History YMMV / MegaManZX

* MemeticMutation:
** Ashe's obsession with "[[AccidentalInnuendo booty]]".
** Prometheus' "epic sham" rant.

* {{Woolseyism}}: "Live Metal" to "Biometal"; "Falseroid" to "Pseudoroid"; "'''R'''ebirth '''O'''f '''C'''rystallized '''K'''nowlege" to "'''M'''eta-'''E'''ncapsulated '''G'''ranule '''A'''wareness" (and, by extension, Rock On to Megamerge); the aforementioned NarmCharm; "Girouette" gains the nickname "Giro"; "Helios" to the much-more-sensible-for-an-air-elemental "Aeolus"; "Serpent Company" to "Slither Inc."; a few boss names as well (although one simply goes from "Condorrock the Vulturoid" to "Vulturon the Condoroid"...).

* ToughActToFollow: Few would say these games are outright bad, but even fewer would say they surpass ''VideoGame/MegaManZero''. [[ContestedSequel Still, there are some who prefer]] the [[{{Metroidvania}} increased exploration]], the LighterAndSofter tone, and the [[SwissArmyHero Biometals]].

* WhatAnIdiot: The respective protagonist calls the Enemy Mega Men out for [[IdiotBall their simple-minded persistence in continuing the Game of Destiny]], even with Master Albert's defeat looming over the horizon.

** Siarnaq is an incredibly creepy character as well, being the only Reploid in the whole franchise to actually talk in a MachineMonotone, not to mention the only enemy Mega Man in ''Advent'' [[NothingIsScarier with no indication of what his motivation is for winning the Game of Destiny]]. [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megaman/images/7/74/SiarnaqModelP.png/revision/latest?cb=20100826231740 His biometal form]] is downright sinister compared to the other Mega Men, and even to Phantom and Model PX, complete with GlowingEyesOfDoom and a hunched over PrimalStance. And then there's his sudden EvilLaugh [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAilM9YROsc in the Japanese version]] if he beats you.

* TierInducedScrappy: The Rospark form, of the low tier variety, since it moves very, very slowly; has a short attack range and weak attacks in bulb form, and its only useful gimmick is climbing ropes.

** The Enemy Mega Men and Albert's CoDragons' names are taken from the moons of Saturn. Saturn is known for its giant ring. Guess what ({{Ouroboros}}, Albert's "Ultimate Biometal", is shaped like?

** Chronoforce's [[BulletTime Time Bomb]]. Its only downside is that it uses a lot of weapon energy. It also loses all functionality in the final battle with Master Albert, who specifically whips out his ''own'' Time Bomb just to counter yours.

* HarsherInHindsight: The Kamen Rider comparisons, since the "ZX" in the title brings to mind ''Film/KamenRiderZX'', which didn't get a chance to continue the story started in the film. Kind of like what happened to the series after ''Advent''.

** ''Advent's'' voice-acting suffers from voice-compression due to the DS sound files and can be rather stilted, leading to several scenes falling flat. Granted, it ''is'' a step up from [[VideoGame/MegaMan8 several]] [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 previous]] [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 attempts]][[note]]In fact, X's X7 voice actor, Peter van Gomm, is Grey and has ''drastically'' improved from that game[[/note]]. This one [[AuthorsSavingThrow is actually addressed]] in the ''[[UpdatedReRelease Legacy Collection]]'', which includes the option to toggle between the original audio and a "Mastered Voice Track" option with cleaner un-compressed audio.

** ''Advent's'' voice-acting is rather stilted at times, but [[EnsembleDarkhorse Prometheus]] puts so much [[EvilIsHammy energy and emotion]] into emoting that every sentence he speaks manages to spark a certain charm, [[ChewingTheScenery especially when he gets going]].

** Siarnaq is an incredibly creepy character as well, being the only Reploid in the whole franchise to actually talk in a MachineMonotone, not to mention the only enemy Mega Man in ''Advent'' [[NothingIsScarier with no indication of what his motivation is for winning the Game of Destiny]]. [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megaman/images/7/74/SiarnaqModelP.png/revision/latest?cb=20100826231740 His biometal form]] is downright sinister compared to the other Mega Men, and even to Phantom and Model PX, complete with GlowingEyesOfDoom and a hunched over PrimalStance. And then there's his sudden EvilLaugh [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAilM9YROsc in the Japanese version if he beats you]].

* PolishedPort: As with the YMMV page for ''Zero'' series, the ''Zero/ZX Legacy Collection'' is the definitive way to play these games. Aside from the Casual Scenario mode and Save Assist feature, and the ''ZX'' games get a special treatment with multiple screen layouts to re-orientate the games' dual-screens. The ''Zero/ZX Legacy Collection'' also features higher resolution FMV sequences and the mastered audio for voice-overs for the ''ZX'' series, allowing the voice acting to be heard without compression.

** Level 4 Victories from the first game. The idea is that the bosses have a weak point that you are supposed to try to avoid hitting or you will damage the Biometal and must pay E-crystals or attempt the Level 4 Victory again once the boss respawns to get the full weapon energy gauge. This is easier said than done, as most bosses have their weak points placed in very easy-to-hit areas where you must either wait for them to strike a certain pose that removes the risk of hitting their weak point and/or very carefully time and aim your attacks to avoid hitting their weak point. From a game play perspective, it's very frustrating as exasperated players may just take the lower ranking for expediency whereas perfectionists will restart over and over again. The second game thankfully goes for a less pivotal ranking system.

