"Mega Man 3" has enjoyed a positive reception from print and online sources. Lucas M. Thomas of IGN, Christian Nutt and Justin Speer of GameSpot, Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser ("The Lessers") of "Dragon", Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer, Edward J. Semrad of "The Milwaukee Journal" and "Electronic Gaming Monthly" ("EGM"), and the staff of "Nintendo Power" all mutually found the game to have impressive graphics, enjoyable music, and challenging gameplay. Nutt and Speer summarized "Mega Man 3" as a "top-notch game" and Capcom's "pinnacle of NES effort". IGN's Colin Moriarty argued the game as a major improvement over the original "Mega Man" and that it even surpasses the critically acclaimed "Mega Man 2" in quality. Moriarty justified this claim with the third installment's attempt at better storytelling, its longer length than any other classic "Mega Man" game, and its inclusion of all eight "Mega Man 2" Robot Masters in addition to its own. Brett Alan Weiss (AllGame) described it as doing what "a great sequel is supposed to do by recapturing the fun, spirit and excitement of its predecessors while adding new levels, characters and challenges."