Yeah... unfortunately, I didn't like this one too much. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to like it, especially with how much I loved X1 and X2. But it just didn't jive with me at all, especially with how difficult it was. I like the challenge of the Mega Man X games, but I didn't like the challenge of the enemies doing so much damage or having so much health. It just was really irritating with how much they ramped that up in this one---if only it was like the prior two, then I could easily see myself liking it just as much. It just felt more like unfair difficulty to me, so I just wasn't really a big fan. So yeah, I played this one mostly on Rookie Hunter mode on the Legacy Collection, just so that I was able to at least go through this one.

There are things to like about X3 though imo. For example, I do like some of the music in this one, some of my favorites being the opening stage (which has an AMAZING remix in Project X Zone 2 that I heard it from first). Alongside that, Zero's theme in this one is really good too. Speaking of Zero, dude, I have to say, I was not expecting being able to play as him in this one. I was sure X4 would be the first game where he would be playable, but to my surprise, once that music started and I moved him, I GOT SO HYPED LMAO. That whole opening stage was easily one of my favorite parts of the game, it was really good. But just... ugh... honestly, I just wish the whole Zero implementation was handled better though. Only being able to play as him in certain sections kind of sucks... I get it since he seemed much more stronger than X with already having a super strong charged shot right off the bat, but I kind of wish they could've done that better were they were just balanced better.

The stages and stuff this time around were pretty okay. I think my favorite one was Toxic Seahorse's stage, I just thought its verticality level design and its aesthetic. It honestly reminded me of something you'd see in Metroid, and given the similarities between the two series, that's just really cool to me (he says, having barely played any Metroid lmao). I do think the abilities in this one I liked more than X2's, with Ray Splasher and Thunder Triad being my favorites. I have to say, it's really cool seeing all of these different abilities that I've seen in the Project X Zone games from X and Zero's movesets in their original form? I think I'll have a much better appreciation for those two whenever I replay those games (and I already loved those two beforehand lmao). The upgrades were also much better in this one too, with the exception of the X Buster which... man... they should've just kept that the same as the last game, I don't know what they did with it here lmao.

Anyway, so yeah, kind of my thoughts on this one. Story was kind of cool, I thought Dr. Doppler was pretty neat. It was also cool to see Vile return, but... I feel like he could've had a more grandiose sort of return? But maybe I'm just nitpicking at this point. Anyway, overall, I just feel half and half with this one. Maybe down the line if I get better at these games, I can come back to this one and like it more? For now though, idk... just wasn't my cup of tea, but I can totally understand why people would like this one though.

X3 I've played by far the least of the original 3 X games. Playing through it once again It's pretty clear as to why. All the new ideas that are introduced feel pretty underdeveloped. Ride armors, for example, are really underutilized. The bosses really fail to stand out and I don't look forward to fighting any of them. The same could be said about the stages. I never liked the soundfont change from X1 to X2, but this game hits a halfway point between the two that I don't think reaches the highs of either. There's still a banger here and there though.

The golden armor is one of the cooler final upgrades as well as the ability to get the Z saber, but getting these things can be cryptic. The buster upgrade by itself is arguably worse than the normal buster because of the way it functions. It messes with your controls and the benefits of using it are not nearly as good as older buster upgrades.

At the end of the day it's still an X game in the OG engine so I love to play it.

O upgrade da buster é uma merda
Jogar com o zero não vale apena
Os chefes são buchas
E o level design é paia

🙅

damn good. I like this one about as much as 2 despite the jank and some bad item locations. theres something about the stages in this game which really work for me, they're not easy at all, but with some practice its damn fun. the zero mechanic is a bit odd though, i played through the game twice and on my second playthrough even though I knew he was there I still forgot to use him. I think it's cuz it kicks you off at certain points in the level so id rather just stick with x. to be honest the weakest part of this game is the soundtrack, I think its quite a bit worse than the other two. though the ending theme which plays during the credits is really enjoyable.

It puts the X in eXcessive.

