The Port/Crossover We Never Got in the West - Mega Man Battle Network Port Review

[@AustinSV]

Shout out to the Rockman EXE Zone Community; information was very well archived & made researching for this video efficient. Visit the sources in the description for more information & the link to the english translation patch for Megaman Battle Network Operate Star Force.

[@jaimenoble]

Due bnw 3 want to hear your opinion on it that was my first entry to the series

[@thunderanime27]

Woah wait just a minute. What do u mean we never got megaman battle network. I got a copy of battle network 4 in my gameboy right now. (First impression on seeing the title)

[@daway212]

@@thunderanime27 Did you skip the word "port/crossover"?

[@thunderanime27]

@@daway212 ??

[@makimaball7467]

I thought everyone forgot about this game, people like you who remember this game brings me so much joy.

[@koolaidremixed2]

Steven Ladiao that game was so fun I'm surprised they didn't continue it. And the model for mega man was way cooler then

[@SuxMenner]

But they did continue it, Battle Network 6 ended Lan Hikari's story and it continued on in Starforce.

[@GaryGlass1]

people like YOU who've played the game and enjoy it for what it is brings joy to MY heart.

[@GaryGlass1]

@@koolaidremixed2 its literally the best megaman in the franchise. Cooliest design, most relate able story/characters. Best fighting mechanic. Honestly just flat out one of the best games. Game needs more love and attention. I want Battle Network on my Switch damn it

[@koolaidremixed2]

Garrett Glass well let's hope to the future this game was a masterpiece

[@commonviewer2488]

Megaman has gotten collections sold of the originals, X, and Zero now. I hope Battle Network gets a collection of its own next.

[@XcZeus3469]

The minute they announce a BN collection my moneys spent. I'll even suffer through BN4 again to play the other 5.

[@estradacesar49]

There was an announcement from one of the capcom guys . He said it could happen in future

[@hiroprotagonitis]

Anniversary's coming up for it too, capcoms led it's fans on before but would it hurt to... hope?

[@commonviewer2488]

@@J0kerHecz Duel Masters is still going?

[@nightshroud9671]

I hope Star Force gets a collection too.

[@King-cp2by]

I actually liked the StarForce version of Mega Man it was so different and unique and me being a fan of space and all that I was hooked. It is sad we never got a true crossover between these two versions of the Legendary Blue Bomber oh well

[@ZEROthefirst]

That and the characters and plot were handled much better and felt like it was actually more thought out. I enjoyed the plot and characters (to an extent) in the BN series but it always felt like I was playing through a Saturday morning cartoon plot. It never really took itself seriously until you get near the end of each game and overall was more goofy and just kind of there. Anytime I play through a BN game now I honestly just skip through the dialogue, same with SF1 to an extent. I still love both BN and SF but SF definitely wins in my book.

[@redstreak9430]

Not to mention Star Force 3 ended on an open ended way so Capcom could revive the series in the future if they wanted. I heard rumors about Battle Network maybe getting a spin-off/sequel but as far as I’m concerned, 6 was the end of Battle Network and that story. The same way I hope with the Zero/ZX Legacy Collection will prompt a ZX sequel and not a Zero one since that series also had a definitive ending.

[@riolukid1080]

yeah I am hoping for a battle network/ star force collection from capcom in the future just so I can have all these games at my finger tips as well as to 100% them especially for star force.

[@kat_lynx]

@@ZEROthefirst I know this comment is a year old, but I think making Star Force feel more ""mature"" or thought out (to the standards of the Mega Man franchise, at least - with the exception of Zero 2~4, all Mega Man series seem to always fall into it's own bouts of nonsense) was a deliberate choice to make Star Force the "X" analogue to BN's classic, since parallel timelines and all that jazz. Geo's teleport animation (the orb with thunders inside) uses an identical sprite to X's in X4~X6. It's such a shame, back then SF was shown as Rockman ZN people went absolutely balistic and hated it day one. Even more of a shame that Star Force 4 never happened, because methinks SF3 was finally when Star Force went from "okay" to "amazing", that it finally found it's footing and identity. And the fact Wave Matter proved to be a thing as early as SF2, and ClockMan's entire plot scenario about him being a NetNavi who went haywire and rebelled against his creators due to a problem in his programming feels like they were already considering adding a Maverick-analogue to Star Force.

