new robots, new slide
with hopes to defeat Wily -
bow before Top Spin
Additional Comments:
Time to start the year off right. Besides, I can't believe it's been as long as it has since I dusted off Mega Man 2.
Without a doubt, Mega Man 3 is my all time favorite game in the proper 8-bit Mega Man franchise. In fact, I still consider it my second favorite NES game of all time. Most Mega Man fans may look at me with a crook eye - how could I ever award Mega Man 3 with such accolades when Mega Man 2 is the obvious crown of the series? In my opinion, it's not, though it's great nonetheless. For me, the third installment just did everything right. Mechanics, creativity, and modest improvements without deviating too far from what made the first two games brilliant - well, at least the second game brilliant. And while the fourth installment followed suit...well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The funny thing about the Mega Man series, more so than any other series, is that I've always felt innovation is unwarranted. The series struck gold with its initial idea, refined it with it's sequel, and creamed it out of the park with part three, all while staying relatively true to it's original formula. Six titles - eight if you include Mega Man 9 and 10 (nine if you also include Street Fighter x Mega Man, though it's a stretch on principle), and they're pretty much all the same recycled, hard as balls platforming madness to take down a variety of robot masters and then trek through Wily's Skull Castle making use of all your new found items and power-ups. Yet, unlike any other series, there's something about rehashing the same old stuff over and over again that feels right. I've played very few if any Mega Man games beyond the 8-bit originals because I just can't accept any of the change that has taken place. The games feel off whenever I attempt them. RockMan and Forte may be the only non-8-bit Mega Man game I've ever had confidence in since it attempts to cling to its roots while still branching out into the wild blue yonder with hopeful individuality. Interesting, considering both 7 and 8's obvious voluntary aloofness from the original six while still trying to claim to be "just one of the guys." You're not fooling anyone SNES and/or PlayStation advancements. Point is, unlike most games out there, Mega Man feels so at home recycling the same 8-bit platforming hell over and over again. It's what us old school gamers wanted back in the day and it was only further justified by Capcom's release of Mega Man 9 and 10 years, and I mean years, later.
Looking back, I have two unique memories of Mega Man 3. The first being when I was first introduced to the game, alongside Mega Man 2 and Bad Dudes. I was instantly hooked on all three, but Mega Man 3 is the one that impacted me the most. While differences between Mega Man 2 and 3 are nominal - one could argue Mega Man 2 is far easier, and I for one would make that argument or Mega Man 3's slide brought forth a whole new dynamic to our hero's relatively rigid physics - the driving force behind Mega Man 3's fast lane to fame is the Doc Robot stages. Those stages blew my fucking mind the first time I played them. Not only did they add additional content between the eight robot masters and Dr. Wily's fortress of pain, but they did something that I've always been a fan of: restructuring a level that offers a whole new experience while still maintaining the original intention of the given design to the point where deviations are clearly noticeable, but warranted. Yet, despite any amount of architectural hocus pocus, the original layout can still be seen every step of the way. Better yet, the use of foreshadowing, unbeknownst at the time, is the bees knees. Case in point: the Giant Metalls enclosed in Needle Man's stage eventually become a very real threat later on down the road. The integration of the giant Mets, as decoration in Needle Man's stage and as enemies in Doc Robot's revisited stage cemented my love for the Doc Robot stages. In some respects, they were Mega Man 3's hard mode - reinterpreting what we've already seen but now throwing everything they can forcing us to make full use of Rush and if need be, the various powers we've acquired up to this point. After all, Heat Man is no longer the pushover he used to be. Somebody seriously upgraded their aiming capabilities since our last encounter. Sheesh.
But I've wandered and I've yet to hit on my second intriguing recollection of Mega Man 3 from some 20-odd years ago: the game's inclusion on Video Power. There's very little I remember of the show nowadays (I vaguely recall seeing DuckTales and Paperboy being represented as well; any others and it's a seriously foggy blur), but I remember watching kids struggle through Top Man's stage on multiple occasions, and they all sucked at it. I loved it because one of my newly found favorite NES games was being represented, but I'd always find myself cringing out of frustration as these kids clumsily worked their way through what is easily the most accessible stage in the game. Hmm, no wonder Top Man was always the stage to represent the game. If anything, Mega Man 3, vis-à-vis Top Man, is the sole reason why I even have the slightest memory of Video Power. Otherwise, it'd disappear into a fog of 90s youth.
