The Mega Man series has seen many offshoots over the years, and one of the most popular has been the slightly edgier Mega Man X series. X7 is coming to the PlayStation 2 this year, and it's very different from any of the previous X games.

　　Mega Man X7 takes place from a few different perspectives. You'll have standard 2D side-scrolling, behind-the-back corridor running, and slightly more open 3D movement, similar to what was seen in the Mega Man Legends series. With this mish-mash of different perspectives, you wouldn't expect the different methods to come together very well, but so far, it seems to work pretty well.

　　You'll have three characters to choose from in X7. You start the game as the new character, Axl. Axl has a standard shot and dash, as well as a copy shot. When you eliminate a compatible foe with the copy shot, a bit of robot DNA is dropped. Picking that up turns Axl into that robot for a short period of time, giving you access to all sorts of new powers. Mega Man does what you would expect Mega Man to do, from the standard buster shot to the charged-up buster shot. Zero is armed with his sword, and you can use it to bat projectiles back at your enemies. Graphically, X7's polygons take on a sharp, cel-shaded look, and the animation is pretty nicely done.

　　Mega Man X7 is scheduled for release this fall.