GENRE
	Action
	DEVELOPER
	Capcom
	PUBLISHER
	Capcom
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	WORTH PLAYING TODAY?
	yes
	BUY NOW AT

Two years had passed since Capcom's runaway hit Mega Man 2 swept critics and gamers alike off their feet, and Dr. Wily had been duly vanquished for good. In fact, Wily had reformed his evil ways and rejoined Dr. Light for the purposes of helping to build a peace-keeping robot named Gamma. Nothing could've possibly been amiss when Mega Man received a call from Dr. Light instructing him to go gather crystals required to complete the friendly, giant robot from 8 regions dominated by yet another set of Robot Masters. Gee, this hasn't happened before, has it?

Okay, so maybe at this point in the Mega Man series, the recurring plot wasn't the object of much ire. As a matter of fact, the series was just hitting its stride in this somewhat more somber, yet amazingly action-packed edition from Capcom.

visuals

No matter how redundant the recurring Mega Man sprite itself may be, it'd be a shallow lie to call the graphics in Mega Man 3 anything less than extraordinarily groundbreaking for the NES in its time.

While its contemporaries were still largely swamped in pastel colorforms, the level and character designs here just oozed vibrancy. Not yet bogged down with the pressure of coming up with unique Robot Masters, each was able to retain a true identity of his own without seeming outdated or clichéd. This was also the game that featured the debut of the stylish Proto Man. What was really impressive, of course, were the backgrounds. It seemed that almost every level had sprung to life, something unprecedented for the Famicom's limited animation capabilities. In Gemini Man's stage, for instance, the very blocks Mega Man stood on fluctuated between subdued hues as the webbed lining of the walls eerily glittered behind him.

audio

Bunbun did a stellar job composing the synthesized 4-channel tunes for this game. Each song remains quite memorable even to this very day, being the fodder for countless remixes by avid fans. In particular, the opening and closing theme songs have gone on to become true video game classics, leaving players humming for years. It's unfortunate that with more sequels later on, all the tracks began to run together into a forgettable blur as the franchise became a yearly exercise much in the same style as this era's Tomb Raider.

Sound effects serve their purpose, but remain very limited in scope. There's the repetitive jumping click which, when muted, would seem like it's missing. There's also the classic pellet shooting blip sound and the fan favorite, the enemy impact noise. If I recall correctly, an explosion effect or two are packed in, as well. It works.

gameplay

This game is where the Mega Man formula really started to shine before becoming somewhat tarnished with age. Winding, platforming passageways filled to the brim with baddies made for a truly visceral experience. This is particularly true when the Blue Bomber is low on his energy meter, surrounded by enemies, and in desperate need of making that critical jump over the pit before he's turned into mega squash. Just in the nick of time, he calls his new sidekick Rush down to glide him to safety courtesy of the Rush Jet. Or alternatively, a second player or multi-talented first player could hold down the A Button on Controller 2 while Mega Man hurtles into a bottomless pit, only to lose all his energy and go on living as he walks on the bottom of the pit. When he jumps, it's a mighty bound that would make Superman jealous! Mega Man takes no damage, but can still fall down a pit when A is released or if he comes into contact with spikes.

Spikes seem to kill robots. Did we ever figure out why?

Just when players think the game is wrapped up when all 8 levels are cleared, another 4 are presented on the stage select screen. Yet another robot has smashed up half of the initial levels, running the routines of its predecessors from Mega Man 2. Now, where would an evil robot get the attack patterns of Dr. Wily's old creations? Hmm...

This game, in my opinion, represents the pinnacle of gameplay in Capcom's original Mega Man series.

multiplayer

None, unless one counts the holding-down-A trick. Talk about replay value!

overall

Sure, the milk might've spoiled over time as The Big C left it out in the sun too long, but games in this series remain among the most sought-after by players. The latter games simply remain overshadowed by the old-fashioned boss-blasting action of Mega Man 3. It comes highly recommended.

9.4/10