Currently Playing: Mega Man Battle Network 2
My Background with Mega Man
The first Mega Man game was released in 1987, 3 years before I was born. In fact, by the time I was born, there were already 3 Mega Man games on the NES. Looking back, I couldn’t tell you the first time I encountered Mega Man. I just remember the Blue Bomber. He was a video game character, that I knew, he had his own games, but I couldn’t tell you much more than that. I never owned an NES (the one I played growing up was borrowed from family), never had a Super Nintendo, so growing up, the Mega Man games were on the periphery of the games I knew, but never a game I played.
Given the fact that I was just starting to learn what kind of video games I enjoyed in the late 90s, the consoles I owned growing up, and the kind of… weird direction that Mega Man was headed at that time, I can understand how I never engaged with the series. Despite being glued to my Game Boy Pocket and later the Game Boy Color as a kid, it was a safe bet I was playing a Pokémon game, it would have taken a lot for me to swap it out for something else. Like most things from that age, I can’t remember exactly when I got a Game Boy, but probably around 1997-1998, by which time all 5 Game Boy Mega Man games had been released (Mega Man: Dr Wily’s Revenge, and Mega Man II - V). It wouldn’t be until 2002 when the port of the Super Famicom exclusive Mega Man & Bass (Rockman & Forte in Japan) was released for Game Boy Advance.
Owing to the grip that Advance Wars, and subsequently Pokémon Leaf Green had on my GBA, I never ended up playing Mega Man & Bass but it is possible I saw Mega Man & Bass in advertisements or in stores (I’ll add it to the backlog). The Mega Man Battle Network games were all released on GameBoy Advance (expect for the fifth entry which was also released on the Nintendo DS) and I have no recollection of them at the time of their release. I’d love to know more about what the marketing was like for them, I wasn’t one to read a lot of video game magazines but a cursory internet search shows print advertisements for the games, so maybe I just missed them!
(for a great rundown on the history of the mainline Mega Man games and the release timeline, check out Gilly The Kid’s video - A Journey Through The ENTIRE Mega Man Classic Series on YouTube
Mega Man Anniversary Collection - 2004 ©Capcom
I do have one strong Mega Man memory, of the cover of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection - with Mega Man, Rush and Dr Wiley on the cover, but I never owned it, in fact, I’m almost certain I’ve never played it. MMAC came came out in North America in 2004, so I would have been just around early high school, right around the time I started drifting away from video games, but for some reason, I can vividly remember magazine advertisements for the Anniversary Collection.
Other than that cover art, if you would have asked me anything about Mega Man, his story or anything related to the “Mega Man lore” - I would have no idea. I knew he had a gun on his arm, he kinda looked like Astro Boy and…. he was blue? That’s all I got.
So after growing up never owning a Mega Man game, and only ever encountering his blue armored self in magazine advertisements, and maybe once or twice at friends houses, what lead me to diving into Mega Man Battle Network? I’ll answer that question, if you were like me, with little knowledge of MMBN, I’ll also cover a bit of the background and story of those games, as well as what it’s like to play them over twenty years after they were released.
Why Mega Man Battle Network 2?
Much like my familiarity with Mega Man as a kid, I had heard the name “Mega Man Battle Network” in later years, but it wasn’t until it was mentioned on the Game Boy Advance episode of my favorite gaming podcast - Into The Aether that I decided to look into it. One of the reasons I enjoy ITA so much is they generally only talk about games they enjoy, and if the Battle Network games were given some air time an episode, there was definitely something worth checking out. In doing some research after initially hearing about these games, I found a few articles ranking the games, with entries 2, 3 and 6 as the games most worth playing. There were callouts that the initial game was a great first entry in the series, but in the way that Pokémon Silver/Gold were refinements on the formula laid down by Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow, apparently Battle Network 2 was a good starting point, and that you’re not missing much in the story by starting there (I will go back and play at least a part of the first installment, if for no other reason than to see how 2 improved the formula).
What Is Mega Man Battle Network?
Spoiler Warning: There may spoilers for Mega Man Battle Network 2 from here on. But for a game over 20 years old, I think we’re past the statute on spoilers.
While there are 11 mainline Mega Man games, there are over 50 in the franchise over all, not counting the ports, compilations and/or remakes. Contrary to what some may assume, there is in fact an overarching story to the Mega Man games, the 11 numbered Mega Man games follow a story, albeit with some recurring plot points, this timeline also includes the Mega Man X series, which takes place 100 years after the original Mega Man. If you weren’t aware of the overall storyline of Mega Man, or even if you were, take all of that and tuck it away somewhere (I’m sure it’ll come in handy some day), because the Mega Man Battle Network games take place completely outside that universe, re-using only the robot characters from the mainlines series, but non of the plot (In fact, some of the robots in Battle Network are the “bad guys” in the mainline Mega Man series).
