These two games are part of the Mega Man Retrospective, following the success of the outstanding Mega Man X. Mega Man X is one of the rare times in gaming where it is really close or is perfect, so it has to be hard to top such a great game.
The interesting thing about both X2 and X3, is that both do some really great things with the X gameplay style and introduce some really fun ideas, but execution of said ideas can be problematic. These are a set of great games but both have unique issues holding them back from being as good as Mega Man X.
Covering Both Games at Once:
Mega Man X2 and X3 will be covered via same thread, similarly like Mega Man 2 & 3’s Retrospective. I am doing that, as both of these games offer great compare/contrast opportunities. So how it is going to work is that I will be covering both games in unique sections, so it gives each game proper attention and respect.
Hope you all enjoy this and let’s get rocking!
This follows the events of Mega Man X1, with six months passing after Sigma’s defeat and Zero’s death. A new set of foes pop up, called the X-Hunters, with the main goal being to resurrect Sigma and defeat X once and for all. They also have plans to put back together Zero and have four of his parts. So as X, you are tasked with defeating 8 Mavericks all the while keeping an eye for the X-Hunters to find the parts of your friend.
The story here is a good excuse to shoot up some robots and earn new armor parts, get new weapons and so on. Before I touch on the bosses, which I have a lot to talk about there, lets go to the gameplay and level design first. One thing that surprised me upon reading this thread was that, Surges is Wily in disguise and the X vs. Zero (Light vs. Wily) fight is more meaningful then intended. Sigma calls Zero the last of the Wily numbers too. All of this critical information, is in the JP version of the game only. When localized, all of those elements were cut from the final game.
Here is the JP script translated into English: https://hondoori.wordpress.com/scripts-and-localizations/rockman-x-series/rockman-x2/
Thank you Syril for that information!
Gameplay is the same as X1, with X dashing, jumping, wall clinging/jumping and shooting. But you also get a great ability called the Air Dash after you collect the Leg Armor, and this really makes things interesting.
Mega Man has momentum, and using the Air Dash is very useful in keeping this. Mega Man X3 further improves on this but will touch on that when I cover that game in the next section. The level design is also more focused on playing with X’s wall jumping and sliding ability. One big example is Bubble Crab’s stage, where to get a heart tank, you have to carefully time your wall jumps underwater to cling to hovering platforms in the air.
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I love level design like this and it pushes you to play around and look for secrets. Speaking of secrets, the weapons you earn are really fun to use and when you get X’s Arm Cannon Armor, you can play with some really fun charging abilities. The fire weapon’s charged stage is a blast to use for example and very useful with collecting items.
Stage design is also more dynamic compared to X1, with some stages having major set pieces. One example being Overdrive Ostridge, with his stage having a big focus on the new motor-bike (which can dash, shoot and jump….hard to control though) and when you reach the boss gate, you hop on a rocket, shoot the ship you are riding on, it explodes and you land in a large desert with Overdrive running into the background, and popping back into the screen. One of my personal favorite stages in the game.
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The boss fights themselves against the Mavericks are good too, with them having fun patterns to figure out and they are very manageable to deal with you understand the weakness order. Overall, it sounds like I had a great time playing this game and love it as much as MMX, right?
Well, I have one major problem; The X-Hunter Fights. They are cheap, aggravating, frustrating, annoying……..hate these fights. They are very unfair and can really drain your health if you are struggling, like I was. So, one must think “Oh, these are super hard because you get a reward for beating them, right?”
Nope, all you get is avoiding one fight against Zero before you fight Sigma in the Castle Stage. How rewarding to tear your hair and throw your controller against the wall, only for the game to just say “You saved your best friend, good job! Why are you still here? You can move on to Sigma now, go now”. Like I said about the Air Dash though, this element is improved upon in X3 greatly.
X2 also has the Castle Stages and they are quite hard, with one interesting thing being the X-Hunters. You fight them at the end of each level and like in the main levels, they are very, very hard. Thankfully, they have weapon weakness like the main Mavericks, so they aren’t impossible to take out.
X2 also has something special; the very first X vs. Zero fight in the entire series. It is amazing, considering the history behind X and Zero's creation (Light vs. Wily). This happens in a future game, and its just as fun as it is here.
The good thing about X2 is that you can avoid the X-Hunter Fights and play the game normally. And then, you get a really fun action/platformer that while annoying at points, is still a great time.
X3 take what X2 did but adds a few more things to the mix. Remember how I talked the Air Dash and the X-Hunter Fights? They are brought back, but done in interesting ways. The Air Dash can be used upwards too (in addition to right/left in the air) and you get it earlier in the game (Ice Stage). The X-Hunter fights come back too, but done differently. You have three guys to take out; Bit, Byte and a resurrected Vile. Each one is found across the stages, with Bit & Byte forced on you mid-level. They aren’t impossible to take out and Bit is weak against the Ice weapon, so makes sure to beat that Maverick first before moving on. Vile is found at different parts in the levels (via teleporter) and its best to fight him when you are close to beating all the Mavericks.
The games big gimmicks though are the inclusion of Zero being playable and Ride Armors being summoned via pads after you find special chips in the different stages. These are awesome additions, but they present annoying issues that make them worthless.
