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Lokii

(He/Him)
Staff member
Moderator
I don't know if this applies to the original stage, but how the heck do you get through Charge Man's stage without taking oodles of damage? I just gave up after one too many scurrying rats that duck under my shots and Mets on trains (on... trains), being completely invincible until I'm really close to them, at which point they fire three bullets in a trident shape and crash into me. How do I damage them without taking damage myself? I was really hoping to enjoy myself with this, but that stage just kind of... bites.
Charge shot or just use a different weapon for the mice. A half jump will line you up to hit the train mets just as they pop out and will position you to avoid their shots. There’s kinda a rhythm to it.
 

4-So

Spicy
I don't know if this applies to the original stage, but how the heck do you get through Charge Man's stage without taking oodles of damage? I just gave up after one too many scurrying rats that duck under my shots and Mets on trains (on... trains), being completely invincible until I'm really close to them, at which point they fire three bullets in a trident shape and crash into me. How do I damage them without taking damage myself? I was really hoping to enjoy myself with this, but that stage just kind of... bites.

The Met-trains can be damaged while they are firing, so it's just a matter of timing it correctly while sliding under their horizontal shot. If I remember right, they only take one regular shot to down. As for the rats, a fully powered up buster shot should handle them; they cannot duck over those.
 
First I saw "multiplayer Mega Man Zero fangame" and went "oh"

Then " allows for multiple players" and went "Oh..."

And finally saw "fight each other" and went "I sleep"
 

MCBanjoMike

Sudden chomper
(He/him)
Talking Time: help me to Mega Man Zero 3!

I've played a metric E-ton of classic Mega Man games and the first four in the X series, but this is my first time playing a Zero game and I'm finding it a bit overwhelming. I picked Zero 3 because I heard it was the best of them, and it certainly plays pretty well, but the challenge is stiff and the systems are a bit overwhelming. After trying (and failing) each of the first four missions, I finally managed to get a W against Deathtanz Mantisk, which got me a special move and a few cyber elves. I tried equipping one elf and a little orb started following me around, so that seems cool. But then I tried a different one and it healed me 8 HP before disappearing...forever? I don't really understand how the whole system works. I also don't quite get what the difference between cyberspace and the real world is. Can anybody give me a primer or a few tips? I'm playing for my son, and he's a tough audience - especially when Dad is getting his ass handed to him by mean robots.
 

MCBanjoMike

Sudden chomper
(He/him)
Managed to chuff it out and complete the remaining three levels in the first set, despite not totally knowing how the systems in this game work. The recoil rod's 1000-slash ability was a big help with both the vampire bat (since it could protect against the swarm of bats attack) and the ice bunny (who I just trapped in a corner and murdered with it). Then I used electric charge shots to destroy the lava guy. I can't remember any of these mavericks' names, because they are all totally ridiculous. I also upgraded two of my elves: the satellite that shoots bullets now actually aims them at the enemies, and I used another one to get 5 free lives (although I think that was a one-and-done deal). Does anybody have any recommendations for how to make use of my elves? My letter grade keeps dropping, but I'm trying to not think about that. I also don't seem to be succeeding at any of my missions, but I can't tell if that's my fault or if the story is just written that way. MMZ seems to be a bit of a downer series. It's fun enough to play, with great controls, although I find myself really wishing you could see farther around Zero. Did they change that in the Switch re-release? I know that collection made some fairly major quality-of-life improvements to the games.
 

FelixSH

(He/Him)
I haven't played it in forever, but I think elves come in different varieties, mainly some that give permanent upgrades (increasing your health, reduching health of bosses, make you immune to spikes maybe?) and single-use ones. Personally, I just go for the ones that give permanent upgrades, probably the ones that increase live, but it depends on which I get. Elsewise, just use the ones that seem useful - I mainly try to avoid using them, to get a good grade (the grades were included for weirdos like me), so I never cared too much about them.

You should get a break-down of you grade at the end of each mission, but mainly, if you use cyber-elves (and this includes the ones that give permanent upgrades), your grade will drop. I think cyberspace is an exception, in that you can use them in there without score penalty. Elsewise, just be fast, kill enough enemies, don't take hits and fulfill the task. Easier said than done, I know.

In general, your grade doesn't matter much. I think, if you get to a boss with a grade A or S, the boss will have additional attacks, and you are able to learn one of their attacks, too. Might be wrong, maybe that is just in the second game? Elsewise, don't worry too much about them, and just use elves as you get them.

Oh, you unlock minigames, depending on how well you do. If you get a score of 100 in every single mission (including the ones with boss rushes, really every single one) you get one where you play Phantom (the guardian from the first game) and do some highscore minigame. There are others that aren't that insane to get, though.

Also, not succeeding seems like a thing the series would do. It is totally a downer series, I do like the story, though. In any case, congrats, it's a challenging game. I hope you had fun. I guess my post comes a bit too late, though.
 