[@ZEROthefirst]

@@kat_lynx I wish I could like your comment more than once.

[@IlliaRieka]

I remember waiting for this port to get localized when it came out, and continued to wait. I'm so glad that there is finally a full fan translation of this game.

[@NettoSaito]

There are even repo carts you can buy that have it installed. It only works on original DS and DS Lite though, unless you mod your DSi/3DS that is.

[@axelisolet3196]

The Cybeast arc is still and will always be my favorite. It introduced me to the series.

[@SinnohPokedude]

Which part of the game is your favorite?

[@axelisolet3196]

@@SinnohPokedude Gregar was my favorite one. Reason is the same.

[@SinnohPokedude]

@@axelisolet3196 same here,I prefer Gregar than Falzar as well

[@kymreinaljadegalicha9961]

For me it's MMBN3 Blue, i cried about the ending when i was a kid~

[@megamanblack4309]

Same!

[@rogue1248]

this crossover should have gotten a brand new story and not an entire BN1 enhancement. like getting them to interact can be beyond that, like Clockman.EXE doesnt sound very threatening by himself like we should have a gauntlet of time paradoxes worth to really make this crossover the best.

[@DrewPicklesTheDark]

BattleNetwork series was such a 2000s kind of games. Great series.

[@VesDegree]

I remember really looking forward to this game back in 2009. My 12 year old self was devastated to realize that it was never going to be released outside of Japan. Really appreciate the fan translation.

[@TetraBitGaming]

Great video, I'll have to check out this patch!

[@amadeuszx892]

Didnt know you were a fan of mmbn

[@twentytwotoone]

That port's news to me. Loved this entire series, and was looking for an excuse to replay them. Thanks for giving me a pretty good reason to!

[@GeoffDaCow]

Battle Network series will rise again one day

[@jacoborozco4585]

GeoffDaCow the WWW will become a real thing and megaman will just be real life

[@jonahabenhaim1223]

Mega man legends 3 hasen’t seen the light of day

[@splash_067]

And here we are getting a collection for it

[@Mianroca]

Now it kind of did

[@EscalarioChan]

Aww man! I remember buying a cartridge of this game off of EBay when I was younger. I was so stoked when it came home, only to find out the saving feature was ruined on that cartridge. Had to play through the game with out saving, and anyone who’s played this game, knows that’s a really hard feat as a teenager. I’d love to get my hands on a copy of the updated DS version. 😍

[@Eyetrauma]

lol I've got literally three copies of Aria of Sorrow that have broken saves, all of them Chinese knock-offs from eBay (not listed as such, of course).

[@zero1zerolast393]

Dude, I've emulate these games. Touchscreen kind on the phone, this one was easy until I got to swordy. Damn those two swordy bastard.

[@VesDegree]

I remember in 2009 being really excited for this remake and getting so mad that it never came to the west. I'm so happy the fan translation exists.

[@dood3530]

Ah, I wish I'd known about this version when I first played! You absolutely do NOT want to play this game without a map. So many of this game's areas are about as much of a spaghetti bowl as Internet Area 2. Big, confusing locations that all look the same + high encounter rate + no running = hours of frustration. It's not even particularly hard, just tedious. It seems like this version fixes most of that, and without those issues, this is a good introduction to a fantastic series.

[@eb.3764]

starforce was my childhood and the fact they didnt translate the crossovrr made me hella mad

[@hyperxx99]

I played and fully completed this version. This game really makes you work towards encountering SF Mega man as you have to complete most of the story to meet him. Also I noticed that once Mega Man is at LV 100, EXE Mega Man is stronger than SF Mega Man as his buster is op. Star Force Mega Man is watered down in this game but his tools make him stylish and a bit more skill based than EXE. A fantastic port and I thank the people who made it possible for me to play and understand it.

[@LeoTheGamingCat]

I just finished the fan translation a few days ago, and I gotta say... once you get Star Force MM, there's like, no reason to go back to EXE for the rest of the game.

[@SkyApplesss]

When I was able to play the BN games as a kid, I've only played 2 and onwards. When I was able to r4 cheese a copy of Operation Shooting Star and heard the criticisms of it being the same game except for one cutscene and a playable Geo, I thought so lowly of the game. I didnt realize that so many QOL changes were implemented due to this. At the end, it was a port that I didnt appreciate to the fullest since I didnt play the 1st one. Sure the game is old, but it's always nice still learning about something of this series. Looking forward to your future reviews as this format was very enjoyable to watch!

