Long live the SNES indeed!
Well, I had thought about putting the Mega Man X series as one slot on the list, but since someone already nominated the first game separately, I guess it's okay to mention the other ones individually. You can debate which is the best game in the original SNES trilogy, but they are all great games. This one stands out though for a few reasons.
It got a lot of hype in magazine ads for being (along with Final Fight 3) one of Capcom's last games for the system and both this game and Final Fight 3 really proved to be the most featured packed games in both series, living up to the hype. MM X 3 has more gameplay elements than either of the previous installments, maybe too many one could argue. This game also once again showed what the system was capable of by exploiting the C4 chip. Games like this, Donkey Kong Country, Starfox and Stunt Race FX were all pulling off all kinds of visual tricks to maintain interest in the SNES with the era of 32-bit, 3D gaming looming on the horizon
It also made Zero (my favorite character) playable for the first time, though in limited form as they didn't fully commit to the idea until MM X 4. Still, seeing Zero drop in to save X while one of his best theme songs ever played was a memorable moment for me. Check out this awesome video of it with a badass guitar remix (
This was also the first and last MM X game to feature a playable Zero with his powerful buster cannon, which was nerfed significantly in subsequent games to focus gameplay more on melee combat with his Z saber. Still, this game proves that he's every bit as powerful in ranged combat as X when he chooses to go that route. This may also be the most powerful form of his Z saber we've seen in the series. It one hit kills most enemies and should X acquire it will destroy bosses with ease. Zero is truly badass in this game, though a bit clunky to use since they made him bigger and slower than X in this game
Lastly, this game is one of most sought after games for SNES collectors. Hard to find a copy of it that doesn't fetch a good price, especially CIB. Being one of Capcom's last games for the system meant a low print run, increasing its value along with the popularity of the series. Also, the 32-bit versions of the game also feature an inferior re-mixed soundtrack, butchering the SNES version's already excellent score. That makes the SNES version definitive. A complete copy of this has eluded me, yet continues to be one of my goals. I have two MM X 3 carts, but they each have label damage. I have the box in good condition, but no manual. I did manage to score a manual off ebay once, but it was in such awful condition I threw it out. The MM X series is one of my favorite series of all time, eclipsing the original, classic series by a wide margin
