This article is about the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Famicom game. For the Game Boy game, see
Mega Man III (Game Boy).
Mega Man 3 (ロックマン3 Dr.ワイリーの最期!?, Rokkuman Surī Dokutā Wairī no Saigo!??, lit. Rockman 3: The End of Dr. Wily!?) is a platform video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third part of the original Mega Man series. The game was released on September 28, 1990 in Japan with North American and European releases later in 1990 and 1992, respectively. In Mega Man 3, the titular hero helps his creator and a former villain collect parts for a peace-keeping robot by defeating several Robot Masters.
Following the success of Mega Man 2, the game has sold over one million copies since its release and has become a fan favorite.[5] Like other titles in the series, Mega Man 3 has been re-released a number of times as part of various Mega Man compilations, and has most recently made its way to the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console.
In North America, this was the first Mega Man game on the NES to feature "traditional" cover art of the characters on the box, as opposed to the adult men on the first two games.
Story
In the year 200X Dr. Wily claims to have reformed and works with Dr. Light on a project to build a peace-keeping robot named "Gamma." However, the eight Robot Masters that the two scientists had designed in order to help maintain peace go berserk and make off with the eight power crystals. Once again, Mega Man is called into action, this time with a trusty canine companion named Rush, to go after them and retrieve the crystals located on various mining planets in space.[6]
After retrieving the crystals from the various Robot Masters, Wily steals Gamma. Mega Man goes to Wily's new Skull Compound destroys Gamma, who is under the control of Dr. Wily. Upon defeating him, the fortress begins to destabilize. Parts of the ceiling fall on Mega Man and Wily, Proto Man appears and rescues Mega Man. Wily is left under the rubble.
When he awakes, he finds himself in Dr. Light's lab. Dr. Light explains that he found Mega Man lying there when he came in. He then wonders aloud who brought Mega Man there, but while speaking he is interrupted by a familiar whistle, leaving no doubt in either Mega Man or Dr. Light's mind who was responsible for saving Mega Man. Dr. Light shows Mega Man a notebook that is filled with Dr. Light's robot designs including Roll, Mega Man, and Proto Man, the prototype master robot and Mega Man's elder brother.
Gameplay
Mega Man and Rush in Top Man's Stage. Mega Man is seen using his slide ability.
Mega Man 3 is a platform and action game. The player controls Mega Man as he traverses eight stages to defeat the bosses, Dr. Wily's Robot Masters: Magnet Man, Hard Man, Top Man, Shadow Man, Spark Man, Snake Man, Gemini Man, and Needle Man.[7] Each Robot Master features a unique weapon and stage related the their weapon's power. After defeating a boss, their signature weapon becomes available to the player.[8] The Robot Masters have weaknesses to the weapons of certain other Robot Masters; therefore, choosing the order in which the levels are played is a vital component of the gameplay. After completing certain stages, Mega Man can access new abilities in his robot dog companion, Rush.[9]
After defeating the eight Robot Masters, the player must revisit four of the Robot Master stages.[7] The stages' layouts are changed in the second version, and the player must defeat two Doc Robot bosses (dokuroboto, literally "skull robot"), which take on the abilities of the Robot Masters of Mega Man 2. Throughout the various stages, the player encounters Proto Man, an enemy with a similar physique and weapon to Mega Man. Upon defeating Proto Man, the player can continue through the stage. Mega Man has a final battle with Proto Man (disguised as Break Man) immediately after defeating the eight Doc Robot bosses.
After the battle with Break Man, the player proceeds to Dr. Wily's fortress, which consists of six levels that are played linearly. As in the first two titles, the player is required to fight each Robot Master a second time in Dr. Wily's fortress. As in Mega Man 2, Mega Man selects his opponent by entering teleportation devices that lead to each Robot Master. The devices can be entered in any order, but are not labeled. Once the bosses are defeated again, the player must fight Dr. Wily and finally fight Gamma, the peace keeping machine.
A password system is used to allow the player to return to the game at a later time with any Robot Masters defeated.[10] This is the first Mega Man game in the series to feature the ability to slide, remaining an important ability in most later installments. This is also the first game to feature Rush, Mega Man's canine companion, who replaces the special movement tools from Mega Man 2.
