[@Rabbitlord108]

Also. How were biometals X & Z able to defuse between games?

[@akesan2374]

@@Rabbitlord108 They never actually fuse. It's just that Model X's ability is to bypass being chosen for that specific Biometal (as a way to emulate the Variable Weapon System X and the original Mega Man had) to transform with it.

[@Rabbitlord108]

@@akesan2374 Okay

[@simon-ricardokuhn1713]

I know that ZXA isn't the best game but I do love Ashe's design, really makes her stand out. She's one of my absolute favourite characters from the Mega Man games.

[@shinysamurott613]

She is the epitome of a smug bastard and I love her character for that.

[@lsd-rickb-1728]

Nah I liked Grey's design better his hair, his green eyes and the scar on his bottom cheek also the two plugs on his neck🔌 he looks sick

[@shinysamurott613]

@@lsd-rickb-1728 Grey is also very cool yeah

[@KeyboardKlutz_0]

if a third game ever comes out, they really should tie Axl into model A canonically. The comics show Axl fighting alongside X and Zero in the Elf Wars, so it wouldn't be completely out of left field.

[@5kndnumbah]

10:18 As far as the plot with Ciel was concerned, was pretty sure that someone mentioned how Serpent became obsessed with Model W and killed this scientist that I thought was implied to be Ciel in order to get it

[@DesignDoc]

12:58 Really the only positive example I can think of is Legion from the Mass Effect trilogy.

[@OnDavidsBrain]

13:02 Legion from Mass Effect 2? 13:27 Speaking of D.C Douglas.

[@taecampus]

Great video as always! I honestly can't wait for him to tackle the Legends series. I know that they looked at it during their let's play on SGB, but I feel like Johnny will get more of a grasp on why the Legends series was so love and had such a cult following.

[@Rabbitlord108]

Imagine if he does Battle Network. I can already see his jaw dropping when he gets to the twist regarding Megaman exe's origin in the first game.

[@Demonskunk]

The idea of ZX's weak points is that you can choose to fight a boss quickly by targeting it's weak point, or you can be more careful and avoid melting them for a bigger immediate reward. You know, too try to avoid the MegaMan problem where bosses become pitiful once you have their weakness. Not that it was a great idea.

[@Nic5Cyprus]

I'd say that as a series ZX stands out by being Metroidvania (which is strange they didn't try that sooner tbh) but the constantly respawning enemies kinda kill the pacing and make the games a lot more tedious

[@Sharkbait745]

To answer Johnny's question about a positive use of legion in fiction, I'd say the character Legion from the Mass Effect trilogy is a good example

[@PowerPandaMods]

Also Brandon Sanderson's novella series titled Legion.

[@michaelrhett4958]

7:35 Hearing Johnny reference Kamen Rider in a video makes me so happy. Now if you excuse me, I gotta watch Geats. I’m on episode 17 and I gotta catch up.

[@HunterForHire422]

The thing that has stuck with me ever since I played the ZX games is Pandora's voice. The DS audio crunch makes it sound so creepy yet I find it very memorable

[@lsd-rickb-1728]

Right

[@colinledoux7836]

Fun fact: if you get all the bronze, silver and gold medals for all the maverick bosses in ZX advent you'll unlock model a an eight bit version of model A. Unfortunately you can't do much with it. But you do get a slide move

[@SparkTFS]

Really interesting video! I think it's a shame we never get an official ZX3, as it could potentially fix many of the previous games shortcomings, and also bring some closure to the story. Well, a fan can dream. Anyway, here's some little trivia: Yes, as far as I remember, Model A was completely inspired by Axl. The reason the developers made the A reference Albert instead is because Axl's fate after the X series was unclear at the time, so if they referenced him directly, they would risk break continuity with the X/Zero series. In fact, it that a close look, you will notice that Model A is the only one that doesn't have a crystal on the head. - - [SPOILERS FOR MEGA MAN X8 AHEAD!] - - That's a reference to Axl's crystal breaking at the end of X8, presumably infecting him with the Maverick virus. What Model A has instead is a cover, necessary for containing the virus.

[@Twilight17Petkoton]

Yeah, so Megaman X8, Legend 3, and ZX3 are canceled until Capcom can come up on the idea without K I.

