FA+
Shop
"The Jet Gamer" Game Review: Megaman Zero 3
9 years ago
This is part three of the Mega Man Zero collection.
Megaman Zero 3
Well here we go once again with another game from the Mega Man Zero Collection as we continue to play as the character Zero instead of X. After three of these games on the GBA has this series started to get stale or did Capcom give this series a boost to keep it fresh? Let us find out now shall we?
Gameplay
As much as the game is the same as the others in that you go to levels, jump and shoot enemies, then take on a boss before moving onto the next level, I have to say that the Zero series actually did make it slightly more interesting this time around. In this version of the Zero series, the difficulty actually doesn’t seem to be as intense at the others in the series. Oh the difficulty is still there, but it does feel like it much more manageable this time around. Some of this is due to it being slightly easier to deal with the stages, the bosses, and to be able to heal yourself. The stages are slightly easier due to the fact that you have various new abilities that you can upgrade yourself with first of all. What I mean is, that you will get upgrades that for example allow you to double jump, slowdown from sliding on walls, and one that even heals you if you hold still long enough. The bosses are easier as well due to this same reasons. Some of the upgrades you can get are elemental charges for your weapons, and some of the bosses are weak to certain elements making them much easier to beat. When the other games didn’t seem to have clear weaknesses at all, this game is a pleasant throwback to the original format, which does ease up on the difficulty for sure. Another reason things are easier is that not only do the cyber elves return, but you can actually have some that stay equipped at all time and aren’t used up right away. For example, I had two cyber elves equipped most of the game, as two is the limit. One elf would constantly throw out a small bomb that would give some minor damage to enemies, and the other would fly around occasionally dropping health pellets. These two were a big help throughout the game, and honestly, made the game much more tolerable. There are many different cyber elves you can do this with, but you do still have to find them to be able to do this with them. That brings me to another point to where the cyber elves are now found in chips spread out through the levels. These chips can contain either cyber elves, the energy needed to grow the elves, or just various information about the enemies and such in the game. This has added a collectable element to the game now as well, so people do need to hunt for the cyber elves and the information about enemies if they want to get them all. With the E-tanks that I was able to find, though I did use a guide to help me get to them, and all the additional help from the cyber elves, this game is much more tolerable in the difficulty department. The difficulty hasn’t fully gone away though, so I can see some people still being troubled by it, especially if they don’t find the E-tanks. You still need to understand the Cyber-Elf system as well, and this time it is a bit more complex in exchange for them being more helpful. As I mentioned, some of them can be used without killing them, though many still work this way as well. You need to understand what all the symbols mean with the elves and also how to get them to act as you want. Feeding them the energy they need to grow before not only can make them grow, but with some of them can make them change between being one time use and being used many times. The game doesn’t do a good job explaining this though, and I did have to go off and figure it out on my own to do so. When you understand the system it is fine, but if you don’t understand it, then you will be very lost quickly. I do have to say as well that they made this game actually a bit longer than the other games as well. The typical formula is fight through eight levels and then you have the final gauntlet and you are done. Well this time it feels like they decided to change that formula slightly. The game has I think twelve levels to play through instead of the original eight levels format. This does extend the length of the game and is a welcome change to the series. I know some of the Mega Man games have done this before, but it definitely isn’t the normal to do more than the eight levels plus the final area gauntlet levels. I do have to say, this game is much more accessible than the other games, and seems to do more things right in my opinion. There are still some hiccups here and there of course, but it does seem like a step in the right direction now.
