Mega Man X7 Prototype and E3 Version Released (Playable X in Intro Stage)

I’ve obtained two pre-release builds of Mega Man X7 to share with you today. The first is the U.S. Preview Version, which I’ve been searching for a long time—X is fully playable in the intro stage, and there’s a completely unused mission. The second is the E3 2003 build, featuring an early English localization and other small differences. Download links and initial findings below!

Mega Man X7 U.S Press Event (build date 2/21/2003)

This build was originally playable at Capcom USA's Gamer's Day press event in Las Vegas in early 2003 and later made available to the public at the 2003 World Hobby Fair in Japan. Previews and screenshots from this build populated early X7 coverage, most notably in GameNow magazine.

This build includes three missions with X as the only playable character: Highway, Tank Farm, Ride Armor. Highway plays out similarly to the final retail version, with minor graphical differences, adjusted enemy hitboxes, and no cutscenes. Playing as X in this stage feels incredibly natural and significantly more enjoyable than being forced to play as Zero. It genuinely seems like the stage was originally designed with X in mind, as he navigates the terrain and responds to enemies far more smoothly.

Tank Farm features a completely unused mission absent from the final game, where the objective is to destroy 30 targets within five minutes. A radar appears in the bottom right corner to indicate the nearest target, though it's a little wonky. Lastly, the Ride Armor mission is a segment of Vanishing Gungaroo’s stage. While it closely resembles the final version, the mechanics feel a bit rougher.

Also, beware: in this build, you have ONE life. There are no extra lives to be found or dropped. Definitely take advantage of save states if you're going to give this one a spin.

Mega Man X7 E3 Version (build date 5/21/2003)

This build was available on the E3 2003 showroom floor and is much closer to the retail version. The script is based on an early English localization (without English voice acting), with some lines being more direct translations from the Japanese script. For example, Zero says, "Damn it, just what is going on?!" and Alia is referred to as "Area."

Only four stages are playable: Highway, Battleship, Deep Forest, and Lava Factory. There are minor differences in enemy and camera placement—most notably, Battleship is fully 3D instead of 2D—and some cutscenes and music are missing. X becomes playable after completing the intro stage (he's labeled "Megaman X" in the character select). There are no Maverick boss battles. Reaching the boss room will initiate dialogue with the boss, but right after, you'll be booted back to the title screen. To avoid replaying the intro stage repeatedly, I recommend using a save state at the stage select.

Extracting graphic data, music, and other assets is beyond my expertise, so there may still be more hidden details waiting to be found in the code. But now that these builds are out there, I invite you to play them and check them out.

If the links go down or become unavailable, let me know in the comments!