Metal Max 3

 is the seventh entry in the "Metal Max series" (counting the "Metal Saga series" and remakes but not counting the mobile game). It is a vehicle combat RPG produced by Cattle Call and co-published by Kadokawa Games, Enterbrain, and Crea-Tech for the Nintendo DS exclusively in Japan in 2010. It is a full button controlled game.
In 1993, "Metal Max 2" was published by Data East, who retained the trademark rights to the series until its closure in 2003 and the liquidation of its intellectual properties in 2004. In April 2009, Enterbrain (Kadokawa's subsidiary) obtained the rights and published "Metal Max 3" the next year. It is the first numbered entry in the series in 17 years. A remade version of "Metal Max 2" for the Nintendo DS was published in 2011, and utilizes "Metal Max 3"s engine.
Similar with its predecessors, the game is open-ended and non-linear.
Gameplay.
Much of the gameplay is similar to its predecessors, "Metal Max" and "Metal Max 2". The game is open-ended and non-linear, with the player given the freedom to decide where to go and what missions to do in whichever order. The player can choose the character classes and subclasses, besides a mechanic, soldier, artist or other, for the player characters. The battles are turn-based, with the characters able to fight either on foot or using tanks. The tanks can be created and customized by the player, who can modify and enhance each part of a vehicle, though there is a weight limit to each tank which mostly depends on an engine. In certain areas where tanks cannot pass, the characters must engage the enemies on foot. The game also features gambling machines where minigames can be played, including third-person shooter and racing games.
Synopsis.
The protagonist was picked up and revived by mad scientist Dr. Minch. However he suffered from severe memory lost and cannot remember anything about himself. Therefore, the protagonist decided to travel around the world as a bounty hunter, in order to retrieve his memories and find out his true identity.
Development.
Since numbered predecessor "Metal Max 2" was released in 1993, original publisher Data East planned to release a new entry, but then it got into trouble. During this time, a Dreamcast game named "" was planned, and was set to be published by ASCII Entertainment, but the game was later cancelled, due to the publisher quitting video game business. There were also other companies interested in developing a sequel for the Game Boy, but they given up later on. In 2003, Data East went into bankruptcy, and the trademark for the game was acquired by other companies. The series was then published by Success as the new name "Metal Saga". In 2008, Enterbrain invited the producer of "Metal Max 2" to make a new game in the series, and obtained the original trademark in 2009. The game was published on July 2010 by Enterbrain's subsidiary Kadokawa Games.
Translation.
An English fan translation of "Metal Max 3" was released in 2020.
Reception.
While RPGamer scored "Metal Max 3" 4.5/5, Japanese gaming magazine "Famitsu" awarded the game 33/40. Game's high freedom and tank system were generally well received, but reviews criticised sometimes game's encounter rate being unusually high.