[@randomthings1995]

Can't wait to hear more about Battle Network. Currently replaying both versions of 4 and 6 depending on my mood.

Also, Geo really break the game, when you have it you can't loose, he's really op

[@PROBO9393]

Honestly, I heavily prefer Star Force over Battle Network. Love both series though.

[@Rayutomoto]

But why? I personally prefer BN because I can be more creative with my combos and move more.

[@PROBO9393]

@@Rayutomoto Music and character designs (for the most part). I also just enjoyed the stories of SF more. Dunno, I'm weird I guees.

[@wellps812]

Let me guess you played SF FIRST?

[@PROBO9393]

@@wellps812 nope, my first MegaMan RPG was Battle Network 2

[@wellps812]

@@PROBO9393 honestly starforce is a bit lack luster with 3 being the only thing worth playing again... SF kinda went more on the action side and pretty much made deck bldg a minimal thing

[@Dutchbest]

The reason a lot of GBA-games are brighter than their ported counterparts is because the original GBA was not backlit and the brightness was turned up to compensate.

[@genomaru]

Thanks Capcom for being so stealthy that I ended up playing the first game three times instead of replaying this.

[@DankRedditMemes]

"An obscenely long video featuring all six games" "But I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves"

[@Pyro_Salamander]

Man this gives me nostalgia. If all of them (including starforce series) were released for the switch or other modern consoles/pc I would buy them all in a heartbeat.

[@tikazombie37]

as someone who finished MMBN1 yesterday, I'm mad I didn't find about this earlier

[@paanazmi8062]

cool..im still doing mmbn 5..my god the game can get really hard at times during liberation mission

[@Mod3rn0ccult1st]

"Mugshots were updated." *looks at Luna* Welp, if it ain't broke don't fix it XD

[@TheOuroborosLoop]

I played every mmbn game AS THEY CAME OUT. it was so awesome growing along with this franchise. It's amazing and wish I could play it again. (2 and 4: red sun were my personal favorite.) And, in all honesty, it does NOT need any more. They ended it perfectly. Ahh, anyway, thanks for these. It's a great series and I'm glad someone made this/these. Edit: just check and you only.made this one! Please please make more of these. History is always cool, especially video game history. And no one seems to understand the beauty of these games... Anyway, that's enough from one fanboy

[@silly13575]

Blue moon is my favorite, thankfully I still have my GBA SP and my cartridge. Now I want to play it again.

[@TheOuroborosLoop]

@@silly13575 dude awesome! I remember having an 100%ing 2, but I lost the cart a couple years back. Might try to re buy that one. :P

[@pikabolt09]

Just got you on my notifcation AFTER finishing the 1st game on a GBA.

[@Lightwaves7984]

That outro music at 7:20 had me zoned out for a sec as it reminded me the nostalgia playing my first battle network game.(bn3) as a kid. What version is that song anyway?

[@Wongthethlef]

Pretty sure it's BN2 intro but remix.

[@inhquanghuy1041]

Oh man that feeling....

[@Fhyber]

Thanks for showing and explaining what this port actually added. The series was very important to me. I was actually a mod only old under Square forums. those forums would eventually lead me into my line of work

[@boogiee8420]

This game was so ahead of its time. I’ve been waiting for my navi for years.

[@Alurith]

Just found your channel through this video. Keep it up!

[@Cagne123]

Personally i loved Starforce, it was my first DS game. Funnily enough though i meant grab a pokemon game and instead blindly grabbed Starforce: Pegasus. I realized it too late and when I got back to my grandfather's place I was a little peeved but got over it and started the game. The intro music had my attention and I loved it to the point later after beating the games, I still listen to it, the different variations of it, an the rest of the soundtracks still resonate with me and bring back those simple times... I think its time for another MMSF trilogy play through. Lol

[@konatadusk]

I played the entire main game minus post game, due to my emulator crashing and erasing data. The add ons and fixes were great, extra storyline defined, and the fact you can finally play as shooting star in the original grid, vs the other, was refreshing.

