Mega Man X3
| Mega Man X3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Keiji Inafune |
| Platform(s) | SNES, PlayStation, Saturn, PC |
| Release | December 1, 1995 (JP) November 30, 1995 (NA) April 26, 1996 (PS1) 1998 (PC) |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Mega Man X3 was released in 1995 by Capcom. It is the third game in the Mega Man X sub-franchise and the last to appear on the Super Nintendo. An enhanced version was also released on the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC in Japan and Europe in 1996, and the PC version arrived in North America in 1998; the enhanced version included remixed music and anime-style cutscenes. It is currently available in the anthology collection Mega Man X Collection, which includes the first six Mega Man X games and Mega Man Battle & Chase. It should be noted that the Play Station/Sega Saturn version of X3, not the SNES version, appears in the X collection. Mega Man X Collection was released for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 on January 10th, 2006.
Like its predecessor, Mega Man X2, Capcom included the C4 chip to allow for some limited 3D graphics and transparency effects. Mega Man X3 is the first game in which Zero is a playable character in addition to X. The game is sometimes criticized by fans because of its difficulty, others strongly dislike the repetitive background music, but still many Mega Man X fans consider it to be one the best games in the X series.
Mega Man X3 is also the rarest of the X series games. Very few copies of the Super Nintendo version were distributed in the United States because the system was nearing the end of its lifecycle. A copy of the SNES version of Mega Man X3 with box and instructions can go for over $150 on auction websites such as eBay. Playstation and Sega Saturn versions are even more rare, although they are mainly found only in European format. It should be noted, that in Europe, the Playstation and Sega Saturn versions generally sell for less than the SNES version.
Characters
- Bit (Vajurilla FF)- The smaller of a pair of robots that Dr. Doppler called in to exterminate X and Zero. Combines with Byte to form a giant conglomeration war machine. (Godkarmachine O Inary)
- Byte (Mandarella BB)- Larger, tougher, counterpart to Bit. Byte can team up with Bit to form a larger robot called GodKarmachine O Ikary, although he'll try to take on X on his own before resorting to that.
- (Note in the Japanese version, Bit and Byte are referred to collectively as the "Nightmare Police".)
- Vile Mk-II - Vile is resurrected by Dr. Doppler after his death in X1; however he seems to be driven insane by his hatred of X and Zero and was even willing to blow up an entire factory in the hopes of destroying X.
Gameplay
Mega Man X3 is an action game where the player is given a selection screen of stages to begin. When selected, the player uses Mega Man X to blast various enemies throughout the level and reach the boss character, where defeating it wins the stage and earns a new weapon for the player to utilize.
Story
The story of Mega Man X3 revolves around a Reploid scientist named Dr. Doppler. In the year 21XX, the threat of the Mavericks has been neutralized thanks to Doppler's technology, which has prevented any abnormal behavior in the Mavericks. As a result, the reformed Reploids, the more advanced ones specifically, have gathered near their new mentor and formed Doppler Town, a utopia perfect for Reploids. It seemed that all was well, until the Reploids who were former Mavericks suddenly reverted and once again began causing trouble. Dr. Doppler was held accountable, and X and Zero were sent out to contain the new threat. They were soon after called back to Maverick HQ, which was under attack by Doppler's forces.
However, the two did not realize that while Doppler was indeed behind the new Maverick threat, someone else was pulling his strings. As if that wasn't bad enough, one of X and Zero's old enemies is back from the dead, ready to take them down.
Upgrades
Scattered throughout the stages are powerups used by X to enhance his attributes and obtain a wider range of skills:
- Body Upgrades - Usually found in well-hidden areas, a projection of Dr. Light will give X encouragement and allow him to acquire an upgrade through use of a capsule:
- Legs - Allows X to perform an air dash, either laterally or straight up.
- Armor - Reduces the amount of damage that X takes and creates a force field around X whenever he takes damage.
- Helmet - Displays a simple map upon starting a stage to help uncover hidden items; also lists the three items in the currently-highlighted level on the stage select screen, in pink if they have not been collected and in gray if they have been.
- X-Buster - Allows X to charge up a double shot, either unleashing one shot after the other or at the same time as a cross-shot. Also lets X charge special weapons.
- An additional chip upgrade can be supplanted to one of X's body upgrades:
- Legs - Allows X to perform two air dashes in the same jump.
- Armor - Improves the defense field around X.
- Helmet - Regenerates X's life energy when he stands still; can also fill Sub-Tanks when X's life energy is full.
- X-Buster - Allows X to use the Hyper Cannon, firing fully-charged shots instantly, with a bar of limited weapon energy that recovers when he takes damage.
- Health Supplements:
- Heart Tanks - Increases the maximum amount of X's life energy, allowing him to survive through more damage; one is found in each stage.
- Sub Tanks - Allows X to store extra energy which can be used to replenish life energy when it is low; four are found in the entire game, and they can only be filled by X and at full life. It takes 14 energy pellets to completely fill one tank, with big pellets counting for two.
- Ride Armor - Four separate items can be found that grant X the access to different ride armors when he reaches a certain platform, each with their own abilities and designated by a single letter:
Vehicles
- Chimera (N) - This standard ride armor can jump, punch, and dash; in order to use the other ride armors, this one must be obtained.
- Kangaroo (K) - In this ride armor, X can charge up a punch to launch the ride armor's fist for a longer-ranged attack.
- Hawk (H) - This ride armor fires missiles and can hover in the air for a short time.
