HCBailly plays Final Fantasy III - Part 8 of 44

We tackle our first real challenge...the Nepto Shrine...

Overworld (by snesmaster1)

Hidden Path (by The Vic Viper)

The DarkFaces are easy to take down if you have Level 1 spells. Since you're shrunk down, they'll be about as hard as all the other enemies you've faced so far.

This area is very straightforward. When you're out of the hidden area, enter the cave to the north (stay Mini!) to enter the Viking Base.

Viking Base (by TS)

Talk to the pirates. You'll find out a sea dragon destroyed their ships after an earthquake. The Enterprise is the only ship that is still sailing. You'll also learn of the Nepto Shrine, the building on the cape. An old man here will be able to tell you more about it.

The map says the chest in the hidden passage at the entry level has Soft, but it's really 300 Gil.

The door to the north here has an all-in-one magic shop (Red Mage), item shop (guy to the right) and inn (woman in the center).

Go up the stairs and go left, then enter the south wall to find a hidden passage. The stairs at the other side lead to the old man you were told about. He tells you that the Nepto Shrine is where the dragon Nepto used to sleep, but the earthquake has driven Nepto mad. You can heal with the waters to the right.

To the right of the second floor stairs is a hidden passage. Go right after entering to find the true path to the chests that contain Fire2, Bolt2 and Ice2.

On the second floor, you'll find out that if you go past the cape, Nepto will attack. Another guy says that if you get rid of Nepto, you can have the Enterprise. From there, you can head north up the stairs and get back to the overworld. Do not get in the ship to travel the waters. You won't be able to get far, as you'll soon meet Nepto, who will tear your party to ribbons.

Instead, walk north and west to enter the Nepto Shrine.

Nepto Shrine (by TS)

You'll want to be Mini the entire time you're here. Press A at the statue and you'll enter through the hole in the right eye.

The Liliputs and Puti can easily be defeated with Level 1 spell charges. The Putis can cast some nasty spells, so take them out as soon as possible. BloodWorms will need Level 2 charges to bring down more efficiently.

At the end of the hallway, the left hall will lead to the Carapace Helm and Armor, while the right will lead to a Serpent Sword and the boss.

Big mice do exist, buddy.

You'll face the Big Rat, and it won't give its gem to anyone. Hit it with Level 2 spells, and you should be able to finish it off quickly. You'll be able to obtain the Nepto's Eye when you're done. Go back to the entrance and plug the hole where the eye should be with Nepto's Eye. Nepto will thank you for returning the gem and returning his mind back to him. He rewards you with the Water Fang, which smashes obstacles in your path with the power of Water.

You'll then find out the Water has lost its Light, and the earthquake that caused the Light to be sealed underground may be the work of an external force. Looks like we have another Crystal to find...

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy III - Part 7 of 44

There's no map for the Midget Village. Thankfully, it's not frustrating at all.

Overworld (by snesmaster1)

When you climb the mountain to the east of Canaan, a dragon will land at the top before you enter.

Road to the Summit (by PKeating)

Most enemies will be weak aganst wind spells, such as Aero, even though we don't have them yet. That will change, however, as you'll find Aero is a chest near the end. Nevertheless, the enemies aren't that tough to deal with. Firefry is weak against Ice, which you do have.

When you reach the top, go up and the dragon will take you to its nest. This is Bahamut's Nest. Go up to the fire at the upper-left and a man will pop out of it. This is Desh, and the dragon appears to have caught him, too. He has also suffered amnesia. The dragon is coming back, and you'll have no choice but to fight it. If only we could run away.

You'll face Bahamut. Just use the Run command, as you'll be destroyed if you don't. Desh will give you the Mini spell before joining the party and jumping out of the nest along with you.

The forest you land near is the Forest of Healing. To go there, just get into the center of it. There will be a midget from the forest to the south, who tells you the town there can only be found by midgets.

Use the waters to restore HP and MP as well as cure status ailments.

Go into the lower-left corner of the southern forest and use the Mini spell on everyone. You'll find the village of Tazas in that part of the forest. Talk around, and you'll learn there is a tunnel that goes through the Myranos mountains, which leads to the Myraluka valley, home of the Vikings. Dr. Shelco knows where it is, but his stomach is hurting rather badly and nobody can help him since he is the only doctor in the village.

There's also a Living Forest somewhere.

If you talk to Desh while you're here, you'll get some important hints about being Mini. You can only fight using Magic, and your defense is cut all the way down to one point (as is your offense, which he fails to mention). If you're not in the back row while Mini, you're effed. It's even worse if you don't have at least three Black Wizards.

The Midget Bread shop is in the lower-left corner, while the inn is to the right of that. (If a house has a door, you can enter.) To the right is the magic shop. Pick a Level 1 spell (like Fire or Ice) and a Level 2 (like Bolt) for your new wizards, since you're better off doing the three Black Wizards thing.

At the Midget Bread shop, you'll learn that the Midget Bread acts like the Sight spell, which lets you see the World Map.

In the upper-left corner of the town, there is a house you can enter. This is Dr. Shelco's house. Check the shelves for Cure2 and other stuff, including Cloth, a free Mythril Ring for one of your dedicated Wizards and a Burning Staff that acts as a way of casting Fire on an enemy with an item. On the bed is Dr. Shelco. Give him an Antidote to cure him of his food poisioning. He'll tell you to go down the stairs to find the hidden road to Myraluka. The stairs are in a hidden passage to the right, which he opens.

You'll find another Mythril Ring as well as a Mythril Staff downstairs. The stairs lead into the Hidden Road.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy III - Part 6 of 44

Now that everyone is back to normal, we can continue on with our quest...

Overworld (by snesmaster1)

Kazus (by PKeating)

Head back to Kazus. Cid, no longer a ghost, will show up as you approach the town and asks you to take him to Canann where Granny's waiting. He joins your party.

Kepp talking to Cid with the B button, and he'll tell you that if you mounted a Mithril Bow on the airship, they could ram the boulder blocking the path to Canaan and smash it. Taca, the blacksmith, should be able to help.

Buy Fire at the magic shop if you have a Black Wizard. Go ahead and get the Mithril armor that you're missing in the armor shop.

Head to the bar. You'll be able to get new hints. Three steps from the left at the end of the mine, there is a secret entrance. 

Kazus - Mithril Mine (L1) (by PKeating)

Go ahead and enter the mithril mine. Go to the end and press A on the north wall three steps away from the upper-left corner. This is the switch to the second level.

Kazus - Mithril Mine (L2) (by PKeating)

There are two Mithril Swords here. Yay. They're great if you have a Fighter.

Kazus - Taca's House (by PKeating)

Talk to Taca and he'll put the Mithril Bow on the airship. That's all you gotta do.

RAMMING SPEED!!!

Run into the boulder, and you'll destroy it...and the airship. Looks like you'll be on foot again for a while.

To the south is the town of Canaan. At least it's not too far off.

Canaan (by PKeating)

When you enter, Cid will tell you to see King Argass, as he knows the secrets of airships. He then leaves.

