Backlog Game Reviews 10: Megaman The Wily Wars / Rockman Mega World part 3 (Sega Genesis / Megadrive)

   Hey there and welcome to Backlog Game Reviews. This is part three of Megaman Wily Wars/Rockman Megaworld's review. The Wily Wars is a Megaman game on the Sega Genesis. It features the first three Megaman games remade for the Genesis. If you haven't read my review for Megaman 1 or 2 yet please go check them out. With that out of the way let's move on to the review.

   After having his plans of world domination crushed by Megaman two times in a row, Dr.Wily claims that he has been reformed. He gave up on trying to take over the world and now works together with Dr.Light to build a peacekeeping robot named Gamma. Sometime after Gamma's completion 8 robot masters mysteriously go berserk and steal Gamma's power crystals. Megaman with his new robot dog rush set out to retrieve the power crystals from the robot masters. During his 3rd adventure, Megaman will time to time face off against a new enemy named Break Man. A mysterious robot with powers similar to Megaman's.

Story from the manual

   Megaman 3 has a much greater focus on story then Megaman 1 or 2. It's nothing deep, but it's much better than the past 2 games. There are multiple cutscenes and it introduces us to two new characters. In terms of story, the only thing I can think of to complain about is the lack of an opening cutscene. I felt that the opening cutscene in Megaman 2 added a certain level of polish to the game as a whole. It's a small nitpick but not having an opening cut scene is a small step down as far as the story is concerned.

Boss select screen

   In terms of gameplay Megaman 3 has a lot of new things to offer. For starters, Megaman has his robot dog Rush to help him out this time. Rush is basically a versatile support item and can assist Megaman in one of three ways.

Selecting the Rush coil from the start screen. For some reason Rush is blue on this screen.

   The most basic function Rush has is the Rush coil. Rush will be able to use this at the start of the game. When you use it Rush will teleport in front of you. Jump on his back and a spring will come out and shoot you into the air. This, of course, will allow you to reach places you wouldn't be able to with a normal jump.

Using the Rush Coil

   Rush's second ability is the Rush Marine. To unlock it you first need to beat Shadowman. The Rush Marine turns Rush into a submarine. It works like a normal submarine when you use it underwater. Rush can also attack by shooting bullets from his mouth. It's a good ability that makes underwater sections a lot easier, but there aren't very many water stages so you won't get to use it very often.

Using the Rush Marine in one of the few water sections.

   The last and probably most useful is the Rush Jet. You get it after defeating Needleman. The Rush jet allows Rush to turn into a jet board and Megaman can ride on his back. It's very similar to Item number 2 in the last game. But unlike item number 2 which could only fly in a straight line you have complete control over Rush.

Selecting the Rush Jet

   You can move up, down, left, right or stand still. Rush will also stay under you at all times. If you jump forward or backward he'll move along with you. He'll only stop following you if he hits a wall. The Rush jet makes platforming challenges even easier then item number 2 did because of the added control you have. It's hands down my favorite Rush ability.

Fighting on the Rush Jet

   Megaman gains a new ability himself as well. Hold down on the D-pad and press jump and Megaman will slide in the direction he's facing. The slide is helpful for running away from enemies as it's a bit faster than running. It also makes combat a little more complex. In the past two games, all you could do was jump over enemy attacks. But now you have the option of sliding under it. Sometimes you'll have to dodge an attack that you can't jump over so you'll have to master the slide to dodge those attacks.

The Slide is great for dodging.

   Other than Rush and being able to slide the gameplay hasn't changed all that much. It's familiar enough that fans of Megaman 1 and 2 can easily jump in and play but also different enough to keep things fresh. As for the music and graphics, it's just as good as Megaman 2's. It's another great game that's worth checking out if you're a fan of platformers or Megaman.

 That's all I have to say about this game. We're almost done with The Wily Wars. Next time will be another mini-review. After completing Megaman 1-3 a secret game called Wily Tower is unlocked. I'll be taking a look at that next time. Thank you for reading. I hope to see you again at Backlog Game Reviews.