Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moon

"An annoying, horrid, and extremely repetitive adventure."

Megaman Battle Network 4: Red Sun and Blue Moon

NOTE: that this guide uses terminology from the Battle Network Series. New players might have a hard time understanding what's going on.

If a game is successful and highly adored by fans, than it is a Capcom law to make a sequel. Megaman Battle Network 3 was a VERY successful game, and very enjoyable on top of that. And because of this success, releasing a Megaman Battle Network 4 is the obvious. Even if expected, you would think that this game would be much better than its predecessor. Capcom has the ability to fix flaws, annoying gameplay elements, and sometimes outdated concepts. Of course they will make this game 10x better because it is a sequel!! Wrong.

Whoever told you this game was great was defiantly lying or confused.

I still can't quite grasp the idea that Capcom actually made these two games the 4th installment in the Megaman Battle Network series, but somehow, it's true. Capcom has taken a series that has been doing extremely well, and has basically halted it's success with these packages (Red Sun and Blue Moon). Wonder why so much hate is being tossed around in the first two paragraphs alone? Well, after reviewing the aspects of this game, you'll defiantly see why.

CHANGES
Change can either be good or bad. In this case, we already know what it is. Some of the aspects here might seem good and all, but you will soon miss the old BN3 way of things. Reading on, you'll notice that I am making comparisons on what has been taken out, and what has been placed in, as per the above title.

*Styles vs. Souls
So Capcom has taken away Styles in favor for a new system. Yep. That lovable system that really did help you create great folders is gone. What they have been replaced with is even worse.

Souls are basically special skins/armor that is given to you when Megaman becomes in “sync” with an opponent Navi. This is the stupidest thing I've heard, and the fact that they replaced this for styles disgusts me. Souls are basically here to be “versatile” even though they really do fall short. In order to activate a Soul, you have to sacrifice a chip that corresponds to the Soul (dependant on what it is). That Soul will only last for 3 turns, and after that, you can't use it again at all in that same battle. Pretty bad, seeing as how a lot of fights can last much longer than 3 turns if you're not prepared. What's good with this system, though, is the fact that you are able to change your Soul in the middle of combat. As long as you haven't used it before in the current battle, you simply sacrifice the corresponding chip for that Soul, and your set. If a situation that you are not really ready for arises, changing souls can be a life saver. You should also note that gaining souls is not based on how you play, it's all random from when you first start your game.

Oh yeah, and one more thing. The ADD button has been cut. The reasoning behind this is because of the new button titled “UNITE.” That's what you use to activate Souls by the way. This removal forces you to get only 5 chips per turn. Only way you can change this is by using Number Soul (Blue Moon Only), or Navi Customizer Program blocks. Way to go Capcom…

*Chips
Chips now come in 3 codes. This is a big issue, especially for serious gamers that are here to make excellent folders. Back in previous games, Chips (not including Navi and Mega Chips) came in 5 different codes, not including the Wild Card (*) special to some chips. The difference in codes allowed for many different folder ideas. This aspect made the game MUCH more interesting, as it is a challenge by itself trying to come up with a list of every possible good folder in a Battle Network game by yourself (without the sources on the internet that already have all possible folders listed *glares at Renowned Folder FAQ*). With 3 codes, we basically cut in half all the possible folders that could have had great potential.

Also, there are two new classes of battle chips. Dark and Secret Chips. Dark Chips bring somewhat of a twist, and can actually be fun to use if you get bored of the game. Secret class chips are just…eh. They are basically normal chips, but obtained from other games. You do not need every Secret Chip for a complete game, but they are always nice to have in the eyes of collectors.

Souls CANNOT be traded.

*Old Navi Customizer vs. New Navi Customizer
Nothing really has been changed here, except the fact that they completing MURDERED the Navi Customizer. There are no longer any compression codes, so when you see a Program Block that's big, you have to learn to live with it. Many old blocks are now bigger, which makes it harder to have a good, customizable Megaman.

*Graphics
The battle sprites are the same, as they have been for 4 games now. Not much you can do to really change them though. The difference in this section though is the over world sprites. They have been completely revamped, and are now not only crisp, but smaller which makes it much easier to look at. Chip art is pretty much the same, with some new avatars given to some chips. Lots of reused images.

*Linear Storyline
The Megaman Battle Network storyline before MMBN4 was never really the best, but it was decent enough to sit through and watch. MMBN4 has changed this, drastically. No longer are you following one set path. Instead, you are forced to participate in random tournament scenarios that are determined when you first start your game. The scenarios have nothing to do with the main storyline, and there is hardly any new character development.

The scenarios can range from anything. I'm not going to say what they are to prevent spoilers (even though it really doesn't spoil anything).

I should probably state that the main storyline is not only bad, but it's just dull. Save the world from an asteroid. Bam, that's it.

This is MUCH more annoying than it seems. Reason? Because you have to play through this game 3 times in order to fully complete it and gain access to the secret area. Not only is this repetitive, but you'll probably end up throwing your GBA across the room a couple of times because you'll see yourself playing the same tournament scenarios over and over again.

SIMILARITIES
Thankfully, Capcom has left a lot of things that made us love this game intact.

*Program Advances
Although severely lacking, they do make a comeback. Using all 30 of them will get you a star, just like in previous games. Special Program Advances have been reduced to only 5, so trying to make a themed folder has become much harder than before.

*Two Versions: Red Sun/Blue Moon
I hate this whole Pokemon concept of having two versions.

Basically, Souls, version specific Navi Chips, Virus locations, and certain battle chip codes are exclusive to one version. Trading isn't as big in this game, but is probably recommended so you can get extras like the Free Tournament Mode, powering up a Giga Chip and Secret Chips in your collection. The good thing with these two versions is the fact you no longer have to trade any chips to complete the game.

Like I said before, Souls CANNOT be trader.

*Battle System
Given. Two 3x3 Grids that you move around on. Load chips to attack, edit you folder to better deal with enemies, etc. It's an all to familiar formula that we all appreciate greatly.

FOR NEW PLAYERS
It is recommended that you skip this game, and pick up a copy of Megaman Battle Network 3 if you really want to play a game like this. It is a much better value and investment. You could probably pick it up for a cheap bargain of $14.99 now. On top of that, check out some MMBN3 reviews and FAQs on this site to get a basic understanding of how the game works.

FINAL VERDICT
RENT or BUY: Rent if you just want to experience the game once. Buy if you are trying to complete this game to the fullest. Do neither if you want to avoid wasting money.

I can say without hesitation that this was one of the worst Megaman game experiences I've ever had, right behind Network Transmission. The potential of BN4 was so high, that it brought many, MANY hopes up. The final product is something that was not very enjoyable, but still provided some thrills. The Soul System is something different that is cool to master and base folders around.

Other than that, you probably want to stay clear from this game unless you are a dedicated Megaman fan.

FINAL SCORE - 5/10

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/26/04