X8's actually one of my favorite X games. bullet points following.
- the changes made to the X formula didn't bother me at all. i liked the Devil May Cry powerup system, for one.
- Axl is actually useful and fun to play as. and the Copy Shot didn't suck.
- though the Neutral Armor looked iffy, you could mix and match the parts from all the armors, which was a sweet idea.
- i thought the majority of the music in X8 was kickass.
- the stage gimmick argument is stupid, as almost every stage in X games has some sort of gimmick going on. you don't ever have to use the Ride Armor. and stealth has been done before; see Magna Centipede.
- i don't find either Ride Chaser stage annoying at all. though Man-O-War's stage is really quick.
- the game probably has the most extras of an X game. all three characters have ultimate forms. Zero has a slew of weapons to use, and many of them changed his special moves. and you can unlock the Navigators and Intermissions.
- though the game has a ranking system, it's not dependent on anything you need to unlock. (looking at you, Zero and ZX) it's only for bragging rights.
- though everyone has Clamp Syndrome in this game, i much prefer that to how bulky everyone was in Command Mission.
but most importantly, the game just flowed very well. that's something i value highly in a game, along with its "pick it up and beat it when you're bored" nature. i love a game that i could never get tired of beating, and X8 is no exception.
is it a perfect game? no. X and Axl's arsenals were a little lacking, as were some of the boss designs. and the 2D bike segments are inheretly better than 3D ones. but on the whole i think it's a very solid game that can hold its own against the other great X games.