Mega Man X3
From Sega Retro
- For the unlicensed Sega Mega Drive version, see Rockman X3 (Mega Drive).
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mega Man X3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
System(s): Sega Saturn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Capcom (Japan), Virgin Interactive Entertainment (Europe) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: Capcom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (30 tracks) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Action[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mega Man X3, known as Rockman X3 (ロックマン X3) in Japan, is the third game in the Mega Man X series, a spin-off of the Mega Man franchise with more complex platforming and a darker storyline.
Contents
Story
In the year "21XX," humans coexist with intelligent robots called "Reploids" (replicant androids). Since they possess free will, some Reploids are prone to criminal activity and are said to go "Maverick." Dr. Cain, the inventor of the Reploids, establishes a military taskforce called the "Maverick Hunters" to prevent it. Even after two successful efforts by the Hunters X and Zero to stop a Maverick leader named Sigma from attempting to exterminate the human race, Maverick activity seems to continue.
The threat of the Mavericks is later neutralized thanks to the technology of the Reploid scientist Dr. Doppler, which prevents the Mavericks from going berserk. The reformed Reploids form a utopia near their new mentor called "Dopple Town." It seemed that all is well until the former Reploids suddenly revert and once again begin causing trouble, even going so far as to attack Hunter headquarters. Doppler is held accountable, and X and Zero are sent out to contain the new threat.
Gameplay
The game is an action platformer played primarily as Dr. Light's final creation, the android X. Each stage has a variety of obstacles and platforming challenges to overcome and enemy robots to fight. The stage ends in a fight with a Maverick; defeating a Maverick adds a new special weapon to X's arsenal. Since each Maverick has a weakness to a particular special weapon, the player can strategize the order in which to complete the stages to best exploit these weaknesses. Furthermore, stages contain hidden items that upgrade X's capabilities, some of which are hidden behind barriers that can only be destroyed by certain weapons.
X controls similarly to Mega Man, but he is more agile. He moves with or
. He jumps with
and jumps higher the longer the button is held. He gains additional jump height when underwater. He clings automatically to walls. He can scale walls by jumping off of them; otherwise, he slides slowly down. He dashes forward by holding
(or
or
). He climbs ladders with
and
.
X uses his weapon with . X's primary weapon is his arm-mounted X-Buster, which has unlimited ammunition but can only have three shots on screen at a time. The X-Buster can charge a more powerful shot by holding
and releasing it when X starts to glow. X acquires an assortment of special weapons by defeating Mavericks. These special weapons cost energy to use; each has its own energy supply. The player can switch the special weapon with
and
or through the pause menu with START .
The player can further upgrade X's abilities by collecting armor parts found within capsules in some stages. Capsules containing special chips add new abilities, but X is only able to use one chip per game. However, one hidden capsule gives X the benefits of all four special chips. Stages also contain hidden Heart Tanks, which permanently extend X's health capacity, and Sub Tanks, which store excess health for later use. X can also find robotic walkers called Ride Armors that he can ride throughout the stages.
The game also allows the player to play as X's ally Zero. Zero can be called to take X's place during nearly any stage. He controls the same as X, but he cannot collect or make use of any of X's special weapons or upgrades. He also cannot fight bosses; he is substituted with X instead when a boss encounter begins. If Zero is ever defeated in battle, he is unable to be called upon for the rest of the game. The player can swap Zero back for X, but Zero can only be selected once per stage. While the pause menu is open, the player changes the current character by pressing (or switch back by pressing
) and unpausing.
X's health is indicated by a gauge in the corner of the screen. He loses health when he takes damage from an enemy. Some obstacles, such as spikes or bottomless pits, destroy X regardless of how much health he has remaining. If he loses all of his health, he loses a life. X starts each stage with full health and special weapon energy. After losing a life, he does not replenish special weapon energy but retains any health stored in Sub Tanks. The game ends if X loses all of his lives. The game uses a password system for continuing.
Weapons
X
Weapons besides the X-Buster can only be charged after obtaining the X-Buster upgrade.
Zero
Zero cannot equip any special weapons.
Items
Small Weapon Capsule | |
---|---|
Restores a small amount of energy for the currently selected weapon. | |
Large Weapon Capsule | |
Restores a large amount of energy for the currently selected weapon. | |
Small Energy Pellet | |
Restores a small amount of health to X or Zero. | |
Large Energy Pellet | |
Restores a large amount of health to X or Zero. | |
1-Up | |
Gives the player an extra life. | |
Heart Tank | |
Permanently extends X's maximum health capacity. There are 8 Heart Tanks to find, hidden in all of the Maverick stages. | |
Sub Tank | |
Stores excess health. After a Sub Tank is collected, it stays in X's inventory and fills whenever X collects an Energy Pellet while at full health. The player can select a Sub Tank by pausing the game with START and use it to replenish X's health during a stage. There are 4 Sub Tanks to find, hidden in the Frozen Town (Blizzard Buffalo), Quarry (Tunnel Rhino), Power Control Center (Volt Catfish), and Safari Park (Neon Tiger) stages. | |
Ride Armors | |
Grants X access to a new model of Ride Armor, equippable from Robot Ride Platforms in stages. X must have found the Chimera Ride Armor to make use of these additional Ride Armors. |
Upgrades
Capsules containing a hologram of Dr. Light are hidden throughout the stages and provide X with upgrades.
