GameSpy
Review
of Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar
Wow, is it June already? You know how I can tell? Because Capcom has just brought us yet another entry in the Mega Man Battle Network series for GBA. For four years now (since the release of
MMBN2), June has brought us another adventure of Lan Hikari and his Net Navi buddy, Mega Man. Ever since the third game in the series, Capcom has also released two different versions of each title to create a
Pokémon-ish excuse to link up with a friend to fight and trade Battle Chips.
The two game flavors this time are
Cybeast Falzar (the "blue" version) and
Cybeast Gregar (the "red" version). Falzar and Gregar (a hawk and a wolf, respectively) are ancient, mythical creatures that are said to have terrorized the internet before being cast into a virtual pit. Think of them as the equivalent of
Pokémon's legendary creatures. It should hopefully come as no surprise to you that the two "Cybeasts" are indeed real and are soon revived, giving Lan and Mega Man something to do for the rest of the game.
As you might have guessed, each version of the game focuses on one of the Cybeasts, so if you're looking for the complete
MMBN6 experience, you'll need to play through both variants. There are a few other differences as well. Throughout the game, you'll encounter different Net Navis that Mega Man can merge with (more on that in a bit). Depending on which version you play, you'll meet different Net Navis and experience slightly different storyline paths. One has to wonder if Capcom will release both versions of
MMBN6 on one chip for the Nintendo DS as it did for
Battle Network 5.
Same Old, Same Old Perhaps the biggest complaint directed at the Battle Network series (and it's a very valid complaint) is that the games tend to feel pretty much the same. Sadly, that doesn't change this time around. Unless you're a hardcore fan of the series, you'd be hard pressed to tell this game apart from the 2001 original just by looking at it.
So dedicated is Capcom to cranking out a new installment of the series each year, the company barely bothers to create any new artwork or animation. The status quo gets shaken up a bit this time thanks to a plot device that sees Lan moving to a different town. This results in a few new buildings to explore and people to talk to, but you can't shake the "been there, done that" feeling, especially when you enter the game's online world. I was also disappointed to see skimping when it came to new animations. Frequently, whenever something is about to happen that would require new character animation, the screen fades away and the action happens off-screen. It's a cheap tactic and a sure sign that development was rushed.
For Everlasting Peace At least a few improvements were made to the game's battle system. The new Cross System functions like a simplified version of the Soul System from past games. It allows Mega Man to combine his abilities with other Net Navis, altering his appearance and giving him more powerful attacks. You can also combine with the Cybeasts to enter Beast Out mode. In this mode, Mega Man becomes more powerful than ever, but misuse of the power can leave him vulnerable. These two attack modes can be combined into the aptly named Cross Beast mode. Given the different Navis that you can Cross with, the ability to Beast Out, and the Navi Customizer (which returns from the previous games), there are plenty of ways to hone Mega Man's abilities to match your fighting style. Fortunately, the slightly dull tactics-style Liberator Missions from
MMBN5 have been eliminated this time around.
As always, you can link up with a buddy and do a little battling and chip trading. There are a couple different battle modes that allow you to play a single match, best two out of three, or with a set of random chips. Whichever mode you choose, you can also opt to play "for keeps" where the winner steals a Battle Chip from the loser. There are also a few different methods for trading chips, making the whole process very streamlined.
From the look of things,
MMBN6 is going to be the final installment in the series before it's branched out in new directions. That's just what this series needs, really. If you've never seen the allure of the Mega Man Battle Network series, this latest installment isn't going to win you over. Even if you are a fan, the heavy sense of déjà vu might have you feeling a little apathetic by now. Only the hardest of the hardcore Battle Network fans need to check this one out.
©2006, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
