Collection essentials #219: Mega Man X3 (SNES)

And now the X trilogy on Super Nintendo is complete. Capcom cranked out these three games in three years at the end of the console’s prime. And while X3 is still really good on its own, it feels less inspired than the first two games. This one feels a little more like they just wanted to make another game for its own sake, rather than to realize some great idea to introduce to the series.

It’s mostly the same song and dance as the first two games. What’s new in X3? The biggest thing is that X’s friend Zero, a very popular character in this series, is playable for the first time, and you can call on his services for a short time during a level. He can’t face bosses. It feels like a rather insignificant thing gameplay-wise that I never use. The other thing is that there are a few “enhancement chip” upgrades in this game that each further improve one of X’s other power-ups. The catch is that once you pick one, you can’t get any of the other ones. But there also exists a secret “Hyper Chip” that gives all the chip upgrades at once.

X3 is harder than the first two games. Unlike the others, some of the bosses seemed too hard to beat with your basic weapon, and it felt like I really had to get the weapon those bosses were weak to in order to defeat them, which means less freedom in what order you tackle the levels. 

The game came out when the next generation of consoles was underway, so Capcom also developed a version for two of those consoles that came out a short time after. Actually, one of those versions was my first experience with this game, not the SNES original. It’s up for debate which version is the best. Some swear by the Super Nintendo, and the lack of loading times is nice, but I think the music is better in the other versions.

Mega Man X3 was the first Mega Man game of any kind that I ever beat, which I did when I was either 15 or 16. I sought it out because for some reason I was under the impression that it was the best one, and I’m not sure why because I don’t think that’s ever been its reputation. I think I saw that it was more expensive than the other games and assumed that meant it was better? I don’t know. Later on in my 20s, I got a nice deal on this cartridge from my friends over at Game Depot (now Gadget Depot) in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

While it’s not the best game in the series, that’s largely just because the bar was set so high. X3 is still a very fun game that I consider a collection essential.