kalizam's Full Review: Mega Man Battle Network for Game Boy Advance (GBA)
A few years ago, the Megaman series came up with a totally new story line--some will remember this as Megaman Legends, while others will know it as Megaman 64. Trying to combine Megaman action, RPG elements, and in 3-D, the game simply tried to take on too much. While it wasn't a complete bust, it wasn't the great Megaman game that many fans had hoped for.
Now it's the second try at combining Megaman and RPG, and Megaman Battle Network successfully pulls it off. Megaman Battle Network is an RPG which has received and 'E' rating by the ESRB.
Back to the Future
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The story line takes a totally different path than anything made previously. You start off as a young boy named Lan, who has grown up in the not-so-distant future. In the future, everyone carries around Giga-pet like devices called Navis. These Navis each have a personality, and can connect to any modern electronic device, allowing them to enter the device.
Recently, the numbers of viruses running around have been increasing, and so many people have been upgrading their Navis with special attack powers to combat the virus programs.
Lan just happens to have a Navi called 'Megaman.' The WWW, a major center of technology crime, has been acting up, and it's up to Lan to see what the problem is, and if he can do anything about it.
It isn't the most original storyline, but it does work.
Controls
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There are two control settings, one for the exploration map, and one for the battle map. On the exploration map, you'll play as either Lan or Megaman. The D-Pad is used to move, while holding the B button will allow you to run. To talk to people or examine items, press the A button. The R button is used to connect or disconnect from a computer, and the L button is used to talk to the other member, either Lan or Megaman depending on which one you’re using.
However, only Megaman goes into the battle scenes. The B button is used to fire the Mega buster, and eventually you'll be able to charge it up by holding B. The A button is used to activate the special powers. The D-Pad is used for moving on the field, and the L or R buttons are used for brining up the special power menu.
Although you can walk in any of eight directions, most things are set along diagonal lines--such as all of Megaman's mazes. This works fine for most of the game except for a few small puzzles where Megaman skates on ice, and then it single-handedly becomes the most annoying thing in the game. There really isn't any way around it. Fortunately, this part of the game is somewhat near the beginning of the adventure, and so there's not a large area devoted to it.
Gameplay
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Megaman Battle Network has two areas: one for Lan in the 'real world,' and one for Megaman inside the electronic device. In the real world you'll encounter a few puzzles, and talk to people and pick up some items. You won't ever face a battle, and it works well since Lan can carry Megaman from one area to another, without having to fight a bunch of enemies along the way as in most RPGs.
However, the really interesting area is inside the electronics. Here you get to play as Megaman and run about along the different circuits. Most of the areas are set up like a maze, with dead ends and lots of branching paths. Eventually you'll be able to access many devices directly from the Internet, so you can travel and fight all sorts of enemies without having to run around the entire map as Lan.
The battles occur randomly just like in most RPGs. However, the similarities end there. When you first go into battle, your 'chip folder' activates. This contains all of the special powers you have. You select a power, and go into battle.
On the battle screen, there is an area 6 by 3 squares, and each character takes up one square. You'll start off with the 3 by 3 squares on the left, while the enemy characters will get the 3 by 3 squares on the right. You can move wherever you like on your side of the battle area, but only with special powers can you enter the enemies battle area.
All of the action from here is in real-time, so there won't be any turns to take. Move about with the D-Pad, and line yourself up with the enemy. Then you can delete it with your blaster, or try using the special power on it.
After you 'delete' the enemy, the result screen pops up. It tells you how long you took, how well you fought, and what you won from the battle. How well you fought determines what spoils you'll take away. Fight poorly, and you'll mostly likely get a low sum of money. Fight well, and you'll receive a much higher compensation, or possibly a special power chip.
Special Powers
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While the different versions of the Megaman series have been very different, there is still one aspect that remains true to all of them. Megaman is able to copy a defeated boss' power, and use that power for himself.
Megaman Battle Network extends on this by not only allowing you to use boss powers, but powers for almost every other enemy in the game.
Before you go exploring, you may open up your 'folder.' This contains all of your special chips that you have won. Chips are either stored in the folder or the sack. The chips in the folder are the ones that Megaman may access during battle, while all of the rest go into the sack. The folder only has room for 30 chips, while the sack has an unlimited amount of space.
When you go into battle, a menu pops up at the beginning. Displayed are 5 of your 30 chips, and you can choose which one you would like to use. For example, you may choose 'shockwave'--a common attacked found by defeating the popular Hardhat enemy. Go into battle, press the A button, and Megaman will use the attack, which in this case, makes a shockwave run along the ground.
Wait long enough, and a bar at the top of the battle screen will fill up, allowing you to access the special chip menu and choose a new one. However, there is more to it than that. Each of the non-boss chips has five different forms, although they do exactly the same thing. These forms are given letters. A common power is the 'Cannon'. For the Cannon there are forms A, B, C, D, and E. Another power is 'Bubbler' which has forms A, K, L, P, and S. The cool part is you can use luck and strategy to double up the chips. If you get both Cannon A and Cannon C in your selection menu, you'll be able to select both and use them both before having to wait to pull up the special power screen again. Similarly, you can group attacks of the same letter, such as Cannon A and Bubbler A. Setting up your folder so that it helps you to do this can help you immensely. Later on in the game, you'll face hordes of enemies that must be defeated really quickly, and this is the key point to beating them.
But it doesn't stop there. There are very special and rare chip combos that you can perform. Link up Cannon A, Cannon B, and Cannon C,(in that order) and they'll group together to form the Zeta Cannon--it allows you to use the Cannon power as many times as you want for 2 seconds. There are many of these special powers, and though they are incredibly hard to find and very rare to come up, they are nevertheless cool.
