Originally posted on www.Defaultprime.com
Mega Man needs no introduction. The blue bomber has been destroying Robot Masters ever since the NES days and has been on almost every console since in some form. Mega Man holds the most titles released in a single franchise. While it may be controversial to how good Mega Man titles are today, many will say that the original Mega Man titles are the best. Mega Man 3 is in this group of praised titles. Is it really a great title, or are people basing their opinion off nostalgia?
It’s the year 200X and Dr. Wily has claimed that he has reformed and is now working with Dr. Light to create a peace keeping robot named “Gamma.” Eight other robots were designed to help keep peace as well, but went berserk and ran off with all of the power crystals. Mega Man searches after them to defeat them and retrieve the power crystals which were stolen. Overall it is standard Mega Man type story. Robot Masters gone berserk and Mega Man need to stop them. After defeating the robots you need to stop the master mind behind the whole conspiracy. A new character named Proto man is introduced. While he can help you, he also fights against you as well. While the story is fine and works for the Mega Man series there is one problem, the story is hidden. While it may be in the NES manual the story is non-existent within the game, or the Wii’s operation guide for the game. Chances are you’re going to have to go to Wikipedia or some other website to find the whole story.
Those who have played either of the previous titles should know that Mega Man is a game about reflexes and memorization. It’s very similar to a side scrolling shoot em up with platforming elements. Progressing in the title is very similar to the previous titles as well. First you choose a Robot Master, play through their level and fight the robot master at the end of their stage. After defeating them you collect their weapon. Completing all the levels will eventually let you go to Dr. Wily’s castle. There are 4 extra levels between the Robot Masters and the castle, but they use the same level design as some of the first one with just altered challenges in each room. For example returning to one level later in the game there are now spikes all over the level. These altered versions of the levels can be very difficult, especially since each one has two bosses. Mega Man 3 overall is just as difficult as the previous Mega Man titles, so those looking for a challenge definitely will not be disappointed.
Controls are relatively the same as previous titles. You will use the A button to Jump and the B button to shoot. A slide was added which allows you to slide through small tunnels. It also lets you move significantly faster then running, but it’s risky. Using it near edges can be dangerous, since you can easily slide right off the edge. Like with other Mega Man titles there are 8 new weapons for you to obtain. Each one effective on certain bosses, so much so it can change a boss battle from being a incredibly painful and long experience to killing in a few shots. Each weapon is unique in its own way so even outside of the boss fights. The snake gun lets you shoot snakes across the floor, the hand shot is slow but powerful, etc. Mega Man 3 is the first game to introduce rush, Mega Mans robot dog. He has multiple uses such as riding him like a jet, riding in him like a submarine and using him to spring your self up to high platforms. While the jet and spring are useful abilities, it is rare that you ever use the submarine form. The menu is a little different this time being separated into different sections. This may feel a bit confusing at first but it becomes much easier once you get the hang of it..
Mega Man 3 is a NES title whose graphics won’t knock your socks off. While the sprites are improved over previous Mega Man games, it’s not enough to really help the experience. Mega Man titles usually are known to have great sound tracks. While this one has a fairly good sound track, none of them stick with you, nor sound as good as previous titles. Sound effects still sound pretty good despite sounding almost exactly the same as previous titles. Enemies tend to make a sound when they shoot at you so you know when to keep on your toes.
The rate at which you can beat Mega Man 3 really depends on your experience with the Mega Man Series. Mega Man Pros should be able to tear through the game like its nothing. Other players with not much experience with the Mega Man series will probably have to retry almost every stage at least once. After the main adventure though there is nothing extra to do. You can play through the game but thats it. Players who like to challenge them selves definitely can try to beat it in shorter times or with fewer deaths.
Overall Mega Man 3 is a solid entry in the Mega Man series. Is it the best? Probably not. Those who played the previous titles may feel a bit of repetition kicking in. The first few games in the series are all essentially the same but anyone who was happy with past Mega Mans will definitely enjoy this one. People who haven’t liked Mega Man’s past entries won’t find any reason to change their mind about the series in this entry. Mega Man 3 is available in multiple bundles, such as Mega Man Anniversary Collection. A used version of Mega Man 3 on www.amazon.com is fairly cheap for around $10.00 and on Nintendo’s Virtual console the title is available for 500 Wii points or $5.00.
Score: 8.5
i love this game. this was my first mega man game so nostalgia plays a giant role in my views of it. it was pretty tough way back then…especially for young gamers. i bought the mega man collection for GCN when it came out and found that the game was A LOT easier than i remembered and definitely one of the easiest of the first 8 mega man games.
I personally Felt MegaMan 2 was the easiest. It could have been though that i just came out of playing Mega Man 1, which is the hardest Mega Man game I’ve played.
mm2 was fairly easy, but after playing mm1, anything is easy 😛 …well, except for ninja gaiden…