Nintendo power
"There’s no rest for young Geo Stelar and his alien companion Omega-Xis. The pair - who join forces to form Mega Man in his most recent incarnation - have already defeated the forces of evil on two occasions, but they’ll be facing their biggest challenges yet this August with the North American release of Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace and Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker.

Following the same action-oriented RPG formula of the previous games in the series, Mega Man Star Force 3 lets you explore the real world as Geo and the electromagnetic-wave world as Mega Man, gathering info, conversing with NPCs, and solving puzzles as you go. You’ll also get into random battles that play out in real time on a three-by-five grid, in which you’ll use randomly chosen battle cards from your deck to blast foes with a variety of weapons.

This time, however, the stakes are higher, and - as per the Mega Man norm - there are new twist on the familiar premise. A meteor (dubbed Meteor G) is hurtling toward Earth, and in addition to the threat of collision, Mega Man must deal with the “noise” that’s being caused by recent technological advancements. However, the effects of noise aren’t all bad; you can actually harness its power to cause random beneficial transformations to Mega Man. There are more than 100 Mega Man forms in all, including the two ultimate forms: the Black Ce and Red Joker, each of which is exclusive to the corresponding version of the game. Each game has other exclusive transformations as well.

In addition to the Noise Change system, Star Force 3 features several new story and gameplay elements, such as interactive avatars called Wizards and the ability to stack and scatter battle cards in combat (which adds an extra layer of strategy). You can also expect a slightly more mature story and a similarly aged-up visual presentation that’s influenced by traditional Japanese mech designs. Mega Man Star Force fans should look forward to the series’ deepest, most promising installment yet."

-Chris H.