4/5 ★ – isolate_connect's review of Mega Man 3.

Mega Man games are always daunting to me in the beginning. You don’t know which boss to tackle first, which bosses are weak to what, and which enemies can be easily dispatched with what weapon. Figuring them out requires a lot of trial and error and it was exhilarating trying out new things when I rented 2 and owned X as a kid. That process is an archaic mechanic, but thankfully, in 2022 you can look up a boss order which allows for some experimentation while keeping some of the frustration out of the game. Nerds around the globe have always argued, Mega Man 2 or Mega Man 3. I replayed both in 2022 and I can confidently say that 2 is a better game than 3, but 3 is awesome in its own right. The biggest thing 3 has going for it is the slide mechanic, which makes Mega Man faster and more evasive. Another benefit people cite is that Mega Man 3 has four extra stages that feature some of the bosses from Mega Man 2. I found those stages to be less memorable than the main ones though, and they didn’t add much to the overall experience in my opinion. I like Mega Man 2’s items just a smidge better than 3’s. Mega Man’s music hits a smidge harder as well. All that to say Mega Man 3 is easily a top 25 NES game and the two games greatness is a testament to Capcom’s winning streak on the NES.