spoonshiro
@spoonshiro.com
Old man gamer, lover of retro games (especially RPGs), computer geek, writer, retired streamer. Guy who's reviewed over 500 RPGs and always hunting for more awesome ones.
https://www.spoonshiro.com
https://www.rpgreats.com
https://www.spoonshiro.com
https://www.rpgreats.com
Guy couldn't even muster the robot Richard Simmons
November 14, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Guy couldn't even muster the robot Richard Simmons
Oh yeah and I also highly recommend checking out the fan edit called "Mega Man 3 Improvement" which fixes a lot of bugs, reintroduces some unused content and even creates a new intro for the game, which is something 3 conspicuously lacked before. High quality stuff!
November 14, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Oh yeah and I also highly recommend checking out the fan edit called "Mega Man 3 Improvement" which fixes a lot of bugs, reintroduces some unused content and even creates a new intro for the game, which is something 3 conspicuously lacked before. High quality stuff!
After the original trilogy Mega Man became an unstoppable force for decades to come, getting several spinoff series and a whole slew of sequels and side games across just about every platform there was. We'll look at some of the oddball entries it received tomorrow.
November 14, 2025 at 12:06 AM
After the original trilogy Mega Man became an unstoppable force for decades to come, getting several spinoff series and a whole slew of sequels and side games across just about every platform there was. We'll look at some of the oddball entries it received tomorrow.
It's also among the easier games in the series, so it makes a good jumping-on point for beginners. It's also a personal favorite of mine for its creative elements and having a bit more balance than its predecessors.
November 14, 2025 at 12:06 AM
It's also among the easier games in the series, so it makes a good jumping-on point for beginners. It's also a personal favorite of mine for its creative elements and having a bit more balance than its predecessors.
Anyway, despite showing some signs of being rushed (including famously leaving some debug/testing commands usable via a second controller), Mega Man 3 is another great game. The formula stays largely intact while introducing some welcome new elements and it's super fun to experience.
November 14, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Anyway, despite showing some signs of being rushed (including famously leaving some debug/testing commands usable via a second controller), Mega Man 3 is another great game. The formula stays largely intact while introducing some welcome new elements and it's super fun to experience.
It gets even more confusing when you find out that Ruby Spears apparently planned to introduce Bass in the third season of the cartoon, but it was canceled before they could. One could only imagine how surreal that would have been!
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 AM
It gets even more confusing when you find out that Ruby Spears apparently planned to introduce Bass in the third season of the cartoon, but it was canceled before they could. One could only imagine how surreal that would have been!
It was theorized that the show's writers just saw the intro to Mega Man 5 and assumed he was a villain, despite it becoming clear by the end that he was being impersonated by a villainous robot called Dark Man.
But then Dark Man showed up in the second season of the show too...
But then Dark Man showed up in the second season of the show too...
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 AM
It was theorized that the show's writers just saw the intro to Mega Man 5 and assumed he was a villain, despite it becoming clear by the end that he was being impersonated by a villainous robot called Dark Man.
But then Dark Man showed up in the second season of the show too...
But then Dark Man showed up in the second season of the show too...
He was also famously the secondary antagonist of the '90s Ruby Spears cartoon, which was a bit odd. He had little interest in Wily's schemes in the show, mostly just wanting to prove he was superior to Mega Man; which is a bit more in line with Bass from the later games.
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 AM
He was also famously the secondary antagonist of the '90s Ruby Spears cartoon, which was a bit odd. He had little interest in Wily's schemes in the show, mostly just wanting to prove he was superior to Mega Man; which is a bit more in line with Bass from the later games.
A pretty good twist, if I do say so myself. It also leaves it ambiguous whether he's a friend or a foe, though in Mega Man 4 it becomes clear that he's more of an antihero, not evil but resenting Dr. Light for his flawed design as well as "replacing" him with Mega Man.
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 AM
A pretty good twist, if I do say so myself. It also leaves it ambiguous whether he's a friend or a foe, though in Mega Man 4 it becomes clear that he's more of an antihero, not evil but resenting Dr. Light for his flawed design as well as "replacing" him with Mega Man.
We then see an ending sequence with Mega Man in a field as a small notebook flips by in the bottom of the screen, showing off the original line of Robot Masters, Roll (002) and Rock (001). On the last page we see that his words are true - there's Protoman, Number 000.
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 AM
We then see an ending sequence with Mega Man in a field as a small notebook flips by in the bottom of the screen, showing off the original line of Robot Masters, Roll (002) and Rock (001). On the last page we see that his words are true - there's Protoman, Number 000.
The mystery 'bot shows up, teleporting Mega Man to safety but seemingly missing Wily (or leaving him for dead). Dr. Light wonders who it could have been who saved him, then hears the distinctive whistle, recognizing it as his first creation, Protoman.
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 AM
The mystery 'bot shows up, teleporting Mega Man to safety but seemingly missing Wily (or leaving him for dead). Dr. Light wonders who it could have been who saved him, then hears the distinctive whistle, recognizing it as his first creation, Protoman.
If you're feeling lucky you can also rev up the Top Spin for the second phase and aim straight for the glass Wily's behind; if all goes well it'll score a one-hit kill on him.
Gamma is a load-bearing boss, though, so the ceiling caves in, burying Mega Man and Wily in Rubble.
Gamma is a load-bearing boss, though, so the ceiling caves in, burying Mega Man and Wily in Rubble.