Story
The story is finally much better than it was in the last two games that’s for sure. It still uses the same main characters with Zero and Ciel being in charge of the resistance while fighting off Neo Arcadia and the same three main reploids over and over again, but this time there is finally a twist and a much deeper story to it all. A long banished human named Weil has been returned to world as well as a giant robot named Omega. On top of that, the evil copy X from the original has returned as well to take back control of things once again as they work to try and destroy the resistance. Zero now has to go back to fighting the robots of Neo Arcadia as he tries to defend the resistance and stop these evil people from taking over once again. The thing is, not even all the original robots agree with what is going on and it does seem there is a lot more tension in the enemy ranks, especially with this old looking man named Weil who seems to be up to something sinister. I have to say, Weil is a welcome inclusion in this game as it does add a lot more tension that didn’t seem to be there in the last game. You actually feel like Zero is doing something worthwhile and that he had better succeed or there will be dire consequences. Why has this Weil guy returned, and have things really gotten that bad for everyone? This time I actually don’t want to tell you everything as the twists are really good this time, and some of the things that happen in the end are rather surprising and make the story of this game so much better. The story isn’t perfect as some points are rather predictable still, and I still wish it was a bit longer, but still, this is a very much needed improvement indeed.
Graphics
The graphics once again aren’t that different, so all the gameplay footage comments I’ve made about the last few games are exactly the same here. However, there are still some improvements here that I think are worth noting and are important in my eyes. The cut scenes and close ups of Zero and such are much better in my opinion. While it still has that same look of the series, Zero and the character have a bit more serious and a look of the original series that the other two games I don’t feel had down as well as this one did. When you see Zero in a better scene, other than the in game graphics, he looks so much better. While the in game graphics are about the same, I’m glad to see there were some improvements though. Other than that, everything else is exactly the same as the other two games. Same look, same engine and such. So other than this, what I said before, still stands.
Sound
Once again, the sound of this game is pretty good, and something you wouldn’t mind listening to as you are playing these games at all. Though honestly, I think they bumped it up a notch in this one and I honestly wouldn’t mind listening to some of these tunes on their own this time. While not every tune is like this, some of the tunes in this game are pretty rockin at times and do a good job in other areas about showing the tension or excitement that is going on at any given moment. The rest of the music and sound effects are still recycled from the other games, so you will hear some of the same things over again that you heard in the other games. Still, I think this game has the best music when comparing it to the other two games that I have played so far in this series. I would say actually give this one’s soundtrack a listen. It’s not that bad at all.
Control
Ummm, same as the other games. There is literally nothing to say here as there has been no change at all. Same control situation I mentioned before as well. What I said before about the other games, still applies here as well. Absolutely no change at all, which is both a good thing and a still slightly tricky thing at times as well. So what I said before in the other reviews, just read that.
Replay Value
I did give this game a slightly better replay value than the other two games, with the main reasons being that first, as I mentioned before, this game is slightly longer than the other two Zero games, so you are going to get more play time out of it and have more areas to play around in again if you care to replay the game again. The second reason this game is slightly more replayable are the chip collectables as I mentioned above. For those that enjoy collecting things, this is just another things for them to collect and will keep them in the game a little bit longer than the average person that may not care about the collectables. The collectables aren’t a big thing though, and some will care less about them and not find them a reason to keep playing at all. Really, other than the length and the few collectables, there is about the same about of value to replay this game as the other games. When you know what to do, you likely can speed through the games, which it does actually encourage you to do. If you are willing to play through Hard mode or go for better rankings and score, you will have more play time out of this game. If you just want to play the games to see the story and play more Mega Man, then one play though is all I see many people wanting to do, unless they really like Mega Man games.
Overall, I would say that while not perfect yet, Mega Man Zero 3 is actually a step in the right direction for this series and does feel like Capcom tried to improve the game enough to make sure the series wasn’t going to get stale when they were burning through this series so quickly. Three games in a short amount of time, all with the same graphics and connecting storyline could get stale if there were no changes at all throughout all these games. Thankfully, Capcom did throw some new elements in there to keep the series fresh and making the people want to still care what happens with Zero and the others. Still, there is one more game left. While Mega Man Zero 3 was finally an improvement in the series after the two other games, we will have to see if the final game in the series goes out with a bang, or if the series just fizzled out in the end.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Megaman Zero 3 an eight point five out of ten.
Gameplay: 8
Story: 8
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Control: 9
Replay Value: 7
Overall: 8.5
Now, all we have left is the final part. Stay tuned for the final part of the Mega Man Zero Collection.
