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Mega Man 3, known as Rockman 3 in Japan, is widely considered to be one of the best games in the Mega Man franchise. There are eight new robot masters to battle named Spark Man, Snake Man, Needle Man, Top Man, Shadow Man, Magnet Man, Gemini Man and Hard Man. There was also the addition of a new move which gave Mega Man the ability to slide, allowing him to reach new places and avoid enemies. The series introduced Mega Man's robotic dog Rush in the second iteration, which replaced the creatively named powerup's "1, 2 and 3" from Mega Man 2. The game removed Rush's ability to create a moving platform on a wall, replacing it with the Rush Submarine. While this new power-up was a welcome addition, Mega Man 3's greatest strength was its complex and challenging boss fights. The game had a few good twists, such as once defeating the eight new robot masters one had to go defeat the original eight robot masters from Mega Man 2 in a powered up state. That wasn't all though; after beating Dr. Wily in his castle one assumes it's the end. Surprise! The Dr. Wily was a fake so one must to go through another level and battle him again! This makes it the longest NES Mega Man games.
Mega Man 3 finds the blue bomber battling more robots, and yes, more Dr Wily. Mega Man's newly introduced robot dog, Rush, helps Mega Man to traverse impassable obstacles, while the mysterious Protoman tests Mega Man's metal.
Overview
Title Screen
Mega Man 3 is the first Mega Man game to feature Mega Man's brothers, Protoman.
Series creator Keiji Inafune considers this to be one of his least favorite Mega Man games, in part because of the slide maneuver.
The story takes place in the year 200X, when a reformed and nice Dr.Wily has set out to work on project "Gamma," a peace keeping robot, with Dr.Light. Unfortunately, the eight robot masters the two had built to maintain Gamma go berserk, and take off with the power crystals. Mega Man is called once again to save the day, retrieving each crystal from one of eight mining planets deep in space.
Mega Man 3 retains the gameplay formula the Mega Man games are so well known for. The player can choose to take on the eight robot masters in any order they choose. Each robot master is weak to another's special weapon, and it is up to the player to experiment and discover what will best work against his foes. Mega Man begins with only his mega buster weapon, but as he progresses, he wil earn new weapons from each robot master that he defeats. Mega Man 3 is also known for the addition of the slide move, which became a staple of later iterations. The game also introduces a new Rush power, the Rush sub, which allows Mega Man to travel through water. Unlike the previous game, you begin with the Rush Coil.
Below are the Robot Masters unique to Mega Man 3. Like all classic Mega Man games, Mega Man gains each robot master's weapon when they are defeated. In an oddity for the series, the vulnerability relationships in Mega Man 3 aren't entirely circular: That is, there is not one solitary sequence for defeating the robot masters from beginning to end with the luxury of having the appropriate weapon on you (past the first fight). In other words, at some point even after your first boss fight, you will have to walk into a robot master encounter with a sub-optimal weapon. Note that in Dr. Wily's castle you encounter 8 additional Robot Masters from Mega Man 2 but they do not have full stages and you cannot use their weapons.
Weak Against : Hard Knuckle
Main attacks: Top Man will throw out multiple tops that hover in the air before zoning in on Mega Man in a straight line. He will then spin (pirouette, really) and propel himself across the screen at Mega Man.
Weapon : Top Spin - Used by jumping and using the weapon in mid air. Mega Man will spin like a top and damage any enemy he hits. Color Scheme: Grey and Pink
Weak Against : Magnet Missiles
Main attacks: Hard Man will throw out consecutive Hard Knuckles that angle towards Mega Man. He will also leap high into the air; upon crashing down, he will cause an enormous quake that will stun Mega Man if he's on the ground when it occurs.
Weapon : Hard Knuckle - Shoots a fist-shaped missile that moves slowly, but does big damage. Can destroy certain walls. Color Scheme: Navy Blue and Grey
Weak Against : Shadow Blade
Main attacks: Spark Man will leap around and try to body you. He also generates a large spark and tosses it in your general direction. His lair is not flat, making it difficult to avoid him.
Weapon : Spark Shock - Fires a large ball of electricity. Easy to use because of the large size of the projectiles. Color Scheme: Salmon and White
Weak Against : Search Snake
Main attacks: Gemini Man will split in two, and the pair will work in a quasi-juggling pattern: one running along the ground from left to right, trying to body Mega Man, and one leaping in the air from right to left. When the airborne clone hits the ground, the two exchange roles. The Gemini Man clones will also eventually merge and the one will fire his reflective Gemini Laser.
Weapon : Gemini Laser - Fires a blue laser that can bounce off walls. Can continue after hitting an opponent and hit more than once. Color Scheme: Light Blue and White
Weak Against : Gemini Laser
Main attacks: Needle Man leaps high in the air and fires off consecutive needles at different points during his descent. He will also thrust his needle-ridden "hair" your way.
