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The Mega Man series was starting to take off after the release of the first two games for Nintendo in the late 80s. Welcoming in the 90s, Capcom released Mega Man 3 in 1990 for the Nintendo. The Blue Bomber would face new robot masters and encounter a new antagonist in Proto Man. Would the third game in the series continue the success that Mega Man 2 created? It’s Proto Man to the rescue in this Mega Man 3 review!
Mega Man 3 Plot:
Dr. Wily has twice tried to take over the world, first infecting Dr. Light’s original industrial robots with a virus that turned them into killing machines, and then in the second game, he created his own batch of killer robots. After begging for mercy in both games, Dr. Wily has now found his “sanity” according to Dr. Light.
The two of them begin work together (yes I know, sounds like a great idea based on previous events) on a peace-keeping project. Powering up the peacekeeping robot that is not yet ready for the public are eight power crystals that have been mined from the Earth. The robots that were overseeing the mining locations have gone berserk and have started to go on a rampage. Dr. Light calls on Mega Man to figure out what’s going on and to put a stop to the eight robots that are out of control.
Mega Man defeats the eight robots but encounters a mysterious robot named Break Man who battles with Mega Man on numerous occasions throughout his mission. After securing the eight power crystals, Dr. Wily steals them and runs off to a hidden fortress to power up the “peace-keeping” robot that he and Dr. Light were working on. (What a shock) He plans on using it for evil purposes so Mega Man hurries over to his fortress and fights through more hordes of robots before fighting and defeating Dr. Wily. The fortress begins to crumble and Break Man comes to the rescue of Mega Man, taking him out of the fortress right before the ceiling falls. Dr. Wily is left behind in the wreckage unknown if he survives or not. (It’s not like there’s 25 sequels)
Back at the lab, Dr. Light concludes that the rogue robot named “Break Man” that rescued Mega Man was his first attempt at creating a robot and his name is “Proto Man”.
Mega Man 3 Gameplay:
I found it disappointing in my Mega Man 3 review that there was no intro like the second Mega Man had with the Blue Bomber standing atop the building as the wind blew. I know it was short but I thought it was cool and had hoped for a little intro into Mega Man 3.
Capcom improved the backgrounds on the levels with impressive details that kept me peeking behind Mega Man as I made my way through each level during my Mega Man 3 review. If you line up the first Mega Man to the third one you can tell how much more effort was put into the stages. Like the previous entries in the series, you’ll face robot masters at the end of each stage and collect their powers after defeating them. Each robot master has a weakness, so make sure to find the boss order online as I did, or if you really want to risk it find out for yourself.
Mega Man 3 added a slide mechanic into the game where Mega Man can slide continuously through tight spaces. I loved it and I thought it went very smoothly in controlling him as he slid beneath things. Mega Man’s dog, Rush, is called into action on multiple occasions giving him the ability to jump higher, swim underwater, and fly through the air. I liked the inclusion of Proto Man into the series and thought it was nice to see someone else during the gameplay. It was a bit of a mystery to me as I’m not up on the Mega Man lore but whenever I heard his signature whistle during my Mega Man 3 review I knew I’d be fighting him.
Like the other two Mega Man games, this is a very tough platformer with difficult opponents around every bend. You can collect health and energy cans to help you along the way but it was great that Capcom included a password system to save your game so you don’t have to do the same stages over and over if you die.
I swear every Mega Man game gets longer and longer. I knew that Dr. Wily would have a base that I’d have to beat but I wasn’t expecting to face four more robot bosses along with the other eight. These last four take the powers of previous bosses found in the last two Mega Man games. While I was very annoyed about having to fight more, I thought it was a cool nod to the previous games.
The fight with Dr. Wily at the end I found to be one of the easier end fights but you won’t hear any complaints from me. After the rest of the game, it was nice to face something that I knew I could do after a few seconds.
Memories:
The first six Mega Man games I played with my coworker on our laptops when I was in college. We loved playing them all and I don’t remember which one was my favorite but there are a few stages that stick out. Snake Man’s stage is one that I always remember with the green scales and snakeheads throughout the level. I hate snakes! I really don’t like them as I’ll admit I’m afraid of them but the scales look cool on the NES even though I thought Snake Man’s power was lame. (Yes, I know it’s the power you use to defeat Dr. Wily but still just shooting three little snakes out is pretty weak)
Mega Man 3 Review Score:
Mega Man 3 adds some good elements to the series with Proto Man and the ability to slide. It’s too long for my taste and comes with a predictable twist. It’s brutal with how many times you’ll die so it’s best to use a password system to help you advance.
Mega Man 3 scores a 7.8 out of 10.
What would you write in your Mega Man 3 review? Do you remember when Mega Man 3 first came out? Which robot master did you like fighting? Which one gave you trouble? What did you think of Proto Man? Let me know your memories and thoughts, I’d love to read the comments!
Tiger Chainsaw 