When one looks at all the different elements of the battle, it really is easy to see how much time was put into designing it well. Some attacks even have elements, so you can use them to take out difficult elemental bosses--which is another new twist on an old Megaman concept.
There are a total of 175 different chips in the game (excluding the five forms of each). This creates an astounding number of powers Megaman can collect. Of course, many powers are simply improvements upon others (such as the Cannon, Hi-Cannon, and M. Cannon) but there's enough originality in the different abilities to keep them fresh.
Also, each boss has three chips that you can earn by beating them--one for beating the boss the second time you fight, one for beating the boss well, and one for beating the boss with a style that nears perfection. These powers allow you to freeze the battle and summons up the Navi to come and throw an attack against the enemy. It's just great to see the huge Stoneman join your side, or have the Skullman hurling his head finally in a direction that benefits you.
Bosses
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A large part of Megaman has always been the bosses, and this game doesn't skimp out. Boasting over 12 bosses, you'll quickly get your fighting fill. Some of the bosses are easy, some are hard till you learn them, and some stay hard even after you learn them. They aren't spread out in the best way--I found the next-to-final fight actually harder than the final fight itself. However, the game encourages battling all of the bosses again and again until you gain all three of their chips, so it really isn't a big deal. In fact, after you beat the game, you have the chance to unlock three more bosses that appear only for the sole purpose of inviting you to play further.
Graphics
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While Megaman Battle Network doesn't use hardly any of the GBA's sprite rotation or transparency effects, the game still looks good. The characters are of a medium size, much bigger than Bomberman or the crew from Golden Sun, but much smaller than Rayman. There is plenty of detail put into them--Lan has different frames of animation when he is walking than when running. Since the game came out a bit later as well, there are plenty of bright colors so that you'll be able to clearly see what is happening.
All of the chips have their own separate pictures and effects when Megaman calls them into battle. Most notably are the hydro towers, which simply look superb either coming from you or going out towards your enemies.
Megaman has a slight change of appearance--mostly around his body area. However, I found that he still resembled the Megaman from all the other games, and I found that I didn't even notice it much.
There is one area where you have to wonder what the artists were thinking. The generic towns people can be incredibly scary with their extremely dotty eyes, and faces with bumps for lips. The first time I talked to a generic townsperson I nearly dropped the GBA simply because he looked so freaky.
Oh, and yes, there is one short animation scene that I should mention. Every time your switching from Lan to Megaman, a small animation pops up to show the switch. It just appears to be a rotating crystal with a sphere spinning around it, and although it is short, it is quite good.
Overall, the graphics are pretty good, and very detailed. Even the generic person's mouth moves a bit when he talks to you, giving the impression that they're a bit more dynamic than the stiff characters in other games.
Sound
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The sound in the game is pretty good. The music is enjoyable, if not the best. They also include a fair number of different tunes, so that you'll keep listening for a while. I found it to be pleasant, if not quite up to Mario-music standards. Then again, what is?
The battle sounds work well too. When a character is hit, it sounds like a piece of metal is taking the damage. Megaman's buster sounds are back too.
Not the greatest sound, but you'll want to turn up your GBA anyway.
Replay, and Miscellaneous Nostalgia
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While the game only supports one file, it is fun to replay it again and again. At one part in the game there is a machine that allows you to walk up to it and battle a virus close to or below Megaman's level, which is actually more fun than it sounds, as most anything but a boss can pop up. Also with 175 chips to collect, you'll be searching around for a long time. Although I haven't gotten there myself, they say that collect 174 and you'll be able to collect the super-cool final chip.
Also, the game does support Multiplayer, but just for 2 people. You can trade chips, or battle your Megamen together. No one around me has this game, so I haven't been able to try it out yet--but if they pulled it off well it could be a lot of fun.
Also, there are an incredibly amount of Nintendo and Megaman allusions in the Game. You'll see Protoman and Roll, although in slightly different forms than previous games. There are toys of characters from Megaman 64, and even mention of 'The Bonne Bunch.' Also, one person actually has a GameCube in their house that you can enter and fight viruses in.
Problems
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The ice level, is really annoying. The person who made it really should have reconsidered the last part, as it does not work with the controls at all. Also, Megaman doesn't gain any exp from battles--only money and special chips. To increase your resistance and stamina you'll have to buy upgrades. I found this kind of disappointing, because I always liked the idea of battling something enough in a RPG and then having enough power to not worry about it anymore. Also, you'll die an incredible amount in the game, so you should save, and save often. I myself died at least 30 times, and in one particularly long level it just seems incredible that you have to start over so many times.
However, those are the only real problems. I have been complaining about game length recently, but Megaman is a nice sized quest, even if it isn't a huge adventure. Really, there isn't anything that’s all wrong with it.
Update--oh yeah, I just remembered this. During certain parts of the game, you'll have to talk to specific people to continue. Especially when the game requires you to talk to one specific generic-looking guy to get to the character you really want, it's a bit annyoying. However, most of these problems can be overcome with the L button acting as the hint and direction button.
Overall
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Overall, this is a great game for your GBA library. It is fun, it's original, it lasts a while, and it's Megaman. Even after your done, there is still plenty to do, collecting all 175 chips and rooting out all of the upgrades. Plus, the ability to fight all the bosses again and again is very appealing. It just goes to show what good planning and programming can do.
Join Mega Mega.EXE, his pal Lan and friends as they keep the net safe from viruses and cyber menaces. You'll travel through new virtual and real world...More at eBay
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