- Frog (F) - This is the only ride armor that works underwater; it shoots missiles, and hops instead of walking.
- Other:
- Hyper Armor - If X gets all four body upgrades, all four mechs, all four Sub Tanks, and all eight Heart Tanks, but none of the chips, a secret capsule in Doppler's first stage allows him to get all four chips at once. This transforms his armor to a gold color. Additionally, it causes Hyper Cannon shots to use less weapon energy.
- Z-Sabre - In the second fortress stage, a bug-like miniboss blocks the way. If Zero is used to defeat this enemy, it crashes into him. Unable to continue further, Zero gives X his Z-Sabre and leaves. Although this prevents you from calling Zero again for the rest of the game, and he will not appear in the ending, X is now able to use Zero's Z-Sabre in the same way as him. By charging the X-Buster until he glows green, X will swing the Z-Sabre after the double-shot attack, and it will launch an energy wave, extending the range of the attack. (If X does not obtain the X-Buster upgrade, he will only swing the sword after his fully-charged shot, and it will not shoot the energy wave.) The Z-Sabre is powerful enough to defeat any boss in two hits, including Sigma. To make matters worse for the enemy/boss, the Z-Sabre causes additional damage to the boss if it continues to move itself. This is seen by the small green blades moving around the boss's body.
Mavericks
| English name | Japanese name | Copied weapon | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blast Hornet | Explose Horneck | Parasitic Bomb | Gravity Well |
| Blizzard Buffalo | Frozen Buffalio | Frost Shield | Parastic Bomb |
| Gravity Beetle | Gravity Beetbood | Gravity Well | Ray Splasher |
| Toxic Seahorse | Acid Seaforce | Acid Burst | Frost Shield |
| Volt Catfish | Electel Namazuros | Triad Thunder | Tornado Fang |
| Crush Crawfish | Scissors Shrimper | Spinning Blade | Triad Thunder |
| Tunnel Rhino | Screw Maisaider | Tornado Fang | Acid Burst |
| Neon Tiger | Shining Tigerd | Ray Splasher | Spinning Blade |
About the Mavericks
Sub-bosses
- Mac
A small-time Hunter who sides with Doppler early on, and captures X at Hunter HQ. He is quickly dealt with by Zero.
- Maoh the Giant
A giant Mechaniloid that Doppler sics on Hunter HQ. It has giant maces for hands.
- Wormseeker R
A immense caterpillar beneath the ground in Neon Tiger's stage. It drops two hard-to-destroy bouncing eggs every time it emerges, then travels through the air and burrows into another part of the floor or ceiling.
- Genjibo And Shurikein
In Blast Hornet's stage, a little firefly spawns a giant, 3D star, which whirls around the airplane hangar like a buzzsaw. When it simply goes back and forth on the ground, shooting it will make it jump.
- Hotareeka
This beast lurks under the dam in Toxic Seahorse's stage. It travels back and forth in the middle of the screen, dropping mines and firing missiles.
- Hell Crusher
This tank-riding fiend hides out in Tunnel Rhino's stage.
- Rex-2000
In the first Doppler stage, this odd enemy marches around, guarding a device making the ceiling collapse, firing missiles from its back and energy blasts from its mouth. The player must defeat this enemy quickly.
- Mosquitus
This parasitic monster hangs out in Doppler's second stage, but only if Vile was destroyed in the first eight stages. X can total him easily with Acid Burst, but you can also fight him with Zero. If Zero beats him (just a few blasts and a sabre swing), the monster will catch him in a death grip and explode. Zero, however, shall just barely survive. He'll be unusable for the rest of the game, but before he leaves, he'll give X his Z-Sabre to use. A handy event.
- Godkarmachine O Inary
Bit and Byte fuse together to form this ancient Egyptian-looking monstrosity. It pitches saber slices at you or tries to grab you with its flying arms.
Re-Release Details
- The Sega Saturn and Playstation Re-Releases in Europe and Japan are noted for including additional anime cut-scenes and remixed CD music tracks.
- The Japanese edition of the game also featured two J-Pop songs by Kotono Shibuya, "One More Time" (opening theme) and "I'm Believer" (ending theme).
- The re-releases also infamously feature load times, including a very long wait when first booting up the game.
- The PS1 version of X3 is the version featured in Mega Man X Collection. The anime cut-scenes have been left intact (with the exception of the removal of the J-Pop songs in the intro and ending cut-scenes, it instead uses the original pieces of music found in the European/PC edition) and, finally the infamous loading times are non-existent.
- The PC version has all of the features from the Saturn and PlayStation versions, but has a bug that manifests on more modern systems. Depending on the player's install method and CD-ROM speed, the maps for Dr. Doppler's lab may not load properly, instead displaying incomprehensible text, and X can not teleport into the stage (he instead dies instantly when he enters the stage). The best solution to fixing the bug is to install the entire game to the hard drive, thereby eliminating the loading bug and allowing the game to play properly when the player reaches Doppler's lab.
Trivia
- Neon Tiger's stage theme music is a shortened remix of the Guns N' Roses song, My Michelle.
- This remix surprisingly makes it into all re-releases and even onto Mega Man Xtreme 2; it appears Guns N' Roses either haven't noticed, or don't mind.
- One of the companies in charge of making the more realistic, 3D-style graphics for the Maverick bosses was Silicon Graphics, the company who helped bring the Donkey Kong Country series to life.
- The first form of Sigma in this game carries a shield that he uses in a way very similar to that of Captain America, a Marvel comics character.