Even the coffee maker has a computer interface!
If the world of Mega Man is a world in which the dominant form of technology is robots, in the Battle Network series, much like in our real world, the victor of that battle was the internet, and what we may call “smart” devices. In Mega Man Battle Network, everything has a port you can connect to, and many of those devices are “on the net”, meaning you can access from one device, travel the net and reach other places (virtually). Everything has a computer interface, from the BBQ grill you use camping, to the television in your home. If there’s a device that you think you can log on to, you probably can. But let’s say you're a person in this world, how does one access the aforementioned smart BBQ?
Enter, the PET. Short for PErsonal Terminal, one’s PET, is basically a smart phone - a device that can function as a calendar, an alarm clock, send emails, make phone calls? Yup, smart phone. Everyone in this world has a PET. There’s even an elderly character in your hometown that comments on that fact, even adding that he once thought he was too old for one, but now can’t imagine life without it. But before I start claiming that the Mega Man Battle Network series predicted the iPhone, let’s take it a step further and talk about one feature these devices have that I wish my iPhone possessed. The NetNavi!
The Net…. what… ?
Short for InterNET NAVIgator (I know, these names rule), a NetNavi is a digital assistant, a computer program that lives in your PET that can help you with your daily tasks, battle other NetNavis on the internet, and connect to those ports on all the computers and devices in the world, through a process known as “jacking in”. Humans can also pit their NetNavis against each other in “NetBattles” online, using BattleChips to heal, power up and perform special attacks.
Dex wants to Net Battle Lan with his NetNavi - “Guts Man”
Can we just pause for a second, and touch on how much the vocabulary for this game is a snapshot of the late 90s/early 2000s internet culture? I mean this in the most loving way possible. These games are full of terms like “the net”, or “jacking in” with a healthy dose of “cyber” sprinkled in. Honestly, I think that’s one reason why this series has really resonated with me. One of my favorite anime growing up (before I even know what anime was) was the original Digimon Adventure, which also inhabited that weird space of the late 90s “world wide web”, and was a core part of my childhood. Mega Man Battle Network is like Digimon Adventure, The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest and ReBoot rolled into one, it’s absolutely wild.
In a world full of PETs and NetNavis, you play as Lan (Netto in the Japanese release) - a young boy who rollerblades through the world (rollerblading outdoors and indoors), dodging homework, having NetBattles (a battle between two NetNavis) with friends, and what many wish they could do when they were young, literally saving the world. In a story of escalating stakes, Lan starts out with friendly NetBattles, over time battling seasoned NetBattle veterans up to actually cyber criminals (the “NetMafia”), bent on conquering the net. Wielding what would most likely be too much power for a 5th grader (I believe Lan mentions being in 5th grade in the anime), Lan is allowed access to secure areas multiple times throughout the story, often as a last hope against cyber criminals who’s NetNavis have defeated the adults tasked with defending those secure areas. Lan also faces enemies and rivals alike in NetBattles, and much like the aftermath of a Pokémon battle with Team Rocket, there seems to be no physical recourse in the world of Mega Man Battle Network, defeat an enemy’s NetNavi? That’s that, you, a 10 year old child, have defeated a grown adult in digital combat and they give up and move on with their day (I mean this with all the love in the world, it’s absurd and it rules).
The “Team Rocket”-esque criminal organization in Battle Network is know as “Gospel”
Gameplay
Like many games on the Game Boy Advance, Mega Man Battle Network 2 is an isometric world with some colorful pixel art that looks great on original hardware (and an absolute dream on the Analogue Pocket where I spent the majority of my time). While the combination of an isometric view and D-Pad only navigation leads to constantly needing to press two directions at once to attempt to walk a straight line or walking in right angles (a problem suffered by many games with this design) it’s nothing egregious, and after a few minutes it just became the norm. Like most of these kind of games (Pokémon, etc) - your story begins in your home town with relatively low stakes - do you summer homework, battle with friends, maybe even head out of town to go camping, things do escalate rather quickly (depending on your definition of “quickly” in a game that takes about 20 hours to beat).
As you progress, Lan can travel via airplane to another country or by subway to other cities, meet fellow battlers and team up to save the world from those bent on destroying it. It’s a rather large world both on and off the net, leading to one of the complaints I will leverage, if only for the reason that I am playing this game in 2023, is that I wish I could have a damn map of the world(s)! Especially on the net, there are often multiple layers to an area, leading you to have to teleport to a new area, and backtrack, which can get frustrating when you can see an item or NPC you need to reach but not how to reach them. (Like many good things in the world, someone did the work for me, and there’s a great post on the Steam forums with all the maps of the various areas - Mega Man Battle Network 2 Maps.) Despite this gripe, over time I did find myself starting to remember the most traveled paths I took, and even where the best place to “jack-in” was, whether from a computer downtown, or via the PC in my room.
