A collection offering all you can blast from a Mega Man sub-genre all its own.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/63404/mega-man-battle-network-legacy-collection-switch-review
As they’ve done with the Mega Man, X, Zero, and ZX compilations, Capcom has once again collected titles from its back catalog and bundled them up into a neat little package. Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection contains 10 titles, with MMBN 3, 4, 5, and 6 offering alternate versions of the same game (like mainline Pokemon). Following in the footsteps of classic Mega Man, which had six individual entries on the NES, all six Battle Network games originally came out on the Game Boy Advance and are no longer available on the defunct Wii U Virtual Console service (MMBN 5's two versions were also released as a DS game). The unique combination of genres to which these games belong–with characteristics of RPGs, card battlers, turn-based and action combat–can make them more of an acquired taste. Is this next Capcom collection worth adding to your library? Chug that E-tank and let’s find out!
The Battle Network Legacy Collection is divided into two parts that can be purchased separately (buying them together doesn't appear to offer any kind of a discount). Part 1 includes MMBN 1, 2, 3 Blue, and 3 White; Part 2 includes the two different versions of 4, 5, and 6. Critically, the earlier entries in the series reviewed more favorably given how little the primary gameplay changes in the later games. While there are changes both subtle and more noticeable in the different versions of MMBN 3 through 6, it's hard to argue that there aren't just six total games in the package as a whole.
For the purposes of reviewing the MMBN Legacy Collection, I'll be focusing primarily on the first game and the extras added to the Collection. Storywise, every title follows protagonist Lan and his NetNavi MegaMan.EXE, a virtual representation of the Blue Bomber who can explore network spaces and dungeons to solve problems affecting the real world. Players need to switch back and forth between controlling Lan in the real world and jacking in to network ports where MegaMan can explore maze-like labyrinths, get into random battles, and take down familiar boss characters from the classic side-scrolling series.
In addition to advancing the main story, Lan can complete side quests to earn money to spend on upgrades and chips that give MegaMan new abilities. Combat encounters play out on a 6x3 grid with the player able to move freely on the 9 leftmost tiles; the enemies are stationed on the other 9 tiles. MegaMan is equipped with his trustee Buster Cannon, but it does little damage in comparison with the selection of battle chips you have at your disposal.
At the beginning of a fight, you'll be given a random selection of 5 chips from the 30 in your storage folder. From these 5, you'll be able to choose one or more of the same type to bring into battle. Battle chips allow you to do sword swipes, cannon blasts, recover health, steal enemy territory, and unleash devastating area-of-effect attacks, including summoning previously defeated bosses like FireMan and GutsMan. A meter at the top of the screen gradually fills up and lets you choose chips from a new set of 5, stopping the action and letting you strategize before hopping back into the real-time combat. You can even combine chips in certain ways to perform extra powerful moves.
The MegaMan.EXE segments can be frustrating in terms of trying to navigate very labyrinthine maps while also dealing with random encounters. The random encounters do provide a steady stream of income and new battle chips, but the rate can feel high at times. While you can save the game at any time, when MegaMan loses all his health the game takes you back to your last save, so it's worth remembering to save often. In some situations, boss fights can be hard to telegraph, so I made a point of saving whenever I reached a new floor within a dungeon.
The Legacy Collection main menu adds a Gallery option that houses two art sections, dozens of trophies, a music player, special battle chips attached to events, and even e-Reader data for MMBN 4 through 6. There's also a high-resolution feature that can be toggled on and off (thankfully) and a Buster Max mode that can be activated to superpower MegaMan's basic shot. Online battles and trading are also available across each game in the package.
There are very few video game series where the original and all its sequels were developed for a single console. One result of that is that it's pretty likely you'll have your fill of Battle Network gameplay after just one or two of the games in this Legacy Collection. Unlike the classic or X series, the MMBN games take about 10 to 15 hours each to finish, and so unless you're a superfan who wants a contemporary way to play them, this latest Capcom bundle is a harder sell. Even if Mega Man 1 through 6 didn't change up the formula too much, those games can be finished in under an hour; the length of the Battle Network titles compounds their repetitiveness and the relative lack of change as the series goes along.
Regardless, as far as compilation re-releases go, you're getting basically all the Mega Man Battle Network experiences in a single package, and the achievements, online play, and bonus art make this the definitive way to play these 10 GBA games. If you're completely new to the series, know that the individual experiences on offer here don't change too much from MMBN 1 to 6; do your homework before committing to purchasing and playing more than one of these games. As an interesting departure from the action-platforming of other Mega Man titles, the Battle Network line certainly has my respect, but I'm not in a hurry to wade through all the repetition built into the MMBN Legacy Collection.
Topic: Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (Switch) Review (Read 1116 times)
