Now we're cooking. X3's stages have neat set-pieces in them, without devoting whole stages to a gimmicks that hamper replayability. There's a ton of stuff to find, hidden bosses, a lot of secrets to uncover, and I like the player choice present in the enhancement system. I also really like how even minor enemies pose a challenge, with increased offensive and defensive options present beyond "has shield." It's just so much more fun and interesting to play vs X2.

X3 might not be as sharp and focused as X1, but I think it the best example of the ambitions for the X series. It's not the best, but it never gets better after this. The music is a real bummer, though, as it's pretty unremarkable compared to the prior two games.