REVIEWS, REWRITES, HEADCANONS, AND OCs OF MY FAVORITE FRANCHISES

MMXCM: SPIDER-REDIPS TWIST (+AILE) REVIEW

I don't play MMXCM because my PS2 couldn't load the game, so a few years later I managed to watch cutscenes via Youtube. I did NOT expect it to be a turn-based rpg at the time. The game did look fun to play. Though I feel that there are still major plot-holes to this, or that it lacks some character development, or maybe some things that can be removed, added, or changed. I'm not an experienced writer by any means so feel free to give me advice or suggestions of improvement.

Spoilers below!

We all know our savvy, cunning bounty hunter, Spider. In Chapter 2, he went after X's head to exchange it to the Rebellion for some penny. But, he had a change of heart after realizing his former partner, Aile, had died due to sacrificing himself to save X from enemy attack so he can save Chief R, his leader. Spider then betrayed Jango, got beat up, X and Spider beat Jango and saved the Resistance. Spider tells how he and Aile were partners, but then he "goofed", and resulted in Aile getting "wasted", which I assume was Aile needing to use the hover machine. Aile is not mentioned for the rest of the game. Well, Spider didn't, but I guess R mentioned a thing or two, but nothing lore expanding.

Later, during Chapter 6, before infiltrating the Gimialla Mine, we get another comm from Colonel Redips. After X goes outside, he sees a bright light on a corner. Once it fades, lo and behold Spider pops out and sees X.

"Hey, X! Something up?"

"Yeah...Got a transmission from the Colonel..."

🤔

Okay so we know how this goes. We meet Shadow, our former ally turned Maverick. Zero shows up. We beat Shadow, but as a last resort he tries to shoot Zero with his cannon, only for it to be blocked by Spider, and then Spider kills him. Zero at the start of Chapter 6 is VERY distrustful of the Giga City reploids. I mean yeah you were attacked and betrayed by one of your friends when you arrived here, but this is the Resistance...not the Rebellion forces, right? Was he THIS wary of reploids in previous games? Zero questions why Spider saved him. After some more talk, Zero's finally convinced to team up. Upcoming is the boss of Chapter 6: Incentas. The team beats him. But Incentas has trapped them in the room and set the Supra-Force Metal factory to self-destruct. To save the team, Spider sacrificed himself to blow up himself and Incentas to break the door open. Because of this, Zero is more determined to join the resistance for Spider's sake.

In Chapter 8, we go to another hideout where the team has to stop a missile full of Supra-Force Metal from launching. We fight Ferham, who has the key, but she falls before we can get it. Botos then rips the key from Ferham's body to get the Metal for himself. However, he was killed by someone so familiar...

In the final chapter. We beat the Rebellion leader, Epsilon. We then proceed to retrieve the Metal to confiscate it to the government. (Am I missing anything?)

Chief R was to guide the plane to land, but then he was shot and killed by the plane's firepower. The Resistance building in chaos as enemies swarm down. Via announcement, Redips labels X and Co. as traitors. The team then confronts Redips. Zero asks Redips why he betrayed them, what they were fighting for, losing R and Spider for this scheme. Redips laughs, a bright light envelops him, and when it fades, it reveals...TADA! Spider was Redips all along! Duping them all!!!

*gasp!* Then again, Spider's name is Redips backwards 🤣🤣🤣

So, that's basically the summary of Spider's important scenes in the game. What do I think is wrong? There ARE foreshadows, fitting for a twist. But after looking through all of them, some questions still remain unanswered. Let's list some stuff.

Exhibit A: The thing with New Generation Reploids and their Copy Chip abilities...

Spider is Redips in disguise, using the copy chip ability like Axl has. So...how did he get Spider's DNA? Well, somewhere in the game Marino says that Spider was recorded in the facility that makes copy chips. Sounds plausible. This means Redips is a new gen reploid like Axl right? But, the term "new generation reploids" only existed during Megaman X8, which was released AFTER MMXCM. And in X8, Axl is first in the whole series called a "prototype" (please correct me if I'm wrong, in the comments). So, in MMXCM, the terms new gen and prototype were never used (correct me if I'm wrong, okay?). Redips and Axl were simply reploids with copy chips. We know Axl is a new gen prototype, but what about Redips? Is he the real deal like the ones in X8, or is he also a prototype? Or is he just a normal reploid that managed to get ahold of a copy chip, if that can even be built into him...I just feel that is not elaborated enough in the game. But then again, MMXCM is more of a spin-off than a main game.

