Mega Man 3

"As good as Mega Man 2, 4 and 5."

Often praised as the best Mega Man in the Nes for a reason that is beyond my comprehension, or as the best Mega Man ever, the truth is that this third installment has very little to offer when compared with Mega Man 2. But this is not a bad thing, in fact, these are excellent news, if Mega Man 2 was already a perfect game as it featured the only thing that kept the first one from being perfect (or course I am talking about passwords), who would want something different?, we only want new robots, and fortunately that is what Mega Man 3 offers, exactly the same graphics and gameplay but with new robots with even more stupid names waiting for you to make fun of them while they try to kick your butt.

Now, I have always insulted and argued companies that just offer the same game with a few insignificant flaws (like those damned, evil, ``beings`` from Electronic Arts, nowadays` most infamous and insulting video game company in the market), but Mega Man is different, new robots mean new stages, and in an action game the stages are the important thing if the gameplay is already perfect.

Plot:
The plot is not really important as this game works in the same way as any other Mega Man, even including the X series (with a new main bad guy and lots of improvements but the core of the game is still the same). Evil Dr. Wily plans to rule the world so he decides to make another bunch of robots with the silliest names possible, and then Mega Man comes, and saves the day, and then Mega Man IV comes, and so on.

What is important about the plot is that we are introduced to Proto Man, a robot that has become a key element in every new chapter in the series, and that rules very badly

Graphics 10/10:
They have to be better than the ones of the second chapter right?, I don`t think so, I found them to be an exact copy of Mega Man 2, like I found all the Mega Man games for the Nes, excepting for the very fist one, to be all exactly the same without a single exception. Top notch graphics for this reason.

Music 7/10:
Now, Mega Man 3 may be exactly the same than any other Mega Man excepting for one little aspect, the music, because this is the only one in the series with a soundtrack better than slightly above average. The soundtrack in this game easily surpasses the others by far.

Then, something I forgot to mention in the other Mega Man games was that this series has A LOT more music than the average Nes game, and this is simply because every single stage has different music, plus the final stages and the boss themes, now that I think, this is probably the Nes video game series with more music you will ever see.

Gameplay 10/10:
Still the same from Mega Man 2, exactly the same, we have to choose a robot, then we go to his stage, beat it, acquire his power, then the next one, and so on, then Dr. Wily`s fortress comes, then we have to beat all the robots again, and finally, the last boss awaits.

We have two new important features, a new movement, the slide, very useful while battling some bosses, and our lovely robot-dog Rush, who can morph into different vehicles to help get items, he adds variety and is very cute to boot.

Everything else is still exactly the same, the same movements, the same powers, the stages are structured in the same way than before, items such as Energy Tanks, all your powers ups, lives etc, etc, etc are still there, which is a relief.

About the new robots there is nothing really interesting to say, they are a bit more innovative than in the last game, but as stupid, or even more. There are some interesting ones anyway, for example Gemini Man, what would you expect from an enemy called that way?, of course an enemy who can split in two, but would you also expect a monkey dressed with a crystal armor whose world is located in the middle of space and like in the deeps of a glass cave?, of course not, but well, that is exactly what you are going to find. Top Man is also interesting (if absurd like hell), like Snake Man, whose stage rules.

Overall:
I am still trying to figure out why people love this third installment so much and keeps saying that it is the best chapter in the Nes, for me Mega Man 3 is just Mega Man 2 with different levels and new robots, there are improvements, but far from being revolutionary, for this reason this is also a top notch game, but never better than the other Mega Man games, excepting always for the first one in the series.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/04