Mega Man 3

"Quite possibly the greatest game to ever grace the NES!"

Overview: Mega Man 3 just might be the best game of the series. It's like a polished up version of the Golden Classic Mega Man 2. The gameplay is very similar with a few added touches. Rush (Mega Man's dog) makes his first appearance here along with Mega Man's slide feature. Rush is very useful too! By the end of the game, he can take on three forms.

The game begins exactly like Mega Man 2. You get to choose between eight stages; since you get the choose them in any order, even novices should be able to find a level that they can complete. Like MM2, you receive weapon capabilities from defeated robot masters. Since you can also receive Rush upgrades from specific bosses and since certain weapons work well against certain bosses, there is some strategy involved.

One aspect of Mega Man 3 that I absolutely love is the retro factor. Once you defeat the eight main robots, you'll revisit four previous levels and fight a mysterious robot. What's interesting is that this robot takes on the abilities of the robots from Mega Man 2!! Flash Man, Metal Man, Quick Man...you'll fight all of them again! Although this is very cool, the retro factor doesn't end there. As you near the end of the game, you'll fight two beings that appeared in the first Mega Man game! The Rock Monster is back along with the dreaded Clones!

This feature really made the third Mega Man experience a special one. The game really felt like a Mega Man game because it included new elements without forgetting its past. It was also one of the longest Mega Man games to date because if you include the mystery robot levels (there's technically four but there are eight bosses), you end up with 21 stages...in a Mega Man game! Thankfully, the game included a password!

Graphics: Like Mega Man 2, the visuals in Mega Man 3 were nothing short of superb. For a 1990 pak, the graphics were truly state-of-the-art. Mega Man 3 was the first MM game to utilize the MMC3 chip (which allows for better graphics). Capcom really went to town too; the graphics look extremely crisp for an NES game. Everything is colorful and nicely drawn but not overdone. Everything seems to move very smoothly as well. There's even some parallax-scrolling (Gemini Man stage) which was simply incredible for an 8 bit game. I also like how at times, Mega Man appears to walk behind something (like crystal webs in Gemini Man's level and pipes in one of the final stages). You could really tell that Capcom enjoyed using the MMC3 chip.

Some of the backgrounds are amazing as well. Magnet Man's level is a perfect example with its multicolored sky. Shadow Man's level has some nifty effects as well ("firefalls" in the background). What amazes me is the lack of slowdown; even with the background animation, the game moves at a nice pace. While there can be some major slowdown as times (when a ton of enemies/weapons are in motion at once), it can actually be more of a help than a hinderance.

I can't finish talking about this section without mentioning the enemies. While the big bosses near the end of the game are very impressive, the mini-bosses look great as well! The snake that you fight in Snake Man's stage was very cool! It even had a "tail" that moved. The cats, met bombers, and penguins are pretty cool enemies as well.

Music: One reason that I really looked forward to Mega Man 3 was that I couldn't wait to hear a new soundtrack. After being spoiled by Mega Man 2's brilliant score, I wanted to see if Capcom could somehow come up with another masterpiece. I don't know how, but Capcom outdid themselves once again! When I fired up the game for the first time, I was greeted with a masterpiece: The Intro Theme. Right from the beginning, I fell in love with Mega Man 3's music. It is very beautiful for an NES game and is very nostalgic as well.

Who could forget Magnet Man's hopeful tune, the unforgettable Snake Man track, or the oh-so-mysterious Gemini Man tune. The Hard Man, Spark Man, and Shadow Man tracks are all very memorable as well. Even the "Weapon Acquired" and password tracks are surprisingly good. Just like Mega Man 2, every song just seems to fit its respective level like a glove. Although the music isn't earth-shattering in terms of sound quality (after all, this is the NES) the substance itself was great! I should note that for an NES game, the sound quality was exceptional.

The sound effects are very solid as well. Many are directly ripped from Mega Man 2 (a good thing). I really like the improved "clanking" sound that you hear when Mega Man lands though. Very good stuff (and wayyyyy better than the jello sound in Mega Man 8). The sound of blasting an enemy was very cool as well.

Play Control: The play control in the Mega Man series really hit its peak in the third game. Even though the control was already superb in Mega Man 2, Capcom went the extra mile and tweaked things just a tad. Mega Man doesn't slide anymore when he stops (he slid just a tad in MM2) and the jumping controls seem more smooth than ever. Mega Man 3 was also the first game in the series that allowed Mega Man to slide! You could now fit into small areas and dodge attacks more easily. Sliding can really aide you in the big battles as well.