Armor
Armor upgrades give X new capabilities (as well as changing the appearance of his armor components).
- Leg: Gives X the ability to dash horizontally in the air with
or vertically in the air with
+
. He can only perform one midair dash per jump, unless he has the Leg Chip. Found in the Frozen Town (Blizzard Buffalo) stage.
- Arm (X-Buster): Unlocks a third charge stage for the X-Buster, which can also fire a second charged shot in quick succession, and enables X to charge his special weapons as well. Found in the Safari Park (Neon Tiger) stage. X must have the Tornado Fang weapon and the Leg upgrade to access the capsule.
- Body: Halves the damage X takes from enemies. When hit, a barrier surrounds X and further guards him from damage for a duration. Found in the Power Control Center (Volt Catfish) stage. X must have the Gravity Well weapon and Arm upgrade to access the capsule.
- Head (Helmet): Shows hidden items on the stage select screen. Items that X has not yet found appear in pink text; items that X has found appear in white text. Enhancement chips appear as "????". When X enters a stage, a map appears that shows the location of any hidden items that have not been found yet. Found in the Quarry (Tunnel Rhino) stage. X must have the Triad Thunder weapon and the Arm upgrade to access the capsule. This upgrade cannot be collected without replaying the Quarry stage, regardless of the stage order chosen, because it requires using Tunnel Rhino's weapon to uncover it.
Chips
Enhancement chips also give X new capabilities, but X can only have one enhancement chip installed per game and cannot change to a different chip after installing one.
- Arm Chip: Equips X with the Hyper Charge weapon, which can fire X-Buster Charged Shots as long as it has weapon energy. Found in the Airborne Aircraft Carrier (Gravity Beetle) stage.
- Body Chip: Reduces damage taken by enemies. Like the Body upgrade, it provides a barrier that surrounds X and protects him for a duration after taking damage. Found the Shipyard (Crush Crawfish) stage.
- Leg Chip: Allows X to perform two midair dashes per jump. Found in the Giant Dam (Toxic Seahorse) stage.
- Head (Energy) Chip: Slowly regenerates X's health and Sub Tanks when he is standing still. Found in the Weapons Factory (Blast Hornet) stage.
If X collects all of the armor upgrades, all of the Ride Armors, all of the Heart Tanks, and all of the Sub Tanks but does not install any of the enhancement chips, and he reaches the hidden Dr. Light Capsule in Doppler Stage A with full health, he can find and equip the Hyper Chip. This chip gives him the capabilities of all four enhancement chips and turns his armor gold. It also regenerates X's weapon energy more quickly and reduces the energy used by the Hyper Charge.
Ride Armor
Ride Armors are giant mechanical walkers that X can use to traverse stages. The armor has its own separate health meter that absorbs damage instead of X. Zero cannot use Ride Armors. X can jump out of a Ride Armor with +
.
X must find the Ride Armors hidden in the stages. The Chimera armor is necessary before the others can be used. The others are found as items. Available armors can be equipped in a stage by standing on a Robot Ride Platform. If a Ride Armor is destroyed, another one cannot be used for the rest of the stage. All Ride Armors except for the Frog short out and stop functioning in water.
Stages
Opening
Hunter Base | |
---|---|
Mid-boss: Mac Boss: Maoh the Giant | |
This stage is played as X, then Zero, then X again. |
Mavericks
After completing the opening stage, the eight Maverick stages can be played in any order.
X can revisit any stage after it is completed, which is often necessary to collect hidden items using newly obtained weapons and abilities. When revisiting a stage, the player can exit it at any time by pausing the game with START and selecting "Exit."
