Mega Man Battle Network

Mega Man Battle Network, known as Battle Network Rockman EXE (バトルネットワーク ロックマンエグゼ) in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Game Boy Advance (GBA) handheld console. It is the first title of the Mega Man Battle Network series of games. It was originally released in Japan as a GBA launch game on March 21, 2001 and was released later that year in North America and Europe.

Battle Network takes place during the 21st century in a world where society and everyday life is driven by the internet. Users are able to interact with and virtually explore nearly any electronic device using highly advanced, online avatars called "NetNavis". The game follows a young boy named Lan Hikari and his NetNavi Megaman.EXE as they solve a series of crimes instigated by the "WWW (World Three)" organization. Rather than share the platform gameplay of its predecessors, Battle Network is a Real-Time Tactical Role-Playing Game (RPG) in which the player respectively controls Lan in the game's outside world and MegaMan.EXE in its virtual world. Battles take place in Real-Time; special abilities called "Battle Chips" can be accessed to fight off the numerous computer viruses present in the game's cyberspace environments.

Battle Network was created amidst the success of Nintendo's portable RPG franchise Pokemon. According to producer Keiji Inafune, the development team wanted Battle Network to identify specifically with younger gamers by creating a setting resembling the real world and a gameplay model that mixes traditional action and RPG elements. Battle Network received positive reviews from critics. Its unconventional combat system was given significant praise and its presentation was well-regarded. However, its storyline was met with mixed opinions. The game was followed by a number of sequels and spin-off titles, as well as other media.

Story

In 20xx, the human race is in the "network age." Everyone has a PET (Personal Exploration Terminal), an is an all-in-one device which has replaced cellular phones enabling email, phone calls, calendar, data storage, shopping and news access. It is essential to everyday life. Many everyday items are now networked together. Because of this, NetCrime has increased to exploit the vulnerabilities of the new highly networked societies either through hacking or using viruses. One such NetCrime group known as the WWW (World Three) is responsible for multiple serious NetCrime incidents.

Lan Hikari, and MegaMan are drawn into these ACDC Town incidents starting with oven malfunctioning incidents caused by WWW operator Mr.Match in his own home and an attack by Higsby at ACDC Elementary School. But primarily, an attack on the WaterWorks by Dr.Froid and the subsequent involvement of rival and official NetBattler Eugene Chaud, inevitably pit Lan and MegaMan against the World Three. These crimes however are the beginnings of a plot known as "EndGame", by NetCrime syndicate the WWW, led by Lord Wily to steal the four elemental super programs in order to generate the LifeVirus to delete net society and plunge the world into chaos. Despite Lan and MegaMan's efforts, the World Three manage to obtain all the programs to generate the virus. The Virus itself is prepared to be launched in a hacking missile to infect vulnerable military satellites and their networks around the world.

It is revealed the this plot is revenge on the Hikari family, because of Lan's grandfather Tadashi Hikari. Thirty years prior, both Dr. Hikari and Dr. WIly were working on government projects in order to win an international competition. At Hikari's laboratory; Tadashi worked on networks and NetNavis whilst Lord Wily focused on developing Robotics. One day, the government cut funding to Robotics in favour of further developing network technology. Wily left Hikari's lab; and pursued of NetCrime from a secret laboratory in the mountains. WWW agents were able to infiltrate ACDC Town through a hidden subway underneath ACDC Elementary School. During a final bout with MagicMan , MegaMan is severly injured. It is revealed that MegaMan contains the human DNA of Lan's twin brother, Hub, who passed away when he was very young. In order to revive him Lan's father gives him the Hub.BAT program to sync Lan's DNA with Hub's, his monozygotic identical twin. Hub.BAT removed the 0.001% difference in DNA making MegaMan's code 100% in sync with Lan's DNA, meaning that any damage to Hub would also damage Lan. With the Hub.BAT, MegaMan is able to fight and defeat the LifeVirus.

Gameplay

Unlike the previous action-platformer entries of the Mega Man franchise, Mega Man Battle Network is a Real-Time Tactical RPG. To progress through the game the player must alternately navigate the outside world as Lan Hikari and the Net as MegaMan.EXE, each containing certain tasks that must be completed to allow advancement in the other. Controlling Lan, the player may travel around the world map, interact with non-player characters, check email, purchase items, initiate Net missions, or speak with MegaMan.EXE through his PET. In contrast with traditional Mega Man entries in which battle and movement through the levels happen in the same setting, Battle Network's combat occurs only through by battling computer viruses within the Net. This cyber world is represented by a series of branching pathways and nodes, where MegaMan.EXE can travel to both new and previously visited locations, find and purchase items, and fight viruses. Battles do not generally appear on the field screen of the Net but are usually set as random encounters. The battlefield itself is made up of 18 tiles divided into two groups of nine, one group being space in which MegaMan.EXE may freely move and the other group being space inhabited by enemies. Akin to other Mega Man games, MegaMan.EXE possesses an arm cannon called the "Mega Buster". The player can transition among the nine provided tiles and fire the Mega Buster at enemies from across the screen. The objective of each battle is to DELETE all the viruses by reducing their hit points (HP) to zero. If MegaMan.EXE's own health depletes, a GAME OVER occurs. Certain power-up programs can be found that upgrade MegaMan.EXE's HP, defense, or Mega Buster power.

The Mega Buster is quite weak on its own, so in order to delete viruses more efficiently, the player must access special abilities called "Battle Chips". These are minor programs that contain data that the Navi can utilize to perform more powerful attacks, summon other Navis for help, or execute supportive actions such as restoring HP or destroying tiles on the enemies' side of the battlefield. Battle Chips are uploaded to MegaMan.EXE by Lan's PET in a process called "Customization." Each turn in battle presents the player with five random chips from which to choose, though the player is limited to chips of the same variety or chips with the same alphabetic code. Once the "Battle Gauge" (or "Custom Gauge") at the top of the screen fills during battle, another random set of chips can be chosen from a general pool called the "folder". At any given time, the player may only have exactly 30 chips in the folder from which the Customization process may draw. The player is only allowed to carry up to ten of the same kind of chip and up to five Navi-summon chips in the folder. However, a player may possess any number of other chips in inactive reserve, called the "sack", which may be moved to the active folder outside of battle. Every chip and enemy is aligned to one of five elements: Neutral, Fire, Water, Electric, and Wood. If MegaMan.EXE hits an enemy with an attack aligned to an element they are weak against, the attack will do double damage.

Battle Network features a very limited multiplayer option. Up to two players may connect with each other using a Game Link Cable and then give or trade Battle Chips. Players may also engage in battles with one another. The "test battle" mode has no stakes whereas the "real battle" mode allows the winning player to take a battle chip from the loser.