System: Gameboy Advance
Company: If you’ve ever heard of Megaman you should know… But just in case… it’s Capcom.
Rating: E for Everyone

Hey, whaddya know? My first Review! This is the 4th actual installment of the Battle Network series for Gameboy Advance, by Capcom! I’ll be rating the categories on a scale of 1-10, so… off we go!!!

Story/Plot: 2

Unlike the previous three Megaman Battle Networks, the storyline of this one feels kind of rushed. Of course, I won’t spoil this game for you… though the  entire plot is basically revealed at the beginning…

I would’ve given it a 1, but there are a couple of things here and there…

Gameplay/Controls: 10

It’s actually quite a fun game, which tends to be the case with RPGs. If you ever get stuck somewhere you can talk to Lan (if you’re controlling Megaman) or to Megaman (if you’re controlling Lan). Basically, everything else is explained to you. There’s nothing really wrong with this part…

Graphics: 5

Unfortunately, making everything “chibi-fied” (quite small) didn’t really work out for this game. It’s a bit of a step away from MMBN1-3’s, but at least it allows for more to fit on the screen… like bosses and an actual map screen.

Sound/Music: 7

Megaman Battle Network 4 abounds with good music, though some of it becomes uncomfortably repetitive after a while (like the Crisis theme, which doesn’t stop playing after you beat the game… while it did in 1-3). But there are others that you will definitely enjoy, such as the Boss theme and the Tournament Battle theme.

Difficulty: 7

All I have to say is this: The first time you play through MMBN4 it’s a cinch and just a “warm-up”. It’s decently difficult, though, and by the time your chip-library is 80% complete, you’ll be able to beat at least five bosses without getting knocked around like a tugboat in a storm.

Characters: 6

There’s a big list of characters in this gam. Even some of the most obscure ones have names, with some returning from MMBN1 and others who are all-new, not to mention all of the viruses who become progressively stronger. With a handful of bosses, viruses, and operators, there are a lot of characters. But it’s truly sad that there are only three characters that are actually “bad”, most are just there to use up space…

Even though, I admit, Capcom did a good job making the obscure characters seem a bit unique.

Replayability: 5

Since you HAVE to play through the game three times to get everything… that’s kind of annoying as it obviously hinders replayability (in my opinion). But being able to skip scenes helps. And the game itself is still fun.

Not to mention that it's fun to be able to battle "yourself".

Factor of Fun: 6

Let’s see…. Being able to make your own tournament (via link cable/wireless link and another MMBN4 cartridge), some interestingly cool scenarios and other things I could mention, all make the game quite fun, but not quite “perfect”.

Secrets: 8

Heh, this game flourishes in the “secrets” department. From secret chips, to a secret area, to unlocking version-specific scenarios (link cable, again), the secrets are at least worth it.

And with the REAL challenge laying within a secret area of the game… well, it adds some points to this section. (+3 cool-points!)

Overall: 6

This game will probably last half a month (or more if you’re a completist... or if you really enjoyed the game itself). It lasts longer since you can explore freely, later on. It’s also better if you have someone else with a MMBN4 cartridge (preferably, a different version), so you can actually complete the game (and have bosses creeping around every corner).

I recommend that people borrow it from a friend or something first, and then buy it if they like it. And since the tutorial pretty much helps first-timers immensely, even if you’re new to the Megaman Battle Network series, as long as you can read you should be able to get far.

And since there are a couple of things that distinguish Blue Moon from Red Sun (not just chips), you’d probably want to try both if you can.

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