Mega Man Xtreme 2, known as Rockman X2: Soul Eraser (ロックマンX2 ソウルイレイザー) in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Game Boy Color handheld game console. It is a spin-off title in the Mega Man X series and is a follow-up to Mega Man Xtreme, released the previous year. Mega Man Xtreme 2 takes place during the 22nd century, in an unknown year 21XX, between the events of Mega Man X3 and Mega Man X4. The DNA souls of robots known as "Reploids" all around the world are being stolen by a pair of villains in order to create an army of undead "Mavericks". The "Maverick Hunters" Mega Man X and Zero quickly spring into action, now with the help of their young ally Iris. Mega Man Xtreme 2 is a similar take on the series action and platforming gameplay formula while combining elements from home console versions of the Mega Man X series. The player may choose to play each of a series of stages as either protagonist, X or Zero. Defeating the stage's boss will earn that player character its special weapon. Critical reception for Mega Man Xtreme 2 was lightly positive, with most reviewers giving the game praise typical of the long-running series and noting a general improvement over the first Mega Man Xtreme title. In 2013, Mega Man Xtreme 2 was made available on the Virtual Console of Japan's Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS. It was later released in the North American eShop the following year and is currently being planned for a release in the PAL region eShop in August 2014.