Post by: NWR_Neal on February 20, 2009, 05:22:39 AM
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/vcArt.cfm?artid=17799
Super Nintendo games still came out in 1997? Yes, they did, and our own Michael "TYP" Cole has something to say about one of them, Kirby's Dream Land 3, which came out for the Virtual Console recently.
Our other game this week is Mega Man 3, a classic in its own right. Zachary Miller, who penned the site's review of Mega Man 9, has some words to say about the Blue Bomber.
As per usual, drop a line in talkback if you want us to recommend something. We'll do our best to keep on recommending games that you might care about in these tough economic times.
Kirby's Dream Land 3 - SNES
Cost: 800 Wii Points ($8)
Players: 1-2
Controllers: Wii Classic, GameCube
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Released: October 27, 1997
Released near the end of 1997, Kirby's Dream Land 3 was the last Nintendo-published Super Nintendo game and, as such, a lesser-known entry in the Kirby platforming series. The game is a direct sequel to Kirby's Dream Land 2 for the Game Boy, and it resembles both Kirby's Adventure (NES) and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64) in design.
As a very late SNES title, Kirby's Dream Land 3 boasts an impressive pastel-and-crayon look with detailed, animated sprites. Players familiar with Kirby Super Star or the recent GBA and DS releases that borrow its assets will appreciate this vibrant world, while others will enjoy precursors to Kirby 64 such as the menus and baddies found in this title. Each stage has a creature that must be cheered up to to receive a Heart Star. These missions must be completed to reach the final boss, and they often make use of a specific copy ability or an aspect of the stage's design.
Like the visuals, the controls are notably distinct from Kirby Super Star. Kirby is far less agile, controlling in a fashion more similar to his NES title, and power-up variety comes in the form of six animal buddies Kirby can ride. Each animal handles differently and modifies Kirby's current power in some form. While the premise is enjoyable, many of the power-animal combinations result in ineffective, sometimes even handicapping attacks that are useless outside of a token mission. It's also worth noting that, like so many SNES releases, the GameCube controller's button layout renders this game unplayable without a Classic Controller.
Even with its flaws, Kirby fans will enjoy this overlooked romp. Its cooperative two-player option certainly improves its longevity, and the SNES cartridge's relative obscurity makes this VC release a good value. - Michael "TYP" Cole
Mega Man 3 - NES
Cost: 500 Wii Points ($5)
Players: 1
Controllers: Wii Remote, Wii Classic, GameCube
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Released: November 1990
While I consider this game's predecessor to be the greatest entry in the franchise, many gamers point to Mega Man 3 as the series' brightest highlight. And indeed, it delivers on many fronts. Mega Man himself has been blessed with ability to slide (finally), the level design is better overall, Proto Man makes some brief appearances, and the music is, like Mega Man 2, some of the best ever composed for a video game. Snake Man, Top Man, and Needle Man are some of the more interesting villains in the Mega-universe, and Top Mans acquired power must be seen to be believed! Finally, the vehicular mods found in Mega Man 2 finally evolve into Rush the robotic dog in this game.
However, Mega Man 3 does have some weaker points. Wilys Castle is undoubtedly easier this time around, and players do not go directly from the eight Robot Masters to Wilys fortress. Rather, they must first navigate four reworked levels which reuse specific tile sets. The bosses of these stages, Doc Robots, employ boss tactics from Mega Man 2. It all feels a bit recycled and unnecessary. Still, Mega Man 3 is absolutely wonderful as far as Mega Man games go, and is certainly the second-best game in the original series. - Zachary Miller
Special thanks to the Video Game Museum for the screenshots
Post by: vudu on February 20, 2009, 02:24:45 PM
Besides the weak Dr. Wily stages (which Zach already mentioned) my biggest gripe with the game is the illogical boss weaknesses. I was playing purely from memory and while I had stored away a few boss weaknesses (Hard Knuckle against Top Man and Snake Search against Gemini Man) everything else was purely trial and error. I had to come back and fight Hard Man something like five times before I finally beat him because I couldn't figure out the right weapon (also, I didn't want to use any E Tanks for the entire game).
If you don't already know the ideal boss order you're going to have to replay the stages quite a few times unless you get really lucky. Then again, maybe that's for the best--it's a short game. I beat it in probably 2 hours. Still a great game, and I fully support the Recommended for Everyone rating.
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on February 20, 2009, 03:53:45 PM
The debate over MM2 vs. MM3 is a toss-up for me. I always enjoyed MM2 more as a kid, but that may be because I never owned it. MM3 is definitely the longer game, and I think its soundtrack is clearly superior. However, MM2 is more iconic and feels more original, and it has my favorite level of any Mega Man game (that of Bubble Man).
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on February 20, 2009, 04:06:02 PM
Post by: Mop it up on February 20, 2009, 06:03:11 PM
I had to come back and fight Hard Man something like five times before I finally beat him because I couldn't figure out the right weaponThat's because his greatest weakness is his own weapon, the Hard Knuckle.
If I remember rightly, Mega Man's creator (don't know his name, some unpronounceable jumble of letters I'm sure) expressed that Mega Man 3 was his least favourite because it was a bit rushed due to time constraints. Is it possibly ironic that Mega Man 3 is considered one of the best in the series while the following Mega Man, Mega Man 4, is considered one of the worst?
The boss weakness loop did get messed up in this game though, as there's no order in which you can play through them and always have the best weapon to use. Other than that though, the game doesn't feel rushed; it still has some of the best level designs, music, and weapons in the series. It's also the only one to have known cheat codes, which I wonder if they're still present in this VC release...
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on February 20, 2009, 10:01:12 PM
Post by: vudu on February 21, 2009, 09:59:50 AM
That's because his greatest weakness is his own weapon, the Hard Knuckle.
Really? I had no idea. I always use Magnet Missile.
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on February 21, 2009, 01:04:31 PM
That's because his greatest weakness is his own weapon, the Hard Knuckle.
Really? I had no idea. I always use Magnet Missile.
That's his secondary weakness. The bosses usually have tiers of vulnerability to the other weapons. Some will do almost no damage (it's possible to do less than the Mega Buster in some games), others will do twice as much or four times as much damage as the Buster, and some will kill the boss in 1-5 hits. There are multiple examples of bosses who are super-vulnerable to their own weapons, which is good to know for the boss rush before Wily.
Post by: Mop it up on February 21, 2009, 04:10:12 PM
