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Set between the events of Mega Man Battle Network and its sequel, Mega Man Network Transmission involves a new menace roaming the cyberworld: the Zero Virus (presumably a different one from the Mega Man X series)! The Zero Virus has been infecting everyone's Navis, so it's up to Lan and MegaMan.EXE to cut their victory laps short and get back on the Net to save the world. Unlike most other entries in the series, Mega Man Network Transmission is a 2D platformer with elements from the Battle Network series wedged in. You can move along in the cyberworld, blasting your way through enemies using your typical MegaBuster, or you can equip Battle Chips you collect and defeat viruses that way. While using your chips, you drain your MP meter. Overreliance on Battle Chips can result in an empty MP meter; you'll have to wait for it to recharge. Selecting new chips requires you to wait for a gauge at the top to fill as well. Beyond that, it plays very much like a classic Mega Man game. The graphics looks fairly decent (MegaMan.EXE is cel-shaded), and the audio is equally charming. For those that want to experience the Battle Network series but fear the new battle system in place, maybe Mega Man Network Transmission is your gateway. Then again, this game certainly divided the critics.
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Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge and Rockman EXE N1 Battle were released simultaneously for the Game Boy Advance and the WonderSwan Color and are essentially the same game, even visually. Only the former, however, was published outside of Japan. These games involve another Net Battlers' tournament, the Battle Chip Grand Prix. But all is not on the up-and-up; an evil organization is behind the tournament, and they're going to take the winning Navi for themselves to help take over the Internet! Instead of the typical Battle Network fighting system, this one's a blend of an RPG and a card-collecting game, except there are Battle Chips instead of actual cards. It's a luck-based system, so you'd better hope luck is in your favour! There are six playable characters, and you'll be able to battle against every Navi up to those from Mega Man Battle Network 3.
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Unlike the typical Battle Network games, Rockman EXE WS (in which "WS" stands for "WonderSwan") is a side-scrolling platformer based on the first two seasons of MegaMan NT Warrior, the Battle Network anime series. MegaMan.EXE can follow multiple paths through the storyline (though the order of stages is generally fixed), leading to different bosses and the subsequent acquisition of unique Battle Chips based on his decisions. Only at certain points in each stage can Lan send Battle Chips to his Navi, so, unlike in other Battle Network games, it pays to be conservative. There is also a meter to keep track of how close MegaMan.EXE's connection is to Lan, similar to being farther away from a wireless router, which affects your ability to communicate with one another. The graphics are decent, though not quite as smooth and detailed as on the Game Boy Advance (because of the WonderSwan's weaker specifications). All in all, another cute novelty in the series and perhaps one to try if you still yearn for the classic Mega Man mechanics.
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