It was the early days of the NES, and the video game company Capcom was
finally ready to release their newest game; a little game they decided
to call "Mega Man" (Rockman in Japan). Mega Man was a side scrolling
platformer about a little blue robot who set out to stop the evil Dr.
Wily from taking over the world. Really it was a simple game, but there
was also something about it that made it very unique.
You see,
Mega Man was a game that allowed you to play the stages in any order you
wanted to, and whenever you beat one of the Robot Master bosses, you
would get their weapon. These weapons could then be used against other
bosses who were weak against them, creating a sort of rock paper
scissors type of game; however, it really wasn't that simple. The
original game was actually a very challenging game that required dead on
platforming, enemy pattern memorization, and it really required players
to stay on top of their game. Truthfully Capcom wasn't sure how well
the game would do due to these facts, but in the end it actually became a
hit.
Not too long after Mega Man was released, Capcom went to
work on its sequel "Mega Man 2." Mega Man 2, unlike the original,
included eight bosses for you to fight, it refined the gameplay, made it
a bit easier, and added in a few new features as well. Once again Mega
Man 2 was a hit with the world, and that is what lead Capcom to create a
series of sequels following. Mega Man 3, 4, 5, and 6 all came out for
the NES, and each and every one of them brought new features to the
game. From the ability to slide under gaps and enemies, to the ability
to charge up Mega Man's buster gun to unleash a powerful charge shot,
the game's gameplay continued to evolve. That's when Capcom finally
decided to take the next major step forward.
In the early 1990s
the new SNES was released with its 16 bit graphics, and Capcom decided
to make full use of it to show just what the system could do. While
Capcom did in fact make a Mega Man 7 for the SNES, they also decided to
release an entirely new Mega Man game as well; one that they would go on
to call "Mega Man X." Mega Man X was still a side scrolling action
platformer like the original series, but it also had many changes as
well. The game's story took place over 100 years after the classic
series, and it focuses on a brand new character named Mega Man X. X was a
part of a group called the "Maverick Hunters," and the game follows his
story as he hunts down "Mavericks" (robots who have gone crazy and
broken the rules of robotics). The game featured a much darker
storyline, and took place in a world where "reploids" (robots that were
based on X's design) can think for themselves and have feelings (just
like humans). Just like with the original Mega Man games, the X series
went on to spawn many sequels, and it was the first Mega Man series to
really form a deep storyline.
After the success of Mega Man X,
Capcom later went on to create a direct sequel to Mega Man X (called
Mega Man Zero which focused on Mega Man's friend Zero), as well as a 3D
adventure series called Mega Man Legends. While the Zero games continued
the dark history and gameplay of Mega Man X, Legends was a fully 3D
game, it featured a completely brand new character named Rock (who was
renamed to "Megaman" in the West), and it played out a lot like an
adventure game. You explored ruins, found treasure, found new gear to
use, and made your way through a storyline. Later on a game series
called Mega Man ZX would continue the story past the events of Mega Man
Zero (while mixing in elements from Megaman Legends), but before that
one other series was actually released; one that NO ONE could have seen
coming.
In 2001 a game called "Mega Man Battle Network" was
released for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, and it was quite the shock.
This game was nothing like we had ever seen before, and it was a game
that was COMPLETELY out of character for a Mega Man game. Battle Network
was a game that took place on its own timeline, and it took place in a
modern day world; one that we currently live in today. In the world of
Battle Network, people have become depended on the internet, and
everyone carries around "personal terminal" computers (known as PETs for
short), and they serve as everyone's gateway to the net. From surfing
the web, to checking email, to also being able to act as a phone, these
PETs help everyone with their daily life, but they also include one
other feature. Inside each PET lives an AI known as a "Net Navi" who
helps their owner out in any way they can.
These Net Navis are
virtual living beings who can directly enter the cyber world (a virtual
world version of the internet), fight and delete viruses, and interact
with the world in many different ways. They can control computer
systems, help build networks, or help out with just about anything else
that might be job related. To sum it up, these Net Navis are human's
best friends, and both humans and Net Navis are able to work hand in
hand to achieve their goals.
