Megaman has leaped into another genre with success!

I love megaman. He's one of Capcom's flagship titles to boot and what's so great about this character is that he has appeared in different game genres. This time Capcom decided to put Megaman in an action-rpg of sorts, but with a very unique battle system.

You start the game in a different way: you play as LAN, a young boy who got a PET (basically like a software avatar for the internet) from his Dad called Megaman.EXE. Megaman.EXE is your key to enter the net. The isometric playing field gives the game a quasi-3D/2D feel with cartoon characters ala Megaman X series.

Don't be put off with the rpg fact: the battle system of Megamang Battle Network remains faithful to classic megaman gameplay, but with an added dimension of using Battle Chips. The system is similar to Active Time Battle (ATB) of the Final Fantasy Series, but the ATB aspect is only used to time the usage of Battle chips. For example, a typical battle would be divided into some sort of rounds; each round is determined as the duration of the battle where you can use battle chips. Once your battle meter is full, you can reload new battle chips and start fighting again or escape the battle. It's quite confusing at first, but after a few battles, you'll get the hang of the game. Oh by the way, battles only happen if you have Megaman.EXE "jacked" in the network.

During gameplay, LAN and Megaman.EXE may need to communicate with each other to open up certain areas that Megaman.EXE won't be able to go into without LAN's help. The game is neither tough nor easy to go with; your discovery and use of new Battle chips for every battle determine how you win the game.

Megaman Battle Network is an enjoyable action rpg game that fans of the series would like and those looking for a rather long game for your Game Boy Advance, this game is for you. It might not have the game length of Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, but its enjoyable nonetheless.