Trial Edition is (you guessed it) a demo of Rockman X7 for the PlayStation 2. It includes two playable stages: intro (Axl and Zero) and Deep Forest (Axl, Zero or X). The CD was obtained via private auction on behalf of my good friend Henger83. It was disturbed to select retailers in Japan for demonstration purposes a couple months before the game's release.
The demo represents a near final build, but it's sprinkled with some differences such as...
- Axl's intro stage music, "Conflict", lacks one to two instruments
- No voiced dialog
- Unused player select portraits
- Placeholder audio samples (grunts and exclamations) from X5 and X6
- You can't pause the game!
That's what I spotted, at least. Oh, and the demo is all around buggy, too. Collision feels off from time to time (worse than the final game), and for some inexplicable reason, the camera during the Mega Scorpio fight can't decide where to focus (EDIT: emulation glitch).
SuperMega233 recorded some footage, viewable here. Everything mentioned above (and then some) is highlighted. I haven't had the time to data mine for any hidden goodies like graphics and sounds, so I leave that in your hands.
Keep us posted if you happen to unearth anything interesting. Now, off to The Cutting Room Floor!
"Oh, and the demo is all around buggy, too. Collision feels off from time to time."
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like regular Megaman X7 to me.
I never played X7. I wasn't able to find a PC copy anywhere. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, is this the secret you've been holding from us Protodude?
@ZeroX_Syaoran
ReplyDeleteAh, you'll have to be a bit more specific. Lots of things I've held from you guys have already come to fruition ;)
Nowhere in the article does it say if this is the PS2 or the PC version.
ReplyDeleteAhh, thank you so much, Protodude for this. I hope you can find Megaman 4 beta rom. Do you have that too ? I am looking for one and cannot find one but I have Rockman - Battle & Fighters (Beta). Can we talk if you have Megaman 4 beta ? Maybe Rockman 2 beta ? :)
ReplyDeleteAs I told the SuperMega, that camera thing is an emulation glitch with PCSX2 v0.9.6 and below. v0.9.8 and beyond seem to fix it just fine.
ReplyDeleteI speak from experience, of course.
@ZeroX_Syaoran: Piratebay is your friend ;), and @Nicolás Rivera: Yeah it´s pretty sounds like the release version.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteHaven't found Mega Man 4 or Rockman 2. NES/Famicom stuff is pretty hard to come by.
Nice work!!
ReplyDeleteHope you guys find that elusive beta from Rockman X, I found a magazine that published some pics about also so I'll try to get some scans later. Good hunting.
... Protodude has secrets?
ReplyDeleteKnow if their are any beta versions of BN, SF, or Zero games floating around or at capcom? Because I would love to see those
I don't remember who, but someone on Assembler was offering a debug Battle Network 2 cartridge. Very expensive.
ReplyDeletenow if only the megaman x beta with the white city would surface.
ReplyDeleteProtodude,
ReplyDeleteOh darn! We know that if you find one then you would share, right ? :)
I have Rockman _ Battle & Fighters (BETA) rom. :)
^
ReplyDeleteI share whenever possible. The B&F beta is pretty common these days, actually. I think I talked about it here a while back?
@Protodude: Same Anon here. How expensive was the cart exactly?
ReplyDelete^
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves me right, it was in the high hundreds.
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI would kill to play the MMX Beta White City stage. It'd be amazing lol. If you have anything on that, Protodude, no holdin' out!
Yup, we've been looking. We had a false alarm about half a year ago.
ReplyDelete'If memory serves me right, it was in the high hundreds.'
ReplyDelete... Well there goes any hope of getting that...
Greatly appreciated, Protodude.
ReplyDeleteX7 had good ambition and potential, but sadly fell flat on execution.
I'd play this in a second if I had the computer for it. I have a PS2, but even the final games has glitches when played as a backup on a real PS2.
ReplyDeleteProtodude,
ReplyDeleteany hope to get hold of Megaman Universe Beta ?
I've met Keiji Inafune yesterday, I should've asked him :D
Protodude,
ReplyDeleteany hope to get hold of Megaman Universe Beta ?
I've met Keiji Inafune yesterday, I should've asked him :D
Protodude,
ReplyDeleteany hope to get hold of Megaman Universe Beta ?
I've met Keiji Inafune yesterday, I should've asked him :D
Protodude,
ReplyDeleteany hope to get hold of Megaman Universe Beta ?
I've met Keiji Inafune yesterday, I should've asked him :D
@SDK:
ReplyDeleteIn a few years... we'll see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YDzo9zg0dk
ReplyDeleteA lot of the regular stage themes are present on-disc. Unfortunately, it seems very few of them are different from their final versions. Vanishing Gungaroo's stage (linked above) is one that is different, or at least unfinished at this point in development.
Axl does have voice work for the grunts and small callouts as well, but it is all placeholder voice work probably done by a member of the dev team. Doesn't match the final's Axl at all.