[@viewtifuljoe99]

Was trying to think of the best way to go about playing the battle network series again and I'm glad you outlined the enhancements in this version so clearly! I've only ever finished 2 and 3 so it seems this would be a great way to jump back into the games

[@carlosaugusto9821]

2 and 3 are the truly essential titles. Like the classic MM series, the 2nd and 3rd games are the best ones. Bn1 though is memorable just for the characters. (Personally I'm a lot fond of it, because i got into the series very early when there was only the first one, but I'm leaving that bias aside while writing this comment)

[@forestdragonwing7552]

Has anyone heard of rhe gamecube game Megaman Network Transmission? It is basically a mix between the original Megaman games and Megaman Battle Network, taking place between 1 and 2 and giving hints for a few code hint locations in 2 3 and 4. It has chips and armor and powerups and bosses and unlockables and a shop in more of a platformer sense. I hope I eventually get to play more than just the spinoff of the Battle Network series.

[@ElEscolta]

Still makes me sad the game didn't sold well, it would been awesome to get all the BN games (or at least the early ones) get this treatment. Hopefully the future MegaMan BN collection fix that 🤞🏻

[@bassexbn3]

Actually the series did really well during the 3rd game. The 4th game came out and it sold really good off the greatness of mmbn3. But most people hated mmbn 4. This shattered the confidence of consumers at the time and most people stopped buying the games. It's a shame because 5 and especially 6 were good.

[@juan_1oo1o47]

my favorite MMBN games: 1.- mmbn 4 (lots of fun playing the history, some people dont like tho) 2.-mmbn 6 (that beast mode and beast out was one great game mechanic, it amazed me the first time when i saw it) 3.-mmbn 5 (im cursed with this tittle, im not manage to finish it, "game gets deleted, i sold my stuff, i format my devices) but i like mmbn5 because DarkChips are more balanced than the previous game, you can do DarkUnisions, replayable value

[@twisterrrrr]

The one with the cybeasts are my favourite, so cool

[@caesarjulius6058]

THANK YOU for making this video. Half-way through MMBN1 on GBA but switching to the DS version and gonna start from the beginning. The GBA dungeons are insanely frustrating with the high encounter rate and NO MINIMAP.

[@lukamagicc]

The story behind BattleNetwork and the early dystopia of the Internet of Things is actually so accurate its cool. Would also make a dope movie idea, a megaman/tron type guy who has to kill within a device

[@richieish]

BN1 is pretty good. I started it last year after having beaten later entries some time ago. It's interesting to see some of the design choices in the original. Like the Escape chip. Why not just L at the custom screen? Operate shooting star fixes a lot of the less desirable features of BN1 but I'm still enjoying my playthrough of the original. Thanks for posting this video. 👍🏿

[@valenteruiz1470]

Its like youtube knows I'm getting old and haven't felt nostalgic in a while. I remember playing this as a kid and being so invested. To me, and at the time, it felt like i was playing a long cartoon. Maan, to go back to those simpler times...

[@camposde]

I actually loved what they updated on Operate Shooting Star. That being said, I still don't understand why people hates Elecman's dungeon so much. It's not that hard if you pay attention to the color of the path. Maybe change the yellow-orange to yellow-green-blue or something to make it more noticeable?

[@alexanwhat]

Dude I love Battle Network! I don't see it being talked much on KZbin Subbed

[@Matthew-ls7rv]

A lot a people talk about it

[@ivangarcia7621]

Nostalgia hitting hard but love there are people still connected in 2020 to Rockman.Exe

[@dearcrowns]

"I may tackle the whole series in the future." With the legacy collection coming out in a couple months it may be worthwhile taking a look at BN5 at least in particular, given the multiple versions it has.

[@onewinged07]

I wished they bring back the PET. Or if not make a game where we get to create our own net navi to pve or pvp with

[@farkhanpaan9064]

I played most of the MBN series. I remember when I finished final mission on MBN6, it wrote "Megaman Battle Network End" instead of "Megaman Battle Network 6 End" like previous game. What a sad moment. But now im playing in emulator and focusing on secret areas that was quite impossible to access back then

[@Sin_Doog]

Managed to buy a repo physical cartridge of this fan translation, now I just need to buy a DS Lite on ebay to be able to play it. Gonna 100% this version and the DS version of BN5, wish me luck.