* SequelDifficultySpike: ''Advent'' has a few things going for it that makes it more difficult than its predecessor. While some bosses are, as a whole, a bit less threatening than the ones from ''ZX'' (Buckfire and Vulturon really can't threaten you that much), the majority of the bosses are tougher overall. The leading reason for this, beyond having expansive abilities, is that it's ''much'' harder to cheese them in this game. The various Guardians have been given a BalanceBuff; weapon energy regenerates, but H and P's quick-kill abilities have been gimped significantly. While L has arguably gotten stronger (Since both Ashe and Grey get a better ability than 'ice platform') and F is largely the same, the fact H and P got nerfed in particular means you actually need to sit around and put effort into dodging the attacks bosses throw at you, which as a whole are more difficult than the ''ZX'' Psuedoroid attacks. Additionally, levels have been made both longer and harder, and because you get the Guardian biometal A-Trans data at a semi-set rate (You always get F, then P, then either H or L) the levels can actually incorporate sections built around specific characters, and some of these sections (''especially'' Model P's in Vulturon's stage) can be really tough and require outside-the-box tactics.

** Level 4 Victories from the first game. The idea is that the bosses have a weak point that you are supposed to try to avoid hitting or you will damage the Biometal and must pay E-crystals or attempt the Level 4 Victory again once the boss respawns to get the full weapon energy gauge. This is easier said than done, as most bosses have their weak points placed in very easy-to-hit areas where you must either wait for them to strike a certain pose that removes the risk of hitting their weak point and/or very carefully time and aim your attacks to avoid hitting their weak point. From a game play perspective, it's very frustrating as exasperated players may just take the lower ranking for expediency whereas perfectionists will restart over and over again. From a story perspective, this means that your character has to essentially toy with your opponent and draw out a fight longer than it needs to be. [[{{Sadist}} This]] [[BloodKnight can]] [[GoodIsSoft imply]] [[GoodIsDumb any]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil number]] [[ApologeticAttacker of things]] [[PragmaticHero about]] your character [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot which isn't clarified]]. The second game thankfully goes for a less pivotal ranking system.

** Level 4 Victories from the first game. The idea is that the bosses have a weak point that you are supposed to try to avoid hitting or you will damage the Biometal and must pay E-crystals or attempt the Level 4 Victory again once the boss respawns to get the full weapon energy gauge. This is easier said than done, as most bosses have their weak points placed in very easy-to-hit areas where you must either wait for them to strike a certain pose that removes the risk of hitting their weak point and/or very carefully time and aim your attacks to avoid hitting their weak point. The second game thankfully goes for a less pivotal ranking system.

** Why do the Pseudoroids have extra eyes? It's likely a property of [[ArtifactOfDoom Model W]], and considering it is very much a EldritchAbomination thematically, and that Humans and Reploids are and consider each other the same now the logical conclusion on exactly [[BodyHorror how this would be seen as by the people inside the setting. Add in the dialogue the Pseudoroids have and you realize that at least some of them (like Purprill) were around at least in some form before gaining the power of whatever Model they were infused with; with their absolute devotion and belief to Model W you realize that they are mutilated cultists.

** ''Advent's'' voice-acting suffers from voice-compression due to the DS sound files and can be rather stilted, leading to several scenes falling flat. Granted, it ''is'' a step up from [[VideoGame/MegaMan8 several]] [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 previous]] [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 attempts]][[note]]In fact, X's X7 voice actor, Peter van Gomm, is Grey and has ''drastically'' improved from that game[[/note]]. This one [[AuthorsSavingThrow is actually addressed]] in the ''[[UpdatedReRelease Legacy Collection]]'', which includes the option to toggle between the original audio and a "Mastered Voice Track" option with cleaner un-compressed audio.

* AccidentalInnuendo: Chronoforce's ImpliedDeathThreat upon his refight reeks of this. The fact that it's used for both Gray and Ashe only makes it [[AmbiguouslyBi weirder]].

* AntiClimaxBoss: Vent / Aile should be the toughest boss fight in the game besides the Model W twins and [[spoiler: Master Albert.]] These two have way more experience with Biometal, have fought Prometheus and Pandora to a standstill, beat a man fused with Model W after it absorbed the fear and hatred of thousands of people, and just got finished destroying a giant mechaniloid effortlessly. Granted, Vent / Aile only use Model ZX rather the full arsenal of Biometals they had during ''ZX'' [[BagOfSpilling since they unwillingly lost the Guardian Biometals]] and never use Model X alone against Ashe / Grey, who, at this point, have five Pseudoroids and all four Guardian Mega Men A-Trans alongside Model A, but that should only make them ''beatable'' rather than something of a push-over. The fight ''would'' be tough were it on a flat plane where ZX could properly combo you, but you can spend the majority of the fight camping on the walls, waiting for ZX to pull out its drawn-out triple slash combo or try to get to your level before spamming charge shot after charge shot into it. Even trying to restrict yourself to Model H for a melee run won't do much - Vent and Aile are spastic, but have clear moments (the aforementioned triple combo) where they just stand around, waiting to be punished and clobbered.

