Mega Man 3

aka: Mega Man III, Rockman 3: Dr. Wily no Saigo!?, Rockman 3: Dr. Wily's Time to Die!?, Rockman Complete Works: Rockman 3: Dr. Wily's Time to Die!?
Moby ID: 1558
NES Specs
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Description official descriptions

Mega Man 3 is a traditional side-scrolling platformer: you jump from brick to brick while avoiding pits and shooting robots. It's quite similar, in all respects, to other Mega Man games; however, this is the first time that you get a sidekick. It's also the first time you're allowed to slide instead of merely walking.

Rush is your dog who helps out by offering other modes of transportation when you need it. He starts out with the 'Rush Coil' ability to launch you to the top of the screen like a springboard; later he acquires the 'Rush Jet' ability to turn into a guided, floating platform to carry you wherever you need to go; and he also gets the 'Rush Marine' ability which is a submarine that works just like the jet except underwater and with the added ability to hop around out of the water (you can actually jump while on the jet but the jet continues to hover beneath you whereas you stay inside the submarine). All of these abilities function just like boss weapons.

When you defeat the boss at the end of a level you gain his power - or at least a similar power. You may pause the game at any time and switch to any single power you have. It supplants your regular Arm Cannon with a limited - but superior - ability. The weapon ammo is displayed next to your energy meter. There are eight of these, corresponding to the eight main levels, even though there are twenty-one levels in the entire game.

Enemies will often supply you with both energy and ammo refills. You can also collect Energy Tanks which can only be used once but will entirely restore your health. You start the game with three lives. Other features include Surprise Boxes lying around for you to find. There are infinite continues and a password feature to resume play at the beginning of any level.

Spellings

  • ロックマン3 Dr.ワイリーの最期!? - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (NES version)

60 People (21 developers, 39 thanks) · View all

Needle Man Design
Magnet Man Design
Gemini Man Design
Hard Man Design
Top Man Design
Snake Man Design
Spark Man Design
Shadow Man Design
Character Designer
Sound Compose
Programmer
Planner
Sub Planning
Special Thanks
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 86% (based on 38 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 126 ratings with 6 reviews)

The climax of Megaman Gameplay/Design on NES

The Good
I bought this game the second it came out! Man, it seems like yesterday. Here is what Mega Man 3 added:

-Rush the dog!-

Instead of the three 'special items' you had in Mega Man 2, you would 'upgrade' Rush (a robotic dog you could summon). At the beginning, Rush has a spring that Mega Man can use to jump really high. The upgrades includes the Rush Jet, which improves over the jet sled before as you can guide it up or down, and the Rush Sub, which is a Submarine Rush that Mega Man can pilot underwater.

-Proto-man-

In the middle of various stages, whistles would be heard and Proto-man would appear. After taking enough hits, he would run off. His addition to the game is mind-boggling but interesting nonetheless.

-Slide-

Mega Man now can slide! It is a nice addition and very useful during boss fights.

-Mega Man 2 bosses return-

When you defeat the 8 bosses of Mega Man 3, something strange happens. The corner bosses get replaced with four new bosses. When you play these stages, they are identical to the bosses that were there (Gemini Man, Needle Man, Spark Man, and Shadow Man). However, they are much darker in tone and the level, though similar and familiar, are changed. They are completely new levels but seem like an evil presence had smashed and rearranged the previous boss's level to his own liking. It's a very nice effect.

Two of the eight Mega Man 2 bosses are in each level. It is fun to use Mega Man 3 weapons and your new slide against them!

-Control-

This game's control somehow surpassed Mega Man 2's and is the best of the NES series.

-Kept doing things right-

It kept all of the things that Mega Man 2 did right. The music, the graphics, the unique levels (from Magnet Man's magnets sucking you around to shooting through hundreds of bubbles in Gemini Man's stage), to the classic gameplay.

-Content-

This game is the longest of content of the NES Mega Man games. It is just another plus as to why this game is so good.

The Bad
The game is much darker than Mega Man 2. A dark introduction rather than the energetic upbeat one in Mega Man 2. The levels are considerably darker in tone as well. The four levels that follow the bosses are considerably dark. The game lacks its 'happy pace' of Mega Man 2. Not that this is considerably bad. It just makes Mega Man 3 less charming than Mega Man 2.

The game also isn't consistent as Mega Man 2. There are parts of the game that become frustrating and a little bit boring.

The Bottom Line
This game cemented Mega Man as a franchise. The following NES titles are solid but do not match the design/gameplay heights that the third incarnation achieved. Mega Man 3 is the title that is the critics' favorite.

