Graphics: 10
These improved from X2, although Zero's sprite is quite large and moves rather slow in animation, as if running in a dream sequence. The enemies, though, are a little more detailed and move quite well.
The backgrounds are rather vague, though the shot of the city frozen over in Blizzard Buffalo's stage was ok.
I also liked X's golden armor look, which almost has a metallic shine to it. His sprite moves very well, and has good animations, especially with the upward dash.
The only drawback is that some of the mavericks, such as B. Buffalo, are HUGE. I didn't think buffaloes were any bigger than a human being.

Sound: 3
Mmm, the most major drawback of the game. Most of the tunes are VERY annoying, since they repeat a lot and sound very scratchy, like an old tape player's playback. The only theme I liked was Toxic Seahorse's theme, which didn't repeat as much as say...every other stage in the game.
The only thing that makes the sound a little better is that some sound effects drown out parts of the tunes, making them less noticeable. Good move, in my opinion, anyway.

Gameplay: 6
Surprisingly, the gameplay is alright, although Zero can't enter any gates in maverick stages, making his playtime less than 1/3 of each stage. But the plot is pretty good, but then again, you always know its gonna be Sigma behind it all. I come back to this one more than X2, simply because the control is better, though not as great as X1's. I also liked X's upgrades, such as being able to dash twice in the air, and refilling his energy slowly.

Overall: 8
Of the good and the bad, the good barely squeaks by the bad and makes this out to be an ok game. If it weren't for the sound or the limitations with playing as Zero, this would be my all-time favorite. Other than that, this is my second favorite next to X1.

And the ending is always the same...X pondering about his place in the universe...oy.