** The nature of the existence of the Biometals, especially the fact that they are the minds of old Reploids brought back as living armor, is a point of contention with fans. Some feel that it's an excellent way to sort-of bring back the old characters without shoehorning them into the series, seeing it as having them "mentor" their biomatches. Others dislike the concept, as they feel it cheapens the deaths of these characters and/or they wonder why they couldn't just rebuild the characters themselves instead of putting their minds in chunks of metal.
** Model A's identity. There are fans who [[spoiler:cry bullshit on it being Model Albert on the grounds that it resembles Axl so closely that it should have just been Model Axl and use FanWank to assume that Master Albert was lying, while others either hate [[BaseBreakingCharacter Axl]] and are glad that he wasn't represented or point out how Axl going completely unmentioned during the ''Zero'' series would make him having a Biometal problematic continuity-wise and that having a homage to him is satisfactory enough.]]
* CargoShip: [[http://karinexe.deviantart.com/art/Random-Stupid-Comic-4-38021627 Judging]] [[http://rockmiyabi.deviantart.com/art/Love-Your-Coffee-More-Than-Me-114047553 from]] [[http://snakequeen.deviantart.com/art/Do-you-want-some-coffee-72634589 some]] [[http://starwolftsuname.deviantart.com/art/Girouette-speaks-56139924 fanarts]] ([[http://gmlink.deviantart.com/art/Happy-Lil-Girouette-49572874 compiled]] [[http://samusmmx.deviantart.com/art/For-KarinEXE-Giroette-gift-41921854 for]] [[http://hikaruthered.deviantart.com/art/Good-to-the-last-drop-43050503 your]] [[http://bright-as-a-button.deviantart.com/art/I-Need-More-Coffee-85880477 convenience]]), some fans like the "Giro X Coffee" pairing. (Mostly stemmed from [[http://crystalclear4everl.deviantart.com/art/giro-from-megaman-zx-158163052 this image.]]) Also, have some sweet [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFaYmdTGLAc Coffeedansen.]]

** The whole duology is this to previous ''Mega Man'' sub-series. Fans of the series love it for it being much more accessible difficulty-wise compared to [[NintendoHard many of its predecessors]] and for its unique take on the "beat boss for weapon" formula by expanding it to become an entire moveset, giving the games a surprising amount of playstyle variety. Critics of the series tend to dislike the games' rather simplistic level design, their emphasis on exploration over pure platforming, and for the first game's very vague map design that poorly conveys where players need to go next.
** ''ZX Advent'' is also considered this to the original ''ZX''. On one hand, ''ZXA'' completely did away with the absolutely tedious mission structure and [[GuideDangIt blind map searching]] of ''ZX'' for more straightforward stage designs that are much easier to play through. On the other hand, Model A's transforming into various bosses was ''far'' more situational and gimmicky compared to the straightforward Biometals in the first game. Some fans argue that ''ZXA'' streamlined the {{Metroidvania}} concept out altogether and lost some of the unique value ''ZX'' had as a result; others firmly believe that ''ZXA'' only worked ''because'' it removed some of those very elements.
** One of the biggest divides between ''ZX'' and ''Advent'', however, is on the story side; mainly, the decision to have ''Advent'' follow two new protagonists with ''ZX's'' protagonists showing up in a supporting mentor-esque role. Some like it for showing off a MasterApprenticeChain, showing that Vent/Aile have become OlderAndWiser since their own adventure and still having relevance to the story without taking away from Ashe/Grey's own arcs, and still building on what was shown in ''ZX'' (particularly the {{Foreshadowing}} on Aile's route to the greater "Game of Destiny"). Others dislike it for not addressing several lingering points from ''ZX'' (like the question of [[spoiler:Ciel's survival]]) and effectively rendering the Guardians and other Biometals DemotedToExtra to give screentime to the Hunters and Model A. A big part of the divide especially seems to depend on whether you believe Grey/Ashe's stories are compelling enough as a follow-up rather than a continuation of Aile/Vent's.

** Fans also see Vulturon as this. A headbanging [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot robotic vulture skeleton]] who uses a guitar for a weapon. Not crazy enough? He can use said guitar to ''reanimate discarded metal, thereby creating zombie robots.'' And he does use that guitar for performances... usually to aforementioned zombie robots. His quirky rocker personality helps a lot.

** The {{fandom}} has gradually taken quite the liking to Prometheus and Pandora. And if anything, when they were discovered to be [[spoiler:[[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Woobies, Destroyers of Worlds]] and then subsequently ''owned'' by Albert (in the span of five minutes or so, no less),]] their popularity among the fandom hit critical mass. [[spoiler:For some, ''that'' was Albert's MoralEventHorizon.]]
** Of the ''ZXA'' cast, Vulturon is the most popular boss by far due to being a skeletal vulture who fights with ThePowerOfRock, his IdleAnimation showing him headbanging, and being one of the few Pseudoroids who is not a complete {{Jerkass}} and actually [[GracefulLoser encourages Grey/Ashe upon being defeated]].
* {{Fanon}}: According to Master Albert, Model A is [[spoiler:Model Albert]]. However, due to the colors of Model A, its A-Trans ability, and its generally childish personality when compared to the other Biometals, many fans feel that [[spoiler: there are too many similarities for it to be merely a coincidence and assume that Albert was lying and that Model A is Model Axl after all]].

