"Capcom Has Been Liberated"

In the latest installment of the EXE/Battle Network series, Netto and Rockman have to save the world again when Hikari Yuuichiro is captured by...Guess who? Dr. Regal.

BN5 was released in two version like 3 and 4 were, which seems to be the tradition now. Again, the Soul Unison system, as well as the Dark Chips, have returned. However, you might be relieved to hear that there are no more tournaments.

Now, let us move on to the main portion of the review.

Graphics

First off, I had no problem with the graphics. The series continues to actually grow in this area. The style of the characters (The chibi style) is the same as EXE4, but the majors improvements were made for terrain. When I first saw ACDC net, I was quite surprised to the unique design and color, as well as the detail. No flaws there. I go a little further a run into a virus battle. More veteran players might notice the little additions and clean ups to the chip selection screen which is a nice touch. The battlefield itself it great, with the addition of high quality panels and terrain changes. Character animations run smoothly throughout and are expected from the Battle Network games. On a side note, the Plug-In sequence is pretty cool.

Sound

Again, like the graphics, they are not "OMG! TeH Best!" but its good enough. It is the same type of music as the other games, not super good, not particularly bad. Some of it can be good, and there is no music that makes me want to turn OFF the sound, so that's a good sign. The in-game sounds from cutscenes and using chips is great as well. Nothing for me to bash down.

Gameplay

This is where the redemption for Capcom begins. From EXE3, we were shown that a wonderful and touching storyline could be pulled off in this format and high hopes were given for EXE4. But we all know EXE4 Phailed to the point where most players lost hope in this installment. It has gotten better though...much better. The story itself is pretty good, but the new interesting turn is the addition of liberation missions. When part of the net is taken by the Nebula group, your "Team" has to go liberate it in a strategical battle for control. There are still the boss fights and missions, but I like this additions. It is a breath of fresh air when you look at the constant barrage of tournaments. There might be some players who look at Liberation Missions as a bad thing however. The game play is a little slower at this point, based on the fact it is a strategy/turn based almost board game like approach, but it is new twist. No complaints here.

Replay Value

The Battle Network series has the highest replay value ever. This is because of the extra stuff that comes AFTER the game. Chip collecting, getting Program Advances, battling secret bosses, and other quests for 100% completion. It is a great way to spend time and it never really gets boring, trying to figure out new ways to beat an opponent and such.

Rent or Buy

O_o Can you rent GBA games? Anyway, this game is simply too big (to get the maximum worth out of it) to just play it in a rental period anyway. Go buy it. NOW!

Overall

Battle Network 4 never existed. Go get Battle Network 5. Really, it is a wonderful game to play, with fun additions and characters that you get attached to.

Final Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/11/05