Weapons Factory | |
---|---|
Mid-boss: Shurikein Boss: Blast Hornet | |
Blast Hornet's weakness is the | Gravity Well weapon. X receives the Parasitic Bomb weapon after defeating him. The Energy Chip and the Chimera Ride Armor are hidden in this stage.|
Frozen Town | |
Boss: Blizzard Buffalo | |
Blizzard Buffalo's weakness is the | Parasitic Bomb weapon. X receives the Frost Shield weapon after defeating him. The Leg upgrade is hidden in this stage. There is also a warp capsule leading to Vile's stage.|
Giant Dam | |
Mid-boss: Hotareeca Boss: Toxic Seahorse | |
Toxic Seahorse's weakness is the | Frost Shield weapon. X receives the Acid Burst weapon after defeating him. The Leg Chip and the Kangaroo Ride Armor are hidden in this stage.|
Quarry | |
Mid-boss: Hell Crusher Boss: Tunnel Rhino | |
Tunnel Rhino's weakness is the | Acid Burst weapon. X receives the Tornado Fang weapon after defeating him. The Helmet upgrade is hidden in this stage.|
Power Control Center | |
Boss: Volt Catfish | |
Volt Catfish's weakness is the | Tornado Fang weapon. X receives the Triad Thunder weapon after defeating him. The Body upgrade is hidden in this stage. There is also a warp capsule leading to Vile's stage.|
Shipyard | |
Boss: Crush Crawfish | |
Crush Crawfish's weakness is the | Triad Thunder weapon. X receives the Spinning Blade weapon after defeating him. The Body Chip and the Hawk Ride Armor are hidden in this stage. There is also a warp capsule leading to Vile's stage.|
Safari Park | |
Mid-boss: Worm Seeker-R Boss: Neon Tiger | |
Neon Tiger's weakness is the | Spinning Blade weapon. X receives the Ray Splasher weapon after defeating him. The X-Buster upgrade is hidden in this stage.|
Airborne Aircraft Carrier | |
Boss: Gravity Beetle | |
Gravity Beetle's weakness is the | Ray Splasher weapon. X receives the Gravity Well weapon after defeating him. The Head Chip and the Frog Ride Armor are hidden in this stage.
Intermission bosses
The "Nightmare Police," Bit and Byte, appear as additional minibosses during the Maverick stages.
Bit | |
---|---|
Bit randomly appears as a miniboss in the third, fourth, or fifth Maverick stages until he is defeated. His weaknesses are the | Frost Shield and Triad Thunder weapons. If he is not defeated using one of his weaknesses, X must face him again, alongside Byte, in the first Doppler stage in their combined form, Godkarmachine O Inary.|
Byte | |
Byte randomly appears as a miniboss in the sixth, seventh, or eighth Maverick stages until he is defeated. His weaknesses are the | Tornado Fang and Ray Splasher weapons. If he is not defeated using one of his weaknesses, X must face him again, alongside Bit, in the first Doppler stage in their combined form, Godkarmachine O Inary.|
Vile MK-II | |
This stage is accessed by hidden warp capsules found in the Shipyard, Power Control Center, and Frozen Town stages after two Mavericks have been defeated. The capsules disappear after Vile's stage is completed or after all eight Mavericks are defeated. Vile MK-II's weaknesses are the | Ray Splasher and Spinning Blade weapons or the Parasitic Bomb and Tornado Fang weapons when he piloting his Ride Armor. If the player does not find this hidden stage or if Vile MK-II is not defeated using one of his weaknesses, he escapes and appears as the boss in Doppler Stage B (using different Ride Armor). X returns to the previous stage after defeating Vile and reaching the warp capsule at the end.
Doppler
The Doppler stages are played in order after the eight Mavericks are defeated.
Doppler Stage A | |
---|---|
Mid-boss: REX-2000 Bosses: Press Disposer or Godkarmachine O Inary | |
The boss is Press Disposer if both Bit and Byte were defeated with their weaknesses in the previous stages or Godkarmachine O Inary otherwise. The weaknesses of Press Disposer are the | Tornado Fang and Ray Splasher; the weakness of Godkarmachine O Inary is the Ray Splasher.|
Doppler Stage B | |
Mid-boss: Mosquitus Bosses: Volt Kurageil or Vile MK-II | |
This stage is different depending on whether Vile MK-II was defeated using his weakness in his hidden stage. If so, the stage has fewer enemies, one section is filled with water, the bosses are Mosquitus and Vile MK-II. If not, the stage is lab is destroyed, it has more enemies and no water, Mosquitus does not appear, and the boss is Vile MK-II.
Mosquitus is the only boss in the game, besides Mac in the opening stage, that can be fought with Zero. If the player uses Zero to defeat Mosquitus, a cutscene plays where it crashes onto Zero and Zero gives his Z-Saber to X to continue without him. This adds an additional charged stage to the X-Buster. The weaknesses of Volt Kurageil are the Frost Shield and Triad Thunder; the weaknesses of Vile MK-II are the Ray Splasher and Spinning Blade or the Parasitic Bomb and Tornado Fang when he piloting his Ride Armor. | |
Doppler Stage C | |
Mid-bosses: Mavericks Bosses: Dr. Doppler | |
X fights all of the Mavericks again, followed by a fight with Dr. Doppler, whose weakness is the | Acid Burst.|
Doppler Stage D | |
Bosses: Sigma | |
The boss is Sigma. His first form is weak to the | Spinning Blade and Frost Shield. His second form can only be harmed by fully charged X-Buster shots to the head and especially the Z-Saber.
