Rush was the missing piece all along. The items from Mega Man 2 were all good and well, the magnet beam in Mega Man 1 was a neat starting point, but what non-boss, traversal based items needed all along was a bit of personality, something to make you want to see them beam down and hang out with you. Mega Man needed his Mega Man's Best Friend. Rush fills that slot brilliantly, is a good boy, isn't actually named after the band, and is emblematic of the sort of conclusions reached in Mega Man's earliest days, the very end points that make this the best Mega Man to date, and possibly the best Mega Man game of all time.
I've gotten a bit hung up on comparing the initial three games of the series in my previous reviews, and I think ultimately that was done with the wrong motivation. I was trying to work out which one is better, when instead what you should get from comparing the three is a sense of iteration and polish unmatched in any trilogy of games outside of maybe the first three Metroids, and that took three whole systems in comparison. Everything has levelled up game to game, and now we're here with excellent movement, challenging bosses, a greater sense of story, tight-ass level design, better weaponry, and a lovable dog. You couldn't get to this point without the first two games, and as I'm fairly sure I'm going to learn soon enough, you can't go past this point without additions or subtractions that negatively affect the experience.
Something I really appreciate is how challenging getting on the robot master loops can feel. Beating Snake Man with a buster isn't academically hard, I know I just have to occupy the middle pillar and jump over him when he approaches, but in action it's an exercise in timing and pixel-perfect jumps. In earlier games it definitely felt more like any loops required one lame duck master to get on, and that just isn't the case here.
Weapons all feel frequently useful outside of boss battles, especially with the Hammer Joes, who are a fantastic change from the Sniper Joe, especially as you can actually get a feel for their timing. Shadow Man's shuriken is less OP than the Metal Blade, which encourages more experimentation, and the Hard Knuckle's delayed attack leads to some fun scenarios all the way to Wily, where you just kind of chuckle and shake your head for jumping a smidge too early. And boy howdy, that final moment with Top Man's power. Unbeatable.
Proto Man's little theme is great, as is the continuing thread of his appearances and fights throughout the story. The world of Mega Man feels bigger because of it, and I'm glad for it.
Oh, and the slide. The slide is largely a novelty, but there was a moment where it finally clicked for being as brilliant as it is, and that's against the new Yellow Devil. The Yellow Devil sucks in Mega Man 1. It often feels undodgeable when it spawns in brick by brick. Here it's actively fun, because the slide means you get to make DECISIONS. Do you focus on jumps, do you slide under the head height ones, risking a need for split second timing on the next one? It's a small touch but it makes for a way more fun time. I love the slide because of bits like that, and less when it's just a way to pretend a 1-up is harder to get.
Oh, the negatives. I had way too many E-tanks and lives by the end. I don't think Mega Man 3 is easy, but it was making it feel too safe to have these options in the pocket. Sometimes you have to fake insecurity by not feeding the player goodies non-stop.
But that's it. My only criticism. I even like the Doc Robot stuff. Five stars, great game, best in series maybe.
I've gotten a bit hung up on comparing the initial three games of the series in my previous reviews, and I think ultimately that was done with the wrong motivation. I was trying to work out which one is better, when instead what you should get from comparing the three is a sense of iteration and polish unmatched in any trilogy of games outside of maybe the first three Metroids, and that took three whole systems in comparison. Everything has levelled up game to game, and now we're here with excellent movement, challenging bosses, a greater sense of story, tight-ass level design, better weaponry, and a lovable dog. You couldn't get to this point without the first two games, and as I'm fairly sure I'm going to learn soon enough, you can't go past this point without additions or subtractions that negatively affect the experience.
Something I really appreciate is how challenging getting on the robot master loops can feel. Beating Snake Man with a buster isn't academically hard, I know I just have to occupy the middle pillar and jump over him when he approaches, but in action it's an exercise in timing and pixel-perfect jumps. In earlier games it definitely felt more like any loops required one lame duck master to get on, and that just isn't the case here.
Weapons all feel frequently useful outside of boss battles, especially with the Hammer Joes, who are a fantastic change from the Sniper Joe, especially as you can actually get a feel for their timing. Shadow Man's shuriken is less OP than the Metal Blade, which encourages more experimentation, and the Hard Knuckle's delayed attack leads to some fun scenarios all the way to Wily, where you just kind of chuckle and shake your head for jumping a smidge too early. And boy howdy, that final moment with Top Man's power. Unbeatable.
Proto Man's little theme is great, as is the continuing thread of his appearances and fights throughout the story. The world of Mega Man feels bigger because of it, and I'm glad for it.
Oh, and the slide. The slide is largely a novelty, but there was a moment where it finally clicked for being as brilliant as it is, and that's against the new Yellow Devil. The Yellow Devil sucks in Mega Man 1. It often feels undodgeable when it spawns in brick by brick. Here it's actively fun, because the slide means you get to make DECISIONS. Do you focus on jumps, do you slide under the head height ones, risking a need for split second timing on the next one? It's a small touch but it makes for a way more fun time. I love the slide because of bits like that, and less when it's just a way to pretend a 1-up is harder to get.
Oh, the negatives. I had way too many E-tanks and lives by the end. I don't think Mega Man 3 is easy, but it was making it feel too safe to have these options in the pocket. Sometimes you have to fake insecurity by not feeding the player goodies non-stop.
But that's it. My only criticism. I even like the Doc Robot stuff. Five stars, great game, best in series maybe.