megaman x4

The gameplay is similar to the previous installments of the X series, but there are some important changes:

At the beginning of the game, the player chooses to play either as X or Zero. Unlike future games in the Mega Man X series, the player is committed to the choice throughout the game (i.e., he cannot switch to the other character at any time). Though both of them go through the same stages, they operate differently, and get different challenges from the terrain. They must avoid obstacles like falling debris and spikes, and destroy enemy robots to reach the end of the stages.

X wields a plasma cannon (X-Buster) on his arm that he uses to attack foes from a distance. It can be charged to fire stronger shots. When he defeats a boss, he gains a new weapon for his buster. These weapons have limited ammo, displayed by a meter next to his health. In some stages, X can find capsules that contain upgrades that greatly enhance his capabilities.

Zero is more melee-oriented than X, using a saber (Z-Saber) rather than his usual arm cannon (Z-Buster). Its power and accuracy compensate for his lack of range. Not all of his moves are weapon-based— rather than acquiring weapons from bosses, he learns "techniques" such as the air-dash (Hienkyaku) and double-jump (Kuuenbu). However, Zero cannot upgrade any of his body parts in this game.

Two new Tanks have been added: a Weapon Tank, which will fill all of your Special Weapons up; and an EX Tank, which increases your default lives from three to five, should you have to start over or reset.

This is the first X game where your characters have conversations with the bosses before the battle begins, rather than the boss simply entering the room and attacking immediately. For this reason, there is no music specifically used to accompany the boss's entrance, as was the case with the first three games.