Mega Man 3

"The greatest Mega Man game for the Nes! Hands down!"

It all started with a bang in 1987, or in Mega Man's case, a funny little beep-beep. The game had a quite uninspired title and some of the most atrocious box art known to man. Yet it caught on in Japan, where Capcom only agreed to release a limited supply of the cartridges. This was surprising to Capcom, so they released it in America, where the box art was transformed from good to awful. The game sold well, so a sequel was created. After Mega Man 2, the cream of the crop, the king of Mega Man games was released. This was Mega Man 3. Though Mega Man 2 is known as the fan favorite, Mega Man 3 introduced new elements, new moves, and new foes, making the new game absolutely glow with Robo-busting goodness. Plus, this game introduced Rush, the Blue Bomber's robotic dog, and Proto Man, the misunderstood brother of everyone's favorite little robot.

Control: 9/10

It's difficult to get the controller to work for you in Mega Man. However, in Mega Man 3, the control is perfect. Mega Man games really only include jumping, climbing, sliding, and shooting, so this may not seem like it is such a big deal. But for Mega Man games, it most certainly is! Some platforming sections in Mega Man games can be brutal, so control is important. The designers at Capcom did a great job in this game. Mega Man also moves quickly and smoothly, and fires perfectly.

Sound: 7/10

The sounds are very well done in this game, even by today's standards! Of course, it hasn't changed that much from Mega Man 2, but that's not a bad thing either. As always, you'll hear the beo beo beo of Mega Man blowing into little circles, the dio dio dio of his Plasma Cannon (which becomes the Mega Buster in MM4), and the ever-delightful dit-dit of him hitting the ground. Of course, the sound isn't great, but for 8-bit hardware it gets the job done and then some.

Music: 9/10

The music in this game is some of the best in the series. Instead of using the usual music played after you select a robot master, they changed the tune. this new tune is very good, but unfortunately it doesn't live up to the classic "stage chosen" theme we all know and love. I especially enjoyed Metal Man and Snake Man's respective themes. Of course, the Wily's castle tunes are also top-notch. Unlike in some other Mega Man games, ( Mega Man 4 Dive Man hint hint) this game doesn't include much of that screechy tingly sound and the waterfall-sounding drums we all know that makes us Mega fans cringe to no end.

Japanese Differences:

There weren't that many differences between the American and Japanese versions of this game that I know of. Of course, to go with Rock Man and Roll, Proto Man was Blues in Japan. Of course, here in America Capcom USA continued to evade Capcom Japan's music theme. Proto Man does sound good though, as he was the prototype for Mega Man. (Capcom USA did give a nod to the Japanese designers by renaming Forte and Gospel Bass and Treble in Mega Man 7)

Game play: 9/10

As with all Mega Man games, this game's strong point is its butt-kicking good game play. This time around, we players were charged with blasting Spark Man, Snake Man, Needle Man, Hard Man, Gemini Man, Top Man, Shadow Man, and Magnet Man into space dust. We were equipped with the Hard knuckle, Top Spin, Magnet Missile, Gemini Laser, Plasma Cannon (of course), and many other interesting weapons. Rush could transform into tools to help you. The cool thing about this outing was that after you defeated all eight robot masters, you would revisit four of the stages and defeat the strange Doc Robot eight times. He would assume a Mega Man 2 boss fighting style in each of the bouts. Mega Man also gained the new slide maneuver that you could access to gain items or advance in the stage. A glitch in the game allowed you, by pressing right on the controller two pad, to become invulnerable if you jumped in a pit. However, this was quite an easy Mega Man game, so invulnerability doesn't help all that much.

Story: 8/10

Dr Light wasn't very bright in this game... As the story begins, Dr. Wily supposedly turns "good" and begins to help Dr. Light construct a huge new peacekeeping robot known as Gamma. To finish the project, Wily and Light need energy crystals found in the mining worlds. The eight Mining robots have gone haywire, so Light turns to Mega Man to travel to the mining worlds, defeat the robot masters, and return so Light and Wily can finish Gamma. Many plot twists occur as you progress, which of course I won't reveal, but overall the story is good and solid.

Overall: 10/10

If all I have said about this fantastic game hasn't persuaded you to buy it, then I will list the pros and cons of Mega Man 3.

Pros:

Great 8-bit graphics
Solid Story
Great Music
Good Sound
Perfect Control

Cons: None that I can think of, save the graphics aren't 16-bit

This is a very well done game, and I suggest you get Mega Man Anniversary Collection or buy it used. It is a good buy for anyone interested in classic games.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/23/04