Mega Man Battle Network 3 White Review

When I was standing in line to ride Splash Mountain at Disney Land, a boy suddenly asked what game I was playing on my GBA. Upon telling him “Mega Man Battle Network,” he said, “That’s not the same Mega Man. He’s just not the blue bomber anymore.” And I suppose this Battle Network is a dastardly shift in Mega Man’s career, something true fans wished never existed. Whatever your feelings, if you can accept this childish Mega Man diversion for what it’s worth, you might find something to like about it.

When I think of RPG’s, I think of long, drawn-out turn-based battles. Battle Network can teeter on long and drawn-out, but its battle system is definitely not turn-based. Though the battle field is still split with you on one side and the enemy on the other, you can move around the grid and fire in real-time. For that, fighting in this game is much more interesting and much less boring. These battles rely on a meter that, once filled, allows you to pick from a selection of cards to use in the next round. Most cards are used for attacks, like a high-powered canon or sword to swipe those enemies hanging near the field border. Other cards restore health, increase attack power, or even extend your part of the battlefield into the enemies’. Cards are easy to come by, whether purchased or picked up from random battles. A lot of cards end up being useless, but being able to make a custom “folder” eliminates having to deal with crappy decks.

In the Battle Network series, there are two main characters: Lan and Mega Man. Like it or not, Mega Man is a sort of “virtual pet” to Lan. Mega Man only exists in the ‘net world. In the real world, Lan does not fight but rather runs around, talks to people, and finds hotspots for Mega Man to “jack” into the ‘net. At times, it seems kind of pointless to have a character Lan, but it’s a refreshing break from Mega Man battling viruses all the time. Random battles are still annoying, but it’s easy to run from them and isn’t even necessary to fight. You do not earn experience points in the typical RPG nature, which is actually a very refreshing change of pace. No more spending hours “leveling up!” Instead, you can give Mega Man certain upgrades like Speed+1 or Attack+1 by fitting Tetris-like pieces into a small grid box. You can even simply buy health upgrades from various vendors. Mega Man also sporadically undergoes style changes, which can be switched on and off to increase different stats.

Unfortunately, Battle Network is just too childish for its own good, from its directionless and goofy story to ridiculously easy puzzles. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga got away with such antics, because it fit. Here, these additions feel out of place and make me feel stupid to be playing this game. For instance, in one area, there was a “mouse” virus blocking my way. I had to go find a “cat” virus to get rid of the “mouse” virus. Later, I’m having to find three kinds of “nut” viruses to feed to a “monkey” virus so it will explode. What?!

The game likes to send you on a lot of crazy, maze-like errands. I say “maze-like,” because finding your way around the ‘net is difficult. All the floors look the same, and yet you’re expected to hunt down the train station every time you need to change locations. You eventually grow accustomed to the ‘net, but this is mostly done by the game sending you on fetch-quests. You’ll spontaneously have to run errands or go find and talk to someone about something entirely pointless as a poor means to make the experience longer. A better example: I was supposed to fight these guys who kept running from me. I’d talk to them, and they’d say, “Uh oh! Mega Man found us! Let’s run to ACDC 2!” So I hunt them down again, and they say, “Let’s run to Yoka 1!” I don’t see how this running around is necessary. It’s boring and time-consuming.

I was not drawn to play Battle Network as I was drawn to play other games like Golden Sun or Superstar Saga, but I enjoyed carrying this with me because of its great “minute” value. You can save whenever you want, the tap of the L button gives you a quick update as to what your current mission is, and nothing about the game is so elaborate that you have to set aside a fair chunk of time to accomplish anything (i.e. a tough boss battle). Obviously, you can set aside that time if you’d like, especially if you ever hope to beat the game. Battle Network can grind into the 20 hour realm if you’re not careful.

Final Comments

Mega Man Battle Network doesn’t change. Every installment is identical to the last, save for a few minor changes which don’t alter the experience enough to merit another $30. Despite being such an obvious marketing scam, Battle Network is still a fun (albeit childish and tedious) twist on the RPG formula and is a great asset to have on the go. If you’re at all interested in the series, however, you’d be better off looking into one of the later Battle Networks.