Zero can’t be used during bosses and cannot collect important items for X, meaning every time you play as him, it’s only to get through the level as fast as possible. This makes him completely worthless to play as due to the fact you might be missing out on important armor parts, heart/sub tanks and other items for X to collect. And you need them, as your defense is FAR lower compared to X1 and X2. The worst part is that you don’t get armor upgrades until very late in the game (if you go in weakness order).
The Ride Armors cannot be used until you find the very first one in the Wasp Maverick’s Stage, and his stage is not a great place to start the game. Overall, it sounds like I dislike X3 a lot, but despite these issues, it still is a good game.
The air dash rocks like it did in X2 and the level design is solid. I also like how if you go in weakness order, you get two sub-tanks very early in the game (making harder fights and damage in general being less rough). The boss fights are very hard and if you do not go in weakness order, they can be very hard to deal with.
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I tried playing them on non-weakness order at first and died many, many times. But I had fun fighting them, as they were great fights. Weakness order is recommended though. The Castle stages are great to and this brings me one point I really like; if you take out Bit, Byte and Vile using their weakness, you do not fight them here.
Instead, you fight new bosses and some of the level design changes completely (mainly in Castle Stage 2, with it looking newer compared to it being in shambles if you let Vile live). I love this idea, as it makes replaying this place more enjoyable if you decide to not kill the sub-bosses without their weaknesses.
Overall, really enjoy X3 despite some small issues annoying me a bit.
Presentation:
Both games continue the great look and soundtrack of X1, with stages having bright colors and really interesting effects. X3 should be noted, as it used advanced tech for the SNES to have wire-frame models at various points in the game (weapon get screen, one of the bosses, ect). X3 also got a PS1 port in Japan and Europe, leading it having a different soundtrack and anime intros for every Maverick encounter. Overall, presentation for X2 and X3 is great.
X2 and X3 also were the first times Capcom's Cx4 chip was used for a SNES Cart. Remember the wire-frame models I mentioned in X3? That was possible thanks to the Chip.
Here is the link to the PS1/X Collection version of X3's cut-scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfHPZexnpfo&list=PL5A7C4F746080930F
Soundtracks for each game is less consistently amazing like X1’s but still rocks hard with some great tunes. The intro stages in each game and Zero’s theme in X3 are a delight to listen too.
MMX2 Into Stage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUok5GFpRds&index=3&list=PL7oGGg7qjS8EVuf3OAOfQF-5PlYuBvtUs
Zero's Theme (MMX3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO6sZmTbeuA&list=PL33EB3FCAD02650BA&index=30
Wire Sponge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbTL4iPunsw&list=PL7oGGg7qjS8EVuf3OAOfQF-5PlYuBvtUs&index=7
Bubble Crab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivJE61heDJE&list=PL7oGGg7qjS8EVuf3OAOfQF-5PlYuBvtUs&index=9
Flame Stag: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqLsqb2n3Cg&list=PL7oGGg7qjS8EVuf3OAOfQF-5PlYuBvtUs&index=10
Overdrive Ostritch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTJ_aKkBmVQ&list=PL7oGGg7qjS8EVuf3OAOfQF-5PlYuBvtUs&index=14
Absolute Zero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvsJ6A9uZXE&list=PL7oGGg7qjS8EVuf3OAOfQF-5PlYuBvtUs&index=22
Zero's Rebirth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ1NjQScy8E&index=27&list=PL7oGGg7qjS8EVuf3OAOfQF-5PlYuBvtUs
Judgement Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG8a6qi3TrY&index=29&list=PL7oGGg7qjS8EVuf3OAOfQF-5PlYuBvtUs
MMX3 Intro Stage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQYQfDylKYM&index=5&list=PL33EB3FCAD02650BA
Volt Catfish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHllgCwUnN8&index=8&list=PL33EB3FCAD02650BA
Tunnel Rhino: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou_BEbpnOO0&index=9&list=PL33EB3FCAD02650BA
Toxic Seahorse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjGPMTcD-O4&index=10&list=PL33EB3FCAD02650BA
Gravity Beetle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsucgB8832w&index=12&list=PL33EB3FCAD02650BA
Dr. Doppler Stage 01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m50ZidEsgY&index=20&list=PL33EB3FCAD02650BA
Simga Battle 1 (MMX3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yRTcTWpx4E&index=25&list=PL33EB3FCAD02650BA
The PlayStation version of X3 got its own soundtrack, so will link to a few tracks from that version here.
Intro Stage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Am1XppfNos&list=PL5FC0CB98B5C6676C&index=2
Zero's Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U4DmFNuA4M&index=3&list=PL5FC0CB98B5C6676C
Blizzard Buffalo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqMtZoy89ps&list=PL5FC0CB98B5C6676C&index=5
Tunnel Rhino: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG1zD_ys18s&index=7&list=PL5FC0CB98B5C6676C
Doppler Stage 1 & 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCMMfVtoUJ0&index=13&list=PL5FC0CB98B5C6676C
Vs. Vile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YsvRrjBGLI&index=17&list=PL5FC0CB98B5C6676C
Overall:
I enjoyed my time with both games quite a bit, with each game doing something interesting and in X3’s case, taking what X2 did and further expanding on it with new mechanics, ideas and concepts. Both are flawed, but they are still very enjoyable games in the Mega Man X series.
The X series continued in a great way and it was great seeing the series maintain the high quality X1 established. But, what follows these two games? Why, one of my personal favorite of the X series; Mega Man X4. Can’t wait to cover this and hope you all look forward to it.
. Also plan on covering the Battle Network games too. 
