![]() There is a simplicity to the Battle Network series that feels cosy and nostalgic, even for someone who never played them. An extra chapter you never knew about in your favourite book, and even if it doesn't quite fit the story, it's still more of something you love. Playing Battle Network for the first time does feel a bit like playing Pokemon's long-lost cousin. Each new enemy and every boss fight feel like a neat little puzzle for you to figure out. The characters and the world are very likeable, and the combat is engaging. For what it is, it really isn't bad at all. It really is just an extension of what Mega Man always was, presented in a different format. The biggest difference between the two is that instead of collecting Pokemon, you're collecting powers for Mega Man. You play as a kid, who has a partner that battles on his behalf, and the two go on light-hearted adventures together. It really couldn't be much more apparent that the Battle Network franchise was Capcom's attempt to create a Pokemon of their own. You make your way through rooms and corridors and stumble into random battles with enemies called Viruses. Each localised section of the Net is similar to a classic RPG dungeon. The Net extends to everything, meaning you could be accessing it from your computer, the classroom blackboard, or even an oven. The Net is fantastical, it portrays the Internet as a series of neon, hard-light platforms with strobing, swirling backgrounds in the distance. The other half of the game is the Net, a virtual world that permeates all of society, represented as a series of digital dungeons which you explore as Mega Man. The real world of the games is a suburban paradise one of Lan's classmates is really rich but no one else seems to be particularly poor, and the "class bully" is really just a Net rival to Lan, and the two are actually quite friendly. Mega Man Battle Network paints a picture of an idyllic sci-fi world. Lan's Net Navi is called Mega Man, and the two go on adventures together to stop evildoers and protect their friends. ![]() If it sounds like some kind of metaverse, a game within a game type of situation, you would be correct. People interact with the Net using their Net Navi, an avatar that represents them in digital space. In this semi-utopian world, most of humanity's problems are taken care of by technology, and the Net, the game's cartoonish rendition of the internet. Lan lives in ACDC Town (yes, really), in the far-flung future of 200X. Rather than playing as Mega Man, fighting robots and foiling the plots of Dr Wily, you play as a boy called Lan. The Battle Network games are a spin-off of the original Mega Man franchise.
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