Another Mega Man masterpiece! Capcom's done it again!
Released June 24, 2003
Only for the Game Boy Advance
The Mega Man Battle Network series has always been a cla-ssic series to me, and the third installment is no exception. This game improves on some things from its predecessors as well as add some new things of its own. The gameplay of it is as fun as ever, and there are plenty of enhancements and extras to make this game a must-have for both Mega Man fans and RPG fans in general.
The graphic style is pretty much the same as the first two games. The graphics are colorful and aren't slow-moving in any way, and look great for its time. The areas in this game are well-designed and fit the theme, such as the Undernet being more sinister-looking than the main parts of the Internet. The real world looks great too, with new and well-made areas to explore that look great.
This game takes place in the same world as the previous titles, in which the year is 200X and everybody has devices called PETs (short for PErsonal Terminals) containing a program called a NetNavi that helps assists them with their everyday lives. You play as a fifth grader named Lan Hikari who has a NetNavi named MegaMan, and in this game they once again thwart the plots of an evil organization that plans on taking over the internet society.
Mega Man Battle Network 3 has the same combat system as the previous games, in which you play on a battlefield with a 3x3 grid to run around in, as well as the enemies having their own territory to themselves. You use things called Battle Chips, which are like cards that give you unique weapons that you can use while fighting. The Battle Chips can also be changed outside of the battlefield in the pause menu, so you can choose what sort of attacks you want to randomly appear while you're equipping yourself before the start of each turn.
You also have the Style Change feature that Battle Network veterans may remember from the second game in the series. These are kinds of upgrades that you get, which are determined by your actions in battle. There are many types of Style Changes, and frequently battling with a style change equipped can give you some new abilities. The only bad thing about style changes is that you can only have one style change at once, whereas in Battle Network 2 you could save two style changes to your file so you could fight with one while experimenting with another.
Another feature that Mega Man Battle Network 3 has is the NaviCust, short for Navi Customizer. This program allows you to equip MegaMan with enhancements that aid him inside and outside of battle. This feature is completely new to the series, and it works very well. The programs can do completely different things; For example, the Speed +1 program increases the firing speed of MegaMan's buster attack, while the Humor program makes MegaMan tell jokes to Lan in the real world outside of battle (which are usually just strange puns).
The sound in this game is very good, in terms of both music and sound effects. The music in this game is much different from some of the music you hear in earlier and later games, and it sounds very good. The music and sound effects are very clear and do not sound fuzzy or too quiet, or unfitting to the themes in any way.
This game is full of many things to keep the player occupied. The main part of the game takes a while to finish, and there are other things to do as well. There is a thing called the Job BBS, which is full of different missions requiring you to do several different things. The BBS gives you more available tasks as you advance in the game, and there is many jobs available to you by the end of the main story. There are also some secret boss battles to do, and it'll be a long time before you can collect all of the different Battle Chips to find in this game.
Breakdown by category:
Graphics: 8/10
Story: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Sound: 8.5/10
Replay Value/Lasting Appeal: 8.5/10
Fun Level: 9/10
Pros and Cons:
+Great story
+New and interesting features
+Enjoyable to play
-You can only hold one sty-le change at once
-Some puzzles in this game are unclear as to what to do
Overall, this game is excellent and I would recommend it to all Mega Man fans as well as RPG fans.