[@bigpenny8223]

@@Twilight17Petkoton X8 exists already

[@BlazetheCat130]

6:23. Rest in Peace, Jason David Frank..

[@thesosoartist4458]

The funny thing is, there was a third ZX game planned with Prometheus and Pandora being the playable characters. (It MIGHT have been a prequel) It was scrapped but I remember seeing photos from a magazine or something with the 2 being in more human clothing. (Correction) It may have been an April Fools thing... A ZX3 project was in the works according to Inti-creates, but it was canceled by Capcom Execs that are no longer there according to them in an interview not too long ago.

[@mecburnablasta6811]

Prometheus & Pandora are probably my favorite characters in the ZX Duology other than Prairie, since her development from the Zero games and her carrying on after Ciel left is an incredible way of tying the games together

[@-yuuichi-8605]

Yeah, I remember my excitement and disappointment when I saw 3rd ZX game is on production only to found out it's an april fools joke.

[@shinysamurott613]

That's definitely not true sadly. Although designs for P&P in regular reploid forms do exist. They were released with one of the CDs

[@jaretco6423]

And here we thought Shadow the Hedgehog ( the game ) was an April Fools joke.

[@IGN_OFFClAL]

Okay, I get music is subjective... but Area A from ZX, Prometheus and Pandora's boss theme, as well as the General Advent Boss are all certified bops.

[@Castersvarog]

Something worth mentioning about the changes between Grey and Ashe is that there are some differences gameplay wise outside of their buster shots. By default Grey deals more damage then Ashe and all the Y button attacks with the Biometals are different. Model A homing shots change between Ashe and her chain shot while Grey can target multiple enemies/a single target multiple times at once, Model F uses either fireballs or bombs, Model P uses either a giant shuruken or a shield, Model H changes what direction the tornados go vertically or horizontally, and Model L fires either a giant dragon or an ice ball that explodes when hit and Model ZX either gets a downwards Stab or a rising slash, each going to Grey and Ashe respectively. Also, if you get all 24 medals by defeating the bosses in ZXA in different ways like a avoiding certain weak points, not destroying certain enemies summoned, using only certain attacks from certain models, etc, there’s a special a-trans you can get called Model a, not Model _A_ it’s Model _a_ which is an 8-bit sprite version of model A that slides and only fires 3 lemons

[@eh9618]

12:58 "when is 'legion' ever used in a positive context in a fictional stories?" Legion of superheroes, basically future justice league from DC

[@PowerPandaMods]

You are absolutely right that when you first play through ZX, you should totally ignore the level system. When you're near the end of the game, the bosses will start re-appearing, and you can re-challenge them, for an optionally-better victory. I found the Level-4 Victories, not hitting the weak point at all, to be a great, fun challenge. There are tricks to all of the bosses... certain patterns specifically made for being able to damage them without hitting a weak point... and once you know the trick, everyone but Flammole becomes pretty simple. One fun Easter Egg is that every time you get a L4 victory, a stuffed animal of that boss gets added to Prairie's room.

[@PuffyBuffy]

16:33 I swear I thought he was about to say “You slumber, a cucumber!”

[@shinysamurott613]

So Model A is a bit of a weird case. As you can guess, Model A *is* based on Axl but only in an out of universe context. The writers wanted to go that route but due to the X series and Axl's fate in particular being on a cliffhanger, which has continued to this day sadly, they opted to not go that route so as to not contradict anything the X Series would do later down the line which is honestly probably the best reason for that, even if it didn't age well in the long run. As a sidenote, here's something funny about ZXA's story. Grey, Prometheus and Pandora are all creations of Albert, effectively making them his children in a sense. Because Ashe is a biological descendant of Albert, his Great-Great etc Grandchild essentially, that makes her related to the other three, their Great-Great Niece from a certain point of view. In other words, Grucle Grey is canon, have a good day

[@ManOutofTime913]

Which they really didn't have to do considering he doesn't come up at all in the Zero series and the time gap means that he's most likely dead (Also Capcom didn't really seem to care on following up on him since he only appears in 3 games and one of them isn't canon). It also doesn't make sense for Albert to have created Model A in the first place since Ciel was the one who created all of the other Models sans W and Model A just works like any regular Biometal. I mean Serpent was at least established as a researcher working with Ciel before he became a cyberpunk corporate overlord; Albert doesn't have that context to make the connection. Switching the model name to Albert strikes me as a really last minute change or even a script mistranslation.