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 AM
If you're feeling lucky you can also rev up the Top Spin for the second phase and aim straight for the glass Wily's behind; if all goes well it'll score a one-hit kill on him.
Gamma is a load-bearing boss, though, so the ceiling caves in, burying Mega Man and Wily in Rubble.
Gamma is a load-bearing boss, though, so the ceiling caves in, burying Mega Man and Wily in Rubble.
Then you get to face down Wily, now using Gamma as his personal war machine. The first form is vulnerable to Hard Knuckles or Shadow Blades (though you may need to use Rush for the latter), while the latter is vulnerable to Search Snakes, which are a pain to hit with.
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Then you get to face down Wily, now using Gamma as his personal war machine. The first form is vulnerable to Hard Knuckles or Shadow Blades (though you may need to use Rush for the latter), while the latter is vulnerable to Search Snakes, which are a pain to hit with.
The first Wily fight is this weird... Crab? Thing with giant pins for legs. The turret is vulnerable to Spark Shocks, and then once the dome is exposed, shoot at it with the Hard Knuckle.
Soon Wily surrenders... Or not. It's a decoy, tee hee.
Soon Wily surrenders... Or not. It's a decoy, tee hee.
November 13, 2025 at 10:26 PM
The first Wily fight is this weird... Crab? Thing with giant pins for legs. The turret is vulnerable to Spark Shocks, and then once the dome is exposed, shoot at it with the Hard Knuckle.
Soon Wily surrenders... Or not. It's a decoy, tee hee.
Soon Wily surrenders... Or not. It's a decoy, tee hee.
Then we see a couple of old tricks from Mega Man 1 - the Yellow Devil returns with a new trick where he shuffles across the screen all at once in a giant wave, and then there's three clones of Mega Man who teleport around and shoot at you.
Hard Knuckle for one, Search Snakes for the other.
Hard Knuckle for one, Search Snakes for the other.
November 13, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Then we see a couple of old tricks from Mega Man 1 - the Yellow Devil returns with a new trick where he shuffles across the screen all at once in a giant wave, and then there's three clones of Mega Man who teleport around and shoot at you.
Hard Knuckle for one, Search Snakes for the other.
Hard Knuckle for one, Search Snakes for the other.
The first boss is a machine that generates turtle robots; you'd think the machine itself would be the target, but nope, you just have to take them out one by one; preferably before they jump out of their shells and move super fast.
Shadow Blade takes em out pretty efficiently.
Shadow Blade takes em out pretty efficiently.
November 13, 2025 at 10:22 PM
The first boss is a machine that generates turtle robots; you'd think the machine itself would be the target, but nope, you just have to take them out one by one; preferably before they jump out of their shells and move super fast.
Shadow Blade takes em out pretty efficiently.
Shadow Blade takes em out pretty efficiently.
Wily's also built another fortress while you were busy. He may not ever have succeeded in conquering the world but he could have made a killing in the construction business.
November 13, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Wily's also built another fortress while you were busy. He may not ever have succeeded in conquering the world but he could have made a killing in the construction business.
You fight him again (in Hard Man's level of all places) but he's not any tougher that time either.
And then you finally return home to find that it was all a setup and Dr. Wily has absconded with Gamma. What a twist!
And then you finally return home to find that it was all a setup and Dr. Wily has absconded with Gamma. What a twist!
November 13, 2025 at 9:40 PM
You fight him again (in Hard Man's level of all places) but he's not any tougher that time either.
And then you finally return home to find that it was all a setup and Dr. Wily has absconded with Gamma. What a twist!
And then you finally return home to find that it was all a setup and Dr. Wily has absconded with Gamma. What a twist!
Once all four stages are cleared again the center panel changes and we confront "Break Man"; our old friend again, now wearing a mask with one glowing eye for no readily apparent reason.
There are unused animation frames of him transforming to wear it, interestingly enough.
There are unused animation frames of him transforming to wear it, interestingly enough.
November 13, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Once all four stages are cleared again the center panel changes and we confront "Break Man"; our old friend again, now wearing a mask with one glowing eye for no readily apparent reason.
There are unused animation frames of him transforming to wear it, interestingly enough.
There are unused animation frames of him transforming to wear it, interestingly enough.
This may have been the result of the game's rushed state; they didn't have time to make graphics for new levels and bosses so they just made one boss with eight patterns and stuck him in tweaked versions of existing stages.
Well they did a lot with a little; I think these stages are fun and clever.
Well they did a lot with a little; I think these stages are fun and clever.
November 13, 2025 at 7:39 PM
This may have been the result of the game's rushed state; they didn't have time to make graphics for new levels and bosses so they just made one boss with eight patterns and stuck him in tweaked versions of existing stages.
Well they did a lot with a little; I think these stages are fun and clever.
Well they did a lot with a little; I think these stages are fun and clever.
The stages are also considerably tougher the second time through, with more spike pits, different layouts and, in Needle Man's case, a giant pit you have to fly over with Rush Jet while avoiding enemies.
Figuring out what MM3 weapons work on MM2's bosses is also a pretty clever turn.
Figuring out what MM3 weapons work on MM2's bosses is also a pretty clever turn.
November 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM
The stages are also considerably tougher the second time through, with more spike pits, different layouts and, in Needle Man's case, a giant pit you have to fly over with Rush Jet while avoiding enemies.
Figuring out what MM3 weapons work on MM2's bosses is also a pretty clever turn.
Figuring out what MM3 weapons work on MM2's bosses is also a pretty clever turn.