Mega Man X3

"Another awesome X game from Capcom"

Mega Man underwent a noticeable change when he made the transition from the NES to the SNES: he became taller, leaner and more modern-looking and became simply ''X''.
His identity change was reflected in the naming of the new titles; I'm sure many others besides me originally assumed ''Mega Man X'' to be ''Mega Man Ten'', but upon playing the game it was apparent that the X was actually referring to the title character, and it wasn't the same Blue Bomber we knew. The gameplay remained virtually the same, however, and I greatly enjoyed Mega Man X and its sequel, Mega Man X2. When Capcom released Mega Man X3, I had worries that they might be overkilling the series. Thankfully, my concerns were unnecessary.
As for the story, it's the standard Mega Man tale, with new characters once again inserted in place of old favorites. The Doppler Effect is currently affecting Mavericks and doing all kinds of nasty things to them, so X sets out to set everything right again with the help of Zero, making his third straight Mega Man appearance, and once again looking as if he'd easily eat young X for lunch if they ever came to blows. Eight Mavericks, plus several additional stages, stand in the way of X and Dr. Doppler.

Graphics: 10/10

Virtually identical to the two previous games, which is a good thing. The anime sprites are very sharp and the colors are bright and clear, and the backgrounds are solid as always. The C4 chip gave Capcom a few extra options to play with when making the game, including some new rotation and 3D effects, and they were put to good use. The bosses are much bigger than in the previous games, and in general the enemies are creative and well-drawn, keeping
in spirit of the X games.

Sound: 9/10

Sound has also been another strong point of the SNES X games, and X3 doesn't disappoint, though it does fall short of the fantastic original. Some of the music is particularly great, while some of it simply sounds flat and unmemorable.
Both Blizzard Buffalo and Vile's stage music is very good, but some of the stage music for other Mavericks is painfully generic. The robotic sound effects are sharp and as cool as always, and this game surpasses the first two in that area.

Gameplay: 9/10

The basic gameplay remains unchanged from Mega Man X, so if you have any experience with that game, you won't have any trouble with the controls of X3. The ability to dash along the floor and climb walls is still here and very important for survival, and you'll find yourself having to use the
more advanced techniques, such as dash-jumping off walls with precision, much more frequently than in the other games. This is because, quite simply, X3 is a pretty hard game. None of the bosses are total pushovers like Chill Penguin in X, and all of the levels are longer and contain several areas which can easily trip you up. You'll notice a much better grasp of the controls is needed for any success in X3. In X, you could learn the new moves along the way and still have some success. In X3, you've got to know everything pretty good from the beginning or you probably won't be beating any Mavericks.
Several elements add to the gameplay, most notably the chips and robots. Scattered throughout the levels are chips that allow X to modify a certain aspect of his body, such as his jumping ability, gun power or body armor. The chips transform X into a souped-up fighting machine who would give Zero a good fight, and the techniques learned can be combined with others to help you get to hard-to-reach items and passages. Several robots can be activated throughout the game, each having individual specialties, like water combat
or air battle. Several secrets and items are only accessible with the use of a robot.
Of course, this wouldn't be a Mega Man game if you didn't acquire the weapons of the bosses you beat. As always, certain weapons work best against certain bosses, and once you discover the best order in which to defeat the Mavericks, the game becomes much simpler, at least moreso than it was before. Either way, the game is very challenging. Heart and Sub Tanks are back once again, and
so it's easy to see that X has a lot of items to find, and the potential exists for him to become quite a formidable force.

Replay: 10/10

Amazing replay value for a Mega Man game, as usually these games are fun the first time through but supply no reason to come back and tackle them a second time. Not so with X3. It's possible to finish the game (granted, with extreme difficulty) while only finding a small fraction of the available items, power-ups and even secret levels. The robots, chips, parts, Heart and Sub Tanks and hidden levels all provide reason for you to come back and find everything. Most of the game can also be played with Zero, who is a different fighter than X, enough so to justify listing him as a replay value bonus. If you manage to do and find everything the game has to offer, you'll have spent significant time playing and should feel very satisfied with
what you've accomplished.

Overall: 9/10

I still prefer the original X, but that may just be nostalgia talking. X3 is an awesome game, and truly one of the best the SNES has to offer in the side-scrolling action category. Inexperienced and intermediate players will likely be very frustrated with the difficulty level, and the game is hard to find at a reasonable price (it usually ranks up with Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 3 as the most expensive US-released SNES games), so as good as the game is, I can't really recommend a purchase to anyone who hasn't played, loved and mastered the first two games - otherwise the difficulty level might overshadow the awesomeness of this last SNES X offering from Capcom.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/02/01, Updated 12/02/01