As you all know, Onimusha: Way of the Sword sold over 1 million copies worldwide and counting at launch, making it a commercial success along with Resident Evil: Requiem and the all new Pragmata. The game industry is struggling in 2026, but Capcom, of all companies, has developed a trifecta of critically acclaimed games. 2026 is set to become a career year for Capcom. With Onimusha: Way of the Sword becoming a resounding success and Mega Man: Dual Override on its way, Capcom is open to reviving most of their IPs that have been dormant for years to decades. Everyone is petitioning and pushing for different games to come back. One of them being a franchise that was left off in a cliffhanger, the mature take on the Mega Man series, Mega Man X.
It is a sub franchise of the original Mega Man franchise that can most definetely make a comeback. Different cast of characters, serious and mature tone and the introduction of Reploids and Mavericks. Many people liked the series better than the original Mega Man because of its serious tone we'd experience in action cartoons. The first six games have 2D sprites and the last two games introduced 2.5D graphics. There is a turn-based RPG on the franchise, Mega Man X: Command Mission.
This is a turn-based JRPG that can most definetely go toe-to-toe with Expedition 33 and many other turn-based RPGs. Great graphics, Hyper Mode transformations, similar tone to the original Teen Titans and characters that never appeared in any of the mainline games. The PS2 version sold 36,635 units and the GameCube version sold 18,599 units. Now that Capcom is looking to revive most of their dormant IPs, I think it's time we get a modern remake for Mega Man X: Command Mission.
Here's the thing. If you're playing the PS2 version, it runs on a rough 30 FPS, but has a decent random encounter rate. You will notice that Command Mission is one of the third-party titles within the sixth generation era that has technical limits on the PS2 version. But throw the same game to the GameCube and you'll experience that the game runs on a buttery smooth 60 FPS, but has an annoyingly higher random encounter rate than the PS2 version. I think we can see the remake run at 60 FPS on modern platforms and have the use of the RE Engine at 1080p resolution.
We can keep the random encounters, but to make it easier and less annoying, an option to toggle random encounters on and off like in Wild Arms 4 and 5 on the fly. These are actually the first two things I want for the remake; run at 1080p resolution in 60 FPS on modern platforms and the option to set the rate of the random encounter.
The next thing that is most obvious is an intro. When you start a new game, you'd realize that the game lacks an intro as many games have an intro. There is an outro that appears when you beat Redips. It's absurd for Command Mission to just lack an intro that entails the introduction of Giga City. I think an intro can work.
The next thing is innovative and cinematic combat system. The combat system in Command Mission is pretty much decent, but lacked some potential. But we can give it potential by bringing cinematic goodness to the combat system. This makes the pacing a lot better.
The next thing is obvious, changing the way we equip Force Metals. They are trinkets that augment a characters stats. I liked the Force Metal system. But my main problem is having a limited amount of Force Metal slots. For example, X has four available slots, but not everyone because Massimo, for example, has two available slots. But I think we can change it to equipping Force Metals in the same style as how we equip badges in Paper Mario, meaning that we can equip Force Metals without the use of limited slots. But the penalty will remain. If the Alert sign appears when hovering the Force Metal that will exceed the max erosion, equipping it will have a penalty that lasts until the battle ends, so be careful and watch what you're equipping.
And last but certainly not least, a New Game+. Many games, especially in the modern generations have a New Game+ and it's unlockable after beating the game for the first time. With New Game+, the current level, Zenny, Force Metals and weapons you have and the progress made in the Deployment Center in the original playthrough you cleared will carry over to the beginning of the journey. It makes boss fights a bit easier and can soar through enemies.
Let me pitch my idea. I would love for a Mega Man X: Command Mission remake to have a 1080p resolution at a buttery smooth 60 FPS on modern platforms, the use of the RE Engine, an intro, an option to toggle random encounters on and off, innovative and cinematic turn-based combat, change the way we equip Force Metals without the use of slots and a New Game+ to have all of the items you acquired and the progress you made in the original playthrough. All of this is to make things up to snuff.
I genuinely think that the music, combat, art direction, serious tone, Hyper Mode transformations and everything else in Command Mission is brilliant. But that brillance is sullied by the PS2 version running at 30 FPS and the GameCube version running at 60 FPS due to the PS2 version's technical limits, the combat system lacking some potential, lacking an intro and limited Force Metal slots. But a hypothetical remake can fix the respective issues. But overall, Command Mission is indeed a great game I played in my childhood and recently since the launch on the classics catalog. But why is that important to talk about? I'm glad you have asked.
During my childhood, I had trouble playing this game until I have gotten a bit better by equipping weapons that exploit weaknesses. And since the launch of the classics catalog, I have gotten a lot better. It's not just equipping weapons that exploit weaknesses, but spending more to level up the party until I'm satisfied with it and doing something that I hadn't done during my childhood, defeating optional bosses to get Ultimate Armor and Absolute Zero. I tested out the new Hyper Mode transformations and they both pack a punch. I should've had gotten them before facing Epsilon for the ultimate cheese.
The Great Redips battle was intense, but I didn't beat it once, but twice. The second run was much faster than the first run, all because the new Hyper Mode transformations I acquired given me the ultimate cheese I need to defeat bosses in Chapter 10 in the fewest amount of turns and had to restock on Cure Alls because of the move Great Redips uses to apply every status aliment on all. I forgot what is it called.
Do you remember the Everlasting King battle in Bug Fables? It's quite similar to the Great Redips battle I have not beaten during my childhood. Over time, during my Bug Fables playthrough, it became essentially clear that the Wasp King literally has the same type of goal as Redips in terms of ruling fictional worlds. It's exactly like that. You'd expect the sour betrayal had shocked fans. In fact, this might apply to seeing a game to be made. Another turn-based RPG that is basically Paper Mario meets Mega Man X: Command Mission with a fleshed out party of seven characters with different weapons and personalities, switching between members with more flexibility, each member having their own badges and a central hub surrounded by areas to teleport to in mind.
With Capcom reviving dormant IPs, thanks to the success of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, I like to see Command Mission get remade with modern upgrades and innovative turn-based combat system in mind. I know the game was met with mixed critic reviews, but it at least sold well to be a cult fan favorite. It doesn't hurt to give cult fan favorites a remake because sales matter more than review scores.
Mega Man X: Command Mission came out on the classics catalog on the PS4 and PS5 because of the Mega Man X Legacy Collections and hopefully the Lord of the Rings: The Third Age will follow suit soon to go toe-to-toe with Mega Man X: Command Mission like it did back in the day. I'll even do better than the last time I played it by equipping stronger gear and levelling up the party just enough to level the playing field. Trust me, if you live through turn-based RPGs in the 6th generation era, I'm darn sure you'll know what I'm talking about.
And one turn-based RPG being Legends of Starkadia is basically Super Mario RPG. You can learn more about the game and how you can help make it happen by clicking the link to the post below.
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