Megaman Zero 3
Well here we go once again with another game from the Mega Man Zero Collection as we continue to play as the character Zero instead of X. After three of these games on the GBA has this series started to get stale or did Capcom give this series a boost to keep it fresh? Let us find out now shall we?
Gameplay
As much as the game is the same as the others in that you go to levels, jump and shoot enemies, then take on a boss before moving onto the next level, I have to say that the Zero series actually did make it slightly more interesting this time around. In this version of the Zero series, the difficulty actually doesn’t seem to be as intense at the others in the series. Oh the difficulty is still there, but it does feel like it much more manageable this time around. Some of this is due to it being slightly easier to deal with the stages, the bosses, and to be able to heal yourself. The stages are slightly easier due to the fact that you have various new abilities that you can upgrade yourself with first of all. What I mean is, that you will get upgrades that for example allow you to double jump, slowdown from sliding on walls, and one that even heals you if you hold still long enough. The bosses are easier as well due to this same reasons. Some of the upgrades you can get are elemental charges for your weapons, and some of the bosses are weak to certain elements making them much easier to beat. When the other games didn’t seem to have clear weaknesses at all, this game is a pleasant throwback to the original format, which does ease up on the difficulty for sure. Another reason things are easier is that not only do the cyber elves return, but you can actually have some that stay equipped at all time and aren’t used up right away. For example, I had two cyber elves equipped most of the game, as two is the limit. One elf would constantly throw out a small bomb that would give some minor damage to enemies, and the other would fly around occasionally dropping health pellets. These two were a big help throughout the game, and honestly, made the game much more tolerable. There are many different cyber elves you can do this with, but you do still have to find them to be able to do this with them. That brings me to another point to where the cyber elves are now found in chips spread out through the levels. These chips can contain either cyber elves, the energy needed to grow the elves, or just various information about the enemies and such in the game. This has added a collectable element to the game now as well, so people do need to hunt for the cyber elves and the information about enemies if they want to get them all. With the E-tanks that I was able to find, though I did use a guide to help me get to them, and all the additional help from the cyber elves, this game is much more tolerable in the difficulty department. The difficulty hasn’t fully gone away though, so I can see some people still being troubled by it, especially if they don’t find the E-tanks. You still need to understand the Cyber-Elf system as well, and this time it is a bit more complex in exchange for them being more helpful. As I mentioned, some of them can be used without killing them, though many still work this way as well. You need to understand what all the symbols mean with the elves and also how to get them to act as you want. Feeding them the energy they need to grow before not only can make them grow, but with some of them can make them change between being one time use and being used many times. The game doesn’t do a good job explaining this though, and I did have to go off and figure it out on my own to do so. When you understand the system it is fine, but if you don’t understand it, then you will be very lost quickly. I do have to say as well that they made this game actually a bit longer than the other games as well. The typical formula is fight through eight levels and then you have the final gauntlet and you are done. Well this time it feels like they decided to change that formula slightly. The game has I think twelve levels to play through instead of the original eight levels format. This does extend the length of the game and is a welcome change to the series. I know some of the Mega Man games have done this before, but it definitely isn’t the normal to do more than the eight levels plus the final area gauntlet levels. I do have to say, this game is much more accessible than the other games, and seems to do more things right in my opinion. There are still some hiccups here and there of course, but it does seem like a step in the right direction now.
