The original Mega Man X was, and as proven by the recent Mega Man X Collection, still is one of the best Mega Man titles to date. The SNES classic took a different take on the traditional Mega Man formula, adding a few new elements that not only sped up the gameplay, but provided for additional depth and replay value as well. Now, over ten years later, Capcom's gone back and given Mega Man X the remake treatment.

Retitled Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, the classic gameplay that defined the original remains intact here. For those unfamiliar with the X series, the biggest change to the formula was Mega Man's newfound ability to climb walls by jumping against them. Given the vertical trappings of previous Mega Man titles, screens so tall Mega Man's jump seemed more of a hop, this ability was a welcome change. Along with the new Dash move, these two abilities mixed up the gameplay, allowing for faster maneuvering and more complex enemy attacks.

Also new were the Upgrade Capsules. Placed throughout four stages, these capsules would enhance Mega Man's capabilities, granting him the afore-mentioned Dash ability, stronger armor, a stronger attack, and even a stronger helmet. These upgrades had direct ties to the gameplay, the stronger helmet, for instance, negating the damage of the falling rocks in a certain stage. And except for the Dash upgrade, which was forced upon the player at a certain point, the rest were hidden, requiring careful exploration to discover.

Lastly, Mega Man X added Heart Capsules and Subtanks into the mix. Again hidden throughout the stages, each stage contained a Heart Capsule, which expanded Mega Man's life bar, and four stages contained Subtanks, which acted as energy reserves. Both rewarded players for exploration and the clever use of weaponry, and both proved quite beneficial in boss fights.

In terms of gameplay, not much was changed in the transition to the PSP. The Dash Upgrade Capsule, previously forced upon the player, has been moved to a new location in a different stage, giving players the option to choose if they wish to obtain the upgrade. The final few stages have been redone, streamlined to better fit between the constant boss fights. An additional difficulty mode, hard, has been added. Meanwhile, everything else relating to gameplay - stage layouts, boss patterns, boss weaknesses, etc. - remains the same.

But not only did Capcom preserve the gameplay, they also added an entirely new mode, Vile Mode. Unlocked after beating the game with Mega Man, Vile mode puts players in control of Vile, Mega Man's arch rival. More importantly, Vile handles completely differently than Mega Man, able to equip three weapons on various parts of his body. Each weapon is controlled independently, fired by Square, Triangle, and Circle. And though Vile ventures through the same stages as Mega Man, enemies and items have been moved around, resulting in an entirely new experience.

As far as the other changes go, the graphics stand out as the most obvious. In addition, music has been remixed, new dialogue and voices added, a full-motion video intro and ending added, and a thirty-minute anime, entitled "The Day of Sigma" is unlocked after beating the game once

Problems with Maverick Hunter X are relatively minor. I had some problems regarding the responsiveness of my Square button, which handles firing, but I was able to change the button assignment thanks to the fully customizable controls. The title also has a tendency to slow down when there are too many enemies on screen, but it's nothing more than a minor annoyance that sporadically pops up. Likewise, Mega Man's dialogue can often be cheesy, but as the dialogue is so infrequent and can be skipped anyways, this doesn't have any bearing on the actual gameplay. Load times, often a problem with early PSP games, are relatively brief and infrequent.

The Mega Man Maverick Hunter X UMD also includes a demo of the upcoming Mega Man Powered Up, a similar remake of the very first Mega Man title that originally appeared on the NES. The demo can even be distributed wirelessly with another PSP via Game Sharing, which is not only extremely handy, but also an intelligent method of promotion for Capcom.

Though some may criticize Capcom for milking its franchises, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X is a remake done right. The original gameplay is faithfully recreated, the only changes related to gameplay addressing the original's minor flaws. Meanwhile, Capcom goes above and beyond with the new Vile mode, an additional difficulty level, remixed music, a thirty minute animation, and the Mega Man Powered Up demo. Even better, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X carries an MSRP of $29.99, $10 less than most new PSP games. And considering Mega Man Maverick Hunter X is one of best games to hit the PSP thus far, and no self-respecting fan of the blue bomber should be without it, that's just icing on the cake.