System: Super Nintendo
Title: Mega Man X3
Publisher: Capcom
Circa: 1996
Megaman X3 titlescreen
Intro
Another set of three is completed. However, this time, the story does not simply end at the third entry. Mega Man X3 presses the story forward and adds new elements to the gameplay for us to enjoy. This was the first of the series where another character is available for you to use. While Zero had only one life, it was nice to have a little change in who you were using. This game sets the stage for something to come, but it would be a few years before we got to encounter it.

Story
Dr. Doppler has designed a chip that eliminates the chance for a Reploid to go Maverick. They form a utopian town and name it in honor of their savior, Doppler Town. Later they return to their old destructive ways, going Maverick in spite of the chip. Dr. Doppler is blamed and the Maverick Hunters are called in. Both X and Zero are dispatched to deal with this latest menace.

Gameplay
Mega Man in full armor
While much the game remains the same, with the Sub-tanks, Heart Tanks and Armor pieces, there are at least some new elements added in. The Robot Rides are now activated, letting players choose one of four different types of Rides. These pieces are usually well hidden but what they give access to generally is worth the effort. The Head Upgrade continues to aid plays in tracking down various things like Heart Tanks, but this time does so by displaying a Map of the level and showing the quadrant that the item appears in. It also changes the Level Select screen to show that a level has items that need to be found. The Air-Dash system also receives a minor upgrade, allowing X to Air-Dash upwards.
Megaman X3 weapon select
There are two true first in this entry. The first would be in the Chip system. After collecting the respective piece of armor, X can find a boost for that piece of armor. This could be health regeneration, the ability to dash twice mid-air, further reduced damage or being able to instantly fire-off fully charged shots. This part is largely up to the player, as to what they want. This time, the hidden upgrade is not a Street Fighter attack, but a Golden Armor, which has all the Chips active. The second would be in the inclusion of Zero as a Playable Character. Zero only has one life, so if he hits some spikes or takes too much damage, he is lost to the Player for the rest of the playthrough. Zero handles only a little differently from X, but lacks X’s ability to do the Air-Dash. In this case, Zero uses his Z-Buster, having to charge fully to use his Beam Sabre in a short-range attack. X can call on Zero’s help once per stage. He starts with maximum health and is generally seen, especially early on in the game, to be more powerful than X. It is possible to attain Zero’s Sabre, but only if Zero fights a particular Mid-boss in the Sigma stages.
Zero in Megaman X3
Multiplayer
None.

Controls
The controls have yet to change, remaining the same throughout the series. Still, they remain a little awkward, but not in a terribly so.

Graphics
The game gets a slight facelift. With X getting upgraded armor and Zero looking cool as always. Again, limited transparency effects are present, offering some overhauls for X2.

Sound Effects & Music
The music remains top notch and the sound effects keep steady in the non-annoying category. There are a few versions of this game now, but the SNES one is the best in this department.

Obscurity
This is the most valuable Mega Man X game for the SNES. Moderately obscure at least.

Summary/Author’s Take
While this is a decently expensive game, its one of the ones I found fun at first, but takes more time to sink into. The ability to use Zero is nice, but the two are very close in style and play, so it also has me wonder about the setup there. Still, it offered some nice things, like the ability to select the Robot Ride you had as well as the variability of the Chip system. While still a good game, it does not offer as much change as X2 did over X. It is worth playing if you are a fan of the series though.

Story: 76%                A little thinner than usual.
Gameplay: 83%            Some little changes (Zero!).
Multiplayer: n/a            None.
Controls: 80%            Same old, little strange.
Graphics: 81%            Solid changes, if only minor.
SFX & Music: 86%            Cannot complain about this.
Obscurity: 55%            “They made that many for the SNES?”
Overall: 78%                Not great, good though





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