[@shinysamurott613]

@@ManOutofTime913 It's definitely not a mistranslation that's for sure

[@thefriendlydragon4811]

@@ManOutofTime913 Albert is literally one of the leaders of the world and created not only Prometheus, Pandora, Grey, and a decoy body for himself, but also created Biometal Model W and set up the Chosen One system to begin with. I'd say he has more than enough credentials to create his own Biometal.

[@train4292]

Friend spotted 👀

[@ManOutofTime913]

@@thefriendlydragon4811 See, that conflicts with the backstory given in ZX1 where Model W was pieces of Ragnarock that fell to Earth and somehow got infused with Weil's DNA Soul or something. Maybe I just want the story to be more interesting than it is, but he always struck me as a guy who fucked around with eldritch forces he didn't really understand and turned evil because of it. My qualm comes mainly from the fact that Model A has its own personality that isn't just a clone of Weil's like all of the other Model Ws supposedly are. Instead it acts like the Biometals that Ciel created despite there being no connection between them. And the fact that it acts and operates like Axl is doubly weird. Unless the X team were going to have Axl become an eldritch horror at some point. With how X8 ended, it's not out of the cards.

[@zettovii1367]

"When is Legion ever used in a positive context on fictional stories?" The Legion of Super Heroes?

[@shadowvash07]

This definitely helps make my day brighter. Can't wait for the Legends videos, one of my favorite megaman series.

[@warnejoseph]

9:02 The crossover I never knew I needed

[@pcb1175]

That was the editor's doing (Lewis is a doctor who fan)

[@GameAceTaylor]

Fun facts: If you bully the cyber elf pinata for much MUCH longer than you think you have to, you get a W tank. It's possible you need to melee it? I'm not sure.

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

"It's been a few centuries since the end of Mega Man 4" I mean. That's not...ENTIRELY wrong. ;P

[@VelvetAura]

20:46 The charge slash from the Zero series has a similar effect to the air roll from ZX in that bosses can still take additional damage after being stunned by the slash. This allows you to hit a charge slash and then do a quick 1-2-3 combo for extra damage while the boss is flashing white. I don't remember if you can do this in the ZX games too or not, but it was a great tip to have under my belt when replaying the Zero games in this collection.

[@natsuquilava7917]

17:34 Funny you say that, because the ZX game canonically lead to the Legends games, with ZX 3 seemingly set up to connect the dots between the two. Unfortunately, we may never know how that would play out

[@cesarramirez7194]

Johnny: Mentions you shouldn't need supplementary material just to flesh out characters, world building, and get a better understanding of the franchise. "Balan WonderWorld has entered the chatroom"

[@kobalt_ren01]

9:01 I REALLY didn't expect that reference but I am so glad it's there XD

[@meganinten0078]

11:19-11:27 FINALLY! SOMEONE WHO GETS IT! That's the same reason why I hate Star Wars Episode IX and how you have to read the novels to understand how Palpatine returned. Especially if that info was release after the movie! That is bad writing. I hate when an author/mangaka gives an explanation of a plot hole many years later after the end of their novel/manga. (I looking at you Akira Toriyama) Anyway, Am I the only one who is annoyed that Model ZX looks exactly like Zero? 😮‍💨 I like Zero but I have to admit he is overrated. It is clear who was Inafune's true love. Poor X fans.

[@gyppygirl2021]

I honestly feel that in some ways, the favoritism toward Zero was a disservice to his character. In my opinion, he's best when he takes a side role with X in the lead (with X4 as an exception). The more favoritism he gets, the more his character becomes muddled, and this was one of my biggest problems with the Zero series - making a character more complex is not always a good thing.

[@Ashanmaril]

16:27 Promethus sounds like Xavier: Renegade Angel

[@jruler93]

If you beat ZX with both Aile and Vent, then you can use Model X throughout the game from your third playthrough onward, and Model X's double charge shots just body the Pseudoroids like nobody's business, especially when you get the Quick Charge part.

