GENRE
	Action-RPG
	DEVELOPER
	Capcom
	PUBLISHER
	Capcom
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	CONNECTIVITY
	No
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When Capcom announced that their first Mega Man game for the GBA would be an RPG, I was a little bit skeptical. However, Mega Man Battle Network(MMBN) turned out to be a breath of fresh air in the often repetitive Mega Man series. While flawed, it possessed a unique gameplay experience, featured likable characters, and a fantastic battle system. The cherry on top was a decent plot which took us both through Lan Hikari's everyday life and the ongoing battle against WWW, an evil group of hackers run by Dr. Wily. Mega Man Battle Network 2(MMBN2) solved most of the inherent flaws from MMBN, and was more immersive in the net, with more E-mails, message boards, and the like.

The third in the Battle Network series, the aptly named Mega Man Battle Network 3 picks up where 2 left off. After saving the world a second time, Lan has the summer off, but now the WWW seems to be resurfacing. They are after a strange and powerful program known as Alpha, and its up to Lan and his friends to stop them, but can Lan also compete in the N5, a net battling tournament?

visuals

Visually, MMBN3 is no different than any of its predecessors. There is nothing new here, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Character and enemy sprites are detailed to an acceptable degree, and the game looks as good on the GB Player as it does on the GBA. During battles, however, there is a distinct lack of animation. If Mega Man moves from square to square, for instance, he just disappears in one and reappears in another. Using a cannon, or sword, or any kind of special weapon usually takes about 2 to 3 frames of animation. Of course, this is partly necessary due to the fast paced nature of battles, but a more detailed animation could definitely fit in the space of time available between many of the moves.

Absent from the game this time around are the loading sequences normally found whenever you jack into the net. This is a mixed blessing, as it saves the player some time, but the jack-in screen has been a mainstay of the series, and generally looks pretty cool.

audio

The sound is pretty average in MMBN3 and there isn't much of it. Sound effects are virtually exclusive to the battle field, though they are nice. Battle music is catchy, though not as catchy as the music found in MMBN2. Overworld music, while not excruciatingly painful, is slightly annoying and often consists of 10 second loops repeated indefinitely. Suffice it to say, sound is not one of MMBN3's strong points.

gameplay

The gameplay of MMBN3 is similar to its predecessors, with a few welcome changes. You control Lan Hikari in the overworld, where you can run from place to place, talk to people, get clues, and find some items. In the net, however, you control Mega Man. Mega Man can also talk to citizens of the net, read message boards, and find items, but he was built for netbattling. The battle system of MMBN3 is the same as MMBN2. When entering a battlefield, you appear on a 6 x 3 square grid. 9 of these squares belong to Mega Man, who can move freely among them, and 9 belong to the enemies. At the start of a battle, 5 random chips from your "deck" are loaded, and you can select one or more as long as they match type. Every few seconds, you can load more chips. Use Mega Man's buster for a little damage, or use the chips for a great amount of damage or varying effects. If you use a correct combination of chips, a program advance will execute, which will give Mega Man access to an extremely powerful attack.

The program advance was a little unbalanced in MMBN2, where it was easy to get Program Advances that could kill certain bosses in one hit, but in MMBN3, program advances are much more balanced and defeating a boss requires more skill on the player's part.

The chip finding system has been revamped as well. In previous games you might have to fight random enemies for hours to get the chips you want, but in MMBN3, if you have ever had a chip in your possession, or if it is in your chip library (which can be traded with other players), then you can order the chip for a reasonable price.

As you continue to fight, Mega Man will eventually develop a style based on how you fight which will give him more powers in battle. For instance, if you use a lot of guard chips to protect Mega Man, he will most likely develop a shield style that allows him to block incoming attacks. If you fire your buster like a maniac, Mega Man will develop a Guts style for more powerful buster shots, and if you fight with a bunch of bugs present in Mega Man’s system, he will develop a bug-style, with random flaws as bad as the benefits are good. Each style is also paired up with a random element. There are 24 styles in all to master, but 6 (the ground styles) are only available in White version, and 6 (the shadow styles) are only available in Blue.

The plot in MMBN3 has been my favorite as it introduces many old characters from the original Mega Man universe into the Battle Network one. I don't want to spoil it and reveal who they are, but it is an interesting twist. The plot also happens to be very long bringing back characters from all of the games. Some of this length is artificial, however, as there are many fetch quests in this game. Many times in this game you will find a computer program asking you to find some lost data on the other side of the net, and then once you get there, someone else will reveal that it was taken to another portion of the net. This game has the most wild goose chases of any RPG I have ever played, which are compounded by frequent and often difficult random encounters. The bad stuff is definitely worth trudging through for the good, however.

multiplayer

Multiplayer in MMBN3 is pretty much the same as in MMBN2. You can connect to other players to either battle, trade chips, or trade chip libraries. Since Blue and White have differences in the available chips, if you want to complete your library you will have to trade with someone who has the other version. In addition, some chips can only be won by fighting other players. Battling against friends can be fun, but I have always disliked having to trade with another player in order to fully complete a game.

overall

MMBN3 definitely measures up to the quality of the Network series, but it falls somewhere between one and two in terms of quality. The story is great, the character development is great, but the gameplay elements can get a little repetitive. MMBN3 is also the most difficult of the Network games. If you're a fan of the Network series, you'll definitely want to pick it up. If you've never played the Network series, I would recommend MMBN2, as it is the strongest of the series. MMBN3 is not a great game, but it is a very good one.

7.0/10