** This seems to be what happened with the names of all the Biometal Users in ''ZXA''. While Atlas, Helios/Aeolus, Siarnaq, Tethys/Thetis, Prometheus and Pandora were all supposed to be Saturnian moons, when you look at them in the context of Greek Mythology, they appear to be a random collection of Titans and other mythological figures with no other real meanings behind their names.

** Why do the Pseudoroids have extra eyes? [[spoiler:It's likely a property of [[ArtifactOfDoom Model W]], and considering it is very much a EldritchAbomination thematically, and that Humans and Reploids are and consider each other the same now the logical conclusion on exactly [[BodyHorror how this would be seen as by the people inside the setting]]. Add in the dialogue the Pseudoroids have and you realize that at least some of them (like Purprill) were around at least in some form before gaining the power of whatever Model they were infused with; with their absolute devotion and belief to Model W you realize that they are mutilated cultists.]]
** The tagline from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_6QGlvHNP8 this Japanese promotional trailer]] ("When fate must be stood up to... people shall Rock On") really explains the ScrewDestiny theme of the series, and the Biometal's power to shape the Biomatch's destiny, as elaborated by Ciel.
** The Enemy Mega Men and Albert's CoDragons' names are taken from the moons of Saturn. Saturn is known for its giant ring. Guess what shape Albert's collective Model W ({{Ouroboros}}) is?

** Model ZX's rolling slash, which can bypass MercyInvincibility and deal continuous damage as Vent/Aile's still spinning. And after that, you can still follow up with your standard triple slash.
** Model P's kunai spam is murder against enemies without MercyInvincibility. Wipes out everything in seconds.
** Model HX's tornado attack, which can hit multiple times and also can pass through MercyInvincibility if the tornado hits the weak point. Try to do it with a fire boss: [[ElementalRockPaperScissors Superior element]] + [[DeathOfAThousandCuts multi-hitting]] + [[AttackItsWeakPoint attacking the weak point]] = [[NoKillLikeOverkill Overkill.]] The downside, though, is that you'll get Lv 1 Victory, so you'd better do that in the boss rush. Unfortunately, it was later {{nerf}}ed in ''ZXA'', the attack instead generating two tornadoes that fly forward and only hit once.
** Chronoforce's [[BulletTime Time Bomb.]] Its only downside is that it uses a lot of weapon energy. It also loses all functionality in the final battle with Master Albert, who specifically whips out his ''own'' Time Bomb just to counter yours.

* HarsherInHindsight: The Kamen Rider comparisons are this, since the "ZX" in the title brings to mind ''Film/KamenRiderZX'', which didn't get a chance to continue the story started in the film. Kind of like what happened to the series after ''Advent''.

** Master Albert's goal: [[TheSocialDarwinist exterminating the whole population, leaving the "worthy" ones alive to prosper,]] using a superweapon called {{Ouroboros}}. He's seen to be a highly-capable MagnificentBastard who has a strong [[AGodAmI god complex]], to boot. Now try to compare that to another [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 Albert]]. [[note]]''ZXA'' precedes ''[=RE5=]'' by a margin of about 2 years.[[/note]]\\

* JerkassWoobie: Prometheus and Pandora. [[DarkAndTroubledPast Their childhood was, to say the least, horrible]] [[note]]They had to suffer through centuries of anguish from Master Albert, including being forcibly and permanently Megamerged with Model W, and are also strongly implied to have had other Mega Men participate in the Game of Destiny (thus causing casualties assumed to be in the hundreds of thousands range) only because Albert forced them to due to their intentionally short lifespans, which could only be marginally extended by coming back to Albert for maintenance checks[[/note]] and they want revenge for their suffering. They don't quite succeed (with Albert being a MagnificentBastard and all), and end up as Albert's {{Unwitting Pawn}}s. [[AlasPoorVillain Even Grey and Ashe feel pity for them]], [[SaveTheVillain and would have tried to save them if they had the chance]]. Even so, they held nothing but contempt for the rest of the world, and while their actions ''do'' [[StealthMentor guide the heroes toward defeating Serpent and Albert]], there was no kindness in their cruel actions. [[ItsAllAboutMe Their only concern was themselves and each other]]; everything else was just a liability in their eyes. This includes [[spoiler:their younger brother Grey, who spends ''ZXA'' as an amnesiac kid swept up in events he wants ''no'' part in.]]
* JustHereForGodzilla: A good portion of ''ZX'' fans are just here for the [[TransformationTrinket Biometals]], which allow them to take on the forms and abilities of their favorite characters from the ''[=MegaMan=] Zero'' franchise.

** Ashe's obsession with [[AccidentalInnuendo "booty"]].

* {{Moe}}: How a good portion of the fanbase sees Pandora [[spoiler:especially when she and Prometheus are revealed as [[TheWoobie characters who need a really, really big hug]].]]
* MoralEventHorizon: While Serpent's murder of [[EnsembleDarkhorse Giro]] was what cemented his villainy to the player, it turns out he had actually crossed the [=MEH=] before the game had even started: [[spoiler:People are kidnapped by Slither Inc. during the uprisings and held captive. Serpent then preys on their fears to involuntarily transform them into Cyber Elves, which are then absorbed by Model W as sustenance.]]

