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GBA

North America

Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar/Gregar

by Stan Ferguson - August 8, 2006, 10:58 pm EDT
Total comments: 9

5.5

Rescue penguins! Fight a cyborg tree! Play as a cigarette lighter!

The long awaited sixth installment of the epic Mega Man Battle Network saga has finally arrived, and we see our hero, Lan, transported to a new town. Sadly, he must leave his friends in AC/DC Town and face not graduating with his class (despite not knowing such difficult words as "occupation" and "pavilion"). But just as soon as he starts making friends with the aesthetically challenged children of Cyber Town, there is treachery afoot. Can Mega Man and Lan save the town from certain destruction? Could Dr. Wiley possibly be involved in the shenanigans? Is this game even worth playing?

In the interest of full disclosure I must admit I have never played a Battle Network game and, consequently, have no prior knowledge of the series' characters and history. I am not familiar enough with the previous installments to recognize or comment on this entry's changes to the gameplay—I can only judge MMBN6 on its own terms and, well…it is an interesting specimen.

Allow me to qualify that statement. For many RPGs, plot (or presentation) takes precedence, arguably leaving gameplay as a secondary concern. However, in MMBN6 the gameplay easily trumps the story. Lan, and almost everyone else in his world, has a digital, sentient sidekick called a Navi. Mega Man is Lan's Navi and best friend, and much of the game's action—including its battles—takes place in the digital world. The game's collectable chips, which serve as Mega Man’s weapons, and its highly customizable upgrade system keep the battles from quickly becoming boring. Of course, MMBN6's frequent, random battles will wear players down, but there are some odd mini-games before each boss battle to help bolster the variety. In one of the saner mini-games, Mega Man rides a cloud to trap cyclones in a ring of rainbows.

The story, on the other hand, is exceedingly idiotic. Games aren’t expected to weave tales on par with Hemingway or Tolstoy, but if I hadn’t been so busy laughing at the contrived situations or silly dialogue, I would have taken offense at how dense Capcom believes children to be. In the interest of being educational, the game often attempts to teach something (e.g. at the aquarium you’re required to read about the fish—all ten of them). However, these moments are futile in a game where the hero must also retrieve an inflated beach ball that has sunk to the bottom of a water tank. In fact, the mere concept of a town fully integrated and run by a consistently corrupted internet is amazingly stupid. The only benefit of continuing with MMBN6’s plotline is to see what lunatic scenario the so-called-writers pull out next. The only truly valuable lesson in this game is “Don’t move to a town full of morons."

In fact, Battle Network's above-average battle system is the only aspect of the game worth praising. The graphics are colorful, but the game's overall look is nothing worth writing home about and its horrendous character art insults eyes. The controls (outside of menus) are responsive, though that is no great feat for an RPG with one action button. This game fails to impress on any technical level—it's just another 16-bit era wannabe with generic action-anime music.

At least the game provides gamers with the incentive to explore. As Lan progresses through his adventure he gains control over other characters such as HeatMan and ElecMan, who can open up previously inaccessible areas and add variety to the battles. If you don't mind Lan's lame fetch-quests, the game will last for a while, and (as with previous Battle Network games) you can link GBA systems to battle against friends.

Mega Man Battle Network 6 is slightly better than your average game that comes with an unintentionally comedic story. It’s no shock that MMBN6 isn’t trying to win over new fans, and on a system all but dead there isn’t much need to innovate. It is what it is and fans of the series who aren’t sick of the formula yet will love it.

Score

Graphics Sound Control Gameplay Lastability Final
6 5 10 6 8 5.5
Graphics
6

The graphics are colorful, but the ugly children make for an unpleasant viewing experience.

Sound
5

Typical cheese-ball J-pop appropriately decorates the bland environments. Capcom has peppered the sound of torn paper throughout the game for its sound effects.

Control
10

While moving within a confined grid and timing when you push A may not sound exciting, the battle controls work and react perfectly. Menus are reasonably organized and responsive.

