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The third of the SNES triumvirate. Smash-hit or a bust? It is actually both. It is a wonderful game and the best since Mega Man 3, but the flip side to that coin was the sales floundered. But, sales problems aside, this game flies high in gameplay and is filled with originality and complexity, making this a wonderful game to play. Too bad it is very hard to find. If this game were still readily available, it would be a big seller.
The story continues the war against the maverick hunters. This one has a mysterious scientist named Doppler controlling mavericks and making them truly unstable. Mega Man X and Zero are sent to investigate, but they don't realize that a lot of surprises are awaiting them, especially familiar foes along the way as they try to get to the insane Doppler. This story has many layers around it, and while the story does center around X, Zero is also playable, but not for the boss battles, which is a pity. It probably is fair, though. His attacks are truly devastating.
The graphics are much stronger this time around and the graphical powers of the SNES are really pushed to the limit. The backgrounds aren't the greatest, but they certainly are better than the stuff we saw in X2.
The controls and the new moves are much more managable this time around. No doubt that Capcom received some whining about the challenges that were present in X2 with the new manuevers. These are much easier to pull off. It seems the moves in X2 are also easier. Strange...
The music isn't as strong as X2 was, but it comes fairly close to matching the level of the quality in X2. The sound effects are also much better this time around, which is amazing since X2 was so good. This meets the criteria standards for 1996. Good job.
The game is hard. VERY hard. The bosses will not roll over like they might have in the previous installments. The game is not the longest, but the challenge makes up for that, and the added bosses, including Vile, back and ready to go from the original, are here. The challenge is a little unfair, which is good because it brings back overtones of the original. The final boss is also very challenging. Overall, this is an achievement that Capcom has not matched with the newer games.
Overall, this is the last hurrah for Capcom in the Mega Man world. Now, Mega Man has hit mediocrity, which is something it may never recover from unless the games start going to the GBA. -- Chris Vavra, PGNx Media
---- Jan 18, 2003
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