** The first game's MegaCorp and its {{corrupt|CorporateExecutive}} [[BigBad CEO]] tend to be [[VillainWithGoodPublicity well-respected in the community]]. Standard stuff, right? Except that the man's name is ''[[ObviouslyEvil Serpent]]'', and his company's name is ''[[ReptilesAreAbhorrent Slither Inc.]]''
** ZX Advent's voice-acting suffers from voice-compression due to the DS sound files and can be rather stilted, leading to several scenes falling flat. Granted, it ''is'' a step up from [[VideoGame/MegaMan8 several]] [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 previous]] [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 attempts]][[note]]In fact, X's X7 voice actor, Peter van Gomm, is Grey and has ''drastically'' improved from that game[[/note]]. This one [[AuthorsSavingThrow is actually addressed]] in the [[UpdatedReRelease Legacy Collection]], which includes the option to toggle between the original audio and a "Mastered Voice Track" option with cleaner un-compressed audio.
** When Albert's revealed to be the BigBad part way through ''Advent'', he dramatically starts to [[PowerFloats float away out the window]] and just stays there for several seconds - and then ''drops like a rock'' in less than a quarter of a second, disappearing into the surrounding city below. The lack of noise from the fast motion and the long camera shot just make it seem like he [[GravityIsAHarshMistress remembered that physics exists]] like a cartoon character in the middle of his big moment. That or he simply wanted to {{Troll}} the heroes.
** Albert's [[spoiler: true body]] also doesn't help matters. Throughout the game he's taller than Ashe and Gray and seems quite intimidating for his BlackEyesOfCrazy. [[spoiler: Then Pandora and Prometheus force him to use his real body, which by comparison looks like a pink-haired midget in a straitjacket with a full-sized head, while keeping his LargeHam deep voice the entire time and being played for a ShockingSwerve.]] Yes, really.

** ZX Advent's voice-acting is rather stilted at times, but [[EnsembleDarkhorse Prometheus]] puts so much [[EvilIsHammy energy and emotion]] into emoting that every sentence he speaks manages to spark a certain charm, [[ChewingTheScenery especially when he gets going]].

** Serpent's plan of using Model W to gain ultimate power? Intentionally killing people in Maverick Raids, and then cultivating their Cyber-Elves (which are effectively people's '''souls''' at this point in the series) to be driven to terror and despair so they can be ''fed to Model W'' in a FateWorseThanDeath. All for the sake of gaining power from the Biometal. Albert's [[RestartTheWorld machinations]] seem moderately sane by comparison.
** Siarnaq is an incredibly creepy character as well, being the only Reploid in the whole franchise to actually talk in a MachineMonotone, not to mention being the only enemy Mega Man in ''Advent'' [[NothingIsScarier with no indication of what his motivation is for winning the Game of Destiny]]. [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megaman/images/7/74/SiarnaqModelP.png/revision/latest?cb=20100826231740 His biometal form]] is downright sinister compared to the other Mega Men, and even to Phantom and Model PX, complete with GlowingEyesOfDoom and a hunched over PrimalStance. And then there's his sudden EvilLaugh [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAilM9YROsc in the Japanese version if he beats you.]]

** Not only does Albert [[spoiler:kill off the then-[[TheWoobie Woobie]]fied Prometheus and Pandora]], but he [[spoiler:steals their DNA with his A-Trans, meaning you can't mimic their forms]]. The bastard!
** Long before that, Giro is established as a nice, protective guy, before Serpent killed him off.

