: Titles like Rockman 8 utilized the PS1's CD-ROM capacity to introduce high-quality 2D sprites and fully animated anime cutscenes, a stark contrast to the static imagery of previous generations.
Perhaps the most radical departure was the birth of the Mega Man Legends series. Rockman PSN
: The Rockman X series, particularly entries like X4 and X5 , moved toward a more cinematic storytelling approach. These games began to focus more heavily on character development, such as the tragic backstories of Zero and Iris, adding emotional weight to the series' established "Save the World" backdrop. : Titles like Rockman 8 utilized the PS1's