Weapon : Needle Cannon - Fire a barrage of needles. Can rapid fire by holding down the fire button. Color Scheme: Brown and White
Weak Against : Spark Shock
Main attacks: Magnet Man leaps high in the air and fires off consecutive magnet missiles, which take a right angle downwards depending on where you're standing at the time. He will also attempt to pull you into his magnetic field to cause massive damage.
Weapon : Magnet Missiles - Shoots a magnet that can move up or down to "track" enemies to a certain degree. Color Scheme: Red and Grey
Weak Against : Top Spin
Main attacks: Shadow Man uses a combination of short hops, high jumps and slides to body you. He will also throw out his Shadow Blades at seemingly random intervals.
Weapon : Shadow Blade - Shoots a ninja star that goes straight but boomerangs back. Limited range, but can be fired up or down as well as forwards. Color Scheme - Purple and Lilac
Weak Against : Needle Cannon
Main attacks: Snake Man will fire off several Search Snakes that probe the ground and walls, making it difficult for Mega Man to maneuver around Snake Man's angular lair. At the same time, Snake Man will use the make-up of his lair to jump around and attempt to body Mega Man.
Weapon : Search Snake - Shoots a snake-like projectile that travels along the floor. Can even move up or down walls. Color Scheme - Green and White
In addition to the Robot Master's weapons, Mega Man can summon the robotic dog "Rush". Rush can perform a variety of tasks to aid Mega Man, effectively taking the place of the items from previous Mega Man games.
Visual / Aural Odds and Ends
Story
Stage Select
At the same time, Mega Man's brother and Dr.Light's first creation, Proto Man, has returned after an entire year in hiding, hoping to train Mega Man on a number of stages, preparing him for the fight ahead. His final appearance as a foe in the game comes before the Wily levels, when he shows up as "Break Man."
Mega Man takes on each of the eight robot masters, then returns four of their realms later to defeat reincarnations of the robot masters from Mega Man 2. Once he has done this, he returns to Dr.Light's lab, where Dr.Light informs him that Dr.Wily has stolen Gamma! Mega Man takes off to face Gamma, defeats Gamma and Dr.Wily. Just before the roof collapses and crushes him, he is taken to safety by Protoman.
Gameplay
A Wily Stage
Each stage in the game employs a variety of new obstacles which Mega Man must conquer. These include low walls that must be slid under, tricky jumps, and the infamous disappearing block sections.
Mega Man 3 is host to an interesting glitch in which Mega Man can leap the height of the entire screen if you plugged in a second NES controller and held down RIGHT on its d-pad. The actual jumping ability was probably a hidden cheat; the actual glitch comes in when you die by falling into a bottomless pit. With proper timing, you could then attempt to jump out of the pit using the cheat, sending Mega Man back into the playing field with a completely empty life bar. The result is an invincible Mega Man; while he still reels back from contact, he is able to take an infinite amount of punishment in this condition. Two caveats: (a) Mega Man can no longer fire off his Mega buster, and must make use of his nemeses' weaponry--and if he is out of "ammo" in this condition, he's practically useless on the offensive end; (b) Mega Man is still vulnerable to spikes.
Mega Man 3 is host to an interesting glitch in which Mega Man can leap the height of the entire screen if you plugged in a second NES controller and held down RIGHT on its d-pad. The actual jumping ability was probably a hidden cheat; the actual glitch comes in when you die by falling into a bottomless pit. With proper timing, you could then attempt to jump out of the pit using the cheat, sending Mega Man back into the playing field with a completely empty life bar. The result is an invincible Mega Man; while he still reels back from contact, he is able to take an infinite amount of punishment in this condition. Two caveats: (a) Mega Man can no longer fire off his Mega buster, and must make use of his nemeses' weaponry--and if he is out of "ammo" in this condition, he's practically useless on the offensive end; (b) Mega Man is still vulnerable to spikes.
Robot Masters
Below are the Robot Masters unique to Mega Man 3. Like all classic Mega Man games, Mega Man gains each robot master's weapon when they are defeated. In an oddity for the series, the vulnerability relationships in Mega Man 3 aren't entirely circular: That is, there is not one solitary sequence for defeating the robot masters from beginning to end with the luxury of having the appropriate weapon on you (past the first fight). In other words, at some point even after your first boss fight, you will have to walk into a robot master encounter with a sub-optimal weapon. Note that in Dr. Wily's castle you encounter 8 additional Robot Masters from Mega Man 2 but they do not have full stages and you cannot use their weapons.
Top Man
Top Man
Main attacks: Top Man will throw out multiple tops that hover in the air before zoning in on Mega Man in a straight line. He will then spin (pirouette, really) and propel himself across the screen at Mega Man.