History
Release
The game was originally made and released for the Super NES as the third in a trilogy of Mega Man X games, and then ported to the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation. This 32-bit version was released in Japan and Europe. It did not initially see a console release in North America, being exclusive to Windows PCs in that region.
Reportedly, Sony initially rejected the game during its PlayStation approval process, likely for being a 2D game[4], which may have had a knock-on effect for a Saturn release.
Legacy
The game was followed by Mega Man X4, which was released for the Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation, and Windows PCs.
In 2006, the PlayStation version of the game was ported to the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 as part of Mega Man X Collection. This compilation only saw only an American release.
In 2018, the Super NES version of the game was re-released as part of the Mega Man X Legacy Collection, which was released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.
Versions
Changes from the original Super NES version include a redone, arranged soundtrack, different sound effects, and new full-motion video anime cutscenes. However, it introduces frequent load times, which has made many prefer the SNES original.
While both the Super NES and PlayStation versions run at a 256x224 screen resolution, the Sega Saturn does not support this resolution and opts for 320x240 with borders added. This means the PlayStation and Super NES versions are stretched horizontally to fill a 4:3 display while the Saturn version is not. Since the artwork was designed with this stretching in mind, this can give the Saturn game a more "squashed" look.
The Saturn version has higher quality video than the PlayStation, with more frames of animation and a larger palette of colours.
Localised names
Language | Localised Name | English Translation |
---|---|---|
English | Mega Man X3 | Mega Man X3 |
Japanese | ロックマン X3 | Rockman X3 |
Production credits
Like its original Super NES release, Mega Man X3 lacks a staff roll, instead ending after its cast roll. The following information pertaining to this version's music is derived from the liner notes of the 2003 soundtrack release of Mega Man X1~6 and related interviews.
Magazine articles
- Main article: Mega Man X3/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Artwork
Physical scans
Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
64 | |
---|---|
Based on 16 reviews |
Technical information
- Main article: Mega Man X3/Technical information.
References
- ↑ File:MegaManX3 Saturn JP Box Back.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/ss/soft_licensee2.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-03-20 23:05)
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-08 (1996-05-10,24)" (JP; 1996-04-26), page 2
- ↑ Ultra Game Players, "October 1996" (US; 1996-09-03), page 18
- ↑ http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/yoshinoaoki.shtml (Wayback Machine: 2010-04-25 05:24)
- ↑ http://www.dashrepublic.org/ (Wayback Machine: 2012-04-21 17:59)
- ↑ Consoles +, "Juin 1996" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 100
- ↑ Famitsu, "1996-05-03" (JP; 1996-04-19), page 1
- ↑ Fun Generation, "07/96" (DE; 1996-06-12), page 74
- ↑ GameFan, "Volume 4, Issue 7: July 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 13
- ↑ Intelligent Gamer, "July 1996" (US; 1996-0x-xx), page 84
- ↑ MAN!AC, "05/97" (DE; 1997-04-09), page 77
- ↑ Mega Fun, "06/96" (DE; 1996-05-15), page 73
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "July 1996" (UK; 1996-06-03), page 76
- ↑ neXt Level, "Juli 1996" (DE; 1996-06-12), page 66
- ↑ Playmag, "Juin 1996" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 110
- ↑ Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 14" (JP; 1996-06-21), page 80
- ↑ Sega Magazin, "Oktober 1997" (DE; 1997-09-10), page 79
- ↑ Sega Power, "August 1996" (UK; 1996-06-06), page 53
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "April 1997" (UK; 1997-03-15), page 74
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "Readers rating final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 15
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-07 (1996-04-26)" (JP; 1996-04-12), page 237
Mega Man X3 | |
---|---|
Main page | Comparisons | Maps | Hidden content | Development | Magazine articles | Reception | Technical information |
Mega Man games for Sega systems | |
---|---|
Mega Man: The Wily Wars (1994) | |
Mega Man (1995) | |
Mega Man X3 (1996) | Mega Man 8 (1997) | Mega Man X4 (1997) | Super Adventure Rockman (1998) | |
Unlicensed Mega Man games for Sega systems | |
Rockman X3 (1996) | |
Mega Man related media | |
Rockman 8: Metal Heroes Hisshou Kouryaku Hou (1997) |
- 1 player games
- JP Saturn games
- EU Saturn games
- DE Saturn games
- PT Saturn games
- UK Saturn games
- PL Saturn games
- AU Saturn games
- Saturn games
- 1996 Saturn games
- All 1996 games
- Saturn action games
- All action games
- Saturn games with QSound support
- All games
- Credits without reference
- Creditstable with no console field
- Mega Man X3
- Mega Man (franchise)