Gameplay
6

The battles can be fun, but since the game relies on more powerful attack cards in lieu of level-ups, players often have little reason to battle. Their their frequency and random nature compound the issue. The plethora of fetch quests similarly becomes annoying.

Lastability
8

For fans who want to hone their net battle skills, the game offers plenty of incentive to return even after playing through the main game. MMBN6 also holds plenty of hidden goodies for explorers.

Final
5.5

Even though this is my first game in the series, the gameplay feels tired and the storytelling is simply lazy. It really isn’t going to interest anyone save for die-hared fans of the series. The story outlasts its welcome and the battles eventually become far too easy.

Summary

Pros
  • Deep customization
  • Quick battles
  • Totally insane storyline
Cons
  • Completely insane storyline
  • Technically and aesthetically unimpressive
  • Too many uninspired fetch-quests
Review Page 2: Conclusion

Talkback

Aussie Ben PGCBen Kosmina, Staff AlumnusAugust 09, 2006

Believe me, rescuing penguins and fighting a cyborg tree are some of the SANER moments in this game series. I feel quite ashamed to say that I didn't pick up on the sunken beach ball, though. How embarrassing. Also, I'm very, VERY pleased that Capcom removed those godawful Liberation Missions that they introduced in the last one. Ick.

I actually liked this one quite a bit - it's like a Battle Network Christmas Special. Lan goes to a new town and Mega Man sporadically turns into a wolf (or bird!). What wacky hijinx will they get up to this episode? Oh, and the hilariously overpowered Life Aura chip is great - use it, and it nullifies any attacks under 200 damage. AWESOME.

PryopizmStan Ferguson, Staff AlumnusAugust 09, 2006

Ben!!! Honored to have you respond! You know, I had a great fondness for the utter lack of logic or sanity in the game up to a point. It's like a friend who starts off funny, but doesn't know when to shut up.

nickmitchAugust 09, 2006

Is there a DS version of this comming out? Because I'm willing to wait.

Aussie Ben PGCBen Kosmina, Staff AlumnusAugust 09, 2006

Well, Capcom hasn't said anything, but you never know. Also, here's some interesting trivia I found out: this game was going to have the crossover battle and all of those Boktai references, just like Battle Network 5. However, because the previous Boktai games didn't sell well in the west (from what I've heard), Konami decided not to localize Boktai 3. As a result, nearly all the Boktai references got cut from BN6, including a couple of extra areas in the cyber world and various Battle Chips. Boooo.

nickmitchAugust 09, 2006

WHAT!?! But the Solar Boy Django and Solgun chips were my favourites!!

Aussie Ben PGCBen Kosmina, Staff AlumnusAugust 09, 2006

I know the Gun Del Sol Chips (excluding Gun Del Sol EX) are still in there - I saw a couple of them. But a lot of the other ones were ripped out. Not sure about the specifics though.

BloodworthDaniel Bloodworth, Staff AlumnusAugust 09, 2006

Quote

However, because the previous Boktai games didn't sell well in the west (from what I've heard), Konami decided not to localize Boktai 3


Maybe if it were even slightly possible to find a copy, they'd do better. Sounds like Burnout 2 on GameCube logic to me.

NephilimAugust 09, 2006

EB proberly imported all the stock to australia, since most stores got 1 or 2 copys a few months ago...and doesnt seem like they sold, cause most stores still have them because they were excluded from the 50% sale like a few weeks ago

Aussie Ben PGCBen Kosmina, Staff AlumnusAugust 10, 2006

Yeah, that's really bizarre - it only got released a couple of months ago, according to all the official release info, but I remember buying it a year before that - at my local EB. I find it hard to forget when a GBA game costs me $80 and higher.

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Genre RPG
Developer Capcom
Players1 - 2

Worldwide Releases

na: Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar/Gregar
Release Jun 13, 2006
PublisherCapcom
RatingEveryone
jpn: Rockman EXE 6: Dennōjū Faltzer/Grega
Release Nov 23, 2005
PublisherCapcom
RatingAll Ages
eu: Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar/Gregar
Release Jun 16, 2006
PublisherCapcom
Rating3+
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