MCBanjoMike

Sudden chomper
(He/him)
So wait, you aren't even guaranteed to get boss skills if your rank is too low? Geez, that's really freaking punishing. I guess I didn't realize that some of the elves gave permanent bonuses - I upgraded the "spikes don't kill you" elf once, but I don't seem to be able to equip it yet. Maybe I need to upgrade it all they way? It's a pretty confusing system, if I'm being honest. I saw on the internet that I missed a health upgrade elf, so I guess I'll have to go back to that level and try to pick it up. I definitely need all the help I can get here - so thanks for the advice!
 

Regulus

Sir Knightbot
You only get the boss skills if your overall/average rank is A or S. There are a few one-time-use elves that boost your rank for that stage only, so you can pick up the skill regardless of your current rank. Elves with permanent effects (aka Elves that "die" after you use them) damage your score permanently, but you're free to use satellite elves without penalty.

IIRC, Cyberspace activates all elves currently in your possession without actually consuming them. I believe this still penalizes your score, but only for that stage.
 

FelixSH

(He/Him)
Yeah, the elves with the small pictures don't need an upgrade, the ones with medium sized pictures need one and the big ones need two (and are really expensive).

Regarding the upgrades, I'm working from...15(?) year old memory, so I might be wrong, but I think it works that way.

But really, don't worry about grades and enemy skills, just use elves to make your live easier. The game is meant to be replayed, you aren't supposed to get everything the first time, it's certainly doable without enemy skills. I think the worst fun killer with the Zero games is the urge to get good grades. Ignore that, it's not worth focusing on.

The second thing might be the difficulty. So, just use all the elves you can.
 

MCBanjoMike

Sudden chomper
(He/him)
Ok, I’m starting to get a handle on the elf system. Good elves typically require levelling up twice before you can use them at all. After two levels, they become Fusion types, which you kill upon use and then feel bad about for the rest of the game. But you can typically upgrade them again to turn them into satellites, which you can use with impunity, albeit only two at a time. So I paid a fortune to fully upgrade the one who gives you a second health bar and now she’s orbiting around me. I might try to upgrade the one who protects you from instant death next, or else the other health upgrade elves. It’s a confusing system, but we’re getting there. I also finished the interstitial mission after the second wave of mavericks and defeated Copy X. The kid was very excited to see another set of missions appear after that! His enjoyment of an X/Zero game is directly correlated with how many mavericks it has, and this game is more generous than most.
 

FelixSH

(He/Him)
But getting S ranks is what makes the game fun. If you know what you're doing you can beat the game in an hour, so you play it again to go faster or get a better score.

Trapped Seymour Skinner bouncing basketball.gif
Sure, if you are into that. But for a first-timer, it often seems to kill the enjoyment of the game (at least that's what I gather from posts I've read here over the years). At least the first time, the motivation is to make it through the levels, and learn to control Zero. Trying for good ranks is for replays, getting the best out of your skills. I agree, it's a lot of fun to do, but for a first-timer, it seems to tend to kill the fun sometimes.
 

LBD_Nytetrayn

..and his little cat, too
(He/him)
Yeah, my rank is like, the last thing I play Mega Man for. My getting a good rank tends to come more from replaying it for other reasons, rather than to just get better at it. I get better because I'm replaying it, I don't replay it to get better.

...except for MMZ3 that one time. I don't know what possessed me, but that one just clicked like none of the others did, and I eventually perfected the game.

But unlike, say, replaying Mega Man 2 or Mega Man X and my level of skill largely remaining intact, I don't think I'm ever doing that again.
 

MCBanjoMike

Sudden chomper
(He/him)
I enjoyed this, thank you. As someone who just played his first Mega Man Zero game recently (Zero 3, on Madhair’s recommendation via podcast), I find it weird how the tone gets to be so grim in going from Mega Man to X to Zero. Sure makes you wonder what you are fighting for.
 

LBD_Nytetrayn

..and his little cat, too
(He/him)

While the Legacy Collections are pretty much superior to this as far as the games go, and Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium has you covered for the arcade games, there's still some bonus content on these you won't find anywhere else -- like Mega Man: Battle & Chase for NA on Mega Man X Collection, which also has the PlayStation version of Mega Man X3 -- something missing from the Legacy Collection.
 

ShakeWell

Slam Master
(he, etc.)
I replayed MM9 for MegaMas for the first time since it was new, and it's still really good, HOWEVER, I legit hate that leaving Wily's Castle to go to the store means you have to start the whole thing from the start. I know that's keeping with the original games (no passwords/saves in the castles), but there are plenty of things about this game that don't do that, and boy, it sure does suck to have hundreds of bolts that are just completely useless.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
Just finished it off. It's a remarkably smooth experience, and a fan hack done right.
 
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