[@ripleyandweeds1288]

"First of all you look like Cell from Dragon Ball Z, and I'm a Dragon Ball Z kinda guy" MY MAN

[@Mr.man712]

This is such a good birthday present. I'm glad you covered this series Johnny thank you!

[@dunkelstevenson4413]

Happy birthday random internet person

[@Mr.man712]

@@dunkelstevenson4413 thank you internet stranger

[@noblesseoblige1076]

Happyyy birthday then dude. Have a good one

[@Mr.man712]

@@noblesseoblige1076 Thank you dude :D

[@DonutZX386]

Happy birthday man, hope you had a good day

[@ReiAyanami8]

"When is 'Legion' ever used in a positive context in fictional stories?" **cough** Mass Effect **cough**

[@bryceknowles1380]

ZX Advent was what introduced me to the ZX series. Thank you for reviewing that game for me John, it has found memories for me.

[@eckitronix]

"It's been a couple centuries since the end of Mega Man 4." BOY HOWDY IT SURE HAS

[@northwindkey]

5 minutes in and Lewis already put an Ultima reference on the screen. Also, Ciel is human right? Isn't she reasonably assumed to just have naturally passed away by this point? I didn't remember it really being much of a mystery. EDIT: Master Thomas' "reset the world" plot is actually a Legends setup btw. He would end up flooding the world.

[@allen8959]

She is human, however she was the one who created the tech that allowed humans to live longer, and adjusted reploids to have aging lifespans. Chances are she could still be alive if nothing more than due to the tech she created. It's worth noting Ciel was a genetically modified human, and we don't even know if that came with adjusted lifespans in the first place.

[@DarkEinherjar]

Yes, Ciel is human, and since she's not part of the Sage Trinity, she's meant to have a limited lifespan regardless of any cybernetics she might've received, though we can't say for sure. We don't know when the guardians were founded, when Serpent's betrayal took place and when Serpent founded Slither Inc. This makes it very hard to determine for how long Ciel has been alive, as all we know is that she survived Serpent's betrayal and would later seal Model W while creating Models, X, Z, H, F, L and P to fight it before vanishing.

[@carlbloke8797]

@@DarkEinherjarCiel IS supposed to be alive though since she created the tech that allowed humans to live longer, so it would’ve made sense to see her

[@bummedmachinist7483]

Fun fact: despite being mechanically identical, the two characters in ZX actually have near completely unique scripts and story beats. Some notable examples: - Gyro lies to Vent about his ties to the Guardians and biometal, meanwhile he explains his background to Aile. - Aile bonds with Prairie over their shared relationship with Gyro- Vent's story largely ignores this and focuses on recap from Zero. - Aile's Pandora and Prometheus give more hints about the plot of the sequel and foreshadow other elements. - Aile has more personal motivations than Vent, despite them having the exact same origins. Out of the two, youre essentially picking between the bare minimum of characterization/story with Aile and the traditional "beat the bad guy!" Megaman story with Vent. Personally Aile/Grey is the definitive experience, I have no idea why they decided to differentiate the scripts between gender so much, pretty weird

[@Toastman30K]