Utilizing the various Rush modules was simple as well. This was the only Mega Man game where I really enjoyed using the Rush Jet. I liked the fact that you could move in every direction and that Rush would catch you if you fell from a ledge (in future MM games, it was much easier to fall off...you could only move forward to boot). The Rush Marine was a lot of fun to use as well; the only problem was that water areas were very sparse in MM3. As far as I'm concerned, the play control in MM3 is as close to perfection as you can get in an action game.

Challenge: As far as challenge goes, Mega Man 3 is a mixed bag. It can be very easy or very difficult. If you know the weakness of each robot master, you can beat them without breaking a sweat. However, the game can be a real toughy the first time through. Some of the robots are very tough to beat without using any special weapons. Try defeating Shadow Man or Needle Man with the regular blaster and you'll see what I mean! The ? Stages can be taxing as well. If you don't know which weapon(s) to use against the mystery robot (e.g. Mystery Robot as Crash Man), you'll have a tough time. It's not so much his weapons that cause damage though; it's direct contact. Three solid hits can wipe you out! Since he moves at the speed of light (at times), avoiding him is much easier said than done.

Another aspect of the game that is a little annoying is that there is the distant possibility of actually getting stuck!! This is highly unlikely but the possibility is there. There is a water area in Gemini Man's stage where you have to use the Rush Coil. If you happen to reach this area with no RC left, there is nothing that you can do. There is another area where you must use the Rush Jet. There are a few enemies there but it can take a long time to get enough RJ to take off.

Ironically, I felt that Wily's Castle was much easier than the ? levels. Compared to the tough-as-nails Skull Castle in Mega Man 2, this one's a cinch! The stages seem very short compared to the ones in MM2. The Rock Monster boss is a good challenge though. Overall, MM3 has a good challenge level but it does seem somewhat unbalanced at times.

Storyline: Back when Mega Man 3 was first released, I really liked the game's story. Being the naive nine-year-old that I was, I really believed that Dr. Wily had become good. Seeing him work with Dr. Light was so cool; it really made me wonder who was behind the ruckus. However, the true was revealed when...I saw the box art! In the background, one can clearly see Dr. Wily's Skull Castle!! Arrrggghhh!! :)

It wasn't a big deal though. Mega Man 3 was such a great game that an epic plot wasn't necessary. Besides, the major side story more than made up for it. Throughout the game, Mega Man encounters a mysterious red robot. While the robot attacks at times, there are instances when he actually assists Mega Man (e.g. unlocking the gate in Gemini Man's stage). The battles seem to almost be training grounds too; it is almost as if the robot is trying to test Mega Man. It is not until the end of the game that you learn of this robot's true identity.

For a Mega Man game (and an NES game in general), this side story was so cool! The ending was very nice as well; the loose ends got tied up...mostly...we still don't know what happens to Dr. Wily (until Mega Man 4...yippee!!) Overall, the storyline has to be one of the best of the Mega Man series.

Funfactor: Mega Man 3 has to be one of the most enjoyable games that I have ever played. Anyone who enjoys a good action fest will eat up the goodies in this game. Although I love the game's graphics and music, the impeccible gameplay and wonderous atmosphere are what make this game the best Mega Man game in my book. That's saying a lot too because all of the Mega Man games are amazing (heck, two of them are Golden Classics for crying out loud!). I really liked using Rush and the slide feature. However, I also thought that the MM1 and 2 extras really made this game feel like a Mega Man game. It progressed but never forgot its identity.

Negatives: While the graphics are exceptional, there can be quite a bit of slowdown when a lot of enemies fire at once. Like I mentioned before, the challenge can be unbalanced at times. I consider the game rather easy due to the large amount of energy tanks but some of the battles against the ? robot can be really rough. I hate the fact that direct contact causes so much damage; you almost want to get hit by his weapons instead. The storyline is much better than MM2 but is still not as good as it could have been.

Ratings: (on a scale of 1 to 5)

Graphics: 4.9
Music: 5.0*
Play Control: 4.9
Challenge: 4.0
Storyline: 4.3
Funfactor: 4.9

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/05/06