Mega Man Battle Network

"Mega Man makes a successful jump into the RPG world."

Ahh, Mega Man… one of the largest and longest-lasting game series in history. The original Mega Man game was made for the NES back in 1986 by Capcom. Since then, many other Mega Man games have been made. One such game is Mega Man Battle Network for the Game Boy Advance. Mega Man Battle Network is different from other Mega Man games in that, while most of the other Mega Man games are action games, Mega Man Battle Network is an RPG, the first Mega Man RPG ever. However, would this game be a successful venture for Capcom into the world of RPGs, or would it be a failed experiment to bring Mega Man into the RPG genre?

Story

The game takes place in the future at a time when computers control virtually every aspect of human life. People now surf the Internet using PETs (Personal Exploration Terminals). Each PET has a Net Navi, a personality simulation program that you can talk with. However, lately there has been an increase in viruses, and so people are now training their Net Navis to fight off viruses and hackers by installing battle chips.

You play the role of Lan, an elementary school student. Lan, like many other people, has a PET to explore the Internet. He and his Net Navi, Mega Man.exe, must join forces to fight the WWW, an evil organization that wants to take over the Internet, and subsequently, the world. For the most part, Mega Man Battle Network is simply a “save the world from the bad guys” game. However, there are some interesting plot twists that make the game more interesting. During gameplay, the story progresses smoothly and is relatively easy to follow, so novice gamers will be able to enjoy this game as well as experienced gamers.

Audio

Much of the music in Mega Man Battle Network has a bit of a techno feel to it, and is somewhat reminiscent of Game Gear music. The tunes are fairly catchy, but over time they can become a bit annoying. However, they are still tolerable even after hours of listening to them. Overall, the music in the game is pretty decent.

The sound effects in Mega Man Battle Network are pretty average and not too spectacular. They can be somewhat dull and boring, but on the other hand they’re fairly tolerable and not very annoying. Overall, I didn’t care too much for the sounds in the game, but I didn’t mind them much either.

Graphics

The graphics in this game are of very high quality. The colors are vivid, the objects and characters are detailed and easily discernable, and overall the graphics are very smooth, i.e. no jagged edges, pixelization, etc. This game really demonstrates what the Game Boy Advance is capable of graphically.

Controls

The controls are simple and easily learned. Controlling Lan and Mega Man is relatively easy, and overall the game responds to button input really well. I had no problem with any of the controls at all.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Mega Man Battle Network is simply superb. As in most RPGs, you have to travel through various areas, engaging in battles with monsters and bosses. However, the combat system in Mega Man Battle Network is strikingly different from those of most other traditional RPGs. Instead of a turn-based system, the battles in Mega Man Battle Network are in real time. Thus, Mega Man Battle Network can be classified as more of an action RPG than a traditional RPG.

As for difficulty, the game for the most part is pretty easy. Most of the viruses and bosses can easily be defeated in less than a minute, especially if you have a plentiful supply of strong battle chips. Mega Man Battle Network usually takes around 20-30 hours to beat, so for some people this game may be too easy.

Like most other RPGs, Mega Man Battle Network has fairly low replay value, since once you beat the game, playing through it again is pretty pointless. However, there is one incentive to playing through again, and that’s looking for all of the different battle chips in the game. If you’re not into that, though, you probably won’t want to play through it again after beating it.

Conclusion – Buy, rent, or neither?

If you’re looking for a fun, relatively easy action RPG to entertain yourself with for a week or two, then by all means buy this game. You definitely won’t want to pass up an opportunity to play this game. At the very least, rent it (if possible) and try it out, just so you can at least get a taste of what this game is like. You will not have wasted your money buying or renting Mega Man Battle Network. In conclusion, I believe that Capcom has indeed succeeded in introducing itself to the RPG genre with Mega Man Battle Network.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/06/03