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Three Cardass card series, Rockman X: Megamissions, also got published while not part of the official X canon, their place in the timeline falls roughly somewhere between X1 and X2 (and X2 and X3 for the third Megamissions). Several manga adaptations of the first five games have added some additional characters (such as the Merloid Marti) and additional characterization for the various Mavericks and their motivations for defecting. An anime OVA, The Day of Sigma, came with the PSP remake of the first game ( Maverick Hunter X). It also spawned Mega Man Zero, an even darker Sequel Series for the Game Boy Advance, in 2001. The series saw several sequels on the Super Nintendo, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and PlayStation 2.
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Taking cues from the Role-Playing Game genre, the series also introduced hidden collectible items that grant a life meter boost, armor parts for X that upgrade his abilities, and interchangeable parts to enhance attributes or grant passive effects. The games' maps have a much bigger and more open design than the Classic series' maps to accommodate the new playstyle. The X series, however, have a much more aggressive playstyle than the Classic series due to the existence of Video Game Dashing and Wall Jumping. In terms of gameplay, the series has the same basic formula as the Classic series: you choose levels in no particular order and gain weapons from defeated bosses you use the weapons in an Elemental RockPaperScissors system against the other bosses lather, rinse, repeat. Sigma's defection heralds the beginning of a massive war between Mavericks and humanity - and since he feels responsible for the Maverick outbreak, X decides to team up with Zero ( repaired after Sigma knocked out him out with a decisive blow to the forehead, which makes him useful to the Maverick Hunters) and put a stop to the war. Why the others turned, we have no idea, but Sigma turned soon after getting into a fight with " Zero," a mysterious and insane robot of similar capability to X but of unknown manufacture. One of Cain's creations, an advanced Reploid named Sigma, becomes the leader of this group.Ĭain's work backfires again when most of the Maverick Hunter group, including Sigma, turn into Mavericks themselves. To combat the increasing Maverick menace, Cain helps to create the "Maverick Hunters", a group of Reploids authorized to use force in apprehending or outright stopping their violent brethren. note "Irregulars" in the Japanese version. These malfunctioning Reploids become known as Mavericks.
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Soon after their activation and deployment into the world, some of Cain's mass-produced Reploids develop bugs and glitches that cause them to go mad and become disobedient.
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