Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection brings the Battle Network series to current systems, which has always represented a very interesting alternative to the classic platform-adventure style gameplay of MegaMan e Mega Man X. Revealed to fans in June 2022, on the occasion of Nintendo Direct Minithe collection arrives at a very important historical moment, since, not only the destiny of MegaMan will be decided by the love of the fans, at least according to the parent company, but above all because the series has sold almost forty million copies to date, as we have said on this page, and therefore that undisputed love we are talking about is there and how by the old and new generations. After all, the franchise has just passed thirty-five years, conceived in the distant 1987 by the brilliant Keiji Inafune, and whose protagonist is today one of the most recognizable icons of video games. Among those who grew up with the classic and unforgettable hexalogy of MegaMan are NES and the portentous ones followed by the SNES to date, and who has known him thanks to more recent collections, now periodically released, from the times of GameCube until today. If the platform series is known to all, and has even resurrected with modern retro episodes, up to the most recent Megaman 11which we have reviewed here, the particular spin-off RPG Battle Network is much less known to the general public, and undoubtedly deserves to be rediscovered.
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection: ten titles for the price of one
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collectionthe high-sounding title corresponds to a remarkable offer, that is the first six episodes, with the third, fourth, fifth and sixth divided into two parts, which brings the playful offer to as many as ten playable titles, divided between platforms Nintendo Game Boy Advance e Nintendo DS, which actually hosts only one. The substantial collection therefore represents an exceptional historical document, as well as a practically unique opportunity to have all the titles in the series Battle Network in one fell swoop, especially considering that in the market Retrogaming some of these works are not very easy to find, as well as often having quotations that are not really accessible to everyone. Capcom has therefore chosen to offer the collection at full price on the two console formats Nintendo Switch e Sony PlayStation 4the version we tested, in addition to the edition for PC Windowsvia the portal Steam, that you find here, even if, due to its nature, we clearly recommend playing it on consoles. The collection, if desired, is divided into two distinct volumes, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1which contains the first two episodes and the third in both its two parts, e Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2, which concludes the series with complete fourth, fifth and sixth episodes each of the two units. The possibility of buying them separately at the price of 39.99 euros each will obviously not be taken into consideration by any true fan of MegaMan, since the bundle that includes both is offered for only 59.99 euros, and is therefore much cheaper, in addition to offering the complete series. The physical edition is currently in evaluation status, dear collectors. Sure, to some players the digital price might seem high, but let’s remember that these are quite complex and still very valid titles today, which deserve to be rediscovered by the new generations, even though they are aware that they are very different works from the traditional Mega Man of pure platform-adventure mould. If you prefer the latter type, moreover, the current stores also have thematic collections dedicated to both classics MegaMan than to the series Mega Man X, which we recommend unreservedly. Below is the complete content of the historical collection:
Mega Man Battle Network (2001) GBA
Mega Man Battle Network 2 (2001) GBA
Mega Man Battle Network 3 White (2002) ACCEPT
Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue (2003) GBA
Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun (2003) GBA
Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moon (2003) GBA
Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Protoman (2004) GBA
Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Colonel (2005) DS
Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar (2005) GBA
Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Falzar (2005) GBA
Rockman.EXE new role-playing horizons for the Mega Man franchise
As of 2015 Capcom has published several collections dedicated to MegaMan e Mega Man Xfor current systems, and in 2020 it was the turn of Mega Man Zero/ZX Collectionwhich you find reviewed on this page, and which completed the picture of the main series, but the desire to rediscover all the numerous releases of the blue home hero Capcom is always high, and this new interesting release allows us to rediscover a very particular parallel series. The first title in the BN series dates back to the now distant March 2001, and debuts on the platform Game Boy Advance, where it enjoys great success with the public. Relevant fact is that the title is taken from a Japanese manga, Rockman.EXEwhich also gives the title to the Japanese version of the game, and which many have seen in the subsequent anime version, MegaMan NT Warrior Of Ryo Takamisakiwhich also arrived in Italy on the defunct paid thematic channel JETIX. It is therefore one of the first signed cross-media experiments Capcom between videogames, comics and cartoons, a manga series that is transposed into an interesting tactical role-playing game that deals with topics such as virtual reality, the relationship between man, machine and avatar, as well as introducing the figures of the Net Navi inserted in the Personal Terminals , sayings, PETs, which are special usable characters in the title. At the design of the title we find Masahiro Yasuma e Masakazu Eguchiunder the careful direction of Keiji Inafune in person. An atypical RPG, with cyberpunk and hard sci-fi hues, characterized by an exceptional audiovisual sector and a captivating plot, which also has the merit of having opened a completely new path for the franchise MegaMan. Among the characters we find old and new acquaintances, including Rockman (Japanese name of our hero, for the uninitiated), Protoman, former evil boss of the classic series, Dr.Wily and BASS, as well as several new entries such as LAN (name evocative reminiscent of a certain computer standard), Mayl and DEX. The success of the first title in the land of the rising sun is epochal, and already in the same year the eagerly awaited sequel is released, Mega Man Battle Network 2dated December 2001, and still on the platform GET.
Soon the role-playing series turns into a fixed appointment, and here, in the Christmas period of the following year, in 2002, a third episode is released, Mega Man Battle Network 3 White, this time however, to everyone’s surprise, divided into two parts, similar to what was seen for the series Pokémon Of Nintendo. To get Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue the Japanese public will have to wait a good three months, until March 2003, making the hype grow spasmodic. Perhaps following the protests of the fans, for the fourth episode it is decided instead to make a debut at the same time, e Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun e Blue Moon they come out together on December 12, 2003, just before Christmas, becoming one of the best-selling titles for the portable at home Nintendo 32-bit. An outstanding GameCube title in the same series was also released in the same year, Mega Man: Network Transmissionas well as a special parent port for Bandai WonderSwan, also of very high quality, unfortunately not included in this collection. The fifth chapter is even divided on two consoles, but after all the release of the flaming one Nintendo DS in 2005 it is catalyzing all third parties. The sixth and final chapter, which also closes the collection, surprisingly returns to the solo Game Boy Advance, also proving to be the most nostalgic episode of the saga, thanks to the many quotes from the classic Mega Man, despite new locations and an increasingly intriguing plot centered on LAN. The graphics, of course, look a bit grainy on the big screen, but these are still direct ports from GET, it is good to remember this. Six exceptional episodes, be aware of it, which know how to make you fall in love with their plots and game mechanics, and will bring a tear to the fans of MegaMan RPG fans too. Capcom has also gone big with the relaunch of the Battle Network series, as it plans to re-release the manga episodes for free on Capcom’s official US Twitch channel. The ten titles in the collection of contain numerous extra content, among which the soundtracks, original artwork, full support for online multiplayer and localization in three languages, English, Japanese and simplified Chinese stand out. Absent the Italian, as indeed already happened on GBA. Capcom also announced exciting content for those who pre-order the game, including two special 3D Mega Man menu skins, included in the Custom Pet Pack, as well as four remixed music tracks for in-game players. A nostalgic and moving blast from the past, therefore, for those who have lived through the role-playing epic of MegaMan are Game Boy Advance.
Piattaforme: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection the Battle Network series is catapulted into the new generation, an RPG spin-off of the famous Mega Man franchise, originally released between 2001 and 2005 on the Game Boy Advance platform and, limited to one of the titles, on the Nintendo DS. The collection includes ten complete games, i.e. chapters one to six, with the last four divided into two separate parts. A splendid opportunity to rediscover this very special role-playing game derived from the main series, which is still current and enjoyable, as well as being a must for the die-hard fans of the legendary blue hero of the Big C.
