Story
(needs to be ported to the wiki!)
The Reploids are wreaking havoc on the once peaceful Earth. The planet’s human inhabitants have been forced to take drastic measures to stay alive and have chosen to colonize the vast vacuum that is space.
They begin working on the “Jakob Project,” which features an Orbital Elevator that reaches the moon. New-age Reploids working on the moon are making steady progress, but before long, Lumine, the project director, is kidnapped by Vile.
To make matters worse, a group of copy Reploids have copied the DNA of the infamous Sigma. Mavericks start appearing once again, and Mega Man X, along with sidekicks Zero and Axl, set out to put an end to the wild Mavericks before they get out of hand.
Gameplay
(needs to be ported to the wiki!)
X8 returns to the old school style of 2D platforming. In X8, players can choose among X, Zero, and Axl. X specializes in buster combat but only fires straight. Zero fights with his Z-Saber, while Axl fights with guns he can fire in eight directions. Axl is also capable of a copy shot, which works on a few enemies.
In this game, the heroes can use a Tag Assist to call in one of their partners to help them out in a sticky situation. The player than takes control of the partner who was just called in. A partner can also be called in to perform a powerful double attack when the Attack Gauge is full and your character glows. As with previous games, X can obtain various armors.