Mega Man Battle Network is a series that many fondly remember but stands out as very different from the rest of the franchise. MMBN differs from the rest by being an action RPG with a cast full of characters and themed around the internet and tech culture of the era. The result is one of the most unique sub-series and one that fans have clamoured for a return of for years, and Capcom has now responded with a collection of the series, and the result is amazing.
The series has characters who carry PETs ( short for personal terminals) that contain a sentient NetNavi within, that allows them to access the network and interact like never before. This take on Internet technology and cyber citizenship may seem fantastical, but in many ways, it has proven prophetic about the modern day with smartphones, the rapid growth of Internet technology and culture and the rise of social media. It is in this world that our hero Lan Hikari and his NetNavi Mega Man set forth to take on cybercrime and help save the world.
While we called the games action RPGs, there is a bit more to it, as the games feature random battles but in which Mega Man is in a grid-like arena with one side for the enemies to move and one side for him to move. These enemies are typically viruses, but also can be other NetNavis and you will be graded on how well and how quickly you win the battles, with rewards in the form of Zenny (the currency) and battle chips. Battle chips are abilities and powers Mega Man can use in battle, and each of the games has a different way of handling the assortment you are given in battles, such as the first game letting you skip a round to get more chips and the 2nd game letting you swap chips out after waiting a turn.
The games have a fully realized world to explore ( well as fully realized as could be on the Game Boy Advance) and seeing how the games made changes to the world as the series went on, is one of the more interesting things. Lan has multiple friends to interact with as well as many he will encounter along the way, and Mega Man will be able to encounter others on the net as well, with shops being available in both the real world and online. If Lan finds an object with a port, Mega Man can connect and be transmitted from his PET into the device, so there is plenty of variety in terms of what you can explore.
This legacy collection contains 10 games, but MMBN 3,4,5 and 5 are all games with two variations so there are actually six main games. The variation games function similarly to the Pokémon games, with each version having exclusive items and chips not available in the other. These are minor touches but for the completionist, having everything is key so this is great.
Indeed, the collection is amazing in general as it not only has every game in the series (except the GameCube game), but also contains graphical improvements, quality-of-life updates, and a good amount of media content, and it lets folks play online right from the start. That said, the collection does not remove some of the questionable depictions in the games but does include a warning, so history is preserved and Capcom owned up to the issues. More importantly, Capcom included online play in the collection so players can compete against each other and exchange rare chips and other items around the world.
Another big change is the inclusion of the Buster MAX Mode, which makes Mega Man’s Buster shot deal 100 damage per shot when playing offline. This can be toggled on and off at will, and is a game changer, especially early on before you can access upgrades. This mode is disabled in online battles, however, so do not bother trying to pull anything funny with your friends.
Some may feel Bust MAX Mode is an unneeded game breaker that ruins the experience, but considering how frequent random battles could be in the games, the mode can come across as very helpful in getting past these sections and moving on in the game. Since the mode can be toggled on and off, you can just use it at times when you need to get through battles fast, and then go back to normal for the remaining parts of the games. Think of this more as a quality-of-life improvement, and you will understand it much more.
The Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection also has included a lot of content that was region locked to Japan when the games were released, and also a large amount of previous exclusive event content that was also region locked to Japan. You may be shocked by just how much there is in terms of the ChipData, Patch Cards and more, but that also manages to make this collection stand out even more. As mentioned before, there are graphical improvements as well, including the option of using a higher-resolution filter or the original resolution of each title, which really does make a big difference in how the games look.
This is not all the additional content, as there is a gallery mode with artwork as well as remastered and original music. There is also a 3D Mega Man that interacts with you when starting up the games and this manages to excellently replicate how the PET and NetNavi are supposed to work in the games. It would have been nice if there was a way to reduce the random battles which can be extremely annoying or give more of a sense of where to go, but overall the product is good.
Capcom did an absolutely stupendous job with Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection not only making the games more accessible to play but also giving a lot of bonus content, QOL improvements and other additions. Capcom went above and beyond to not only bring something for hardcore fans of the original games but also plenty of touches to make the game easy for new players to get into. This is very easy to recommend, and one that no Mega Man fan should go without. Well done, Capcom.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
