Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue

"Time+Money SHOULD = Better Games, but in this case, it doesn't."

Warning, this contains some slight spoilers
The best way to kill a winning formula, as everyone knows, is to drive it into the ground, and milk it to death.

Capcom of Japan saw that if they didn't add new features into their Mega Man Battle Network series, the blandness of this third game would kill their profits. Well, yes, we got some good new features, but also some despicable and outrageous features that make me think Japan produces better beer than Canada, and this was the result of Keiji Inafune drunk.

In this relatively new series of Mega Man, in an alternate universe of the Classic, everyday lives rely on the Internet, a vast cyberspace. Everything is connected to the internet; dishwashing machines, pianos, heck, even doghouses.

But like we all know in reality, the possibility of a triumphant computer age is held back by the brilliant scum who make viruses, and hackers, besides those who try to manipulate people into revealing social information. Well, guess what? Here, viruses rule the Net. To countermand the onslaught of enemies, people create data known as Net Navis, which, with simulated personalities, are used to destroy these viruses along with the help of battle programs known as Battle Chips. Over time, though, Net Navis are used for more than just netbattles, but they are also like friends.

The gameplay in battle follows the same as it's two predecessors before it. In a 3x6 panel area, you take the role of Mega Man, and fight off the enemy viruses using Chips and your regular buster. With the power of elemental styles, a natural change that occurs according to how you fight, whether it be with your buster for Guts Style, or for Team Style by using plenty of Mega Chips, the advantages of each Style are able to maximize the strength and strategy of your collection of chips, known as folders. Enemy Navi's are your bosses again, dropping there own chips when you defeat them, and ghosts of them appearing on the Net. Yet again, an HP count appears for both Mega Man and enemies.

However, with chips, the line was drawn too far. In former games where you were restricted to five Navi chips per folder, and 10(MMBN)/5(MMBN2) per normal chip per folder, this time around, you are imposed with new restrictions. Chips are now divided into Standard, Mega and Giga class. You can only have one Giga chip, five Mega Chips, and four maximum of any certain chip of Standard. This also hampers the amount of Program Advances, combination moves created by using certain chips in an order, as the Omega Advances are left in the dust, requiring 5 of the same chip. Although some chips are overpowered to be allowed more than one, this could have easily been fixed by keeping two games from trading the specific chips, such as Folderback, which allows you to reuse all your chips, including Folderback.

The one savior of the gameplay this time around is the Navi Customizer, referred to as the NC. In an area of 4x4 that can be expanded to 4x5 and then 5x5, you place NC blocks within the NC that will upgrade Mega Man, or otherwise set certain conditions in battle. However, if you break one of three sacred rules of the Navi Customizer, you can experience serious bugs, such as one which slowly drains all your HP away.

Graphics stick with a nostalgic setting of the first two games, reusing many sprites from before, while adding the introduction of new ones. The Net goes for yet another revamping, this time with yellow paths leading to the NetSquares, areas where NetNavis can gather to talk, and new color schemes.

The plot was where the story just took a dive, in unoriginality. The WWW, the netmafia causing havoc in the first game, has risen again, and Dr. Wily, thought to be dead, is gathering four Tetracodes to accomplish a sinister scheme to destroy the Net, and conquer the world. Within this game, a tournament happens, betrayal stings one's innocence, and we learn the implications of evil, as we are brought to take a liking to the little boy Mamoru, and are sickened at the thought of when the loss of power in a hospital due to the actions of a WWW member nearly kill him. Although there are some new things, Capcom just basically recycled the plot from Mega Man Battle Network, the four Tetracodes being the four Elemental Codes. Oh, and look out for the appearance of a member of the Classic's cast that has yet to appear.

The sound sticks to perfection, playing in tune with where you are; The theme music, representing a beginning, the hospital music, expressing the pain of loss and the sorrow of suffering. One of the major battles, of which your victory is required to get the third star, an icon of how far you have played, is accompanied by music of betrayal, featuring your opponent's anger.

Length? Every cent you payed(US) for this game makes up for at least three minutes of playtime, of which you are likely to be at 99:59 by the time you finish everything. The seven stars within this game, corresponding to certain requirements met, are no easy task to get, especially when you need to find somebody else with the opposite version to get the fifth star and beyond.

In closing, I would like to say this; Over time, in the history of video games, graphics and sound get better. However, story and gameplay do not get better on their own; They are the figment of somebody's imagination. I am begging Capcom to let their games soon be overwhelmed by the power of Inafune's imagination. Do so, before yet another great series is lost to the blundering and idiotic mistakes of individuals and organizations.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/12/04, Updated 02/13/04