Talk around town. You'll learn about a town of midgets to the south, as well as a hidden magic potion that belongs to a wizard that is somewhere in town.

Canaan - Shop/Inn/House 1

The house to the right in the inn has a hidden path in the lower left. The pot at the other end has a Soft. In the main house area, the lone pot has a Luck Mallet. This cures the Mini status, which you'll see later.

Sarina, the girl in the bed, feels for Desh, who wants to live in the village of the south, where a dragon also lives. The other woman says that Desh swindled Sarina, saying he went on a trip to look for something.

Talk around town some more. Desh has the last spellbook for Mini, which can make yourself tiny. Also, Desh is a traveler of some sort. (I'm also assuming his name is supposed to be Dash.) Aero is a White wind-elemental spell that works well on monsters that fly.

Buy Bolt for the Black Wizard. You'll need it later.

Go to the upper left, and you'll be able to enter the lake. Keep going down and you'll be in the lower-right corner of town. Enter the island there and press A at the right side to find an Elixir.

Canaan - Cid's House (by PKeating)

The house in the upper-left is Cid and Granny's house. Granny's health has taken a turn for the worse, and Cid says they need the magical medicine Elixir. Thankfully, we've found it. Give it to Granny, then talk to Cid again. He'll tell you to push the candle behind him to go to his old storage area.

Push the candle that was behind Cid and you'll be able to open a secret passage to the left. If you keep talking to Cid, he'll eventually break the laws of physics and jump through the wall and land in the black space surrounding the inside of his house.

Inside the storage area is a Great Bow, the Blind spell for the Black Wizard, Iron Arrows, MidgBread (which shows the World Map), and FenixDowns (finally, you can raise the dead anytime!).

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy III - Part 5 of 44

In this entry, we enter the Cave of the Seal and beat Jinn once and for all!

Overworld (by snesmaster1)

It is now time to head to the Cave of the Seal, which is north of both Kazus and Sassoon Castle.

Cave of the Seal (B1) (by PKeating)

The Mummys can attack with the Venom spell to hit you with the Posion ailment (which you can cure with an Antidote). The Shadows can Blind you, as can the Laruwai. The Skeletons are like the Shadows, but aren't as tough. All of these monsters are undead and can be damaged with the Cure spell if you have it. The CurseCoins are vanilla enemies.

Cave of the Seal (B2) (by PKeating)

In the upper-right corner of the room is a secret passage. To trigger it, go up to the skeleton in that part of the room and press the A button to trigger the passage. Here, you'll find Sara, Princess of Sasoon. She can't make it any further due to the monsters, and after she initially walks away to go it alone again after you ask her to wait at the castle, talk to her and she'll join your party.

To talk to Sara, press B. Do that, and you'll eventually find out after a couple of B button presses that Jinn is a flame devil, and may be weak against the cold.

Cave of the Seal (B3) (by PKeating)

Hope you've been making a habit of opening all the chests when you see them. One of the two chests in this floor contains a Southwind, which will come in handy against Jinn.

Heal up before you enter the room where Jinn is, because the boss battle triggers automatically when you do. Sara will try to seal Jinn with the Mithril Ring, but Jinn announces it won't work as he has sided with the great power of Darkness!

Jinn has about 480 HP, and if you use the Southwind and the Ice spell (if you have a Black Wizard), you'll have an easier time against him.

When you beat Jinn, Sara will finally seal Jinn in the Mithril Ring. Sara will then tell you to put the ring in Sasoon's holy spring to release Jinn's curse on everyone. Thankfully, Sara is able to use the ring's power to warp your party all the way over there.

Sasoon Castle B1/Ground Floor/F1 (by PKeating)

You'll be in the castle basement. Sara will throw the Mithril Ring in the holy spring before leaving your party and telling you to meet her again when your journey is over. Go up the stairs and you'll meet the King. Talk to him and he'll give you the Canoe as thanks for rescuing Sara and sealing Jinn.

Sasoon Castle Exterior (by PKeating)

Talk to everybody at the entrance, and you'll find out Princess Sara wants to see you at the right tower. If you go up there, though, she just tells you the same thing from before she left your party.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy III - Part 4 of 44

We head to Castle Sasoon only to find they have the same ghost problem as Kazus...

Overworld (by snesmaster1)

Kazus Inn (by PKeating)

While you're at the bar, you can through the wall between the castles and U-turn your way to another Potion, which can be found on the shelf behind the counter.

Kazus (by PKeating)

Behind the inn is another house. Go ahead and enter.

Kazus - Taca's House (by PKeating)

One of the pots in the corner contains another Potion, which you can never have enough of. There is a secret room hidden in the west wall, but it serves no purpose.

There is a hidden passage in the forest next to the House of Healing. One end of this path has a Staff for your Wizards, but if you keep going north, you'll find a Mithril Helmet and Zeus' Rage. Zeus' Rage allows you to cast Bolt 2 in battle.

Now that you know about Cid's airship, leave town and enter the desert west of Kazus. You'll enter the airship. Press the A button at the steering wheel and you'll be able to fly...but not very far. You won't be able to go over the mountains.

To the west is Sasoon Castle. It's the only place you haven't been to that you can go to at this point.

Sasoon Castle Exterior (by PKeating)

If the sinister music isn't an obvious enough hint, the soldier you'll meet near the entrance to the interior will be. He was away on a mission, so he's the only person in the castle not to be turned into a ghost by Jinn. This Jinn guy must be one good troublemaker. If only he had the Mithril Ring...

Sasoon Castle B1/Ground Floor/F1 (by PKeating)

Go ahead and keep going up to the throne room.

Sasoon Castle Upper Level/Throne Room (by PKeating)

Head down to the throne room and talk to the people there. You'll learn about the Wight Slayer in the left tower, which is a holy sword that can smite the undead...but only a Red Wizard can wield it. You'll also learn that all the monsters in the Cave of the Seal are undead, and you can attack them with Cure.

Talk to the King (the one sitting on the throne) and you'll find out that Jinn is located in the Cave of the Seal. Once again, you'll need the Mithril Ring to reseal him. He'll tell you that his daughter Sara does indeed have a Mithril Ring sent to her from Kazus...but nobody can find her! This is getting more complicated by the minute!

The King will also tell you that there is a hidden door in the cave, and that the skeletons are the clue.

When you go back down, you may notice that some walls have a dark upper-left corner. These are walls that you can walk through to access hidden areas. Be sure to look around, as you'll be able to find a hidden room that allows you to get 2000 Gil, as well as access to the castle basement.

To the right of the stairs leading to the throne room is a hidden passage. Enter the north wall to the right of them and you'll enter a hidden passage that the map does not even show. (At least the video does.) This leads to a room with a chest containing Tonfa. If you have a Monk in your party to go with the Nunchuks you got earlier, go ahead and equip both the Tonfa and Nunchaku on him to bring his attack up. Also, you can use the lower-left corner of the room to exit the room by going south through the wall.