NES · by Jonathan Hollas (24) · 2005

Mega Cool

The Good
Mega Man 3 takes everything that was great about the first two games and improves upon them, creating one of the best Mega Man games in the franchise as well as one of the best games for the 8-bit Nintendo. The graphics, music and sound effects have all been improved without losing the original look and feel of the game. The game itself is longer, with a more complex story, that develops the characters. Mega Man not only has his trusty laser cannon, but new weapons and devices to use on his large, science fiction, anime themed quest. The ability to slide is highly helpful as is your new robot dog.

The Bad
Mega Man 3 suffers from a few minor complaints that were typical of even the best of 8-bit games. Getting hit by a minor enemy frequently pushes Mega Man back, sometimes into the instant death of spikes or a bottomless hole. While the storyline was a great improvement from the previous games, no self-respecting gamer could believe that evil Dr. Wily was reformed.

The Bottom Line
Mega Man 3 demonstrated the full hardware power of the 8-bit Nintendo, as well as the ability of Capcom to produce a superior sequel.

NES · by ETJB (428) · 2010

A true classic!

The Good
The thing I liked about this game was the style of gameplay, and the great music score of this game. For it's time it had some great gameplay mechanics.. and wonderful presentation of sound and color. I loved the boss battles, the way they had you on the edge of your seat. Characters what I can I say, they're original and very well thought out. The artwork is very nicely done in the form of sprites, and flashing backgrounds really draw you into the gameplay experience.

The Bad
I didn't like the fact that there was absolutely no opening story sequence to this game.. all the story was in the manual, which if you do not have the manual. Or you lost the instruction manual because you no longer thought you needed it, it really takes away from the story of the game.

The Bottom Line
I would describe this game, as a true classic a game with memorable music, and game play. Beautifully put together backgrounds and colorful character design. if you do not have this game, please find it it's a must have for people of all ages and backgrounds. Even if you do not like action platformers, this game offers so much more than just shoot em up and jumping platforms.

NES · by David Bryan (21) · 2007

[ View all 6 player reviews ]

Trivia

Legacy

Rockman 3 marked the appearance of nearly every standard to the Rockman formula: Rush the dog, Rockman's slide, Blues, and the occasional reappearance of old Wily Robots. Just remember though: that's most of the standards. Others like the Teleporter Room (go through eight teleporters and beat all the Wily Robots again) and Rock Buster appeared in Rockman 2 and Rockman 4, respectively.

Music

Harumi Fujita was originally hired to compose the sound for this game, but could only compose the Gemini Man and Magnet Man themes and part of the Staff Roll theme before dropping off the project (and eventually leaving Capcom) to give birth. Her husband Yasuaki was then hired to complete the project. Harumi is credited in Special Thanks as "Mrs. Tarumi".

NES version

In the original NES version of this game, players could access secrets by plugging in a second controller. For example, if the player holds right on the second controller and presses A on the first controller, Mega Man will do a super jump, and if the player holds right on the second controller when falling into a pit, Mega Man won't lose a life. However, these codes cannot be used in the Rockman Complete Works, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, and Mega Man Anniversary Collection versions. The reasons are unclear, but it is likely that this was because a sort of debug mode was accidentally left in the final NES version.

Sales

According to publisher Capcom, Mega Man 3 has sold 1.08 million copies worldwide since its initial release (as of June 30, 2016).

Awards

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
    • October 1990 (Issue 15) - Best Sequel to an Existing GameInformation also contributed by Alexander Michel

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Related Sites +

  • Howard & Nester do Mega Man 3
    A regular feature in Nintendo Power magazine, Howard & Nester was a comic strip about two game whizzes who would one-up each other, while disclosing hints and tips, in the settings of various recently-released games for the NES platform. In Volume 21's two-page installment, our heroes defend themselves (and Rush, the robot dog) from evil clone-robots, thanks to the Needleman boss' weapon.
  • Mega Man Central
    Information on all Mega Man games, including little known titles such as the PC series and Japan only games.
  • OC ReMix Game Profile
    Fan remixes of music from Mega Man 3.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 1558
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Contribute

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Warlock.

PSP, PlayStation 3 added by GTramp. Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Arcade added by Michael Cassidy. BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, Android added by Sciere. DoJa, J2ME added by Kabushi. Wii added by gamewarrior. NES, PlayStation added by Satoshi Kunsai.

Additional contributors: Zovni, Satoshi Kunsai, Jeff Koerner, Alaka, Alexander Michel, gamewarrior, Pseudo_Intellectual, formercontrib, TheAlmightyGuru, CalaisianMindthief, Thomas Thompson, ryanbus84.

Game added June 6, 2000. Last modified November 24, 2023.