If there’s another complaint I can leverage, and again, this one stems from the time at which I’m playing this game, well after its initial release, is there is a LOT of back tracking in MMBN2. I often get lost on the net, or am unsure of what to do next, although there is an in game hint system where Lan or Mega Man (the opposite character of whomever you’re controlling) can give you a quick hint that may or may not shed some light on your next objective. The backtracking isn’t a dealbreaker by any means, it’s a rather common occurrence on games of this era, and where I playing this when I was much younger, I would have greatly appreciated the extra time I was able to play, at a age when I was limited to one new game every few months, if that often. As an adult, with adult money, I have a plethora of games i can pick up and put down and I think that actually speaks to how much I enjoy this game, given that I’ve been spurning other games I’ve got in progress, to play more Mega Man Battle Network.
To progress the story, there are events you need to get past, some as Mega Man, some as Lan, that will allow you to continue. For example, defeating a Net Navi in a battle as Mega Man, then talking to that Net Navi’s operator in the real world for some exposition. There are also side “missions” in the game that can be claimed from a request board, some as simple as delivering a specific Battle Chip to an NPC, to battling a Navi somewhere on the net. While optional, they can be a lot of fun, if not rather opaque, I’m currently stuck on a request for a very specific battle chip that I do not have, and can’t for the life of me figure out how to obtain!
Net Battles and Battle Chips
Throughout the game, as Lan travels the world, Mega Man can make similar journeys online. As you traverse the net, you’ll encounter viruses that you can battle to the victor goes a new Battle Chips, or Zenny (money, in the Battle Network universe) depending on how fast you defeat the enemy (also known as your “Busting Level”).
Viruses can attack in groups, sometimes multiple of the same kind of virus, to many kinds, leaving it up to Lan and Mega Man (and you the player) to find the best strategy to defeat the viruses, carefully selecting Battle Chips each round.
The Battle Chips in Mega Man Battle Network add a deck-building style mechanic to the battles, where you can send Mega Man weapons, (in addition to his ever present blaster), healing items, or even summon other NetNavis to perform a special attack. You’re not able to permanently swap NetNavis, your Navi is Mega Man, and that’s how it stays. But the customization of you chips that you bring to battle is a fun mechanic that leaves the player striving to optimize their load-out, especially when you start taking into account both the elemental nature of some chips/attacks, as well as the “letter code” on a given chip. Each round of battle (the battles are turn based with active movement) presents the player with a selection of chips, each with a letter code, ex; “Canon A” - should you also draw other “Canon” chips or other chips with a letter code “A” (or * for any letter) - you can select them both that round.
The 3 x 6 battle grid (with a Mettaur still spawning in at the start of battle)
Net Battles take place on an 18 space grid - 3 x 6, with one half for your NetNavi, and the other for the enemies. During battle you can move Mega Man around, and in fact, you must in some cases, to dodge projectiles fired at you by viruses, or other NetNavis. Some NetNavis (looking at you Proto Man) can even enter your space and attack, meaning you need to be on your toes as you battle. I’ve faced a lot of stronger Navis in the game - Proto Man, Quick Man, etc - and so far, none of the battles felt unfair. I did lose a few times to certain enemies, but while annoyed, I wasn’t frustrated to the point of putting down the game, and was able to reassess my strategy (and tweak my battle chip loadout) and try again. Having played many games from the same era, it is not uncommon to find a game that is punishingly difficult, often due to poor design or controls, that is not the case in Battle Network.
Note: There is a mechanic in Battle Network that allows trading of Battle Chips over the Game Boy Link cable, I haven’t attempted this yet, but would love to investigate
Mega Man Battle Network in 2023
So if you couldn’t tell by this point, dear reader, I have fallen in love with Mega Man Battle Network 2, and can’t wait to see more of the series. My goal is to play a good chunk of one of each of the games in the series, including the first, and one of each in the pairs of games released as Mega Man Battle Network 3, 4, 5, and 6 (entries 3-6 in the series follow a Pokémon style of releasing 2 games for each generation). It wasn’t until I started playing MMBN2, in fact, until I was multiple hours in and started doing some research on the history of the series, that I learned that Capcom had released a Legacy Collection compilation (something pretty common in the Mega Man lineage) that collected all 10 of the Battle Network games in a single release. I knew I immediately had to pick it up!
I’ll definitely finish Battle Network 2, I’m too invested in the story on my Game Boy Advance cartridge to restart on the Switch with the Legacy Collection, but I will definitely be playing that for the games I don’t have original cartridges for, and while I can’t guarantee I’ll finish them all, I will definitely write more when on how the other games hold up. While it seems like not a week can go by where I don’t hear about some “older” game that I missed growing up, I find that there’s no use getting upset over it, and if at all possible, I try to get a hold of those games (or at least watch a Let’s Play) to see what I’m missing out on!