Among all the Megaman games, Megaman Battle Network is one of my favorite series. I love it's universe and how everything is realistic yet futuristic, and I also liked how big the game was in both it's size and it's cast. The world it was set in even made it's crappiest game (*cough cough*Battlechip Challenge) something that was still enjoyable and interesting. And after 6 main games, a TV series, a manga series and allot of side products, it ended.....
Now don't get me wrong, the game ended in a way that was well handeld. The games had also been getting less interesting and it was time to end it all, so that's what they did. However, in true Megaman fashion, the game never did end and we later got Megaman StarForce......and it was just as bad as the last few titles in Battle Network!
Megaman Starforce is not a bad game, It's actually quite fun to play and the twist on the Battle Network mechanics is quite interesting. The problem with the game is that it has a stupid story and universe. The game takes place many many years after the Battle Network series has ended. The series takes example of it's predecessor and based itself on the current "tech-pop" of the time. So since the internet was the base of Battle Network, then it's only common sense that Starforce be based off of......Facebook?! Yes, I'm not joking. The whole world is obsessed about "brothers", which is basically the same thing as Facebook, only without the fun of someone posting something while drunk. However, the problem here is not the system itself, but the obsession the game has with it. It makes it so that all the characters are obsessed with friendship and bonds between people, which makes the overall plot dumb and uninteresting. The plot can be summed up as a shity MLP episode, and that's pretty bad for an RPG.
The characters, which I have come to not care about at all, are just slightly modified versions of the characters in Battle Network. And to add insult to injury, Navis are now almost nonexistent! The super intelligent AI companions have now been reduced to simple items you use at plot points and only appear in the first game. As a Battle Network fan, this hurt the most, since the fun in the Battle Network universe was the companionship one has with their NetNavi. It was a fun future where no one had to be lonely since everyone had a companion. The future in Starforce, on the other hand, is dull. The main character is a social recluse, his friends are idiotic bullies and the world itself makes no more sense!
Now I said the game is based off of the Battle Network series, and I'm glad it is. If not for the gameplay, this game would really suck! The game uses the same mechanic as battle network, only instead of surfing the net, your surfing electro magnetic waves......yippy?.....yeah it's stupid.
The game, just like it's predecessor, consists of fighting viruses that pop up at random. The difference is the view is now 3rd person and you can only move left and right. However, you now have rapid fire, a shield and the ability to jump closer towards an enemy to attack them. The game amazes me with how they made the mechanics work. They feel new, involving and are really fun to use. There are a few misses here and there, like the "combo" system that requires you to use 3 chips on 1 enemy that do a total of 300 damage........yeah, I've only been able to make 1 so far and it was a total fluke.
The gameplay is just great and it's a shame that it's hindered by such a dull story and uninteresting world. I've been replaying the game for the last few weeks and I have skipped EVERY cut scene I have come across because I really do not give a rats ass about the characters anymore.
Anyways, if you like the Megaman Battle Network series, I would suggest looking for this at a good price. If you have not played any Megaman Battle Network games yet, I would suggest you play Megaman Battle Network 2 or 3 before playing Megaman Starforce.