** Expert Mode in ''ZX Advent'' turns Warp Points from being inoffensive into this real damn fast. In Beginner Mode, it doesn't take any E-Crystals to activate them. In Normal Mode, it takes 100 instead. That can be a little awkward early on but you'll quickly get to the point you can set up every Warp Point as you pass it. Expert Mode, meanwhile, jacks the cost up to ''500'' E-Crystals, meaning that you'll barely be able to activate only the ones adjacent to bosses. Oh by the way, there are 40 Warp Points in the game that require E-Crystals to activate (the other five are activated for free), so what works out to a total cost of 4,000 E-Crystals in Normal Mode, which is an amount that you'll easily come up with just by going through the plot, suddenly bloats to '''20,000''' instead. Enjoy that.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: ''Advent'''s boss theme's guitar line sounds similar to the chiptune line in Music/TheProtomen's Due Vendetta. (ZXA came out in 2007 while the Protomen song in question came out in 2003.)
* ThatOneAchievement: Several Level 4 victory attempts can be pretty tough:
** Flammole's weak points are his arms. His arms make up the majority of his sprite. We're talking like 75% of it. In addition, the only times his arms aren't vulnerable is when he's stationary (from the front) and when he's in the process of digging into the ground. The problem? He's only stationary for a brief moment in between his attacks, meaning hitting him without damaging his arms requires quick action and ''very'' precise timing. Taking a shot after the long flamethrower attack is out of the question, so your only openings are as he finishes firing the four exploding fireballs and while he's digging (Firing around the moment his digging in soundclip plays is about right). It gets worse once you bring him down to half health, as his AI seems to [[JustForPun ditch digging]] in favor of his EX attack, where he pulls out Fefnir's EX attack from ''VideoGame/MegaManZero2''. He ''is'' briefly vulnerable when he finishes the attack, but his arms are near-level with his head, so taking the shot can be the difference between finishing him off, missing and sitting through ''more'' attacks, or ruining your level 4 victory.
** Fistleo's weak point is his freaking ''head''. A majority of your attacks will hit his head and he has some hard-to-dodge attacks. On top of that: the bastard can ''heal'', and he does it frequently. So you have to constantly be on the attack to keep his health down. If you're going for a Level 4 victory, this means you have little time to make sure his weak point is out of your attack range before striking. Bonus pain if you're playing on Hard. [[note]]A trick involving Model HX's triple combo makes Fistleo pathetically easy compared to Flammole, as the combo doesn't hit his head if you use it with your back facing him; and in Overdrive it hits for massive damage. See [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHZdtDAszmo here.]] You may want to have clean pants standing by.[[/note]]
** Protectos is a major pain to Level 4 as well, as the only place you can damage him that isn't his weakpoint is his tiny head (and only from the front,) and it's way too easy to shoot just slightly downwards by accident and hit his weakpoint. At least you can bait him into always dropping down to the bottom level in order to make shooting him in the face easy.
** You know what's ''so much fun?'' Purprill moving his arm erratically just as you're about to strike his feet, thus invalidating the last minute or so of combat as you accidentally attack his weak point. Take all the waiting problems with Flammole with the nigh-random chance of striking Fistleo's head and you get why Purprill is just plain annoying to get a level 4 victory on. He actually leaves his head and feet open a lot of the time, but the problem is that the guy is so erratic that he can just decide to wave his arms around and ruin everything.
** Moving forward to Advent, you have Vulturon's Gold Medal, which requires you to knock him out using nothing but Model A's Giga Crush attack. Problem - Not only does that attack soak your entire Biometal gauge, which is not in a hurry to regenerate when it's drained, but it'll still soak the entire thing regardless of how many pickups you've gotten to increase the gauge's maximum capacity, which does not increase the regeneration rate. So the more of them you've picked up by the time you go for this Medal, the longer it's going to take to pull this one off. If you have all of them, well, good freakin' luck with that. Salt in the wound is that he's prone to sporadic invincibility, so mistiming your attacks will drag things out even longer. The only consolation is that damage against his summoned flunkies doesn't count, so you're free to destroy them in whatever way you find most convenient.

** The latter half of Area K is almost nothing but one long mad dash to the end against an [[AdvancingWallOfDoom Advancing Wall of Instant-Death Lava]], in hallways jam-packed with enemies and lava geysers that will ''also'' kill you in one hit. The lava flow is also insanely fast (to the point that the only way through is to just tank all enemy damage and rush past them) unless you take a detour through ''another'' room with a rising lava floor to get to a computer that slows down the lava flow. Said lava flow also makes any return trips for pick-ups and sidequests equally hellish (see ThatOneSidequest.)

** The Floating Ruins in ''Advent''. Lots of time is spent precariously standing over BottomlessPits, and some of the most obnoxious GoddamnBats in the game are lying in wait to knock you into them at every opportunity. And for the cherry on top, this is the level where the [[InvincibleMinorMinion Pulse Cannons]] are located, which fire super-fast, unavoidable laser blasts at Grey/Ashe if they jump while in their range that do no damage themselves, but ''disable the jump ability'' for a short period of time (and by extension every ability that relies on jumping, such as Queenbee's flight, Vultron's hover, or even Model H's air dash, with the sole exception being Model H's falling glide).

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: From ''ZX Advent'', the Game of Destiny itself. All of the Mega Men are being pitted against each other in order to determine the strongest of them. This could have made for an interesting mechanic, with enemies who were just as much against each other as they are against the player. Sadly, the game never really follows through on this premise. The other Mega Men never really act against one another on-screen, and ultimately choose to [[EnemyMine gang-up on Grey/Ashe]] at the climax upon deciding they ''need'' to go if any of them want to have a shot of having their victory.
* TierInducedScrappy: ''ZXA''[='s=] Rospark form, of the low tier variety, since it moves very, very slowly; has a short attack range and weak attacks in bulb form, and its only useful gimmick is climbing ropes.

* TooGoodToLast: The fact that this game set up a mystery about what happened to Ciel in ''ZX'' and one heck of a final twist and an obvious SequelHook in ''Advent'', but got the same fate as ''Videogame/MegaManLegends'' stands to reason that Capcom took issue with something. Even worse, ''Legends'' almost made a comeback, but ''ZX'' has remained totally comatose and may stay that way for God knows how long.
* ToughActToFollow: Few would say these games are outright bad, but even fewer would say they surpass ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'', which they are often considered a SequelSeries to. [[ContestedSequel Still, there are some who prefer]] the [[{{Main/Metroidvania}} increased exploration,]] the LighterAndSofter tone, and the [[SwissArmyHero Biometals.]]