I hope its okay if I just leave a long ass post of some ZX stuff ya probably didn't know, I'm a massive nerd for these games, I love your content, I like to ramble, hope ya don't mind :D ZX: You were spot on that Vent and Ailes stories are largely similar, the only differences being what backstory you learn from those plot-related data files (Ailes focuses on the biometals, Vents focuses on the Guardians' formation), However Aile has a few little bonuses, she crawls slightly faster for one, and you can unlock palette swaps for her human form, such as blond with pink clothes, or ginger with purple clothes, among others. If you have Completed save files of both Vent and Aile, you get to keep the Model X transformation in subsequent playthroughs, all it has is a double charge shot, but that can absolutely wreck some bosses, its my personal favourite transformation. ZXA: beating the game once unlocks a minigame in the pause menu, where you play an NES style stage where everything is 8bit the craftsmanship of this stage is why Inti was brought back to do megaman 9 and 10, because they did so well with this one The level victory mechanic isnt a thing in ZX Advent, but every boss has these "medals" which can be achieved by completing certain stipulations in the fight, and some of them absolutely suck, like killing Vulturon using only the giga attack, or killing both of the purple guys simultaneously with certain moves. getting all 24 medals makes it so you start future playthroughs with a model a (lowercase) in your inventory, using it allows you to A-trans into the 8-bit Model A from the bonus stage, its a neat reward, and its ability to slide can help you get Hedgeshock-related goodies early Speaking of transformations, the biometal transformations work differently depending on if you pick Grey or Ashe, Grey's functioning closer to how they did in ZX, whilst Ashe's are more unique for example, Grey has Model P's shuriken boomerang, whilst Ashe has a new orbiting shield in its stead, Grey has a downward stab for Model ZX, whilst Ashe has the sword uppercut This also sort of effects their Model As as well, Greys charge shot is more traditional, whilst Ashe's Charge shot functions more like the Gemini laser. also, that comment about the spin attack, that's a part of the game's combo system yeah every game in the ZERO/ZX collection had a combo system, where each move is programmed with a priority number, and attacks can hit through Invincibility frames caused by lower numbers for example, a charge shot has a priority of 2, whilst a Saber swing has a priority of 70, so if you hit a boss with a charge shot, you can hit through their I-frames with the Saber the system was more robust in ZERO 3, with all the EX skills and all, seeing some of the combos people do there is insane

[@buchiklop110]

"When is Legion ever used in a positive sense in fiction?" The Legion of Super-Heroes say hi.

[@jesusa.adorno6933]

5:34 *it’s been a couple centuries since the end of Mega Man 4. Yikes, no wonder Mikhail Cossack looks different.

[@kenw.1520]

24:12 Well, because in the Megaman Universe, they haven't invented Samus' Morph Ball technology. And as we all know, Metallic suits can't crawl. So either you roll up into a ball... or you go back to being human and crawl. Good to know Megaman ZX lore complements Metroid lore.

[@QuintaFeira12]

Chronoforce DOES have one extremely useful purpose outsied of water: His upper shell takes no damage and you can straight up tank hits from several bosses using it. And since transformation is instant... you can basically use him as an instant shield.

[@Rabbitlord108]

Considering he's a giant turtle. That makes sense. Now if only they had an optional upgrade to give him a bipedal mode turn him into a reincarnated Rainy Turtloid from X6. Heck maybe throw in an acid rain screen nuke ala the rain flush from Mega Man 4 for good measure.

[@davidvitti8240]

13:02 The only answer I’ve got is the Legion of Super Heroes.

[@icoop9760]

Found you when you released the last Zero episode. Watched so many of your episodes in the last month! Devoured all of the Megaman stuff and started in on the Sonic and Final Fantasy stuff Great work, keep it up!

[@MagillanicaLouM]

The ability to slide being lost as technology advances in this universe truly is comical lol

[@Rabbitlord108]

Then again the OG blue bomber can't slide in 9 & 10.

[@gameboycanuck144]

A great way to start my day. Thanks Johnny. Glad you still had a good time for the most part, ZX is my favourite of the two, and even of the whole Zero franchise, so this video was a blast to sit through. Also just a little note here; My friend and I DID manage to beat all the bosses in ZX without hitting their weak points back when we first played it years ago, it was an absolute nightmare with some of them, but we did it. Besides getting undamaged Biometals, getting a Lv 4 Victory simply places a plush of the boss in Prairie’s room, like the Cyber Elf plush…that’s it. Not really worth the trouble.

[@VivioSaf]

10:40 ~ I don't remember if the games make it clear. But it was widely accepted that the Villain of the first game put Ciel through his "solution" Process.

[@kadosho02]

If I recall. Nope they do not 🤦

[@GhostOfRazgiz]

ZX has one of the coolest 100% rewards in MM history. So cool.

[@giygas_9577]

What is it? I never got 100%.

[@GhostOfRazgiz]

@@giygas_9577 Well, beat the secret boss and you get Omega form, which Johnny mentioned. It also has a NG+ and hard mode. Beat the game on NG+ with the different character, and you can use the X form through the entire game.