[@capt.bellamy]

Starforce was amazing

[@MusyabbirHaqim]

Out of all MegaMan Franchise Games, the Battle Network series is the one that I most fond of. Hope this series will get new iteration just like classic MegaMan got with MegaMan 11.

[@cbern95]

Love to see people talking about MM Battle Network. Thanks for the vid

[@ScooterinAB]

I'm glad to hear that there is a translation that is finally completed. I bought this just after it came out in Osaka for some ridiculously low price. It and the second DS Zelda game I guess didn't sell well, and there was a clearance sale to get rid of them. While I can play it, I always wanted to play it in English so that I could really enjoy the game.

[@_mako]

I just wanna say I love this series of videos. Thank you.

[@tblue2338]

Ty for this one! I've been wanting to get back to BN for some time didn't know about the remake.

[@mbii7667]

I played this version a few months ago, it was pretty great. My physical MMBN Legacy Collection just came in the back today, I hope to play it after finishing Tears of the Kingdom.

[@StarForce99]

You don't like Starforce? Damn...I'm heartbroken...

[@ThePerro]

I played through Battle Network 1 and 2 one year, and by the time I got to 3 I was burnt out of the series. I actually did not find Battle Network 1 to be that antiquated. Granted, it's been years since I played it, but I enjoyed it well enough with very little frustration.

[@cybunny25]

Oh man I somewhat remember myself browsing the internet on my family's shitty computer just looking at pictures of this game, waiting for a port Good thing I searched for this game again a year ago and found a fan translation patch for it

[@KeroTheInvincible]

I've been scared off of this port for a long time, and have yet to actually play it. I had no idea there were so many improvements made to the gameplay, or about the English patch, so I'm glad to hear about it. Unfortunately, one thing I have experienced is the uh, "remixed" soundtrack featuring all the classic songs......with the reverb cranked up to truly obscene levels. A few of them honestly sound like they're being played in a tin can. If this issue was addressed at all in the translation patch, I'd definitely be down for giving this one a try.

[@Sifuharris]

They probably secretly working on it, hopefully

[@bluemew22]

Heads up to everyone that tries the GutsMan * input secret, the sequence ends with DOWN B, not Up B.

[@Jaxionisnum2]

I do remember iceman and elecmans dungeon being a massive pain lol glad they added those changes and would love to play this, was bummed they didn’t port it over here

[@TheAzulmagia]

I also have been revisiting the series and making videos of it. It was nice to have a remake of Battle Network 1 that got rid of some of the more frustrating aspects of the original game, though the quality of this remake didn't feel as high as Battle Network 5's DS port.

[@Omega_2]

I had forgotten to look back into seeing if Operate Shooting Star got further with their English patch project. It's been years since I last checked in on the earliest patch progress(of any kind) 3DSv2 could've been BN heaven, once the amiibo stuff came out. The option to nerd out with battle chip cards, by tapping them in.

[@StringsNStrands]

I love this game series so much. I miss playing GBA games and these were among the best the system had to offer. Great video!

[@asinineSkeptic]

BN3 Blue was always my fave but goddamn this still looks mega appealing. Blessed video, thank you for this.

[@ScottE-2]

Are we going to have a follow-up for when the Legacy Collection releases?

[@ShamanNoodles]

Battle network was SO good and such a hidden gem

[@mechajay3358]

I was a huge fan if the Battle Network Series growing up, not so much StarForce but it had it's charm, So I'm a little disappointed we never got a crossover.

[@jb0258]

I finally bought this game today on eBay. There was an English patched copy for only $27!! It's going to take a month to arrive, but I'm so happy that I get to play this DS version :D This is literally the only battle network game i don't own. So this is history in the making for me :)

[@ninjahedgehog5]

Aw man. I was itching to play the whole series myself with the intent of completing them jirard style but just like you, remembwring all the headaches if the first game seemed intimidating. Now i wanna find a way to play this en patched remake on the go

[@gundambassexe31]

I am a huge battle network veteran and I still enjoy the first game and the sf crossover

[@PabellonesDnzingHoes]

I remember playing this game when it came out on an emulator. There was no patch yet and I had to play it with the US GBA version side by side to progress through the game.