* {{Woolseyism}}: "Live Metal" to "Biometal"; "Falseroid" to "Pseudoroid"; "'''R'''ebirth '''O'''f '''C'''rystallized '''K'''nowlege" to "'''M'''eta-'''E'''ncapsulated '''G'''ranule '''A'''wareness" (and, by extension, Rock On to Megamerge); the aforementioned [[NarmCharm Charming Narm]]; "Girouette" gains the nickname "Giro"; "Helios" to the much-more-sensible-for-an-air-elemental "Aeolus"; "Serpent Company" to "Slither Inc."; a few boss names as well (although one simply goes from "Condorrock the Vulturoid" to "Vulturon the Condoroid"...).

* CrazyAwesome:

** The nature of the existence of the Biometals is a point of contention with fans. Some feel that it's an excellent way to sort-of bring back the old characters without shoehorning them into the series, seeing it as having them "mentor" their biomatches. Others dislike the concept, as they feel it cheapens the deaths of these characters and/or they wonder why they couldn't just rebuild the characters themselves instead of putting their minds in chunks of metal.

* AntiClimaxBoss: Vent / Aile should be the toughest boss fight in the game besides the Model W twins and [[spoiler: Master Albert.]] These two have way more experience with Biometal, have fought Prometheus and Pandora to a standstill, beat a man fused with Model W after it absorbed the fear and hatred of thousands of people, and just got finished destroying a giant mechaniloid effortlessly. Granted, Vent / Aile only use Model ZX rather the full arsenal of Biometals they had during ''ZX'' [[BagOfSpilling since they unwillingly lost the Guardian Biometals]] and never use Model X alone against Ashe / Grey having five Pseudoroids and all four Guardian Mega Men A-Trans alongside Model A, but that should only make them ''beatable'' rather than something of a push-over. The fight ''would'' be tough were it on a flat plane where ZX could properly combo you, but you can spend the majority of the fight camping on the walls, waiting for ZX to pull out its drawn-out triple slash combo or try to get to your level before spamming charge shot after charge shot into it. Even trying to restrict yourself to Model H for a melee run won't do much - Vent and Aile are spastic, but have clear moments (the aforementioned triple combo) where they just stand around, waiting to be punished and clobbered.

** The mission system is completely antithetical to the first game's {{Metroidvania}} world design. Instead of just allowing the player to explore the map and deal with Pseudoroid threats as they stumble onto them, the game forces the player to go to the nearest Transserver, pick a specific Area to track down and complete before anything else, even though they might not even know ''where'' that area is at the outset. And even if the player stumbles onto an Area that's part of a different mission, they're not allowed to progress through it, and the player is forced to backtrack to the nearest Transserver and abort their current mission...which counts as a game over, which boots the player back to the Guardian HQ Transserver and erases any map data they've collected since taking the mission. Hope you memorized the way back! ''Advent'', mercifully, does away with this mechanic entirely.
** Speaking of the map system and navigation in the first game, the game lists each major outdoor "screen" as a segment of an Area and these Areas interconnect in the aforementioned {{Metroidvania}} style. The problem? ''There's almost no indicators that an Area can lead to somewhere else until you find an unmarked door that takes you there.'' Almost no doors have Area markings overhead, and it's all too easy to stonewall legitimate game progression by running past a door without realizing it, as there is no sub-map system to better figure out the Area layouts. And all the Transserver missions do is tell you to go to an Area, ''that's it.'' Even looking up the completed map chart online just shows lines telling you these Areas connect to others, making the map '''near-useless''' in a game encouraging exploration! For extremely obvious reasons and due to massive fan backlash, ''Advent'' streamlined the interconnected areas by including an overworld map that pinpointed areas you needed to go to while also showing the general layout of each area, how they could connect with each other, and the option to activate Warp Points in each area that would let you teleport there at will once you unlocked it.

** ZX Advent's voice-acting can be rather stilted, leading to many scenes falling flat. Granted, it ''is'' a step up from [[VideoGame/MegaMan8 several]] [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 previous]] [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 attempts]][[note]]In fact, X's X7 voice actor, Peter van Gomm, is Grey and has ''drastically'' improved from that game[[/note]]. This one [[AuthorsSavingThrow is actually being addressed]] in the [[UpdatedReRelease Legacy Collection]], which includes the option to toggle between the original audio and a "Mastered Voice Track" option with cleaner audio.

* MemeticMutation: Ashe's obsession with [[AccidentalInnuendo "booty"]].

** The Floating Ruins in ''Advent''. Lots of time is spent precariously standing over BottomlessPits, and some of the most obnoxious GoddamnBats in the game are lying in wait to knock you into them at every opportunity.

* AntiClimaxBoss: Vent / Aile should be the toughest boss fight in the game besides the Model W twins and [[spoiler: Master Albert.]] These two have way more experience with Biometal, have fought Prometheus and Pandora to a standstill, beat a man fused with Model W after it absorbed the fear and hatred of thousands of people, and just got finished destroying a giant mechaniloid effortlessly. Granted, Ashe is an ExperiencedProtagonist who has been fighting as a whole longer than Vent has, but Grey has no such excuse with Aile, and it still doesn't explain how pathetic Vent and Aile are in their boss fight. The fight ''would'' be tough were it on a flat plane where ZX could properly combo you, but you can spend the majority of the fight camping on the walls, waiting for ZX to pull out its drawn-out triple slash combo or try to get to your level before spamming charge shot after charge shot into it. Even trying to restrict yourself to Model H for a melee run won't do much - Vent and Aile are spastic, but have clear moments (the aforementioned triple combo) where they just stand around, waiting to be punished and clobbered.

