"Perfection in a piece of plastic!"

This game is brilliant and addictive, admittedly I first played someone else’s copy of this but I was hooked when I picked it up so I bought it first chance I had.

Introduction

You play Lan Hikari a fifth grade student who lives in ACDC town, Dencity with his parents and his NetNavi Megaman.EXE who you play as in the cyber world.

Welcome to the Network Age!

Technology has advanced to the next level and now a network most having links to the Net controls every electronic device. Everyone has a device called a PErsonal Terminal or PET, which they can use to access the networks of electronic devices. This is done by ''Jacking in'' which means transmitting the Net Navigation program or NetNavi into the devices network via a cable from the PET plugged into the devices ''Jack in'' port. Navis are artificial intelligence programs and each Navi has its own operator that tells the Navi what to do.

In the real world you play Lan (Megamans Operator) but when you jack into the cyber world you play Megaman (Lans Navi) and each one works with the other. There is a danger to this new technology though as viruses roam the networks so Navis are equipped for battle. This is called ''Virus Busting'' and is done by the operator sending battle chips to the Navi to defend itself with. Battle Chips contain programs that are designed for use in combat and each one has its own unique properties.

With this advance in technology comes the advance in crime though and heralds the birth of NetCrime that affects not only the cyber world but also the real world. A criminal organization calling itself the World 3 or WWW is behind a lot of this and is causing havoc everywhere.

Story: 10/10

The story progresses smoothly and has some captivating plot twists that really make it worthwhile. Many events appear to be unrelated but each one is part of something bigger and more complex. There are different chapters in a way each ending with a boss Navi that you have to delete.

Gameplay: 9/10

Movement is simple and stress free although on the Net it is very easy to get lost and end up going in circles, which isn't too good. Apart from that everything is easy to master but there are subtle things in the battle system that allows it to get more complex at a smooth pace. In battles you and your enemy each have a 3 x 3 grid in which to move around in. The arena cannot be altered much except that panels can crack and break with certain battle chips and a row of it can be stolen for your use. Apart from that the arena is basically default all the way through but once you see the array of weaponry at your disposal you won't care much. Each Virus is actually battle chip data and you can use its moves if you win the chip after the battle. There is a gauge at the top of the screen that goes up and once it is full you can open up the battle chip menu freezing the battle while you pick out weapons for use.

Five random chips are given to you each with its own way of doing damage (or helping you, these are support chips) and attack power. You can have five battle chips selected at a time but you can only select chips of the same coding or of the same type which adds a challenge to the whole thing. Once you have used your chips though and the custom gauge is still filling up you can blast away with your MegaBuster that is basically a weak gun but can be powered up as can your HP.

Graphics and Sound: 10/10

The visuals are smooth and gentle to the eye and are crisp and clear showing great detail in a 3 dimensional world. I don't have any complaints about this, as I cannot find any faults with the visuals of this game, as they are just great.

The sound is crystal clear and the tunes are catchy, you'll probably find yourself humming them after a while without knowing it. The music is also relevant to the current situation as the sound reflects what is happening at the moment.

Replayability: 8/10

It provides a long time of gameplay but at the end you just can't help wishing the game was a lot longer but there is still stuff to do like finding all the chip advances and the battle chips.

Buy or Rent? - BUY!!

This game is just too good to rent as you'll want to play it again plus if you don't complete it in the time you rented for you're going to be annoyed you rented it.

Verdict: If you ever pick it up you won't want to put it down so I advise getting it now.

Overall: 10/10

There are no major faults with this game and the minor ones can be ignored in the overall game so save your money for this game!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/03, Updated 01/04/03