Mega Man 3

"A shot in the arm to Mega Man mania!"

Like Mario before him, Mega Man is given a third game in the series to keep him strong and healthy in the world of NES games. Is this better than Mega Man? I think so. Is this better than Mega Man 2? Truth is in the eye of the beholder, though I think they are both in the same league for best Mega Man game ever. Mega Man 3 has a lot of new things that will rekindle your love for Mega Man.

STORY: 9/10
Mega Man has defeated the mad scientist Dr. Wily and his 8 robots! Wily, begged Mega Man to forgive him. Wily soon found his senses and decided to return to Dr. Light as an assistant once again. The two scientists are now working on a new project: Gamma, a giant robot built for peace-keeping. It needs crystals to work, though. How will Mega Man find them? Simple. They are being guarded by 8 more robot masters. It's up to Mega Man to gather all the crystals for Light and Gamma!

Note: Gamma as a peace-keeping robot? Isn't that what Mega Man's job was, as pointed out in the first Mega Man game? "Fight , Mega Man! For everlasting peace!" Anyhow...

CONTROLS: 10/10
Still easy! You can now slide, which either acts as a quick dodge, or an opportunity to get into a small crevice. You can also call Rush, the red robot dog, for help. He'll turn into a coil to help you reach higher areas, a jet, which is like Item-2, only you control it, and a submarine, which is like Rush jet, but only for underwater use. Since the only 2 areas with water are Gemini Man's stage and the first part of the fortress, the Rush Marine may not see much use. You start out with the Rush coil, but you will need to defeat 2 certain robot masters to obtain the jet and the submarine.

GRAPHICS: 10/10
The graphics are vastly improved from Mega Man 2, and Mega Man now has more colors to wear when he takes the foe's abilities. There is a wider range of colors for the enemies as well. The henchman designs just keep getting better and better. Even the robot masters for this game look better than ever! Many objects and foes look more metallic, and the backgrounds and stages are very detailed.

SOUND: 10/10
Remember all the sounds from Mega Man 2? They all changed. The sounds made landing, shooting, getting hurt, and hitting a foe have all been altered. Even the sound made when a robot - you or them - has been blown away has changed. There are new sounds, heard when using the Gemini Laser, Spark shock, and the Shadow Blade, that are cool. And then, you hear the whistle that Break Man makes when you fight him...

MUSIC: 10/10
The music, like that in Mega Man 2, is still a strong point here. Good luck finding your favorite, though! The title song, the boss music, and even the robot master stages are fun to listen to! The music sounds much more different than in Mega Man 2, but is still good nonetheless.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10
Like the first two Mega Man games, you choose which robot master you want to battle first, and in any order you want. You can take their ability upon defeating them, and some give you the Rush Jet or Rush Marine. You can run, jump, and slide your way to victory!

CHALLENGE: 8/10
Much easier than Mega Man and Mega Man 2. Mega Man 3 is not very hard. The biggest challenge, though, would be to take on all the robot masters...armed with only your mega buster! You still get E-Tanks in this game, but unlike in Mega Man 2, you get to retain them after losing all your lives. The challenge is very low compared to the previous Mega Man games, but still, you can make the most out of it!

REPLAY: 10/10
With a password feature, you can go almost anywhere in this game. If the story was not spoiled for you, and if you are extremely curious, you'll definitely want to see who's behind the nefarious deed of sending the 8 robot masters on a rampage...

OVERALL:
This game is just as good as Mega Man 2. People argue that the sequels after this caused Mega Man to go downhill. I don't think so. Mega Man is popular not because of oversaturation, but because the gameplay is addictive, and we soon need a new game to satisfy our hunger for games!

In conclusion, while Mega Man 2 is what got people into the blue bomber, this game gave more features, many of which would remain in future Mega Man games. Like Rush: from this game on, Mega Man will always have help from Rush. All that said, this game gives still more addicting gameplay. You may like Mega Man 2 more, but this game has its own breed of robot masters and you will soon find yourself liking at least one of them. Oh yes, and though not as hard as Mega Man or Mega Man 2, this game has a challenge all its own.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/19/04