** Speaking of the map system and navigation in the first game, the game lists each major outdoor "screen" as a segment of an Area and these Areas interconnect in the aforementioned {{Metroidvania}} style. The problem? ''There's no indicators that an Area can lead to somewhere else until you find an unmarked door that takes you there.'' No doors have Area markings overhead, and it's all too easy to stonewall legitimate game progression by running past a door without realizing it, as there is no sub-map system to better figure out the Area layouts. And all the Transserver missions do is tell you to go to an Area, ''that's it.'' Even looking up the completed map chart online just shows lines telling you these Areas connect to others, making the map '''near-useless''' in a game encouraging exploration! For extremely obvious reasons and due to massive fan backlash, ''Advent'' instead made the level design more traditional by just having you warp to and from stage-style Areas instead.

** Expert Mode in ZX Advent turns Warp Points from being inoffensive into this real damn fast. In Beginner Mode, it doesn't take any E-Crystals to activate them. In Normal Mode, it takes 100 instead. That can be a little awkward early on but you'll quickly get to the point you can set up every Warp Point as you pass it. Expert Mode, meanwhile, jacks the cost up to ''500'' E-Crystals, meaning that you'll barely be able to activate only the ones adjacent to bosses. Oh by the way, there are 40 Warp Points in the game that require E-Crystals to activate (the other five are activated for free), so what works out to a total cost of 4,000 E-Crystals in Normal Mode, which is an amount that you'll easily come up with just by going through the plot, suddenly bloats to '''20,000''' instead. Enjoy that.
* SequelDifficultySpike: ''Advent'' has a few things going for it that makes it more difficult than its predecessor. While some bosses are, as a whole, a bit less threatening than the ones from ''ZX'' (Buckfire and Vulturon really can't threaten you that much), the majority of the bosses are tougher overall. The leading reason for this, beyond having expansive abilities, is that it's ''much'' harder to cheese them in this game. The various Guardians have been given a BalanceBuff; weapon energy regenerates, but H and P's quick-kill abilities have been gimped significantly. While L has arguably gotten stronger (Since both Ashe and Grey get a better ability than 'ice platform') and F is largely the same, the fact H and P got nerfed in particular means you actually need to sit around and put effort into dodging the attacks bosses throw at you, which as a whole are more difficult than the ''ZX'' psuedoroid attacks. Additionally, levels have been made both longer and harder, and because you get the Guardian biometal A-Trans data at a semi-set rate (You always get F, then P, then either H or L) the levels can actually incorporate sections built around specific characters, and some of these sections (''especially'' Model P's in Vulturon's stage) can be really tough and require outside-the-box tactics.

** Protectos is a major pain to Level 4 as well, as the only place you can damage him that isn't his weakpoint is his tiny head (and only from the front,) and it's way too easy to shoot just slightly downwards by accident and hit his weakpoint.

** The Area X Sub Tank as well. It's much easier than Area K's, but it involves nearly '''40 minutes''' of running back and forth to Area L, going through (at least part of) the stage ''12 freaking times'', to pick up items for [=NPCs=]. There is even a bit of GuideDangIt to boot, since you are not told just where these items are or that your reward will change if you keep doing it enough times. Not helping is Area L's location, being that the door to L-1 is halfway through Area H with no convenient way to get to it even if Purprill isn't around.

* ToughActToFollow: Few would say these games are outright bad, but even fewer would say they surpass VideoGame/MegaManZero, which they are often considered a SequelSeries to. [[ContestedSequel Still, there are some who prefer]] the [[{{Main/Metroidvania}} increased exploration,]] the LighterAndSofter tone, and the [[SwissArmyHero Biometals.]]

* PolishedPort: Like already mentioned in the YMMV page for Zero series, the ''Zero/ZX Legacy Collection'' is the definitive way to play these games. Aside from the Casual Scenario and Save Assist modes, Gallery and Music player among many others, ZX games get a special treatment with additional screen layouts which means you have multiple options to position the original DS touch screen. Also, cutscene graphics and voice clips are remastered from the originals.

** Flammole's weak points are his arms. His arms make up the majority of his sprite. We're talking like 75% of it. In addition, the only times his arms aren't vulnerable is when he's stationary (from the front) and when he's in the process of digging into the ground. The problem? He's only stationary for a brief moment in between his attacks, meaning hitting him without damaging his arms requires quick action and ''very'' precise timing. Taking a shot after the long flamethrower attack is out of the question, so your only openings are as he finishes firing the four exploding fireballs and while he's digging (Firing around the moment his digging in soundclip plays is about right).

* PolishedPort: Like already mentioned in the YMMV page for Zero series, the ''Zero/ZX Legacy Collection'' is the definitive way to play these games. Aside from the Casual Scenario and Save Assist modes, Gallery and Music player among many others, ZX games get a special treatment with additional screen layouts, meaning you have multiple options to position the touch screen DS. Also, cutscene graphics and voice clips are remastered from the originals.