[@giygas_9577]

@@GhostOfRazgiz Ah, I knew about the model X and Omega but wasn't sure if there was anything else for like doing all the side stuff (which I never did). Playing as Model X with that badass busted Mega Man X2 double charge shot is indeed awesome.

[@TheKpa11]

Siarnaq is my favorite, that synthesized voice, and apparently some hidden sadism if you die to him (In the Japanese voice acting though)

[@LordLucario12]

Ahh nothing like a new Johnny vid to kick off my Sunday. And one where we finally get to the Mega Man games I have little to no experience with to boot!

[@torinitydaigo7717]

Johnny knowing about Kamen Rider was the greatest thing to happen to me. Love to know your thoughts man.

[@zeusdeegoose]

6:50 I was today years old when I found out that you actually do get an item for attacking the doll, but you need the Zero model to cut it down and then you can slash it to death to get a free W Tank.

[@LaurenceOdell]

Okay, using a Doctor Who clip, Johnny? Kamen Rider was a inspiration for these games? That's hardcore!

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

Tokusatsu is like a GOOD percent of inspiration for alot of things, surprisingly. (From your Gojis to your Riders and such)

[@michaelrhett4958]

Glad to see Kamen Rider fans here!

[@DarkJustin87]

Legion from Mass Effect 2 was a chill Geth. I did love it when he use to say "Shepard-Commander"

[@ZeroDarkXZ]

I remember going through the ZX Advent story for the first time and was just confused as hell by the end. I also kinda would have liked if Ciel was the protagonist for the games. Would have made a nice connection for her and Zero.

[@unlitcrow]

13:05 The Legion of Super Heroes from DC Comics come to mind. That's all I've got.

[@Bluedino152]

I'm surprised lewis didn't bring up mass effect's legion in response to your question

[@TheKpa11]

Though it can potentially be bad

[@OneTrueNobody]

I did think about it.

[@TheKpa11]

@@OneTrueNobody NO-BA-DY

[@singletona082]

The only two times I've seen Legion used positively in fiction: Tony Stark's Iron Legion. Legion of Super Heroes (31st century justice league.)

[@KazeMemaryu]

I really didn't like the english voices in MMZXA, either, but for readons beyond my understanding, the PAL release removed all voice lines outside of the animé cutscenes, so I didn't have remotely as much to suffer. But one thing that I really enjoyed was the twisted dynamic of the Trinity Sages. After all, their names directly reference the three original genius professors of robotics: THOMAS Light, ALBERT Wily, and MIKHAIL Cossack. But in spite of their references, Thomas turns out to be a manipulative schemer, and Cossack is a very positive and helpful guy. I really wish we could've seen the conclusion to all of it, but it simply didn't work out.

[@Rabbitlord108]

To be fair. Wily was holding Cossack's daughter hostage in Mega Man 4.

[@CentipedeChan]

That sonic forces joke caught me off guard and I nearly coughed up my water on my keyboard

[@NanaKyoto]

The ZX games did at least try something new with the Metroidvania style of exploration, but its execution, in conjunction with old Mega Man design just didn't quite stick the landing. And while being able to transform into the bosses is neat, they couldn't have chosen a more inconsistent boss roster. But now, I can't stop thinking about the word "booty" for some reason. P.S Still waiting on those Game Boy Mega Man games, Johnny.

[@Rabbitlord108]

If he does them. I expect Worlds 1 & 5 to be the full color ROM hacks. Also can someone donate him SpongeBob Revenge Of The Flying Dutchman? The last world's got you collecting "booty" for ghost pirates. At one point SpongeBob even says "Let me guess. You lost some booty. You want some more booty"

[@raymonderrity1419]

5:32 "It's been a couple of centuries since the end of Mega Man 4" Pretty sure it's been a couple of millennia since Mega Man 4 by the time of ZX.

[@meganinten0078]

True 😆🤣 That mistake was so funny

[@Morgil27]

The acting may not be great, but at least it isn't X4 bad.

[@harogenkitnsg2474]

Never would I have thought to see a Doctor Who clip in a somecallmejohnny video

[@taylormiller4223]

The editing in this video is top notch dude. Love your stuff Johnny. You give me a good relaxing time.