Weapon : Top Spin - Used by jumping and using the weapon in mid air. Mega Man will spin like a top and damage any enemy he hits. Color Scheme: Grey and Pink
Hard Man
Hard Man
Weak Against : Magnet Missiles
Hard Man
Main attacks: Hard Man will throw out consecutive Hard Knuckles that angle towards Mega Man. He will also leap high into the air; upon crashing down, he will cause an enormous quake that will stun Mega Man if he's on the ground when it occurs.
Weapon : Hard Knuckle - Shoots a fist-shaped missile that moves slowly, but does big damage. Can destroy certain walls. Color Scheme: Navy Blue and Grey
Spark Man
Spark Man
Main attacks: Spark Man will leap around and try to body you. He also generates a large spark and tosses it in your general direction. His lair is not flat, making it difficult to avoid him.
Weapon : Spark Shock - Fires a large ball of electricity. Easy to use because of the large size of the projectiles. Color Scheme: Salmon and White
Gemini Man
Gemini Man
Gemini Man
Gemini Man's stage
Main attacks: Gemini Man will split in two, and the pair will work in a quasi-juggling pattern: one running along the ground from left to right, trying to body Mega Man, and one leaping in the air from right to left. When the airborne clone hits the ground, the two exchange roles. The Gemini Man clones will also eventually merge and the one will fire his reflective Gemini Laser.
Weapon : Gemini Laser - Fires a blue laser that can bounce off walls. Can continue after hitting an opponent and hit more than once. Color Scheme: Light Blue and White
Needle Man
Needle Man
Main attacks: Needle Man leaps high in the air and fires off consecutive needles at different points during his descent. He will also thrust his needle-ridden "hair" your way.
Weapon : Needle Cannon - Fire a barrage of needles. Can rapid fire by holding down the fire button. Color Scheme: Brown and White
Magnet Man
Magnet Man
Weak Against : Spark Shock
Magnet Man
Main attacks: Magnet Man leaps high in the air and fires off consecutive magnet missiles, which take a right angle downwards depending on where you're standing at the time. He will also attempt to pull you into his magnetic field to cause massive damage.
Magnet Man's stage
Shadow Man
Shadow Man
Main attacks: Shadow Man uses a combination of short hops, high jumps and slides to body you. He will also throw out his Shadow Blades at seemingly random intervals.
Weapon : Shadow Blade - Shoots a ninja star that goes straight but boomerangs back. Limited range, but can be fired up or down as well as forwards. Color Scheme - Purple and Lilac
Snake Man
Snake Man
Main attacks: Snake Man will fire off several Search Snakes that probe the ground and walls, making it difficult for Mega Man to maneuver around Snake Man's angular lair. At the same time, Snake Man will use the make-up of his lair to jump around and attempt to body Mega Man.
Weapon : Search Snake - Shoots a snake-like projectile that travels along the floor. Can even move up or down walls. Color Scheme - Green and White
Items
In addition to the Robot Master's weapons, Mega Man can summon the robotic dog "Rush". Rush can perform a variety of tasks to aid Mega Man, effectively taking the place of the items from previous Mega Man games.
- Rush Coil: Rush becomes a spring board that will launch Mega Man into the air. Available from the start.
- Rush Marine: Rush becomes a submarine that Mega Man can enter and use to traverse bodies of water. Obtained after defeating Shadow Man.
- Rush Jet: Rush becomes a jet board that Mega Man can ride to traverse large pits. Obtained after defeating Needle Man.
Visual / Aural Odds and Ends
- Mega Man 3 changed the sound effect, in relation to its predecessors, that plays when Mega Man lands on the ground from a jump or a fall.
- Mega Man 3 changed the sound effect, in relation to its predecessors, that plays when Mega Man is hit.
- Mega Man 3 changed the sound effect and appearance, in relation to its predecessors, of Mega Man's explosion--as well as those of other robot masters--upon death. The "bubbles" that burst outward travel faster, and sport a cleaner, larger look. In addition, defeated robot masters explode with the same white bursts as Mega Man does; in previous games, those bursts are tinged with the color scheme of the robot master.
- Mega Man 3 increased the speed at which Mega Man climbed ladders from its predecessors.
- Mega Man 3 used a very slightly abrasive sound effect for recharging life meters from its predecessors.
- Mega Man 3 changed the way Mega Man's mega-buster shots collided with boss characters. In previous entries, the sound effects were employed such that Mega Man's shots wouldn't register as a "hit" while the boss character's hit burst appeared on the screen. (About the "hit burst": every time you hit a robot master with a shot, a white flash would emanate from its body, indicating a successful hit.) In Mega Man 3, the sound effects made it sound as if every shot you fired came in contact with a robot master, instead of having some shots "pass through."
| Game Name | Mega Man 3 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Developer(s) | |
| Genres |
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| Themes |
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| Original US Release |
Nov. 10, 1990
need a fuzzy date? |
| Original US Release |
November
1990 know the real date? |
| Aliases |
Rockman Complete Works: Rockman 3: Dr. Wily's Time to Die!? Rockman 3: Dr. Wily's Time to Die!? |
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