- "The annals of history contain endless records of war... The "madness" will never end."
- ―Snipe Anteator, Mega Man X7
Snipe Anteator, known as Snipe Ariquick (スナイプ・アリクイック Sunaipu Arikuikku) in Japan, is an anteater-based Reploid and member of the Red Alert syndicate in Mega Man X7.
He appears to be a rather wise, old figure within the ranks of Red Alert, with plenty of knowledge to spare about the Maverick Hunters and Axl.
Strategy
Some of the challenge in this battle stems from the long, but narrow battlefield, and the close, overhead camera angle that makes dodging attacks difficult. Anteator himself is a slow, easy target, but this is balanced out by his tendency to quickly shift his position out of reach when damaged, fire off attacks in rapid succession and liter the battlefield with hazards.
Anteator gains use of certain attacks in stages as his health drops to certain amounts:
- Spiral Claw: Anteator claps his claws together, sending a pair of spiraling energy through the column. They can expand to cover most of the column's width, but start decreasing in size and dissipate as they reach the far ends. This attack is dodged by simply jumping over them, moving as far to the sides of the column as possible, or by sometimes standing at one of the far ends. Anteator uses this attack at the start of the battle and will use it repeatedly until he has suffered enough damage.
- Soldier Ant: Anteator spreads these small ant-shaped proximity mines around the column in sets of three. The mines are stationary, but one must be wary of the large blast radius of their explosions. The mines will also detonate on their own after remaining undisturbed for some time. Like Spiral Claw, Anteator will use this attack exclusively until he has suffered enough damage.
- Homing Missile: Anteator generates a large cannon on his back and fires missiles in sets of three. Due to the long, but narrow space to maneuver, these missiles can be difficult to avoid.
- Laser Pod: When Anteator's health is knocked down to half, he will summon up to six airborne sentry guns that follow behind him. They can not be destroyed, and their quick shots are difficult to dodge. As Anteator's health drops even lower, the pods fly around independently of him and out of reach, firing off shots wildly.
- Dead End Kiss: As Anteator wanders about, he will occasionally stop and lash out with his tongue. If it connects, he will hold the character briefly, before retracting his tongue and inflicting a small amount of damage. The attack has considerable range, spanning the length of the entire column.
Anteator's weaknesses are X and Axl's Moving Wheel or Zero's Zankourin, but his tendency to move around the column makes it difficult to hit him with either. Other attacks such as, Volt Tornado or Raijinshou, and the characters default weapons are more effective against Anteator damage wise. Especially, X's charged buster shots, as they can strike Anteator through the column and do sizable damage.
Data
Stage Enemies
In-battle quotes
- "Army ants!"
- "Go get him!"
- "Homing cannon!"
- "Lasers ON!"
Dialogues
Snipe Anteater: Hahahah! Splendid! Even better than expected.
X: How long must this madness go on!
Snipe Anteater: Hahaha! Let me ask you - how long has this madness been going on?
X: ?!
Snipe Anteater: The annals of history contain endless records of war... The "madness" will never end.
X: You're wrong! We can create a world without war. Utopia is not just a dream!
Snipe Anteater: You can't build a utopia on top of the graves of rebels like myself.
Snipe Anteater: Hohoh! Very well! But you've forgotten your true mission.
Zero: ...? My true mission?
Snipe Anteater: I see data buried deep within you... Is it memories of the future? Or false images of the past?
Zero: ...
Snipe Anteater: Blue - the lies that have infested the earth. Red - those destroyed and sealed away forever.
Zero: Hm! I don't know what you saw, and I don't care either. My "true mission" is to defeat you, here and now!
Snipe Anteater: Hahahah... You certainly are driven.
Snipe Anteater: Hohoh! So you've come, little one?
Axl: Isn't it about time for your retirement?
Snipe Anteater: Ah-hah, this little one is a big talker! Shouldn't you concentrate on being granted Hunter status?
Axl: Ah, man! You always were good at figuring people out...
Snipe Anteater: Hohoh! Yeees. And of course, I know why you're here too. So why do you think I'm here?
Axl: Know thine enemy, is it? You're a real pain, geezer.
Snipe Anteater: Hohoh!! Now, I want you to fight like normal. I need to get good data on you, boy!
Gallery
Trivia
- Snipe Anteator has a brief appearance in the last issue from Dreamwave Productions' Mega Man comic.
- Snipe Anteator's 3D model shows two thin tubes extending down his snout. These tubes are not seen on his artwork. His polar opposite is Tornado Tonion, who has a red nose on his artwork that is not present on his 3D model.
- Snipe Anteator is the only boss in X7 that does not go into hit stun after being hit with the right weapon, making a "perfect victory pattern" impossible. Other bosses in the X series to also have this include Storm Eagle and Flame Mammoth from the first game.
References
- Sepelak, Greg (2003). Mega Man X7 Official Strategy Guide. pg.76. BradyGAMES Publishing. (For HP and attack names.)
| Mega Man X7 | |
|---|---|
| Red Alert | |
| Tornado Tonion • Splash Warfly • Flame Hyenard • Ride Boarski • Snipe Anteator Wind Crowrang • Vanishing Gungaroo • Soldier Stonekong | |
| Other Bosses | |
| Mega Scorpio • Mole Bore • Red • Sigma | |
| X and Axl's Special Weapons | |
| Volt Tornado • Splash Laser • Circle Blaze • Moving Wheel • Sniper Missile • Wind Cutter • Explosion • Gaea Shield | |
| Zero's Special Techniques | |
| Raijinshou • Suiretsusen • Bakuenjin • Zankourin • Hieijin • Souenbu • Hadangeki • Gokumonken | |
| Other | |
| - X - Glide Armor - Zero - D Glaive • V Hanger - Axl - Copy Shot • Double Bullet • G-Launcher • Ray Gun | |
| Stages | |
| Crimson Fortress • Highway • Radio Tower • Battleship • Lava Factory • Central Circuit • Cyber Field • Air Forces • Tunnel Base • Deep Forest • Palace Road • Crimson Palace | |