The left side of the second level contains both a Leather Shield and the Ice spell. Ice will come in handy later on, so it's good to have it now.

Sasoon Castle - Right Tower (by PKeating)

The tower to the right leads to some bows, arrows, a Potion and a bed that you can sleep in for free. Nice. The bow and Holy Arrows will be good against undead enemies.

Sasoon Castle - Left Tower (by PKeating)

Be careful in the left tower, as there are undead enemies like DeadEyes that can't wait to beat you down and Blind you. You did check the right tower first, right?

The RedWisps may look like menacing Fire elemental enemies, but they're not. You can finish them off like any other weak undead enemy.

You'l find more arrows in this tower. Keep in mind that you can only equip twenty arrows at a time.

The chest at the top of the tower contains the Wight Slayer (W.Slayer), but a monster appears. Prepare to fight the Griffin.

If you have a Red Wizard in your party, you can actually equip the W.Slayer on him automatically. Believe it or not, this is a glitch in the game's programming, and it wouldn't be corrected until Final Fantasy IV. Of course, it won't be of much use against the Griffin. Still, you can use what other weapons and magic you do have and hit it with everything you've got to destroy it.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy III - Part 3 of 44

Now that we've gotten into the swing of things, it's time to get this show on the road.

Overworld (by snesmaster1)

Ur is just south of the Altar Cave. You can't miss it.

Ur (by PKeating)

Ur is the first town of the game. As always, talk to the townspeople. You'll find out that the area is governed by King Sasoon in the castle to the west. Kazus is to the south, but nobody dares to leave the village because of the monsters. The crystal altar sank after the Earthquake and the village is supposedly doomed as a result.

The old man near the Elder's House will tell you how to use items in towns and other areas. To do this, just press B and select the item you wish to you. He'll tell you to use a Potion on him. Do just that, and you'll relieve the pain in his hip. He'll give you an EchoHerb. You can keep doing this for free EchoHerbs, too!

Ur - Elder's House (by PKeating)

You can restore your HP/MP at the left side of the house and and revive downed characters at the right. Get used to going here if one of your characters is killed, because you won't be getting the Life spell for a while.

Go ahead and talk to the Elder, then go in the door near him to talk to your party's adoptive parents, who bid you farewell.

Ur - Inn (by PKeating)

Most Inn have a small item shop inside.

Go ahead and buy Eyedrops and Antidotes. At least the enemies around here will inflict Blind on you, which makes it harder for your party members to deal damage (as always). This time, it not only affects physical attacks, but also magic attacks. Thankfully, the status ailment healing items you get now are actually useful at this point in the game.

Also, remember what they say about buying in bulk in real life? Well, guess what? This was probably the first game that allowed you to do just that. You can buy items in groups of one, four and ten. Buying in fours gives you a 10% discounts, and buying in tens gives you a 20% discount.

Talking around in the bar near the item shop will give you some good information: the road to Canaan is blocked by a large rock. One of the pots in the bar also contains a Potion if you walk up to it and press A.

One of the pots near the beds at the inn area will also contain a Potion as well. Be sure to search around walls, pots corners and other things with the A button to find things you just might need.

If you want to use the bed at the inn, just walk into it. You'll restore your HP and MP.

Also, playing the piano at the bar is hilarious. If you don't play very well, you get booed. If you play pretty well, the people in the bar will cheer. The boo and cheer sounds are interesting for the Famicom/NES's 8-bit zenith, to say the least.

To the east of the inn is a secret passage that leads to the well. The old woman near it will tell you that there are Potions in the well. Just walk into the well and you'll go in.

Ur - Well (by PKeating)

There are just three chests with Potions in them. That's it.

The three spells north of the town entrance are, from left to right, the magic shop, the armor shop and the weapon shop. This is where the leather armor, the Pure spell and the basic starter weapons can all be bought, as mentioned in the last entry.

The path to the store house, which is north of the shops, has monsters. The Werewolves aren't too terribly difficult this early in the game.

If you need to cast a spell on all enemies, just press Left on the Control Pad.

Ur - Store Room

There are two Antidotes in the pots. Hit the rightmost candle to open a hidden passage, then go up the stairs to find a Long Sword, two Leather Robes, a Cure spell and a Dagger. It's all free! Why not use them, especially when the Leather Robes are better than the Cloth Robes in the shop?

To get back out, go all the way to the left in the hidden passage and look up, then press A to active the switch to get back out.

We're done here, so let's go to Kazus. Kazus is to the south, and it's not very far.

Kazus (by PKeating)

Talk to the guy near the fire. He'll freak out, but then realize you're humans and not ghosts. Apparently, the Inn has been haunted by ghosts. Who ya gonna call? The Onion Kids.

Kazus Inn (by PKeating)

When you enter the inn, you'll find out that you can talk to the ghosts, who are stick thin when you see them from the sides. Believe it or not, they give you information. The Mithril Ring made in this town (for Princess Sara of Sassoon Castle) is the only thing that can reseal Jinn. Jinn was sealed in the Cave of the Seal, but was freed following the earthquake.

Also, the ghost near the bar counter is Cid of Canaan. He couldn't go back to Canaan because a big boulder blocked the valley of Nelb. When he stayed the night, he turned into a ghost. Weird.

Yeah, we've seen the name Cid in Final Fantasy games before, but this game was the debut of the Cid character, who has changed every game and is usually a very important character. I'm pretty sure this game will be no exception, either, because he lends you his Airship in the desert to the west if you help him. Now that you've talked to him, you have access to an airship...and you just started the game, too.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy III - Part 2 of 44

Alright! Tutorial time...!

Overworld (by snesmaster1)

Unlike other games in the series, you can't switch between job classes whenever you want. Instead, you have to build up Spiritual Capacity by winning battles. The more Spiritual Capacity you have, the more you can switch between classes. It takes less Capacity to switch from one magic-based class to another than, say, one magic-using class to one melee-based class. In other words, it takes less Capacity to switch from White Wizard to Black Wizard than it does to switch from White Wizard to Fighter.

Your HP will be the same no matter what class you are. Also, switching from one class to another in order to take advantage of higher Vitality levels from the other to gain more HP with each level is not recommended, as it requires a lot of Capacity and can also cause you to lose your spell charges.

Each job class has its own skill level. By raising these skill levels up, you can switch classes with less Capacity, increase stats, make your magic attacks more powerful, and even increase magic attack multipliers. Working with multiple classes will really drive up your stats. To drive up your skill level, keep using your job class's main command (fighting with the Fighter, casting spells with the Wizard, etc.).

Final Fantasy III allows for duel wielding, meaning that you can attack with a weapon in each hand to do two hits right off the bat at the beginning of the game.

The Intellect (Intelligence) stat works now, unlike in the first game. For every 16 Intellect points, you'll gain another Black Magic attack multiplier. Spirit works the same way for White Magic. Agility does the same for physical attacks.

HCBailly purchased Pure for the White Mage. By powering up the Skill Level with this sell, this will make the game a lot easier later on. Also, he got Leather armor for the Monk, and a Copper ring for the Black Mage. This will hopefully be mentioned very soon.