With that, I've yet to discuss my latest playthough, but then again, there's little to talk about. That is, there's little to say that I haven't said before, either for Mega Man 2, or already remarked here. My latest playthrough neither affected my perceptions of the game negatively nor positively. Seriously? Not even positively? Some may suspect this to be the beginning of Mega Man 3's undoing but I beg to differ. After all, Mega Man 3 is my second favorite NES game of all time; only to be outshone by SMB3. In my view, there's little room for improvement, and to be frank, I doubt I'll ever chance across a game that can dare topple the preeminence of Mario and the mystery of Kuribo's shoe. For me, Mega Man 3 has nothing to prove, so if anything, it can only falter from here on out. And from my latest experience, the game has shown no signs of slowing down. Unlike other faves of yesteryear - games like Dark Cloud and Faxanadu - Mega Man 3 has kept up its end of the bargain all these years later. It's still a tough as nails platformer and still retains all the excitement and pizzazz that it established so long ago. Akin to SMB3 or the Genesis-era Sonic games, it's a game in which I have an unwavering trust knowing that no matter how much time passes, it will still be just as exhilarating as the first time I played it.
My only true takeaway from my latest run is that I've definitely fallen out of practice with the game. Being that it's been roughly 10-12 years since I last played the game seriously, my ability to face each of the robot masters has sadly waned. Unlike Mega Man and Mega Man 2, I failed to tackle each with just the P Buster. Believe me, I tried, and tried, and eventually after so many deaths; seeing their health bars a mere one or two bars away from victory over and over again, I caved. And like I said, even the Doc Robot Mega Man 2 clones upped the ante, or so it seemed. Though I managed all of them much easier than the robot master newcomers. Ah well.
With so little too say other than incessant accolades, I suppose it's only time to move on to the next game, but before I do, it's only proper to give credit to yet another captivating soundtrack from Capcom. It's possible to consider it yet another notch on the belt as to why I feel Mega Man 3 is the pinnacle of the series. Though it's hard to say which game has the truly superior soundtrack: 2 or 3. I believe a worthy case can be made for either, however, the series never retained the sense of aural magnificence thereafter. The following games have some incredible tunes, no doubt about it, but they never had the full package so to say. Instead of memorable melody after memorable melody, the latter games began to suffer from filler. Maybe I'm just not as familiar with them. I doubt it. But on the other hand, classics like Gemini Man Stage, Needle Man Stage (dat bass riff is win!), Snake Man Stage, Wily Fortress 2, and Ending Theme (one of the greatest ending themes mixing solid accomplishment with a sense of relief - the perfect medicine after facing such an incredible challenge) prove the merit of Mega Man 3's incredible soundtrack. Honestly, there isn't a track I could purposely sweep under the rug to help accentuate my claims. Every single track is pure listening gold.
For those looking for an introduction into the world of 8-bit Mega Man, like most people, I'd probably suggest Mega Man 2 mainly because it's the easiest to acclimate a new player into the highly technological world of the Blue Bomber. However, I'd likely do so with a warning saying the Mega Man will properly introduce you into the franchise, but to get the best out of the series, play Mega Man 3. I know many would wholeheartedly disagree with me, seeing that Mega Man 2 continues to be the perennial favorite among gamers, but I've always found it to be merely the perfect predecessor to the title that forces you to put your game face on, and love Capcom for making you do it - even while you try and fake a smile while having to use Hard Knuckle ad nauseum to take out Wily's hardiest of machinery. Could be worse. Could be countless reliance on Top Spin - Mega Man's lamest accoutrement since Time Stopper...or possibly ever.
Nano-Relief:
I'll be damned. That's what Gamma is. For the twenty plus years that I've owned this game, I've unfortunately only ever owned the cartridge and very well may have missed out on any clues from the accompanying manual. As a result, I've been scratching my head over the specifics of Gamma ever since. Thank you, Mega Man Knowledge Base, for finally clearing that up after all these years.
Rating: 5 Junk Golems out of 5*
*Quite possibly the strangest looking creation to ever grace a Mega Man title.
