Mega Man Battle Network

"An awesome game that molds many genres into one small package."

Mega Man Battle Network (MMBN for short) was on the top of my must buy list once I got my GBA. I'm a computer junkie nerd person, and this game naturally peaked my interests. Once I plugged it into my GBA, I was unable to put it down for quite a few hours.

The graphics in this game are nice, vibrant, colorful, in a semi-3D perspective. What's not to like? The designs of the characters are brilliant. Animation is smooth. I particularly like some of the Navis. Enemy designs are great as well, although some are overused a bit, with only a recoloration. Each BattleChip has its own unique animation, each one, once again, wonderful.

Sound is very nice, too. Catchy music galore. Sound effects are spot on, lots of comp. sounds, plenty of the classic Mega Man gunshot sounds.

Gameplay is this game's strong point. Plenty of it. This is like an action/rpg/puzzle hybrid, and each genre is represented everywhere you go. The battle system is way innovative, I've never seen anything like it. The use of battle chips and normal attacks adds a bit of a strategical aspect to the game. It's easy to get used to, but challenging to master. The game's story is the only really so-so part. It revolves around one central plot, yes.... the WWW is sending viruses out over the net, in hopes to conquer the world. But there's not much ''in-between'' time. You go to school. Something really bad happens, and in the end, you and MegaMan save the day. The scene switches back to your house. Something bad happens there. There's no real time to catch your breath. Also, there's not much of a world here. There's only around 3 or 4 zones, and in some of them, you can hardly go in any buildings and whatnot. It's not too horrible, but I feel the game would be better with a bigger world.

Control is easy to learn, easy to use. Just the way it should be. You'll probably end up mashing the B button in battles to shoot rapidly and kill whatever. But if you use the battle chips, there's no real need.

All in all, this is a wonderful game, a hybrid of many genres. If you're a fan of computer junk, or you just want a good, solid, fun gaming experience that you can port around with you, pick this one up.

Graphics - 10/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Sound - 9/10
Control - 10/10
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Overall - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/24/02, Updated 01/24/02