Story
The story is finally much better than it was in the last two games that’s for sure. It still uses the same main characters with Zero and Ciel being in charge of the resistance while fighting off Neo Arcadia and the same three main reploids over and over again, but this time there is finally a twist and a much deeper story to it all. A long banished human named Weil has been returned to world as well as a giant robot named Omega. On top of that, the evil copy X from the original has returned as well to take back control of things once again as they work to try and destroy the resistance. Zero now has to go back to fighting the robots of Neo Arcadia as he tries to defend the resistance and stop these evil people from taking over once again. The thing is, not even all the original robots agree with what is going on and it does seem there is a lot more tension in the enemy ranks, especially with this old looking man named Weil who seems to be up to something sinister. I have to say, Weil is a welcome inclusion in this game as it does add a lot more tension that didn’t seem to be there in the last game. You actually feel like Zero is doing something worthwhile and that he had better succeed or there will be dire consequences. Why has this Weil guy returned, and have things really gotten that bad for everyone? This time I actually don’t want to tell you everything as the twists are really good this time, and some of the things that happen in the end are rather surprising and make the story of this game so much better. The story isn’t perfect as some points are rather predictable still, and I still wish it was a bit longer, but still, this is a very much needed improvement indeed.
Graphics
The graphics once again aren’t that different, so all the gameplay footage comments I’ve made about the last few games are exactly the same here. However, there are still some improvements here that I think are worth noting and are important in my eyes. The cut scenes and close ups of Zero and such are much better in my opinion. While it still has that same look of the series, Zero and the character have a bit more serious and a look of the original series that the other two games I don’t feel had down as well as this one did. When you see Zero in a better scene, other than the in game graphics, he looks so much better. While the in game graphics are about the same, I’m glad to see there were some improvements though. Other than that, everything else is exactly the same as the other two games. Same look, same engine and such. So other than this, what I said before, still stands.
Sound
Once again, the sound of this game is pretty good, and something you wouldn’t mind listening to as you are playing these games at all. Though honestly, I think they bumped it up a notch in this one and I honestly wouldn’t mind listening to some of these tunes on their own this time. While not every tune is like this, some of the tunes in this game are pretty rockin at times and do a good job in other areas about showing the tension or excitement that is going on at any given moment. The rest of the music and sound effects are still recycled from the other games, so you will hear some of the same things over again that you heard in the other games. Still, I think this game has the best music when comparing it to the other two games that I have played so far in this series. I would say actually give this one’s soundtrack a listen. It’s not that bad at all.
Control
Ummm, same as the other games. There is literally nothing to say here as there has been no change at all. Same control situation I mentioned before as well. What I said before about the other games, still applies here as well. Absolutely no change at all, which is both a good thing and a still slightly tricky thing at times as well. So what I said before in the other reviews, just read that.
Replay Value
I did give this game a slightly better replay value than the other two games, with the main reasons being that first, as I mentioned before, this game is slightly longer than the other two Zero games, so you are going to get more play time out of it and have more areas to play around in again if you care to replay the game again. The second reason this game is slightly more replayable are the chip collectables as I mentioned above. For those that enjoy collecting things, this is just another things for them to collect and will keep them in the game a little bit longer than the average person that may not care about the collectables. The collectables aren’t a big thing though, and some will care less about them and not find them a reason to keep playing at all. Really, other than the length and the few collectables, there is about the same about of value to replay this game as the other games. When you know what to do, you likely can speed through the games, which it does actually encourage you to do. If you are willing to play through Hard mode or go for better rankings and score, you will have more play time out of this game. If you just want to play the games to see the story and play more Mega Man, then one play though is all I see many people wanting to do, unless they really like Mega Man games.
Overall, I would say that while not perfect yet, Mega Man Zero 3 is actually a step in the right direction for this series and does feel like Capcom tried to improve the game enough to make sure the series wasn’t going to get stale when they were burning through this series so quickly. Three games in a short amount of time, all with the same graphics and connecting storyline could get stale if there were no changes at all throughout all these games. Thankfully, Capcom did throw some new elements in there to keep the series fresh and making the people want to still care what happens with Zero and the others. Still, there is one more game left. While Mega Man Zero 3 was finally an improvement in the series after the two other games, we will have to see if the final game in the series goes out with a bang, or if the series just fizzled out in the end.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Megaman Zero 3 an eight point five out of ten.
Gameplay: 8
Story: 8
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Control: 9
Replay Value: 7
Overall: 8.5
Now, all we have left is the final part. Stay tuned for the final part of the Mega Man Zero Collection.
