Definitely worth buying.
Review 164
Released: June 24, 2003
Publisher: Capcom
Game Genre: Action Role-Playing
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
ESRB Description: Mild Violence
Story: 30%
Gameplay: 40%
Graphics: 20%
Durability: 10%
Story (10/10)
As in the first two releases, Battle Network III contains a near-flawless storyline, even with its childish, cartoony graphics and the fact that you control a fifth-grade schoolboy. Dr. Wily is back at it once again and it is up to Lan, Chaud, Dex, Mayl and Yai to defeat him, as well as some newly introduced characters. As always, I hate to be a spoiler, so I will shut up now.
Oh, and one more thing. The ending is PHENOMINAL.
Gameplay (9/10)
The gameplay has not made much of a change from the previous title. Only a few small changes have occurred.
Mega Man can change styles like he could in Battle Network II. The Net is now easier to get around as it has been redesigned to decrease confusion. The difficulty to find your way around in the first two games was a pain in the neck. Another new feature is the NaviCust, a customizing tool that gives the gamer more freedom to customize Mega Man. HP, speed, attack and charge powers can all be increased with the customizer, as well as some other interesting abilities. The customizer works like a puzzle. There are multiple colors and different types of 'programs' that you must fit into this puzzle. The rest is explained in the game.
Aside from some new battle chips, the battle system has not changed. For those that did not play the first two, most battles are randomly fought while exploring the Net. Mega Man fights viruses, each with unique abilities and a certain amount of HP. Lan, the main character, supplies Mega Man with battle chips to use. Each battle chip has its own unique ability and does a certain amount of damage. Some chips are strategic in purpose and deal no damage, and some recover lost HP.
Graphics (10/10)
Once again, Capcom manages to create impressive graphics. Unlike some games on the GBA, there is no lag when big explosions occur and such. Even when a lot of action is happening in a battle, the game runs smoothly.
Durability (9/10)
The story of Battle Network III is very long. Even longer than the first two releases. It is very entertaining as well. Stupid sidequests seem to have been avoided in this release. In the previous two, there were moments that were obviously just time gaps placed by the designers to make the game longer. There are still those moments, but they are actually interesting this time around and seem to fit better with the overall storyline.
Difficulty is still a concern, however. For the most part, the game tells you where to go, but there are sections where it only gives you a ridiculously impossible clue. Hours can be spent simply walking around in circles because of this and it can become very frustrating. To top that off, the final boss is very nearly impossible to defeat. With the most powerful battle chips in the game, I struggled very much to deplete the boss's hit points, and got very lucky to actually end up defeating it.
Previous Games
Mega Man Battle Network (9.25/10)
Mega Man Battle Network II (9.1/10)
Overall Score (9.5/10)
Final Thoughts:
Definitely a game worth purchasing, as were the first two.