Part 9: Doc Shadow

Stage Comments:
So, we're on to the Doc Robot stages, and boy, are they a jump up in difficulty. They are like remixes of the original, and I love the concept; going back to old locales that are now altered significantly is something I always like in games, and for this old NES game to pull it off with a great "stuff's serious now" atmosphere - top-notch. Too bad that at points, it drifts off a little into bullshit territory, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The first spike drop is nothing to write home about if you realize that sliding is safe. Beware of the trap. After a few enemies that really shouldn't be a problem anymore, the darkness part starts, and wow. Those platforms. First part has the floor as a safety net, but the second is nothing short of dickish. Because you can't really stay on them more than like half a second, running to the right isn't really an option, so them being spaced for normal jumps suddenly makes them insanely tight. If you don't jump on the right end of the first platform, then you're screwed after two to three more because you'll always drift farther to the left...not fun. Darkness is just there to screw with you, though I do take it out to show more of the level. The one generator spawning in right in your path is especially cruel. Added to that, as shown, the edges aren't really well-defined, so this might give you a lot of trouble.
Meaning that every sane player always skips them with Rush Jet, making the whole paragraph meaningless. OH WELL.
Then comes the first boss, courtesy of MM2!

Wood Man:
I fucking hate Wood Man, if this wasn't clear enough from the last game's LP. Here, he's worse. Just take a look at this. I proposed a challenge in the Challenges thread to clear MM3 with only the buster and without getting hit; Violen shows in the video that while it is possible to dodge Wood Man, doing it consistently is nothing short of madness. Good game design this ain't. As I say, he's actually gotten worse since MM2! One ray of light: The shield no longer blocks attacks, so you can go to town with his ranged weakness. Not helping much, because getting whacked by it deals tremendous damage, so try and get hit by the leaves. Kill him quickly or die, basically.

Weaknesses: Needle Cannon + Search Snake

Interesting to note, by the way, if Woody kills you, it's back to the beginning of the stage; respawn point is after his fight, which fucking sucks.
Really, to get this out of the way: I love the idea of bringing back the earlier Robot Masters to fight them with new weapons, test their effectiveness and all that, also now with slide action; the problem is, MM2 didn't really have the most balanced set of bosses, and it's painfully apparent with Wood Man especially that the design is very shoddy sometimes.
Continuing on with the stage. The revamped Parasyu section is trivialized by Magnet Missile; very much recommended. Of course, trying out Shadow Blades in Shadow Man's stage (boy I love this "let's revisit" idea, I really do!) works wonders, too. And Top Spin, always Top Spin. So, the second half is cake; just try to net get hit too often, as slipping up against the second boss is really painful.

Heat Man:
He is almost unchanged from MM2, meaning that he goes down like a bitch. Still, his new weaknesses make it somewhat tougher, as you have to get relatively close, and I still can't fathom how to dodge the first shot; slowdown, as shown, and the turn rate also don't help. Being able to slide away is a godsend, though. Also, never use Top Spin except for the finish. He takes only four hits, but you will too, and it hurts majorly. And if the infamous bug triggers, you're out of weapon energy and soon out of life, too.

Weaknesses: Shadow Blades + Top Spin

Oh, and I sound really damn cheerful at the end, don't I? I like that. Don't know why. Should try and emulate that mood next time, too.

New Enemies:

Bouncer, Giant Spring Head, Hammer Joe: Nothing to add except haha Hard Knuckle is so fucking awesome.

Three remaining stages up for vote!