The story of Mega Man Battle
Network follows ten year old Lan Hikari, and his Net Navi Megaman as
they go about their daily loves. Lan attends school, "net battles" with
his friends (which is where their navis enter a virtual world to fight),
and goes on living a normal childhood in the age of technology; however
things don't stay this way for long. When a group calling themselves
the "WWW" show up to pull off cyber attacks, Lan soon finds himself
caught up in the middle of the attacks, as he does whatever he can to
protect both his friends and family. By sending Megaman into the
networks, Lan directly confronts the WWW, and their navis, and stops
each and every single member. While this sort of story itself is
unexpected, the real shock actually comes from the game's gameplay!
Mega
Man Battle Network is an Action RPG mixed with a strategy game. In the
game you control Lan from an isometric perspective as he travels from
area to area, and interacts with NPCs (as you might expect from an RPG),
but this is really only the half of it. In this world EVERYTHING
electronic has a built in virtual world where navis, programs,and even
viruses can gain access, and because of that Lan can actually send
Megaman into them! By "jacking in" into an object, the game will switch
over to playing as Megaman in these virtual worlds. While electronic
objects are normally just stand alone objects with small areas to
explore, personal computers and servers will actually allow you to gain
access to the internet. The internet is the massive overworld in the
Battle Network series, and it is where you spend a lot of time in game.
On the net you can find more NPCs to talk to, find items, as well as get
into fights with viruses (and other enemies); however that too isn't
quite the same as your normal RPG.
While the battles in Battle
Network are in fact random (as in you'll be randomly pulled into them),
the battle system is completely unique. Battles take place on a 6x3 grid
where each "side" of the field has a 3x3 grid they can move across.
While Megaman always faces right, the viruses/enemies on the other side
will always face left, and both sides are able to jump between each
panel on the grid to both dodge attacks and attack themselves. Although
the battle system is in fact in real time, there are still in fact
"turns" in Battle Network, and at the start of each turn you can pick
which attacks you want to be able to use. Mega Man Battle Network uses a
"battle chip" system where you collect card like computer chips to use
as attacks. Each battle chip is a different attack, and you are able to
build a "chip folder" with a limit of 30 of them to take into battle.
Each and every chip is only one time use per battle, but you can never
really run out of moves to use. Megaman does in fact have a normal
buster attack (which is weaker) to use, and when you're not using your
battle chips, it does in fact become your main form of attacking.
To
go along with the battle chip system, there is also a system called
"Program Advance" which allows you to pull off special moves. By
selecting battle chips to use in a special order, you can create a chain
reaction of sorts, which will transform your battle chips into a
massive special attack. For example of you use the battle chips sword,
wide sword, and long sword together in that order, it will create a
massive sword, that hits most of the battle field, called life sword.
Systems such as these really make you think about how you want to build
your chip folder, and it also makes you really think your moves through
during battle. Sure the combat is action and skill based, but that
doesn't mean you shouldn't play smart. Mega Man Battle Network is a game
that tests both your reflexes and your mind, and that's where it really
shines.
Although up to this point Mega Man had already had a few
other series, Mega Man Battle Network really is something you could
have NEVER seen coming. It wasn't a side scrolling game, it featured a
unique battle system, it took place in a completely different
timeline/world, and above all, it took place in a world we are slowly
seeing come true today! Back in 2001 we really didn't have all of these
smart phones, you couldn't connect to the internet everywhere you went,
and we didn't have these AIs that controlled our mobile devices with
voice commands (heck we hardly even HAD mobile devices)! The world in
Battle Network truly was a "near future" world, and it is a world we
basically live in today. Everything about Battle Network was shocking,
and that is why we felt it deserved a spot at number 1 on this list. If
someone ever tries to tell you they saw this game coming, then they
lied.