Audio
The soundtrack for Mega Man 3 was composed by Yasuaki Fujita, better known as Bun Bun. The soundtrack has been highly acclaimed, and is popular among Mega Man fans.
| 1. |
"Opening" |
|
| 2. |
"Password" |
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| 3. |
"Title (The End of Dr Wily ?)" |
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| 4. |
"Stage Select" |
|
| 5. |
"Giant Power Plant (Spark Man)" |
|
| 6. |
"Magnetic Generator (Magnet Man)" |
|
| 7. |
"Mirror Cavern (Gemini Man)" |
|
| 8. |
"Rocky Plateau (Hard Man)" |
|
| 9. |
"Spinning Greenhouse (Top Man)" |
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| 10. |
"Snake Tower (Snake Man)" |
|
| 11. |
"Sewer System (Shadow Man)" |
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| 12. |
"Construction Site (Needle Man)" |
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| 13. |
"Boss" |
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| 14. |
"Get a Weapon" |
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| 15. |
"Dr. Wily Theme" |
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| 16. |
"Wily's Skull Castle (Dr. Wily Stage 1)" |
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| 17. |
"Wily's Skull Fortress (Dr. Wily Stage 2)" |
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| 18. |
"Wily's Skull Tower (Dr. Wily Stage 3)" |
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| 19. |
"Dr. Wily Stage Boss" |
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| 20. |
"Whistle Concert (Ending)" |
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| 21. |
"Staff Roll" |
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Reception and legacy
Since its 1990 release, Mega Man 3 has sold over one million copies worldwide.[5]
Edward J. Semrad, an editor for Electronic Gaming Monthly and columnist for The Milwaukee Journal, gave Mega Man 3 a perfect score, noting good graphics and challenging gameplay.[11] The game was reviewed in 1991 in Dragon #168 by Patricia Hartley and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 3 out of 5 stars.[12]
Re-releases
Shortly after its release, Mega Man 3 was included as part of Nintendo's PlayChoice-10 arcade systems.[13] Mega Man 3 was re-released alongside its two predecessors on Sega Mega Drive game Mega Man: The Wily Wars and featured updated graphics and sound. Mega Man 3 was released on the Sony PlayStation in the Rockman Complete Works line in 1999, which featured remixed music and added features. The game was also a part of a compilation of ten titles in the series called Mega Man Anniversary Collection, which was released for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube in 2004, and the Xbox in 2005. In 2008, Mega Man 3 was re-released by Capcom on mobile phones in North America and on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console worldwide.[1][2][3][4]
Notes
- ^ a b Buchanan, Levi (October 27, 2008). "Mega Man 3 Mobile Review". IGN. http://wireless.ign.com/articles/924/924154p1.html. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- ^ a b "Wii" (in Japanese). Nintendo. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/fc.html. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ^ a b "Two WiiWare Games and One Virtual Console Game Added to Wii Shop Channel". Nintendo. 2008-11-10. http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/UIu1VJEn-pwWGnHLeS8kKvUo-G4zzW1H. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ a b Whincup, Nathan (November 16, 2008). "News: Mega Man, Phantasy Star Hit Virtual Console". N-Europe. http://www.n-europe.com/news.php?nid=12597. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ^ a b "CAPCOM Platinum Titles". Capcom. http://ir.capcom.co.jp/english/business/million.html. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ Capcom (1990), p. 6
- ^ a b Nintendo Power Staff (January 1991). "Mege Man III". Nintendo Power (Nintendo) (20): 8–27.
- ^ Capcom (1990), p. 9-10
- ^ Capcom (1990), p. 11
- ^ Capcom (1990), p. 12
- ^ Semrad, Edward (September 25, 1990). "'Mega Man' as good as they come". The Milwaukee Journal. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JsoPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oYwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5259,3013553&dq=mega-man-3&hl=en. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ^ Hartley, Patricia and Lesser, Kirk (April 1991). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (168): 47-54.
- ^ "NES in the Arcade - Playchoice 10, Vs. Unisystem, Vs. Dualsystem". Gamers Graveyard. http://www.gamersgraveyard.com/repository/nes/history/nes_arcade.html. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
References
External links