Altar Cave (Ground Floor) (by PKeating)

By re-entering the Altar Cave, we can enter the Ground Floor and find a secret passage to the east. Inside are two chests with 1000 Gil each.

Altar Cave (B1) (by PKeating)

By going down the stairs, there are some more treasure chests containing two Long Swords and Nunchuks for some of the job classes, including the Sleep spell for the Black Wizard. Don't jump down the hole in the middle unless you want to go all the way back to the lowest floor. Also, hold off on giving the Nunchuks to the Monk, otherwise you'll lose attack power on him because he doesn't have two of them equipped.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy III - Part 1 of 44

I've been wanting to do this one for a long time...

The Gurgan quietly spoke...

This earthquake is but an omen. The tremors that pulled the Crystals into the earth and brought forth monsters are nothing compared to the Darkness which is to come...

But, hope is not yet lost. Four souls will take up the quest of the Light.

And so it begins...

Four orphans have been raised by the priest Topapa in the remote village of Ur.

A Crystal has sunk into the earth due to the earthquake, and the four boys have come in an adventurous mood.

They had only intended to test their courage...

Altar Cave (B4) (Map by PKeating)

The game begins with your four characters (who are all as developed story-wise as the characters from the first game) falling into a pit. This takes you to the very bottom of the Altar Cave.

If dialogue is in quotations, it indicates your party is speaking. Of course, it's impossible to tell exactly who says what, but for now that's not important.

The enemies here - the Goblins, EyeFangs and Carbuncles - are very weak and don't really do anything special. Still, you should get out of here as quickly as possible, as your characters are able to die in a few hits at the beginning.

Starting with the third game in the series, auto-targeting with weapons (but not spells) is possible now, so if one enemy is defeated, your characters will simply target another one automatically. Also, the random monster encounter rate is lower than in the second game.

If more than one party member targets a monster, you'll be able to tell which ones have done so via white numbers above the monsters. Your party members are numbered 1-4 from top to bottom on both the battlefield and on the status screen, eliminating guesswork.

This is also the first game in the series that allows for duel wielding, as HCBailly mentions. We'll be seeing this in action later.

Press A at the rock near the dead end to open up the dead end.

Altar Cave (B3) (Map by PKeating)

There are a few chests here. At the upper-right corner is a restoration pool, which replenishes your party's HP and MP. The SouthWind item casts Ice2 on all enemies. Don't use these on the regular enemies. You'll need them for later.

Altar Cave (B2) (Map by PKeating)

When you approach the Wind Crystal, you'll be surrounded by evil! This is the first boss battle of the game: the LandTrtl (Land Turtle). Use your two SouthWind items and use regular strikes with the other characters to end the battle as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you're in for a terrible time.

After beating the LandTrtl, walk up to the Crystal and press A. The Wind Crystal talks, and asks you to take the last of its light. You'll then receive five classes: Fighter, Monk, Black Wizard, White Wizard and Red Wizard. After the Crystal tells you that you are the last hope to save the world from utter darkness, you get a credit sequence. Afterwards, you're restored to full HP, and you can use the circle with the Star of David on it behind the crystal as a teleporter.

To switch job classes, you'll have to go the status screen, select "Equip" and then select "Remove" to remove all equipped weapons and armor.

Mega Man X3 - The OST

Here it is: every track from Mega Man X3!

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 17 of 17

...and with this, the Super NES Mega Man X trilogy ends with a bang! Thanks for reading!

Dr. Doppler Stage 3 (continued)

After you beat the Maverick rush, you fight Dr. Doppler. Not surprisingly, he reveals that he's working with Sigma to create a Utopia for Mavericks...and wants X to join him. Naturally, X refuses.

Whenever Dr. Doppler creates a green force field, do not attack him. If you attack him while this force field is up, he absorbs the damage and actually heals himself.

Dr. Doppler will throw three fireballs at your current position. Avoid these and return fire.

When gold rings form around him and form a gold bubble, Doppler will float upwards and then charge to the other side of the screen when you're lined up with him.

Dr. Doppler is weak to the Acid Burst. Hit him with it before he can try to heal himself with the green force field, and you should be good.

When you beat Dr. Doppler, you'll free him from Sigma's control. You'll find out that Sigma's true form is a computer virus, and confirms that he made the Battle Body for Sigma during that time. The Battle Body will be in the underground hangar of the lab.

Dr. Doppler Stage 4

The blue spider robots fire missiles at you.

If you have the Z-Sabre, you can beat both of Sigma's forms in two shots of the Z-Sabre beam.

If Zero is dead, Doppler will hit Sigma with the anti-Sigma virus instead and try to take a weakened Sigma with him. Also, X will stand on the cliff alone in the ending.

And that's it! That's all there is in Mega Man X3!

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 16 of 17

The Z-Saber is a really, really cool weapon...

Dr. Doppler Stage 2 (continued)

Switch to Zero before the first set of doors. When you walk through them as Zero, you'll fight a flying bug robot. It's pretty easy, and you can kill it in one hit with the Beam Saber if you fire the first two shots of the maximum charge level and slash the bug with the last part of the attack. When you destroy the bug, though, it lands on Zero regardless of where you're standing. X will show up wondering what's going on, and Zero will give the Beam Saber to X before he teleports away. Now when you charge up to maximum level, you'll get the two powered-up shots followed by the Z-Saber instead of the usual, more versatile double shot, and the fully-charged X-Buster level will cause X to glow green instead of red. Unlike Zero, though, the saber will now fire a beam when swung. This beam is really powerful and can cut through even the tougher enemies.

Of course, since Zero is damaged to the point that you can't use him anymore, this counts as a Zero death. Also, the Z-Sabre is saved in your password.

If you've destroyed Vile with the Ray Splasher on the final blow, you'll fight a giant robot squid at the end instead...and this time, the end room is much different, as it's a giant room with a big pool of water inside. Stay underneath the squid and use Triad Thunder. The thunder that shoots upward will hit the squid and do the most damage.

Dr. Doppler Stage 3

Nothing new here, except we actually get to see the rest of the boss gauntlet. Oh, and the Z-Saber makes for very easy Maverick kills.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 15 of 17

Believe it or not, there are different bosses depending on what you do against certain enemies in the game. Read on!

In this "alternate timeline," Bit and Byte were not hit with their weaknesses on their last shot, and fled as a result. Also, Vile was killed with the Ray Splasher in his second form in his own capsule area.

Dr. Doppler Stage 1

Remember the pit before the spot where the spiked balls first start dropping? Well, if you have none of the Enhancement Chips, there's something here. To get this thing to show up, you'll need full health and all four Sub-Tanks filled up. From there, slide down the left wall of this pit. You'll enter a hidden passage. Go left and you'll find a pink capsule. This gives you the effects of all four enhancement chips, and it turns X gold instead of blue when the X-Buster is equipped. Sadly, this effect isn't saved in your password if you reset or power off the game, so if you do either thing, you'll have to regain this thing to use it again.

