Mega Man 3

"Best Mega Man Game Ever. Period."

Forgive me if I seem too nostalgic here but this was my first Mega man game ever I ever played. (I've played it since I first rented it way back in 1991.) And lets not beat around the bush anymore shall we? Okay then, this is quite possibly THE best Mega Man game EVER made. And yet Capcom themselves are STILL yet to truly top themselves in the Mega Man series'. (Then again the only game that was truly any close was this title's prodescessor Mega Man 2.) And this is most defintely one of THE best games ever made.

The SFX were decent-at-best but fortunately never annoying then again it was meant to be like that. The graphics are highly above average, they don't fool you that its a NES game but they use the system's capabilities quite exceptionally well. While this has possibly some of the series' most creative robot master designs. (With a greatly unique selection of weapons with somewhat common weapons like needle darts & lasers to more unique ones like Shruiken and Snakes.) And while the story of Dr. Wily pretending to be ''reformed for peace'' is quite lightweight and simplistically predictable by itself it is much better compared to the other ones in the NES series. (Such as how its especially much better than MM6's since its no cop-out.) And the whole ''Doc Robot'' ordeal that you go through a little later on in the game is a greatly inspired little twist made. And of course this being the debut of Rush, Mega Man's trusty mecha-canine friend whom is pratically thr ''swiss-army knife'' of canines is a certainly a big plus.

But the best thing about it is most DEFINITELY the music. The composer of this game goes by the name of ''BUN BUN'', and while s/he may not get the same glamourous praise that is of master music composer Nubuo Uematsu this BB fellow whom has been doing the music for the NES MM games does deserve praise, especially for this one as its his/her finest work yet. The music themes for the stages are entertaining but are generally only above-average & catchy. However my favorite music theme in this game is the intro theme & the Protoman theme. GOD I LOVED THE INTRO THEME! It was the most beautifully made themes I have ever heard. And for extra measure it was one of the best things in sci-fi related symphonic music since Vince DiCola's work in Transformers the movie. And I consider it as one of the best NES themes around. The Protoman theme is also a defintely good piece of music with its lovely soft melody. There maybe some above-average little bits of music but absolutely NONE of them are remotely even below that at. While the rest of this game's qualities are definitely no slouches, the exceptional soundtrack for this game is proof positive enough on why this lovable game has stood the test of time.

The replay value for this game is most genuinely high and as for the challenge well it is no big deal but some parts in the game may seem frustrating while it is nothing that a Game genie can't fix if you so desire. The gameplay for this game is the good old-fashioned 2D Mega Man style, where its only quite simplistic by looks alone. It leaves plenty of challenges to give gamers that're loving to test their skills more. Oh sure the same thing can be said for the MM games that came in previously (ESPECIALLY for the original Mega Man) however fortunately unlike how it was in its prodescessors this one feels more fun that frustrating on your nerves. And even though this is the 3rd game in the whole series this was to the MM series as what ''Super Mario Bros.'' was for the SMB series and ''Legend of Zelda'' for the LoZ series, masterfully done games that even their modern sequels have yet to truly match let alone exceed. (Games like this are proof positive why the gameplay in ''oldschool'' games can be FAR from being absolutely outdated.)

Unfortunately this game is not really easy to find and its usually kinda costly (but not always so) however it is fortunate that its not one of those ''uber-rare & expensive'' games like Dragon Warrior 4 and the like. However even if it was it would've been worth every single cent. While none of the Mega Man games for the NES were bad this is most definitely the best one and should be in EVERYONE'S NES game collection. Ever if you ever need proof that Capcom can make a excellent game then look no further cause this is most definitely it.

+ The Best game in the whole series and one of the best games ever made
+ Some of the best music ever composed
+ Well-done gameplay & graphics
+ Great Variety of Enemies
+ Creatively made twists in the story of this game
- Its not incredibly easy to find
- Its quite possibly the last truly great game in the series

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/18/04