Megaman X7 Mechanics

Megaman / Rockman X7 are quite different, most players think that the difference is only the Voice Actors (they are a lot better in japanese), but that is not all!.

Rockman X7 VS Megaman X7

Difference between Japanese and English version:

In Japanese version, all of your attacks deal more damage than English version. For example, if Axl need around 48 shots to kill one boss in Japanese version, it will take him 96 shots to do so in English version. The Korean PC version uses the same damage system from the Japanese version.

And the Japanese Voice Actors are way better.

Damage System

Base Stats:

Each character starts with 32 Life and 25 Weapon Energy. Getting a Life Up/Energy Up increase them by 2 units. Life Ups and Energy Ups are divided separately on each character depend on who received them.

Since there is a total of 24 Life Up/Energy Up in the game, a character can reach a maximum of 80 Life and 73 Weapon Energy by giving him all available Life Up/Energy Up.

The damage system in Mega Man X7 is pretty simple, each weapon has a default attack power and they deal the same damage to all enemies.
Your attacks deal full damage against stage enemies and 1/2 damage against Maverick bosses. Special weapon/techniques does 3/4 damage to Maverick boss that they're strong against.

Below here is all weapon's attack power that I gathered, because there are differences in damage between Japanese and English version as mentioned above, I will list two damage data for each weapon:

X-Buster: 3-8-12-16(JP), 2-6-9-12(EN) (each number corresponding to a charge shot level)

Axl Bullet: 3(JP), 2(EN). Copy Shot deals the same damage as normal shot.

Z-Saber: 8-6-6-8(JP), 6-4-4-6(EN)(each number corresponding to a slash in his combo)

Double Bullet: 3 (JP), 2(EN)

G-Launcher: 12(JP), 9(EN)

Raygun: 2(JP), 1(EN)

D-Glaive: 10-8-10(JP), 7-6-7(EN)

V-Hanger: 6-4-4-4-6(JP), 4-3-3-3-4(EN)

X/Axl's Special Weapon:
Circle Blaze: Attack: 4(JP), 4(EN) Cost: 3
-Charge: Attack: 4(JP), 4(EN) Cost: 3

Explosion: Attack: 18(JP), 13(EN) Cost: 16
-Charge: Attack: 18(JP), 13(EN) Cost: 16

Volt Tornado: Attack: 12(JP), 12(EN) Cost: 4
-Charge: Attack: 1(JP), 0(EN) Cost: 20

Splash Laser: Attack: 4(JP), 3(EN) Cost: 2
If you quickly tab attack button when firing Splash Laser, you can fire up to three Splash Lasers at once, each consecutive shot will cost 1 unit instead.
-Charge: Attack: 6(JP), 5(EN) Cost: 6

Sniper Missile: Attack: 12(JP), 9(EN) Cost: 3
-Charge: Attack: 12(JP), 9(EN) Cost: 3

Gaea Shield: Attack: 2(JP), 2(EN) Cost: 2
-Charge version (X): Attack: 12(JP), 9(EN) Cost: 4

Wind Cutter: Attack: 6(JP), 4(EN) Cost: 2
-Charge: Attack: 2(JP), 1(EN) Cost: 3

Moving Wheel: Attack: 4(JP), 3(EN) Cost: 3
-Charge: Attack: 4(JP), 3(EN) Cost: 3

Zero's Special Technique:
Bakuenjin: Attack: 8(JP), 6(EN) Cost: 18

Hadangeki: Attack: 15(JP), 11(EN)

Raijinshou: Attack: 24(JP), 18(EN)

Suiretsusen: Attack: 16(JP), 12(EN)

Hieijin: Attack: 12(JP), 9(EN)

Gokumonken: Attack: 32(JP), 24(EN)

Souenbu: Attack: 6(JP), 4(EN)

Zankourin: Attack: 4(JP), 3(EN)

Critical Hits

After equipping Axl or X with Power Plus parts, you can see they start shooting white shots when attack. This is a critical hit, which does 1 more damage than the actual attack. Zero also does critical hit with slashes as well, but it's hard to tell since there is no visible difference with normal slash.