Since Bit and Byte weren't killed, they'll be at the end of the first Dr. Doppler stage...and they combine to make some four-legged Anubis thing. Avoid his hands and shoot at the upper body with the Ray Splasher. If you do get caught by hands, you'll be smacked into the ceiling and then smacked into the wall by the other hand as the first hand holds you in mid-air...but you can still shoot Ray Splasher at the upper body without a hitch.

This horrid monstrosity can also swing a beam saber, which shoots a beam forward that splits into two pieces that travel vertically when it is directly above you.

Dr. Doppler Stage 2

Well, this is interesting. Some stuff changes here when you kill Vile with the Ray Splasher in his own capsule area.

The green guys that shoot lasers and leap are now pink and yellow. What's even more interesting is that unlike other enemies, they have a second wind. When they explode, it's a fake-out, as they'll still be alive and you'll have to get them to explode a second time to kill them.

Also, the huge open area before the first set of doors is now full of water, and all the enemies here are replaced with the spiked turtles from the underwater segment in Toxic Seahorse's stage.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 14 of 17

"To save mankind, he must destroy Zero."

wut

Enjoy the ending.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 13 of 17

You may be wondering where the rest of Dr. Doppler Stage 3 is. Well, guess what? NCS unintentionally skips it, but he covers it in the final part.

Dr. Doppler Stage 4

You'll be able to refill on weapon energy and health just before the last vertical climb. Once you go up, you'll finally meet...you guessed it...Sigma.

This time around, Sigma is carrying a shield. He's obviously ready to fight.

Sigma starts by throwing six fireballs. You can jump over the first and fourth fireballs, and dash under the third and sixth. When he leaps to the other side of the room, he'll stop in the middle of the room and shoot a few more. If you're near the other side of the room when he's jumping to the other side, he'll shoot them diagonally at the wall instead of straight down to the floor, leaving you with an opportunity to nail Sigma in the leg while you're behind him. These fireballs will split into two if they are fired downwards, and you'll have to jump over all of them. All the while, you'll have to aim specifically for Sigma's head. The regular X-Buster shots work best, since they're fast and have just enough room to maneuver over the shield he's holding.

When Sigma is low on health, he'll start throwing his shield when he lands, just before he starts shooting fireballs again. Sometimes it will return to him, other times it will fly around the room in a figure-eight pattern before returning to him.

You can also use the Spinning Blade on Sigma while he's in the air for more damage. 

When you beat him, he loses the shield and blows up. Not surprisingly, that was just his first form. The second form shows up afterward...and it's the Battle Body that Dr. Doppler made for him.

The battle is yours! But the war is far from over...

The Battle Body will fly from one location in the room to another. Stick to the left wall and stay there for the entire battle. The blue balls are actually smart bombs that home in on X's present location, and should be avoided or shot down at all times. Whenever Sigma lands, he shoots missiles that also home in on X's present location, and they're always fired in groups of three. Slide down the wall to avoid them Sigma will then fire a blue beam of light from his shoulder armament, and if you're caught in it, you will take damage.

The only way to damage Sigma at this point is with charged X-Buster shots to the head. (Why is it always the head...?) You don't need to fully charge it; even the weakest charge level will do.

Once you've beaten the Battle Body, Sigma will change into a giant 3D head much like in the last game and try to possess you. And by possess you, I mean fill the room with a rising pool of lava and force you to wall jump to the top.

Interestingly, the rising lava is not instant death. As a matter of fact, if you have the Armor Chip that turns your shield red, you'll only take one point of damage if you touch it, leaving you with the option of just riding it to the top if you have more than enough health. If you don't, you're better off just using A and B at the same time to stay above the lava.

When you reach the top, X will run until he reaches a dead end. (X saying "Damn!" here is the first time I ever saw a cuss word in a video game.) Sigma will then try to possess X in order to obtain a new body to do whatever it is he plans to do next. In the nick of time, Zero busts through the ceiling and hits Sigma's floating head with his sword, caging him in a force field with an anti-Sigma program he got from Dr. Doppler. Doppler's lab explodes, and Zero and X evacuate in time to watch it turn to rubble.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 12 of 17

As we go further into Dr. Doppler's lab, NCS talks about the mass suspension of Let's Players during 2009 as it was happening at the time (he refers to DarkSydePhil's suspension here, and he was a victim of it himself, as angryponcho attested to during his Let's Play of Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage). So, yeah, now you know what the video title means.

Dr. Doppler Stage 2 (continued)

After you defeat Vile's Goliath Robot Ride armor, you'll face Vile without his war chariot. He'll have the fire bombs with the explosions that travel up the walls like your first battle against him, but he also has a five-way shot that freezes you to the floor if you touch any of those shots. If he runs into you while he's dashing, Vile can grab and squeeze you for some damage. Hit Vile with the Ray Splasher to do the most damage.

Dr. Doppler Stage 3

When you go through the doors after dropping down, you'll see the teleportation capsules. It's Maverick Rush time again!

The two teleporters at the top are Blizzard Buffalo (left) and Toxic Seahorse (right). The six at the bottom (from left to right) are Blast Hornet, Volt Catfish, Gravity Beetle, Tunnel Rhino, Crush Crawfish and Neon Tiger.

When you defeat a boss, you'll teleport back to the platform between the two teleporters at the top. Shoot the cylinder for power-ups. If you alternate between sides, you'll get more power-ups. If you hit it with the Z-Saber as X, you can get a 1-up every time. (You'll learn how to get this later.)

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 11 of 17

We get a few more items, then head back to Dr. Doppler's Fortress.

Neon Tiger

At the end of the stage, dash upwards in mid-air and wall jump up the building to get the Heart Tank.

Toxic Seahorse

In the underwater area, go all the way down at the left, then jump over the first pit. Face left, then chare up the Frost Shield with the X-Buster Enhancement. (The Frost Shield grows in side underwater.) When you fire it, it will create an ice platform that will float to the top. Ride it to the top and you'll be able to get the Kangaroo ride armor. This armor is like the Normal armor, but has spikes for hands.

Dr. Doppler Stage 2

Shortly after the beginning, you'll see a Robot Ride platform. Go ahead and get the Hawk Armor if you're going to use it.

There is a boss at the first set of doors, but you have to have done something particularly specific in order to trigger the battle. Otherwise, this room is empty.

The snail robots on the walls will get you up the second section. Shoot off the shell, then leap on the exposed platform when the snail comes down. It's a long climb up, and you'll have to deal with flying enemies on the way up. Helpful hint for this part: don't leap onto the fourth snail. Wait for the fifth.

After the second set of doors, you'll face Vile. It turns out that if you didn't kill Vile with his weakness (the Ray Splasher), he'll show up at the end of the second stage. He comes at you with the most advanced war machine ever...the Goliath Robot Ride armor! Just keep running from one side of the room to the other, causing him to change after you. Jump off the wall and dash over him when he's punching the wall, and hit him with the Parasitic Bomb.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 10 of 17

Now it's time to get some hidden stuff again.

