Mega Man Zero 3

"Really, this game is better than the 1st or the 2nd..."

Introduction
Greetings o' wise ones who care to read the Reviews for a game. But let's just get to the point. The MegaMan series is possibly one of the games that made the platform genre stand out. Over the years, we've seen the original MegaMan fight against the dastardly Dr. Wily from the 1980s through the 1990s. On the eve of the SNES system, Capcom introduced to us the new MegaMan X. But alongside the new MegaMan X's entrance, Capcom also tossed in Zero, supposedly as a static character for only one brief appearance. The rest you should all know.

Gameplay
This is where Zero series makes it really challenging. Throughout the entire game, Zero is armed with a fairly small arsenal of weapons. But as you progress along, chances are that you might be able to have Zero learn a new technique like the Rising Fire Dragon (which is just an upwards saber slash). Of course, you have to get a pretty high rank by the end of the level just to acquire the technique. This in turn can cause much frustration at restarting and slogging through the hordes of drones that you just killed in five minutes. But if you're good enough, you can play through the game without even using any of the EX Skills.

Story
From the title, this is the third installment of the spin-off Zero series. This series was made after X5, where in X's ending, Zero supposedly died. But Zero woke up one hundred and two years later to find himself in a world bent under the thumb and might of a corrupted X. But I won't spoil it all... yet. In this third game, Zero, Ciel and two Resistance Soldiers head to some arctic region where a strange spaceship thingie had fallen out of the sky. That soon progressed to what would be the traditional introduction stage in all of Inafune's MegaMan games.

Playability
Honestly, it's a very difficult game. Unlike the other Zero games, this one is slightly easier but still very difficult. When playing the game, I never thought that little itty-bitty health bar that Zero had in the beginning would last him long. But scattered in little chips are these little helpers called Cyber-Elves that can raise Zero's health. But of course, not all Cyber-Elves are for health, or Nurses. There are also Animals, which help with Zero's abilities, and Hackers, which alter Zero's surrounding environment. But using Cyber-Elves lowers your rank by 15 points, which make it hard to acquire the EX Skills sometimes. But if you're really skilled at these games, Cyber-Elves are just good enough for you.

But like some other games, there's a New Game + type of thing in Zero 3. After you beat it the first time, you can play through again. This time, you get to have the Cyber-Elves you acquired in your first play, not to mention the data chips you've found so far. Also, minigames are unlocked. From what I've heard from several other web sites, the JP, NA, and PAL versions will all have different minigames.

Story
It's in JP only so I had a hard time translating it. I had my Japanese teacher help me translate it but for those without a teacher, just search the web for a translation of the game script. It's in Katakana but the occasional Kanji character will show up.

Graphics/Sound
Smooth graphics. The cutscenes almost make me wish they had a MegaMan Zero anime instead of that crappy BattleNetwork anime. Sound totally rocks and fits the mood. But beware, if you see a boss suddenly appear when it comes on, it can spook a person.

Final Word
MegaMan Zero 3 is a very difficult and challenging game. But that's where the fun is. Go get it when it comes out. October for NA version and September for PAL version (as of 7-7-04)!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/07/04