[@commonviewer2488]

When Capcom releases the Battle Network Collection, they better use the DS remade version.

[@BoshBargnani]

GBA ports are desaturated because GBA games were intentionally oversaturated due to the lack of backlight on the screen.

[@KyranMountain]

I fell in love with this series growing up. A mega man that was more rpg than platformsr. Couldn’t me in!

[@DrMockery]

These changes would have DEFINITELY been well recieved when I played the first MMBN my favorite megaman game series and I was sad when it came to an end. I still play battle network 5 double team DS for the nostalgia.

[@jessehern91]

Heres hoping they remake the battle network series for the Switch so we can play multiplayer 🤞

[@peckneck2439]

Double Team DS -offered two games for the price of one -Remade interface completely -remixed all music tracks -bottom screen features Megaman's actual 3D model that changes depending on in game situation -Introduced new gameplay mechanics -gave us legitimate way to unlock Bass and Sol Cross Meanwhile Operate Shooting Star -Literally the same exact game as the GBA version with few minor quality of life improvements -Aside of Megaman's static and emotionless png and a map interface remains identical to the original game -Music has been upgraded to HQ, but not improved in any way -Aside of playable Geo there are No new gameplay mechanics. In fact some fetures actually got removed(such as Armor types) -Star Force scenario consist of couple boring fetch quests that you'll be done with in 20 minutes. Can someone tell me why does OSS even exist?

[@hemangchauhan2864]

What 1 game to start this series from? Don't have time for the rest

[@Sonicfalcon16]

I heard the powerplant stage changes and i can feel a scream of YES inside me

[@xXxDadaelusxXx1993]

Imagine a virtual reality mmo of this

[@Shonicss4]

I've been asking for a Battle network collection for years now lol

[@MinecrafterK3N]

I had no problem with learning the map layouts of each area. The random encounter rate in the GBA version was bearable, but the uncertainty of chip drop was unacceptable.

[@Aidan_Au]

I never played. You explain well! Look forward to your next Megaman Battle Network video

[@HELLOspaceHELLO]

I miss this series a bunch, got started on mmbn3 and have since gone through all the games. StarForce just doesn't have that feeling that mmbn did, and I was excited to hear about operate shooting star back when it released. Hope they decide to reboot these or port them all in the form of a collection or something. Since old gba copies probably have finite life left 😭 Also hands down mmbn has some of my favorite bgm.

[@codemonkeyattack]

Glad I found this video, I've been wanting to replay Battle Network but dreaded the first game. Now I can at least get a better version to play.

[@zero00044]

Need to get an updated, fully voiced remaster collection for switch for both battle network and star force. Including all extra game link bonuses, like the boktai link bonus. The zero/zx collection did it so it could be done with this too.

[@CysmaWinheim]

Weirdly enough, I barely remember being that bothered by the first game's frustrations that were fixed with this port's quality-of-life improvements. I must have been a very patient kid back then.

[@baddragonite]

I do find it so weird and funny that when Megaman Battle Network came out we all thought it made 0 sense for appliances to be connected to the internet....

[@Vinylmelody1517]

I've always been more of a fan of star force myself. But this does make me want to finally go back to battle network.

[@hallucino8366]

If I had known of the changes made in later games when I picked up the Battle Network series again, I don't think I would've gotten through the first game as easily. Running out of battery in ElecMan's stage nearly gave me a stroke. :(

[@julopez2674]

is it just me but i think battle network series with 3 by 3 fight is the best megaman game

[@XxXPerseus]

Loved this game on the GBA back in the day!

[@MrSupersonic2012]

I always loved the Battle Network series as a kid. I played all of the games except for BN2 for some weird reason. I know that not a lot of BN fans liked Star Force when it came out, but personally I actually liked Star Force more than Battle Network.

[@thelastgogeta]

The best of the Megas, but I concede I don't remember ever finishing the first game but the map in the DS version besides other adjustments that it and the Wii U version had seem like a good enough reason to get them. I rarely played multiplayer and MMBN is stuffed full of things to get in my experience. Otherwise, have you heard of the cancelled Star Force 4 leak? I haven't finished or played any Star Force for long but I heard the 2nd and 3rd are great and want to give them a go...

[@UnlockedANDunleashed]

is the extra crossover content good? because i already started the first one and im not sure whether i should restart the game or not