In the Mega Man X Official Complete Works artbook, character designer Tatsua Yoshikawa has a quote about his time as Lead Designer for 2005's Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X that goes "One of the younger staff members absolutely loves toys, and I often saw little figurines lining his desk. So every time he submitted a design, I would turn around and ask him, 'If your design were turned into a toy, would you want that toy?' If the particular desin in question wasn't too fun, he'd say, 'Well, no... I guess not.' Of course, my reply to that was always, 'Then come up with a design that people will actually want, please.' (laughs)"

As a toy collecting illustrator, this quote has stuck with me for over a decade. But upon my upteenth replay of Mega Man X 3, it has a different ring to it.

The Mega Man X series, at its core, is all about toys.

To be more specific, Mega Man X is all about taking the classic Mega Man playstyle and giving you new toys to play with. X1 paves the way with the wall climb, chargeable special weapons, and of course, the dash. X2 adds an air dash, a double charged shot, and a full screen super move. X2 even has a level where you ride a futuristic motorcycle, you can vividly imagine putting your X model kit on your Ride Chaser toy.

Not to be outdone, X3 adds:

-the ability to play as Zero (for a little bit)
-an upwards dash
-a BIGGER double charged shot
-4 unique Ride Armor mechs to wreak havoc with
-4 separate armor chips that augment one of your armor part abilities (one at a time)
-a secret armor chip that lets you have all four of the previous chips that makes X gold
-a secret buster upgrade that adds Zero’s devastating Z Saber to your charged shot

Every main level has three toys to find, and it even gives you a checklist of those things so you don’t lose track, pretty nice stuff! But finding those last two secret toys are pretty cryptic and obtuse, but I won’t get into how.

I almost didn’t want to even mention the secret toys because in general I don’t like mentioning secrets in these reviews, but Mega Man X 3 is a game that punishes you for not collecting the toys. It is brutally difficult, and getting the gold armor makes your life only 50% easier. X is very frail in this game, and some of the bosses are relentless. I soloed the Orphan of Kos and I cannot possibly fathom fighting Neon Tiger with just the X-Buster.

Neon Tiger is a great example of X3 being a game that demands you become a collector, because using his weakness resets his ai like most bosses and he becomes ridiculingly easy.

This makes the early game a pretty frustrating affair. You might find yourself playing Mega Man X 3 more like an RPG than expected, playing levels just to look for Sub Tanks and hearts and grinding for health to fill up that Sub Tank just so you can handle a Maverick you don’t have a weakness for. (Just fight Blizzard Buffalo first, save yourself some grinding. Dude’s dumb and easy.)

What makes the early game more frustrating is that since not all Mavericks are created equal, you might be deterred from beating Blast Hornet first and giving yourself an overall easier time throughout the mid-game.

Mega Man X 3 follows in X1’s footsteps by having certain levels interact with one another. You can see this by Gravity Beetle’s stage losing all the crates in the starting room when you beat Blast Hornet. But it goes even further, Blast Hornet's level is a weapon factory, and that factory is supplying arms to all the other Maverick occupied locations. Those stages all have the very annoying Head Gunner Customer enemy. These guys can take and deal a lot of damage early on. However, when you beat Blast Hornet, those red Head Gunner Customers turn into the green Head Gunner Masspro, a weaker variant that’s much easier to deal with. The Head Gunner Customers come back for the endgame, but if you work hard enough and get Blast Hornet down first, half of your experience will be a slightly easier time.

What a strange way of doing things. Usually games get harder as they go along, and this one certainly does, but it has the opportunity to get easier halfway through, because the game is aware of its setting and commits to that space. It's very interesting and commendable but it makes a whole lotta sense why this gimmick doesn't show up again in the later games.

It's hard to not 100% Mega Man X 3. So when I've beaten it, it's a 100% completion. Ironically, I've beaten Mega Man X 3 three times. Once on 2006's Mega Man X Collection for the GameCube, and twice on 2018's Mega Man X Legacy Collection for the Switch. If you can, PLAY THE PLAYSTATION VERSION OF THIS GAME. Do whatever you can to play that version, the GameCube collection has it so go for that one. The Switch has the SNES version and the SNES version of Mega Man X3 is terribly hampered by its weaker sound capabilities. It's trying to play music that it cannot and it suffers for it. I don't even remember if there's any other major gameplay differences, the music is so discordant in the SNES version that frame delay and resolution mean nothing to me.

I recommend the PSX version of Mega Man X 3 to anyone who is willing to rise to the challenge, or anyone who doesn't like rising to challenges but likes collecting toys.