GameSpite Looks at Mega Man X3
It was one of the ones which nearly got away.
Originally, Capcom USA was not going to release Mega Man X3 or its Classic series stablemate, Mega Man 7. The game came during the console’s twilight years, which is evident in the ports made to the next generation platforms Sony PlayStation and SEGA Saturn, and the Western branch of the company apparently didn’t feel there was a market for it. But, due to demand (interestingly enough, in an age before internet usage was commonplace), they eventually conceded and released both, albeit in limited quantities.
GameSpite takes a look back at Mega Man X3, positing that the series had seemed to reach a state of creative stagnation more quickly than the original series. Perhaps this, combined with being released so late in the Super NES’s life cycle, is what led to Capcom USA’s initial way of thinking?
Of course, as we now know, it would only be another year before Capcom would expand on one of Mega Man X3‘s more unique (for Mega Man, anyway) features, leading to something of a new lease on life for the series.
Tags: Mega Man X, Mega Man X3, WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR??
Filed under: Community Developments
I LOVED playing MMX3. I remember trying to play through it as quickly as I can (whenever I could get to it) so that I could play Zero fo’ shizzle in MMX4. What blew me away that the first two games didn’t have, was the anime intro movie. I watched it EVERY time before continuing to pick up where I left off. Like a routine, or ritual or whatever, to get geared up for playing a game from one of the most kick-ass franchises Capcom ever made. I still do that with the other MMX games.
The “fleeting and temporary way” that GameSpite describes the Zero playability in MMX3 is right on, indeed. But the intro stage was certainly a nice preview as to how it would feel to swing an awesome blade… in a MEGA MAN game! Playing the MMX games in order (from the Collection) really helped me appreciate that, and it felt THAT much better when it was time to finally play Zero in MMX4. ^_^
As much as I respect and like the X snes trilogy, it was with that third episode that the X serie started to go downhill. don’t misunderstand, it’s a very solid episode overall but coming after the first two X games -wich are the very definition of action-platforming quality games- it doesn’t feel as good, there’s little creativity that transpires from the levels design and levels setting, only half of tracks had some magic and the new charged shot was annoying to use. Playing as Zero for the first time wasn’t enough.
It feels like the development team didn’t even try to top the previous game in any way and simply went with the infamous capcom idiom “copy & paste ad nauseam”
X3 is currently my second favorite after X2, but it was probably the one I had the most fun playing as a kid.
My cousin and I would always go down to Blockbuster and rent it when we got together. Strangely, it never occurred to us to buy it.
X3 is pretty underrated in my opinion. The second game was almost exactly the same as the original while the third went out of its way to add some new features and a higher challenge. I appreciate it more than the second personally.
I think X4 was the only one that came close to being as solid as the original though.
I never thought X3 was anything special; just kinda mediocre for the series. That didn’t stop me from beating it a million times over the years, of course!
X3 is my favorite X game, glad it was released! then X4. Played them more than X1 and X2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg47FaIZi_E Have a listen.
X3 was always my favorite X game. Still is. I hated X2 and X1 was pretty decent, much like X4, but X3 is essentially the perfect X game for me. I wish Capcom would return to the series and learn a thing or two from X1 and X3.
X3 is by far my favourite Megaman game to date, it is just such a big mark for a 16bit games and had such a epic feel to it that you can only find in such a series…good times
X3 felt so mediocre next to X2. The music was bland beyond a few tracks (Blizzard was alright and Parasite was kinda fun). The enemies seemed to lack a lot of animation; most just stand there and shoot! X3 did have some great elements to it however. I really enjoyed the Bit/Byte fights and Vile was great. Kaiser Sigma at the end literally made me almost bludgeon my X3 cart to death! The Saturn version of the game, as played on the X Collection, sounds awful, making the SNES and its uninspired tracks seem slighter higher than average.
X3, X5, and X6 all share a common theme of a great game opportunity lost. X4, my personal fav of the X series was rocking it like X was meant to be. Seriously, from the graphics, music, and anime cut scenes, that game encapsulated the ultimate Mega Man X experience. X3 had a great base for being badask, but missed the mark just a wee’ lil bit.
I personally enjoyed X3 better than X2. X3 felt more like a sequel than X2, as in that it offered more to the gameplay instead of just air dashing and the giga crush. X3 gave Zero, improved the ride mech system, double upgrades and more hidden secrets.
Anyone else notice how the writer complains about X3 reusing boss prefixes right after he had just mentioned Flame Mammoth (whose namesake, Flame Man, was in a game that came out not three months earlier)? Really feels like he’s grasping for straws to find criticisms of a pretty solid game.
I personally did not enjoy X3 as much, even as a kid. Despite being at the age where I thought a higher # meant a better game, I still always enjoyed X2 and X4 the most.
With X2, air dashing and double buster were the new additions, with air dashing being a major innovation and double buster being an incredibly powerful combo attack that’s well worth the charge time. In X3, you have an up air dash that has an awful start up time (slowing down the pace of the action) and a useless cross charge shot that does pitiful damage. If I were to compare the two games, I would say X2 has a feeling of speed while X3 has a feeling of sluggishness, both in gameplay and music.