Mega Man X Legacy Collection Does Away With Guns ‘n Roses Inspired Boss Names

Are there any fans out there that remember Mega Man X5 when it originally came out in 2001? That game actually had something pretty awesome for fans of the band Guns ‘n Roses, with bosses named after band members. For instance, there was Axle the Red, Grizzly Slash, Dark Dizzy, Mattrex and Duff McWhalen, whose names should be instantly recognizable with anyone that hummed along to “You Could Be Mine” or “Paradise City” (or whatever GNR song you fancy).

It turns out that, for the new release, the GNR party is over, at least as far as names go. Yesterday Capcom revealed a new trailer for Mega Man X Legacy Collection, along with the news that the game is available for preload and pre-order for a discounted price. But one things some fans may not have noticed is that the robot bosses no longer have the GNR names. Instead, they’re known by their names from the original Japanese release.

Duff McWhalen has become Tidal Whale again; Axle the Red is now simply Spike Rosered; Burn Dinorex now takes the place of Mattrex; Dark Dizzy has transformed his moniker into Dark Necrobat; and Grizzly Slash has turned into Crescent Galaxy.

Granted, the bosses are exactly the same as you remember them in the game, just under different names. And now there’s a new X Challenge mode that lets you challenge two at a time like the true Maverick Hunter that you are.

So why did the names get changed? Capcom issued the following statement:

“In our mission to make these collections an authentic Mega Man X experience, we took the opportunity to better align the naming of the Mega Man X5 Mavericks across all regions for better narrative cohesion across the series, making the names more aligned with the original Japanese version release. We hope that fans appreciate our intent to unify the Mega Man X Maverick-naming convention all these years later.”

So there it is. It’s more about authenticity for the original boss names instead of tributing Guns ‘n Roses.

So don’t get in a “Civil War” over it. Just show some “Patience” and soon you’ll be “Welcome To the Jungle” with what the Legacy Collection has to offer. And no, it won’t be in November when it’s raining.

Mega Man X Legacy Collection releases on July 24 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC.