Mega Man Network Transmission

"The new Mega Man won't be an easy ride..."

---MEGAMAN NETWORK TRANSMISSION for Nintendo Gamecube---

To be honest, I have never fully played a Megaman game, even though I have been playing videogames since his birthdate, in 1988. Although I was always interested with games similar to Megaman, like Metroid and Castlevania, I have played few Megaman games. In fact I only played a couple of levels in the SNES Megaman X, and it's difficulty turned my away really soon. Even when I played the much better (both in gameplay and technically) Megaman X6 on Playstation, I went back with the same overall idea. Megaman is a game, which surely has style, but lacks depth and is really difficult to play. So, I aged as a gamer, and never really had the chance to fully enjoy a Megaman game. And never did I dig deeper into one, either. But when I saw some screenshots of Mega Man: Transmission Network, for some strange reason, I felt an instant urge to get this game. One part, the encouraging reviews that apart from bashing it's difficulty were fond of the RPG elements, and one part my own inexplicable recent "need" to play this new Megaman game, I ordered it immediately.

The morning it arrived, I had one hour before going to work. I placed the disk, after a quick looking at the game's booklet, as I always do, and grabbed the comfortable Wavebird, as I sat next to the sofa. From the instant the intro started, and then the game began, I realised that the Megaman series had grown much since the last time I saw them. Also, just because I was almost new to the series, I did not notice any of the "flaws" other reviewers seemed to spot. For example I did not understand how WEAK is the main gun, and instead grew to use chips immediately. And in my opinion, this worked a million times better. There are Castlevania and Metroid influences in this game, like Double Jumping and using MPs and raising levels. I could also grow as far as to say that there are some Pokemon ideas in it, as some chips only become valuable... if you are a collector.
And trust me... I loved this game immediately!

I will now become more specific, on how this game works exactly. For any Megaman Battle Network on GBA players, please note that I have not played the series (but certainly look forward to do that now!), and I don't know much about Megaman, his background and thus the story of the series.

---GRAPHICS:

This is the first thing you will see, and probably this first impression will be good. Cut-scenes are really nice, and the characters are nicely done. This is not a Rogue Leader neither a Wind Waker, but never tried to be either. Backgrounds vary from bad to attractive, while the foregrounds are medium at best. Lighting is used in real-time, and adds to the score, but in general this is simply a cute game. Nothing that will make you drool or wet your pants. Animations from the other hand are nicely done, and a good thing is that it never slows done, no matter the action.

GRAPHICS SCORE: 7.0/10

---SOUND:

Music is mostly medium 80s pop tunes, along with some awful techno and beats. Some cheesy guitars here and there also qualify for some "less than good" japan rock tunes. I think that some of the music has come from older Megaman games, but I cannot verify it myself, since I never played them. Voices from the other hand, are nice and even though all are in japanese, you are likely to endure them, if not love them. Hey, you are playing a Japanese game! If you want realistic moans, you should check somewhere else!

SOUND SCORE: 7.0/10

---CONTROLS:

When I first thought of a 2D game on Gamecube, I instantly thought that the controls would be the worst part. I could not think of how well the analog would work, and let's NOT discuss about the awful D-pad (I wonder why Nintendo even put it there). But to my surprise, everything plays fantastically. The controller responds immediately, and it is a joy to play with the analog, even if it is a 2D game. Buttons are placed really easily, and you will become one with them pretty soon. Just for your "convenience", you can also use the D-pad (Don't, unless you love sore thumbs), or pick from 2 other button layouts that in my opinion don't offer anything better. The controls in the end, are very good, and I nearly never blamed them for my death.

CONTROLS SCORE: 8.5/10

---STORY:

This is supposed to be the sequel to the first Game Boy Advance Megaman Network game. I have never played it, so I can't know for sure. But the game sets you in the universe nicely, explaining everything to you in a very solid way. This is not an RPG, so don't expect a deep story. But if you are waiting for an overall loose story, you will be satisfied, because it's not. There are some interesting twists here and there, and the game beautifully leads you across the stages. Perfectly performed, even if the story by itself is weak.

STORY SCORE: 6.5/10

---GAMEPLAY:

First of all, I don't want you to judge the game in advance, before you thoroughly read through the Gameplay section and have grasped a general idea of how this game plays. The game is set in two different worlds. The "Real" world, where you are mostly reading stuff and checking options through menus, or simply creating your chip list, and the "Network" where the actual game is played. Think of the Real world as your "Base", where you are mostly thinking, and the "Network" as the main game. But even though, actions are taken in the network, you are likely to pass a lot of time setting up stuff in the Real world, so nothing is made without purpose. Totally different from the Megaman X series, in these Network Transmission series, Megaman is but a small executable program, called a Navi. Navis have a high Artificial Intelligence, and can act on their own. They can link in the Network and explore it, like humans explore the Real world. Their connection with the real world, are the PETs. PETs are a new form of mobile phone technology, which except from incorporating E-mail, also includes a unique Navi, which you can use to browse the Network. You are Lan and Megaman is your Navi.

So the game begins in Lan's room, where, after a brief time of reading, you receive your first quest, and your first reason to "Jack In" the Network. Since it is the first time playing, Real world does not offer any options, so you jack in and the actual game starts. From here on, and at least for the next few seconds, everything looks like a traditional Megaman. But... soon you will spot the MP bar. So you can safely guess that this time, there are some RPG elements into it. And to be honest, they work fantastically. So done is the traditional side-scrolling hand-gun abusing old Megaman games. In this game, everything revolves around Chips. Chips have the appearance of a card, and can be used to enhance Megaman's capabilities, like adding new weapons to his arsenal, supporting him, and they can even summon other Navis to fight for him. It not just sounds good, but it also works good.
...Well... At least after you play a while.

Each chip not only uses MPs, but also has a number next to it, which limits its uses. This number will gradually grow as you proceed further into the game (and this is done by collecting more cards; more about that, later), as will your MPs and HPs. Every time you enter a level, Lan will randomly send Megaman 5 chips to choose and take with him. He can choose them all, or leave some, which will be available the next time he picks up a set. This can be really interesting as a technique, since you can leave a good chip, for later in the stage (i.e. for the boss), or simply leave it until there is a decent 5 chips list available. Notice that once you choose a chip, it will be discarded the next time you choose chips. In case you wonder, how you choose new chips, the answer is called Custom Gauge. This gauge, fills slowly in the top of the screen, while you play. Once it has been filled completely, you can press the Z button to enter the chip selection screen. This sometimes will cause problems, with an example being the common situation of running our of ammo in the midst of a battle. In that case, you are usually doomed until you find a safe spot to wait.

Lets move deeper into the game's system. Enemies drop cards when you destroy them. Killing an enemy fast increases the chance to grab a card. If you are slow, then you receive energy or money, or even naught. Grabbing more and more cards is your primary target. Every chip that you have NOT selected, will increase its "uses" number, thus making it more efficient and reliable. If you have the chip of which you are getting the card, then it simply works as ammunition. There are about 137 different chips (and therefore cards) in the game. This adds a lot to the replay value, as it will take you more than enough time, not only to grab all the chips, but also to master them by taking each as many times as it is needed to fill its "uses" number. And collecting does not end here. Scattered in the Network are many treasures which raise your HP and MP, or give you more lives to make your life easier. The rest of the game is common Megaman. Run, jump, kill. But the single addition of the chips has brought in a much altered approach to the game. Certain chips have elements imbued in them. The elements are Fire, Wood, Electric and Water.It works the same way it does in most RPGs, being a version of the "paper-rock-scissor" game. If you have ever played an RPG, you know which element has an edge over which. So this time, Megaman is not only thrashing and shooting.

Let's get to the bad parts now. In the start, you kick off with 20, nearly useless chips. Apart from the Cannon, most do little to no damage, and the gun that you have grown to trust for old Megaman games is unbelievably WEAK. So the first minutes in the game are quite hard, even for a Megaman pro. In fact, by the time you reach the first boss, you hardly have mastered any of the techniques needed to avoid his attacks, and your chips don't even scratch him! He, in turn, delivers plenty of damage to little Megaman, ensuring an untimely grave not only for the blue robot but also in some cases for the whole game! But you should not give up on the game yet. When you finally manage to defeat him (look the FAQs for some clever techniques), the game really gets deeper and much more fun to play. Soon, you will have plenty of chips to choose from, and Megaman won't be as WEAK, as when he started. Just 3 hours later in the game, you will be able to defeat the first boss (which you can replay after), without even using a chip!

I hope that I covered most of the Network's gameplay. The Real world's gameplay is much less in comparison, but essential nonetheless. Well, apart from receiving quests and choosing your next destination, Real world is used to practice between your PACK and your FOLDER. Your pack can hold 20 chips, and the list of chips you have there, will be randomly processed to give out the 5 chips you will get in the actual game. So, after you have made quite an interesting list of chips, you will be able to select chips that you like and use more, thus having stronger chances to receive a solid set of chips. On top of that, you can set a single chip to be given, EVERY time you play. This could be an elemental chip if you are going against a boss, or simply the trusty cannon. It's up to you! The folder is much easier to explain. This is where all the chips that are NOT in your folder, go.

To conclude with the gameplay. This game is fantastic. It sure starts off as bad as ever. It is really unfair to the beginner player, but also really rewarding to those who have the guts to survive. It is not meant to be a walk in the park. After all, it is MEGAMAN, and the series are renowned for being hard to finish. Yet, after a while, it becomes so clear, that you will be playing and enjoying hours of fun. Also, it might have helped that I had no previous Megaman experience, but I found even the earlier parts of the game easy because I hardly EVER use the main gun. Simply, it's useless. And when you get to upgrade it, enemies will still be too strong for it. So, because I never approached the game with the old Megaman ideas, I got really attached to chips and their use. So, it IS hard, but not as hard as some people think. This game is good. It is exceptionally good, and probably one of the few 2D games in the next generation consoles that plays THIS good. FUN is NOT recommended in the start, but is granted to those who take the challenge of getting past the early levels.

There are over 130 cards, some secret attacks, a secret final boss, a decent challenge and lots of hours to play in the main quest. To master it all, it will take more than 20 hours, so this game will accompany you for a while. But if you are unsure whether you can take the difficulty or not, rental is your first option.

GAMEPLAY SCORE: 9.5/10

---OVERALL:

This, in my opinion, is the best Megaman game in the universe. I just can't get my hands off it, and I left "better" games like Zelda and Metroid to gather dust since it arrived. I am really, really addicted to Mega Man Transmission Network! Probably one of the better examples of the genre, and surely the best of this generation. Well done Capcom!

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PROS: Lots of cards to collect, interesting RPG twist, great boss fights.

CONS: Too hard in the beginning, average graphics and sound.

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FOR: Megaman fans that would like their hero in a different quest.

NOT FOR: Megaman fans who absolutely can't take a change in their beloved series.

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OVERALL SCORE: 9.0/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/02/03, Updated 05/30/04