Exhibit B: When was Spider Redips?

It's important to know that Spider was at the copy chip factory according to Marino, as she said this sometime after Chapter 6. Whether it was the real Spider or Redips, we don't know. Now, when did Redips place himself within Giga City? There are 3 possible chances I can think of at the moment:

At the very beginning of Chapter 2, meaning the Spider we met is the disguised Redips. This works if Redips got Spider's DNA from the factory, or got it sometime before the events of MMXCM.

Near the end of Chapter 2, after Jango beats up, and possibly kills Spider, that's when Redips jumps in. But, it's also possible that Redips took the DNA from the killed Spider, then proceeded to join X in defeating Jango. Though, it doesn't make sense, since Marino says that Spider was the one seen in the factory. No mention of Redips. Maybe at that time Redips already had Spider's DNA data?

Somewhere after Chapter 2 and before Chapter 7? This idea is too vague to make sense of. The only hints are whenever Redips makes a transmission, and that Spider scene with the glowing light. During Chapter 8, we see "Spider" about to kill Botos, so that must be Redips at the time.

Exhibit C: How related are Spider and Redips?

What we know for sure is that Redips can turn into Spider using the copy chip with Spider's DNA data in it. I wish the game elaborated on how exactly Redips managed to get his DNA. Like maybe a flashback. From previous clues, maybe he got it from the factory. I also wonder...what about Spider? The REAL Spider. Was there ever Spider the bounty hunter? Aile never mentioned anything about him (he didn't need to at the time). How did Redips get his DNA? How come Marino found out that HE was at the factory, and not Redips?

Exhibit D: Spider and Aile's relationship.

Spider said he and Aile were partners in the past. But Spider is Redips thanks to the twist. It doesn't add up to me, how Spider feels he needed to stop his bounty hunting for the Rebellion after hearing Aile died. He recognised Aile's ID. He was once fond of Aile, probably a close friend. When Jango picked up Aile's ID, Spider struck him, then proceeded to call out Jango to not lay his dirty hands on Aile's soul. Chapter 2 Spider is the closest thing to the real Spider. But then...Spider is Redips. If Spider in Chapter 2 is real, when was the switch up? Just like in Exhibit B: When was Spider Redips? At what point in time was the moment Spider was replaced by Redips? What if there was never a switch up, that we had been talking to Redips at the very beginning? In that case, did Redips pretend to get sad about Aile to get at X's side? Now, that sounds like an even whackier theory.

Exhibit E: Aile's Sacrifice.

I think Aile blowing himself up to save X is dumb. He could join X to help him, or just give him the ID and be done with it, or let X defeat the enemies. What were they called again? Chasers? Well they're SLOW as heck. I've seen another reviewer saying that X could beat them within 3 turns or something. In my humble opinion, Aile very much doesn't need to self-destruct. Even if he somehow makes a reasoning along the lines of "I might slow you down."

Exhibit F: This twist shatters the point of Zero's character development.

Poor Zero. He finally joins the Resistance for Spider's sake. He thought Spider had sacrificed himself for the team. He began trusting the Giga City folk. The title for Chapter 6 is "The Meaning of Friendship" for crying out loud! How I see it, this Chapter is character development for Zero. BUT! The very same reploid he first trusted in Giga City ends up being a two faced. Literally. Chapter 6 was supposed to teach Zero to learn to trust. The twist showed that he was wrong to trust Spider (Redips).

Well, that's pretty much it. Hopefully I didn't make fatal mistakes while writing this review. I would rather that there was no twist, but considering Spider and Redips' names are each other' s but backwards, I guess that was the intention from the start. I have an inkling on how to execute the "twist" better, but that will be at another time. Thanks for reading this!