Although the game label Power Plus A and B as increase normal attack power by 30% and 50%, this is not their actual effect. They're just enable you a chance of doing a critical hit, which I believe is 30% and 50% as their effect.

So under critical hit bonus, your attack will have following damage:

X-Buster and Axl Bullet: 4(JP), 3(EN)
Z-Saber: 9-7-7-9(JP), 7-5-5-7(EN)

X's charge shot (at any level) and Axl's Copy shot never do critical hit, this is only apply to their normal shots. Zero however can have any of his normal slashes turn into critical hit. Weapons like D-Glaive and G-launcher also cannot do critical hit.

X's Armor

Head part: Double the distance of absorbing items.

Buster Part: X's full charge shot is followed by three homing bullets. Normally these bullets will fly straight, but if the charge shot hit a target, they will seek for the nearest target to hit (and in case the target was destroyed by the charge shot and there is no other enemies in the screen, you can see they keep lingering in one place). X can charge special weapons.

Homing Bullet damage: 3(JP), 2(EN), they cannot do critical hit.

Body Part: Halves damage taken from enemy attack and remove knockdown (damage taken by touching enemies stay the same). Can stack with Shock Absorber part for a 3/4 reduction effect. Enable the Giga Crash Attack.

Giga Crash does a fixed 16 damages to any enemies, ignoring their guard. Interesting, if this attack is used during boss fights, it will immediately cut down their health, no matter if they are in their invincibility period or not seen in the screen.

Giga Crash requires taking 13 hits to refill again, regardless of amount of damage taken.

Leg Part: X can glide by pressing Jump in air, and attacking while using this ability will cancel it (and probably it's going to get you killed)

Parts

Power Plus A: Enable 30% chance of dealing critical hit.
Power Plus B: Enable 50% chance of dealing critical hit.
Shock Absorber: Halves damage taken from enemy attack and remove recoil (any damage taken by touching enemies stay the same). Can stack with Glide Armor's Body part for a 3/4 reduction effect.
Extend: Increase Lock-on range, allow you to target enemies from a further distance.
Saber Extend: Increase radius of Z-Saber.

Rapid Shot: Increase number of available shots on-screen by 1.
Speed Shot: Increase bullet speed.
Hyper Dash: Increase dash speed.
Hover Plus: Increase Axl's hover speed.
Quick Charge: Increase X charge speed.

Saber Combo+1: Add 1 slash to Zero combo. This is the same as his third slash.
Saber Combo+2: Add 1 slash to Zero combo. This is the same as his fourth slash.
Saber Combo+3: Add 1 slash to Zero combo. This is the same as his dash slash.

Super Recover: Increase power of healing items.
Double Barrier: Double your invincibility period after taking damage.
Triple Barrier: Triple your invincibility period after taking damage.
Item Plus: Increase chance of items drop.
Rolling Attack: Axl's roll will cause damage if contact with enemies. This rolling attack does 2 damage in both JP and EN version.
Master Saber: Increase damage of Z-Saber special techniques. Doesn't apply to D-Glaive and V-Hanger normal attacks.

Bonus from Master Saber to each Special technique:
-Bakuenjin: 8 -> 10 (JP), 6 -> 8 (EN)
-Hadangeki: 15 -> 17 (JP), 11 -> 13 (EN)
-Raijinshou: 24 -> random 26 or 27 (JP), 18 -> random 20 or 21 (EN)
-Suiretsusen: 16 -> 18 (JP), 12 -> 14 (EN)
-Gokumonken: 32 -> random 34 or 35 (JP), 24 -> random 26 or 27 (EN)
-Hieijin: 12 -> 14 (JP), 9 -> 11 (EN)
-Souenbu: 6 -> 8 (JP), 4 -> 6 (EN)
-Zankourin: 4 -> 6 (JP), 3 -> 5 (EN)

[oroen]

i wonder what their thought process was for this?

[matohin]

that's a really useful guide! no wonder the JP ver is much better