Gravity Beetle

The Heart Tank is in the upper-left corner of the hangar area just past the start.

Volt Catfish

At the beginning of the second section, go up and get the Hawk Armor at the Robot Ride platform. From there, head right and drop straight down. You'll crush the floor and open a hidden chamber that leads to the fourth and last Sub-Tank.

Blast Hornet

Shortly after the start, there is a Robot Ride armor above the path. Go there and get the Hawk Armor. From there, go back down, go right, then dash off the edge of the entrance to the open area and jump and hover all the way to the right. You'll find the pink capsule that gives you the Energy Chip, which slowly refills your health if you stand still. This also refills your Sub-Tanks, too, so you don't have to go around farming power-ups.

Blizzard Buffalo

Get on the Robot Ride platform and choose the Normal Armor. Punch the large ice blocks to the right to get the Heart Tank.

CGR Undertow reviews Mega Man X3 for Sega Saturn

Not only does CGR Undertow review the game, but it's the Sega Saturn version that only came out in Japan. But is it on par with the Super Nintendo version?

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 9 of 17

We finally, finally, FINALLY beat Neon Tiger.

Neon Tiger

After the empty room, be careful. When you drop down, stay to the right so you don't hit the floor spikes, which are instant death and can lead to an embarassing loss of a life.

The green spiked robots that crawl on the floor will gnaw on the floor and change it to instant death spikes. Be careful.

Neon Tiger is perhaps the easiest to fight with the X-Buster, even slightly easier than Toxic Seahorse. He'll shoot at you with the Ray Splasher through his tail, but these shots are easy to dodge. He'll also wall jump around the room at 45-degree angles, and the jumps are easy to anticipate. He can also stand on the wall and fire his Ray Splasher from there, making him a prime target for his weakness: the Spinning Blade. Just don't be under him when it hits him, because it not only knocks him back on impact, it also knocks him down when he's on a wall. If you can time it right, you can put Neon Tiger in an infinite loop where he leaps on the walls only to get hit by the Spinning Blade.

Beating Neon Tiger gives you the Ray Splasher. This shoots dots of light similar to Neon Tiger's, but they are much more frequent and much smaller.

When you beat all eight Mavericks, you'll find out that Dr. Doppler is creating a Battle Body...and it's probably for Sigma. You'll then be able to enter Doppler's underground lab.

Dr. Doppler Stage 1

Dr. Doppler has pulled out some of the stops to make sure you don't get very far. Tread carefully near the spiked ceilings, as some of them will lower as you're moving to the right and also making crucial jumps.

The first mini-boss is a guy on a dinosaur head tank. If Zero is alive, he'll try to stop the crushing ceiling. Otherwise, you'll have to race against time. This guy can easily be defeated with four shots of the Acid Burst.

The second section has a wide open area, where you can find some energy and power-ups if you know where to look.

When you see the pile of metal, you'll see the first of a few chutes that drops spiked metal balls that will roll toward you. You'll find something in the left side of the pit before this, which will be mentioned later.

If you beat Bit and Byte with their weaknesses, the boss will be some sort of crusher robot that commands a conveyor belt. You'll not only have to deal with this thing, but you'll also have to deal with the chute above that moves back and forth and shoots out robots that can fire at you. It was also shoot metal blocks that can be used as platforms. If you use the Parasitic Bomb on these robots, you can send the robots directly into the crusher's head.

Aim for the head of of the crusher on the right, and do not let this thing grab you.  You'll also want to avoid the metal object that shoot downward from the chute above. The trunk of the crusher also shoots miniature acid rounds, which you'll also want to avoid. And of course, you're on a conveyor belt that leads to a set of grinding spikes that are instant death.

You can damage the trunk, but it's not recommended. When and if you do enough damage to the trunk, the trunk will come off and a pool of acid from the acid rounds it can fire will cover the floor. You'll want to stay on the wall and keep shooting at the head with the X-Buster if that happens. Be sure to use your Sub-Tanks, because you're going to need them here.

The Ray Splasher, Frost Shield, Tornado Fang and Spinning Blade do the most damage. Pick one and fire away.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 8 of 17

We spend our time in Crush Crawfish's stage, then finally return to Neon Tiger.

Crush Crawfish

Music here is pretty good.

There is a Robot Ride platform just below the start.

Just to the right of the Robot Ride platform is a gray platform that can be destroyed with a powered-up Triad Thunder. Stand on it, then power up Triad Thunder and you'll go down into a hidden area where you'll find the H icon for the Hawk Armor. The Hawk armor allows you to hover for a few seconds, and also shoot missiles straight ahead.

When you go right, the red robot with the dual ball-and-chain weapons will break the platform as well as a few more below it. Go down two levels, then break the wall to the right with the Hawk Armor. You'll find the Heart Tank for this stage.

At the lowest level, go right and drop down the first pit you see. Break the cracked wall with a fully-charged Triad Thunder, and you'll be able to find another pink capsule. This one is the Armor Enhancement Chip, which turns your shield red and cuts damage taken even more.

If you've beaten Bit, you'll face Byte in the first empty room. (This is one of four stages where you'll meet Byte.) He will shoot his fist at the wall, and the fist will drag you towards it. Byte will then dash towards his fist, and if he runs into you, he'll knock you into the ceiling before knocking you into the far side of the room. Stay at the top corner, then air dash over Byte when he dashes towards you. Hit him with Tornado Fang, which will do the most damage. If you know what to do, this battle shouldn't take a lot of time and effort.

If you land the final blow with Tornado Fang, Byte will die instead of flee.

The green robots with the laser cannons and the angled legs will fold backwards to shoot your legs off. Finish them off with fully-charged X-Buster shots.

The second section has you going into a submarine dock...and into a submarine itself. Use the Tornado Fang on the wall blocking the two 1-Ups.

The second door leads to a machine. Shoot at the center of it to sink the submarine and turn it sideways. This will allow you to climb to the last set of doors leading to Crush Crawfish.

To beat Crush Crawfish, hit him with Triad Thunder, then air dash over him. Avoid the claw attack, and don't be too far in the air when the creatures he shoots out that climb the wall come down. (You don't want to touch these things, either, as they'll drop you straight back down to the floor.)

Beating Crush Crawfish gives you the Spinning Blade.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 7 of 17

Finally, Zero again! Yay! Also, we take down two more of the Mavericks!

Blast Hornet

If you have Gravity Well, this is the easiest fight in the world. Equip it, then keep mashing the Y button and don't let him touch you. Easiest boss battle ever. If you mash the button fast enough, the bomb bugs and the stingers won't even fire.

Another attack he has is a glowing red light that homes in on you. This is the Parasitic Bomb, and it will explode if it touches you.

Beating Blast Hornet gives you the Parasitic Bomb. This shoots a bomb forward.

When you go back to the World Map in the stage select screen with the Helmet enhancement, you'll be able to find out what secrets are in which stage. If they're red, you haven't found them yet. If they're grey, you have.

