| System: Super Nintendo | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Capcom | Sound: |
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| Year: 1995 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Action-platformer | Rating: |
8/10 |
One year after the epilogue of Mega Man X2, war was nothing but a distant memory.
Dr. Doppler, a reploid scientist, seemed to have found a way to “cure” the Mavericks of their Oedipus complex. Remember that fixation on exterminating the human species? Forgotten. Doppler even founded a city, Dopple Town, described as utopian in the game but without providing any explanation.
Two months later, they figured, well, peace is nice and all, but let’s not overdo it.
So, what’s on the agenda? The usual eight bosses to grind down, plus Vile (the bad guy from the first game, dead and resurrected), Bit and Byte (Doppler’s two champions), and, of course, Sigma, who now claims to be a virus. So, you’re going to defeat him with an antivirus, laser. Got it?
It’s at the end of the game that we’re first teased with a showdown between X and Zero, the outcome of which will supposedly determine the future of the world. We’re also told that the justification will be communicated later…
Putting the plot aside, what we’re left with is another action game in the same vein as its predecessors, nicely done but hardly groundbreaking. We can note the nifty option of playing as Zero at times (press the “R” button on the weapon selection screen).
They’ve also expanded on the concept of giant bipedal armours, functioning like vehicles. Now there are four types, accessible from a defined area present in every level.
In my opinion, as in the previous episode, the secondary weapons lack utility, particularly their charged attack. There’s also this habit enemies have of constantly reappearing after a screen scroll, common to all Mega Man games, but particularly irritating in this one.
You can find this game on PC, PlayStation, and Saturn, complete with some very impressive cinematic sequences.
Suggested order:
Blizzard Buffalo > Toxic Seahorse > Tunnel Rhino > Volt Catfish > Crush Crawfish > Neon Tiger > Gravity Beetle > Blast Hornet
Note that in addition to the usual blue capsules, hidden all over the place, there are four pink capsules that grant “super upgrades”. However, only one of them can be activated. You’re advised to think carefully before making your choice. What they don’t tell you is that if you leave all four untouched, you’ll have the opportunity, later (in Doppler’s fortress), to discover a fifth pink capsule that cumulating the effect of the first four. The bastards!
