Mega Man Zero 3 has most of what the series is famous for: blaster-heavy combat, unrelenting enemies, and enormous bosses that don't take death for an answer.  The game also has something the series isn't famous for: lengthy story segments that can't be skipped.

Mega Man Zero 3's gameplay is entirely what you'd expect it to be.  The stages are short and without too many winding paths.  There are some platforms to navigate, but the game is more of a "climber" than a "platformer."  Zero has to do a lot of climbing to get through each area, whether it's a level of enemies or a safe haven where all the good guys gather.

Climbing is done by tightly gripping the side of any wall or object that's bigger than Zero.  Technically some of the enemies are bigger than Zero, but he can't grip them.  His grip is weak though.  Zero isn't an ape – his moves can't compare to Donkey Kong.  Therefore he slides whenever he grips a wall, slowly falling until he reaches a platform or solid ground.

Even when falling, Zero can gain space by jumping higher than the amount of space he's lost.  Press the jump button, lunge toward the wall and before you know it you'll have figured out a way to hop your way to the top.

Zero's dash move is also a necessary part of the game, but not just for quicker exploration.  During a dash, Zero leans forward slightly, putting him out of harm's way for certain attacks.  Combine the dash with a jump to cross gaps and collect items that seemed impossible to reach.

Mega Man has never been like the Contra or Metal Slug series, so you still can't shoot in all directions with Zero's standard blaster.  Shots can be fired east and west, but not north or south.  Jump and shoot to reach higher objects; dash and shoot to reach lower ones.  The former makes sense, but it's weird having to run or dash in order to shoot boxes that are shorter than Zero.  You'd think there'd be another way to hit them.

Zero will have to take on a lot of deadly enemies, including several bosses.  Most of the bosses appear to be more dangerous than they really are.  Take the first one for example.  He's about five times the size of Zero and has two giant hands that emit laser rings from their palms.  Blasting him doesn't seem to hurt him at first.  You touch the hands you die.  The lasers hit you and you'll die.  Suddenly you're feeling like the true meaning of your name: a zero.

Try a couple more times to reveal the secret: boss battles are about learning their strategy.  Bosses use the same set of attacks over and over again.  They might change the order of attacks to make things more difficult.  Knowing what to expect from each attack is what's important.

This opens the door for easy evasion of any repetitive assault the enemy thinks about using.  Game Boy Advance isn't technologically advanced enough for deep AI integration – they won't be changing their styles spontaneously as you might find in a console game.

To defeat him and other nagging robots, Mega Man Zero 3 has a weapons system that goes beyond the laser blaster the series started out with.  For close combat Zero has a handy weapon called the Z-Saber.  With it he can slash enemies repeatedly, or charge it by holding the button for a more powerful slash.  Charging it lets you perform successive EX Skill tricks, but the attack will have no effect if your enemy is standing on the other side of the room.

Not good enough for the man who calls himself Zero?  Then check out the new Recoil Rod.  It'll send enemies flying!  The Shield Boomerang is a good defense weapon, taking care of those pesky energy bullets.

Counting only the gameplay features mentioned Mega Man Zero 3 is an action game that's slightly above average.  Not the best in the series, but definitely worth owning.

There's just one problem: the developers wanted to cross this game with an RPG. 

The art isn't bad, but the story is as dull as they come.

The story is terribly written and is utterly pointless.  RPG purists will laugh at its execution – not because it's good, but because of how bad it is.  That said, you don't buy an action/adventure for its great writing, but Mega Man Zero 3 doesn't allow you to skip any of the story segments.  How can you enjoy the gameplay when you have to wait several minutes to get to it?

This isn't being promoted as an RPG, but that didn't stop the developers from making you talk to dozens of characters to find items and clues as to what to do next.  That's not what gamers want from a game like this.  When we play Mega Man we want action.  If I want to spend ten minutes talking to NPCs (non-playable characters) in a futuristic complex, I'll go play Xenogears or Xenosaga.

The big question is: is this enough to make you not want this game?  First you have to ask yourself why you wanted it in the first place.  Newcomers should steer clear of it.  If you own and love Mega Man Zero 1 and 2, the third game will only disappoint and frustrate as far as the story goes.  The rest will be right up your alley.

Gameplay: 7.4
Mega Man Zero 3 is predictable in its gameplay.  This is good because you know what you're getting without even having to read a review.

The short levels, enormously goofy bosses, and the typical scenarios are just what the Mega Man fan ordered.  The game is super-sized with new weapons and character actions.  I hope you like cheese because you can't get it without.  The story might churn your stomach at the end of the day, but the boss fights will help sooth the pain, working faster than a bottle of pink medicine.

Graphics: 7.9
Decent.  Mega Man Zero 3 looks like the higher-quality SNES games.  Pretty colors, cartoony attacks, and several robots that look really good on everyone's favorite small screen.

Sound: 7
Somewhat entertaining, somewhat repetitive.  The soundtrack sounds like it was written 10+ years ago.

Difficulty: Medium
There are some of you that are going to think this is a really hard game, while others will think it's really easy.  Mega Man loyalists: step right up and beat it quickly.  You should have no trouble completing it if you’ve beaten Metal Slug X or Metal Slug 3, two shooters with a much higher difficulty level.

Concept: 7
Same episode, new season.

Multiplayer: 7

Overall: 7.2
As damaging as the story is, remember that Mega Man Zero 3 wouldn't score much higher without it.  This is a good game if you love the Mega Man Zero series.  This may not be a great game for people who love Mega Man Battle Network or Mega Man Legends.  Those games are very different from the Zero series.