Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2

Genre: Compilation / Action-RPG / Card RPG

Players: 1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online), Online Content Sharing

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, along with Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1.)

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2, released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in 2023, is a Compilation of Mega Man Battle Network 4: Blue Moon, Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun, Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel, Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Protoman, Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar, and Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar, all previously released on the Game Boy Advance from 2004 through 2006.

Or, to put it more simply, this Compilation contains the two simultaneously-released versions (Pokemon-style) of each numbered mainline entry in the Mega Man Battle Network series from 4 through 6.

Here is what I thought of all of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Mega Man Battle Network 4: Blue Moon	Compilation / Action-RPG / Card RPG	1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online)	B-
tl;dr This entry in the series adds a number of new elements, including dark chips, an “emotion window” and counter-attacks. This game also finally stops reusing the first game’s visuals. However, while this game does strive to do some things differently, the changes to the formula are a mixed bag, and many of the series’ long-standing issues (repetitive mazelike levels, poor sense of progression) are still present. This is still a solid game at its core, but it feels like it’s trying to complicate the series’ formula rather than improve on it.
Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun	Compilation / Action-RPG / Card RPG	1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online)	B-
tl;dr See what I wrote above for Mega Man Battle Network 4: Blue Moon. This is basically the same game.
Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel	Compilation / Action-RPG / Card RPG	1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online)	C+
tl;dr This game does little to shake up the Mega Man Battle Network formula and it re-uses assets from Mega Man Battle Network 4. This is still an enjoyable game, but by this point, you’ve already played it four times.
Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Protoman	Compilation / Action-RPG / Card RPG	1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online)	C+
tl;dr See what I wrote above for Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel. This is basically the same game.
Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar	Compilation / Action-RPG / Card RPG	1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online)	B
tl;dr Technically the final game in the Mega Man Battle Network series (though it was followed by the Japan-only mobile game Legend of Network, and Mega Man Star Force on the Nintendo DS is considered a spiritual successor), Battle Network 6 is once again more of the same, but I feel that this game benefits from a refreshing new setting, as well as better pacing and level design than its predecessors, making for a more well-rounded (but still highly derivative) experience. For the series’ swansong, Battle Network 6 is going out on a high note, though I don’t think these games ever truly escaped the shadow of the series’ first title.
Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar	Compilation / Action-RPG / Card RPG	1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online)	B
tl;dr See what I wrote above for Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar. This is basically the same game.

In short, all three games here once again feature some really original, fun gameplay in a delightfully interesting world… though I feel like “original” should almost be in quotes since every game in the series feels largely interchangeable with the others. In this Compilation, I think that Battle Network 5 is probably the low point, offering little in the way of originality. By comparison, I think Battle Network 6 is the best game in this collection and possibly the series, because even though it fails to offer anything truly new, it manages to refine the series’ gameplay into arguably the best it’s ever been.

This compilation does more than just present the games exactly as they were. The title screens and text of these games have been updated to feature a smoother look to appear nicer and more legible on a big screen, while the rest of the visuals have been left untouched. Special in-game items that were previously only available via special promotions or through the use of the Game Boy Advance e-Reader are now obtainable via an in-game “download”. Players can also optionally enable a mode in these games called Buster MAX Mode, which supercharges their normal shots to the point of being absurdly overpowered – perhaps amusing for those looking to easily cruise through the game, but probably not something most players will want to bother with.

I should also make it a point to note that this release does not include the improvements made to the Nintendo DS version of Mega Man Battle Network 5, subtitled Double Team. This release also doesn’t support the connectivity features that these games had with other products (collectively referred to here as “Toy Link”), and doesn’t include connectivity with Mega Man Zero 3 or the Japan-only game 4.5: Real Operation (though I couldn’t imagine how the latter would work in any case, as it isn’t on the Nintendo Switch in any form). I cannot say whether the promotional cross-over content featuring Konami’s Boktai series made it into this game, as I wasn’t able to progress that far in time for this review.

On the bright side, this release also expands the multiplayer features of the original games to support online play and trade with others, though in my time trying the game I couldn’t find anyone in the public lobbies to fight or trade with. Suffice it to say, if you want to play this game with others, you’ll probably have to bring along a friend who owns a copy of the game on their Nintendo Switch.

These games are contained within a main menu screen adorned by a cel-shaded fully-3D version of this series’ version of Mega Man (Mega Man.EXE) who looks fantastic and says various things as you’re looking around on the menu screen, which is a nice touch. In the menus, players can select from a few different control layouts, choose visualization options, earn in-game trophies, check out a full music player, as well as looking at art from throughout the series (even games not included in this collection, like Mega Man: Battle Chip Challenge).

It’s a pretty decent selection of features and extras, but the real sticking point here has to be the price – at $40, you’re paying about $13 per game for games from over 15 years ago, a tough pill to swallow when these three games were available for $8 each on Wii U Virtual Console. You could argue that by getting both versions of each game, you’re actually getting twice that value, but then I would argue that this is an absurd argument to make since almost no one will want to play through both versions of the same game.

It really pains me to say this, but I feel like the extra features included in Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2 do not justify its price. There is a lot of good content here, but $40 seems really steep for what amounts to three 15+ year-old games, especially when the second game in the collection lacks improvements made in an earlier release. Compare this with the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection, released three years ago, and the difference is stark – that collection contained six great Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS games and only costs $30. It’s hard not to look at these two Collections without coming away with the same conclusion – this feels like a rip-off.

tl;dr – Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2 is a Compilation of the Game Boy Advance games Mega Man Battle Network 4, 5, and 6 (as well as their Pokemon-style nearly-identical pairings). These are all games that mesh together elements of Card RPGs and Action-RPGs. The games here are excellent, though none of them feel like they’ve grown all that much from the very first Battle Network game. This Compilation also comes with an excellent array of bonus content. Unfortunately, at $40 for what amounts to three 15+ year-old games, this Compilation feels absurdly overpriced.

Grade: B-

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