Toxic Seahorse

Took you long enough to learn how to switch to Zero, NCS.

To do that, pause the game and press R. Press A and you'll be able to play as Zero instead of X. He has a pretty long health bar (near X's maximum), but you can only play as him for one section. When you either reach the door to an empty room or boss, you'll be forced to play as X again and you won't be able to use Zero again until you've left the stage. This also happens if you decided to play as X again using these same steps.

Zero has only one life, so do not let him die. Otherwise, you won't be able to use his assistance for the rest of the game...and it will be saved in your password.

Zero cannot use any special Maverick weapons, and he also cannot pick up any items meant for X such as Heart Tanks, Sub Tanks, Robot Ride icons and the like. He can pick up energy and weapon refills, even though he can't use the Maverick weapons.

Zero controls exactly like he did in the intro stage, too. So if you want to dig into enemies with the Z-Saber again, you can.

Shortly after the start, you'll be forced to go up to continue. If you go all the way up, you'll find the Heart Tank for this stage.

After the first set of doors, you can use the Robot Ride platform to the right to use the Frog armor. Here, you'll be able to get some good airtime and also have the missiles home in on enemies instead of flying straight down.

Climb up the right wall where the fans are, and you'll find a pink capsule. This is a Chip for the Leg Enhancement , which allows you to dash in the air twice in a row. There are four pink capsules in the game, and if you jump into any of them, you won't be able to get any of the other Chips. The chip you choose will be saved in your password.

There is, however, a way to get all four add-ons. This will be mentioned later. (A spoiler, I know, but I thought I'd answer this question now.)

The second set of doors leads to a squid mini-boss. Shoot this thing in the head as you move away from all the mines and missiles that it shoots out.

Toxic Seahorse's weakness is the Frost Shield. Avoid his jump attacks, and watch the acid that he shoots carefully as it can bounce off the walls.

Beating Toxic Seahorse will give you the Acid Burst. It's a bubble of acid that will burn through acid. 

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 6 of 17

About time. Bit was annoying, anyway.

Tunnel Rhino

Go right at the fork at the beginning. Power up Triad Thunder and let go of the fire button to cause an earthquake along with the two electric balls that X creates. This will free the tied up rock at the ceiling and allow access to the Heart Tank in this level.

The second tied-up rock near where the mini-boss is can be dealt with in the same way. This will allow you to get another enhancement: the Helmet Enhancement. In this game, this lets you look at a map of the level whenever you enter one of the Maverick stages. When you're done looking at the map, just press a button.

Blast Hornet

There is a Robot Ride armor located upwards shortly after the start.

When you reach the first set of doors, a dragonfly will show up and create a hologram of a three-dimensional eight-point star. When this thing immediately stars rolling, shoot at it whenever it comes towards you so it jumps right over you and bounces off the wall on its way down. When it stops in the other side of the room, it will go even faster. Avoid it as it makes a complete lap around the room by climbing up the walls and across the ceiling, and hit it with some powerful X-Buster shots. It will then continue to alternate between these two patterns.

After you take this mini-boss down, you'll come across some hangars. The second bridge is collapsible, so shoot the boxes on it to open it up. You can also go to the right side of the last one and open the cracked walls up with the Tornado Fang if you have it.

You'll find some interesting stuff in the pits that you'll find while destroying some more boxes. The first is the Normal Robot Ride armor. Just destroy the robot holding it hostage. Not only will you get this Robot Ride armor, but you'll finally get the ability to use the Robot Ride platform and pick whichever armor you want.

Just before the second set of doors, go up the building and go right. There's the Heart Tank for this stage.

After you've taken down two Mavericks, you'll face Bit in the second empty room. (Bit also shows up in the empty rooms of three other areas in the game.) Bit has three attacks. The first is a ring that he throws from his helmet that flies around the room and freezes you if it touches you. The second is a dash attack where he jumps up in the air and vertically tracks you, dashing at your current position as soon as you're lined up with him. The third are fireballs that will track X, forcing him to stay on the move.

Bit is weakest to the Frost Shield, believe it or not. If you're low to the ground, any Frost Shields left on the ground can do as much damage as those fired directly at him. If your final blow to Bit is dealt with this weapon, he'll die instead of flee.

The third section is a drop down with conveyor belts, followed by destroying (and avoiding) exploding boxes.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 5 of 17

In this entry, we fight Vile and take on Volt Catfish!

Vile has two forms. The first is him in his Robot Ride armor. For this, just wall jump, dash over him and hit him with a charged up X-Buster shot. Keep doing this until his armor is wrecked.

The second form is Vile himself. Avoid him and his bombs, especially when the fire wave moves towards you and up the wall. Hit Vile with a charged-up X Buster shot, then move away so his firepower won't get you. He keeps repeating this pattern over and over, so you shouldn't have too much trouble.

The Ray Splasher is his weakness. If you get the final shot on him with his weapon, he'll die instead of flee. 

Once you beat Vile, you'll be able to get out after this. But you don't have much time, as you have only 50 seconds to get out. If you fail, you'll have to do this area all over again. If you make it to the capsule at the end, you'll be back close to where you originally were. To make this easier, be ready to dash jump to the right and attack any enemies in your way with fully charged X-Buster shots.

Volt Catfish

The red crab robots that stick to walls, floors and ceilings also shoot lightning balls. If you shoot them enough, the cannons will break and all they'll be able to do is shock themselves.

The elevators have a yellow arrow in the center that indicates where they're going to go.

Keep going up with the second elevator that leads up. This takes you to a Heart Tank, which increases your maximum health slightly. Go right, and you'll find it in a spike pit. Use the Leg Enhancement to dash to the right wall and slide down it to get to the Heart Tank. From there, you can return to the normal path through the level.

On the third, keep going up until you can go left. Power up the Gravity Well with the X-Buster Enhancement and you'll be able to get the Armor Enhancement which cuts the amount of damage you receive in half. You'll also get a blue shield that triggers when you take damage.

The second half of this is some sort of maze-like path to the end. The electric sparks that move up and down on the walls will indeed damage you.

Volt Catfish will spit electric balls at you, but it's when he's at half health that he does his most interesting attack: a bolt of thunder comes down and he absorbs it. Shoot him with the Tornado Fang at this point to negate the attack. If for some reason you don't, just stand right in front of him...but not too close. The shield will protect him from both sides, but the sparks flying out from the top of him won't even anything directly in front of or behind him.

Beating Volt Catfish will give you the Triad Thunder. This creates three spheres which act as a protective shield before shooting lightning out in three directions.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 4 of 17

We're really making progress now.

Neon Tiger (continued)

The robots that encase themselves under glass domes will shoot lightning balls at you. Like the ones from the blue crab robots, these lightning balls will pack a punch.

Gravity Beetle

The first section takes place in some hangars. 

After the first set of doors, you'll climb up a ladder. Wall jump up the left wall, dash jump to the right and dash straight-up in mid-air to reach a strange icon with a small blue "F" on it. You'll find out what this does soon enough.

