Mega Man 3: The Robots are Revolting (PC) Playthrough
217A playthrough of Hi Tech Expressions' 1992 action game for Dos PCs, Mega Man 3: The Robots are Revolting.
Mega Man 3 for Dos was the direct sequel to Hi Tech Expressions' Mega Man game released back in 1990 (https://youtu.be/DQVxPuDAcVk), and just like its precursor, Mega Man 3 is an official Mega Man game.
(There was no Mega Man 2 computer game, so it's probably safe to assume that this was called Mega Man 3 in order to capitalize on the popularity of the most recent NES Mega Man game.)
So what does this sequel offer to tantalize prospective customers? Well, according to the box copy:
*Take on nastier and nastier robotic rivals through 7 rapid-fire levels of excitement!
*Blast through a galaxy of mining stations in search of precious energy crystals!
*Call on your Mega Mind to outwit the enemies!
*Demolish the master robots and gain their powers for the final cataclysmic clash!
That's a lot of stuff to cram onto a single floppy disk, and that subtitle is really something else, isn't it? Did nobody at Hi Tech consider how "The Robots are Revolting" could be interpreted two entirely different ways?
But for as easy as it would be to make fun of Mega Man 3, I have to say that I really liked it. It feels a lot like the first game, but the expanded selection of robot masters, the larger level designs, and the improved controls made this one quite a bit more fun. I don't think it gets nearly enough credit for what it pulls off, but if you're going to judge it, try to keep in mind that it wasn't a $45 NES cart. It was a budget release computer game designed to run on a minimally equipped 8088-class machine.
There are six robot masters to fight this time, and I love how their portraits select screen are just awkwardly edited copies of real Mega Man bosses. Shark Man, especially. I'd like to think Snake Man would be proud of what they did with his likeness here.
I'm not usually a fan of games with maze-style stage layouts, but I was pleasantly surprised by the structure and flow of these areas. They're open enough to give the illusion of nonlinearity, but most of them flow naturally enough that you won't get lost too often.
The swimming sections aren't great and some of the enemies take way too many hits to die, but providing you're playing the game at its intended speed, the controls are decent and the challenge is reasonable throughout.
A lot of people seem determined to burn this one to the ground when they talk about it, but I don't have any huge qualms with it. I actually had a lot of fun with it.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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