Mega Man 3 (1991)

I finished Mega Man 3 in three separate sittings. Overall, I have to say - I was pleasantly surprised by the sequel to Mega Man 2! I began the game with the understanding that Mega Man 2 was “far and away” the best of the classic NES Mega Man games. Thus, I tackled the game expecting a quality drop off after Mega Man 2. Mega Man 3 bucked this expectation. In fact, I think Mega Man 3 was actually a better experience than Mega Man 2!

The first thing that struck me about Mega Man 3 was the graphic improvement. Capcom was working with the NES console’s limitations in both Mega Man 2 and 3, but somehow manages to make Mega Man 3 look better. Backgrounds are colorful, enemies are intricate sprites, and robot masters are fantastic pieces of art. Capcom has been bolstered by the success of Mega Man 2 and comes off quite confident in its sequel. They know the product they’re putting out, and display it with an air of success.

Coupled with a confident, bold graphical improvement is an amazing soundtrack. Mega Man 3 features tracks that compare and compete with the best of Mega Man 2 - which is saying a lot! Encouraged by the strength of the soundtrack, I chose to play the third game in an interesting way. I sat in my room playing the game on my 3DS. In each stage, I found the stage track online on YouTube and looped the track in the background on my room speakers while playing my 3DS on mute. The experience was fantastic. The

The gameplay remains mostly the same as Mega Man 2, with some minor improvements and perks. Capcom did well to keep the same controls. Mega Man 2 played so well that to change the game’s “feel” would have been a mistake. Mega Man 3 introduces the slide mechanic (a mechanic I thought was in all Mega Man games until I played Mega Man 2) and Rush, the dog sidekick. This provided for an enhanced experience with interesting twists and turns in the familiar gameplay.

On that note, there were some aspects of Rush mechanics that were downright awful. On more than one occasion, I felt stranded with the gameplay. I couldn’t pass a sequence if Rush Jet or Marine didn’t have enough energy, forcing me to restart the level even though from a health perspective I was doing well. I was disappointed in this, and experienced minor flashbacks to Mega Man 2’s turret room. Also, don’t get me started on Mega Man 3’s Top Spin.[2] For a game that is considered a hallmark of game design, there were some ugly, embarrassing moments that I can’t ignore.[3]

All in all, though, Mega Man 2 and its sequel are strikingly fantastic. Mega Man 3 took what made Mega Man 2 a great game and improved on it, while somehow also managing to introduce new mechanics that a make a sequel worth playing. I enjoyed Mega Man 3’s robot masters, levels, and experience better than its predecessor, but hey – the beautiful thing is that there’s no need to compare. Both are fantastic.

[1] "Mega Man 3 'Blue Lightning' OC ReMix." OC ReMix. Accessed July 11, 2016. http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00464.

[2] To sum up my feelings in three letters: “wtf?”

[3] Sure enough, surface level research reveals the game’s production being rushed ahead of production. Satoshi Matrix’s research illumines some striking shortcomings in Mega Man 3, including the lack of an intro, a hollow Protoman, and poorly looped music. "Megaman 3 Review (NES)." Satoshi Matrixs Blog. 2010. Accessed July 11, 2016. https://satoshimatrix.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/megaman-3-review-nes/. Another interesting bit of research is undertaken by The Mechanical Maniacs, who go at length to explore the discovered unused sprites in Mega Man 3’s code. See "Megaman 3 Mysteries." ()The Mechanical Maniacs. Accessed July 11, 2016. http://themechanicalmaniacs.com/articles/mm3mysteries.php.