On the plane, the wheel enemies from the first X game are reprised. This time, they're green and they sprout blades across their bodies when you come close enough.

After the second door, you'll find the platform we saw in Blizzard Buffalo. Since you have that strange "F" icon now, I'll go ahead and mention what it is: it's the Robot Ride platforms. Instead of having to steal one, you have to go to one of these platforms and use one of the icons for the Robot Ride Armors you found to choose that armor. Different Robot Rides obviously have different powers. The "F" icon is the Frog Robot Ride armor, which allows for aquatic "flight" in underwater areas. Unfortunately, you need the Normal armor to even use these things, and we'll find these soon enough.

Near the end are some boxes that act as a wall. You'll need to use a Robot Ride armor to break that, but that won't be happening yet.

Gravity Beetle is weak to the Ray Splasher, but if you don't have it, the fight against him is going to be much harder. Gravity Beetle will throw gravity voids at you that bounce off the walls a few times and can cause some major damage. You'll have to keep him as far away from you as possible as you whittle away at your health bar. Sometimes he'll have two of those voids on the screen at once. He also has a tackle attack where he flashes sickly colors much like Tunnel Rhino does during some of his tackles, and predictably, he's also invulnerable when he flashes that way.

When he's down to about half health, Gravity Beetle will then throw a black hole into the ceiling. If you leap into it, it will hurt, so stay low when you jump over and dash past him.

Beating Gravity Beetle will award you with the Gravity Well. This weapon will attack any airbone enemies and destroy them, and will try to suck in their parts as long as its onscreen.

Volt Catfish

The laser guides will hit you when you pass through them...or try to. Dash forward when you're right next to the lasers to get past them.

This part is optional. There is an elevator after the start takes you down. Avoid touching the spiked walls as you ride it, then go left when it reaches the bottom. You'll find a strange yellow-and-purple capsule. Although this capsule is in other stages (especially Blizzard Buffalo, where I've usually found it), this is the easiest place to find this capsule and therefore this will be the only location for it that I will mention.

Going inside it will take you to a rather dingy place. Make your way from point A to point B, and for Pete's sake, take the lift. That way you can keep from taking damage due to the falling rocks coming from up the lift shaft.

When you make it to the end, you'll meet Vile. He's not only brought back to life, he also has a blue color theme going on instead of a purple one. He's also got his own Robot Ride armor with spike hands (yet again) and you'll find out you're in a factory that's set to blow in a matter of minutes.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 3 of 17

We still need to get some stuff, but we're still doing okay.

Tunnel Rhino (continued)

Tunnel Rhino will dash from one side of the room to the other. That's all he does. Sometimes he will put on the brakes just before hitting the wall and jab forward with his drill hand. Every once in a awhile he'll stand still and fire drill missiles forward. Sometimes, he'll shoot missiles from those pointy shoulders of his that fly diagonally into the air whenever he does a dashing jab.

If Tunnel Rhino starts flashing numerous colors, he's invincible. Wait for him to stop flashing before you shoot him again.

Beating Tunnel Rhino gives you the Tornado Fang. It's a drill missile! Press Y twice and you'll be able to fire three missiles instead of one.

When you beat two Mavericks (doesn't matter which ones), you'll see Dr. Doppler. He calls for Bit and Byte, and tells them to bring X back alive. You'll also find out that Vile is still alive (despite being named "MYSTERIOUSMAVERICK" here) and that Dr. Doppler's master is obviously Sigma.

Neon Tiger

Any chances of the music here being based on "My Michelle" by Guns 'n Roses have been confirmed by Capcom as a coincidence.

The mosquitos fire explosive three-way shots at you with their tails. They can also be stood on like platforms, so touching them won't damage you.

The purple tank robots with the toaster heads will throw javelins through the "toaster slots" in their heads.

The red robots with the two spiked ball and chains can only be shot in the green circle on their chests.

Above the first red spiked ball robot is a third Sub-Tank. Jump onto the nearby mosquito when it swoops down, then dash jump to the right when it stops moving right.

Shortly after the Sub-Tank, you'll find a cracked wall that is slightly darker than the rest. Drill through it with Tornado Fang, then dash jump to the right. Dash jump wards to reach the platform and gain the X-Buster Upgrade. You'll have a much more powerful fully charged shot. Hold down the Y button and wait for X to turn read. You'll fire two two shots instead of one, and if the second one hits the first one, it creates a rather wicked series of projectiles that covers a good amount of whatever's ahead of you.

The mid-boss is a worm that goes all over the room. Aim for the head, and avoid the spiky pods that he shoots out, since they act as bombs and bounce around the room for a little while before they finally explode on their own.

NintendoCapriSun plays Mega Man X3 - Part 2 of 17

We get our first weapon and get ready to grab our second!

Blizzard Buffalo (continued)

Now that you can dash in mid-air, go back to the ladder leading out of the cave, then dash jump to the left and then dash straight up. This will take you to the first of four Sub-Tanks in the game. Now you can heal yourself with energy you pick up when your life is at full.

Blizzard Buffalo will try to dash into you, and also use two attacks: throwing ice crystals that turn into Frost Shields when they hit a surface and a laser that spans the entire room. If you here a rather low noise, you'll know he's firing the laser. It should also be noted that the Frost Shields track your current location, and if you move around too much, you'll be trapped in a corner until probably the last possible second, as the Frost Shields can stick to walls.

Blizzard Buffalo will also charge at you, even from as far as the other side of the room. You don't want him to touch you at this point, because he will grab you and smack you right into the wall if he does.

You can easily fight this guy with the X-Buster, but his weakness is the Parasitic Bomb from Blast Hornet's stage. If you hit him with that, it'll stop him dead in his tracks.

Beating Blizzard Buffalo gives you the Frost Shield. It works like Blizzard Buffalo's weapon, but it has to bounce off a wall or an enemy in order to perform the shield properties.

Tunnel Rhino

There will be robots carrying rocks...until they drop the rocks after you get close enough. Then they try to shoot missiles at you.

The green wall robots will shoot up to a ceiling, then the face will slowly spin its way downward. Shoot the face, and you'll get rid of the "wall."

There is a fork in the path shortly after the start. Take the left one to continue. You can keep moving past conveyor belts and falling mud, then climb up a wall to get another Sub-Tank.

The blue crab robots shooting small balls of lightning to the sides. These will do a lot of damage if you touch them. These balls can also be charged up to a larger size to do even more damage, and can bounce off the walls twice before disappearing.

The purple drill tanks wil move forward and shoot explosive balls until you're close enough, then they'll shoot their drills. When you destroy one, both drills will come at you.

You'll also deal with large rocks. Some will fall straight from the ceilng, and others will roll towards you.

You'll ee a rock tied down by ropes. Unfortunately, you won't be able to see what's beyond that for the time being.

The mid-boss is a tank robot that just keeps running into the wall. Wall jump up the left wall a little bit to avoid the spike, then hit the robot's head with a charged-up X-Buster shots.