Mega Man 3 for the Tiger Electronics handheld is a licensed spin-off, not the NES game it borrows its name from. Tiger developed and published the 1991 release for its Handheld Electronic LCD platform, a single-player shooter built around a side-on view. The source material describes it in one line: it is based on the NES game Mega Man 3. That is the whole of what the handheld version is documented to contain.
What Tiger Electronics Released
The entry is a 1991 Tiger Electronics title. Tiger both developed and published it. It runs on Handheld Electronic LCD hardware, carries shooter and action tags, and lists a science fiction theme. It is single player, played from a side view. The source offers no description of its stages, bosses or controls.
The NES Game It Copies
The game Tiger drew from is a different product entirely. Capcom developed and published Mega Man 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, with a release on September 28, 1990, a North American release later that year, and a European release by Nintendo in 1992. It is the third entry in the original Mega Man series. It sold 1.08 million copies.
A Comparison Worth Making
| Detail | NES Mega Man 3 | Tiger handheld Mega Man 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1990 | 1991 |
| Developer | Capcom | Tiger Electronics |
| Publisher | Capcom | Tiger Electronics |
| Platform | Nintendo Entertainment System | Handheld Electronic LCD |
The two share a title and little else that the source establishes.
Keiji Inafune and the Crunch
Artist and designer Keiji Inafune has called the creation of the NES Mega Man 3 very stressful, pointing to time constraints and his own increased responsibilities during development. That account belongs to the Capcom game. Nothing in the source attaches it to the Tiger handheld.
What the Numbers Say
- Release year: 1991
- Developer and publisher: Tiger Electronics
- Platform: Handheld Electronic LCD
- NES copies sold: 1.08 million
- Metacritic user score: 6.8/10
Where the Score Comes From
The 6.8/10 is a Metacritic user score. The source does not tie it to the handheld release or to the NES original. It is published, and that is all that can be said for it.
The Case Against the NES Comparison
Much of what gets written about this title treats it as the Capcom game. It is not. Tiger’s version is a licensed handheld built off the NES game’s name, and the source gives no mechanics, no stage list and no boss roster for it. The 1.08 million copies and the Inafune quote describe Capcom’s work. Reading them onto the Tiger cartridge is a mistake, and a common one. The honest read is narrower: a 1991 LCD handheld, a 6.8 user score, and a title doing most of the work.
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