Welcome to Modojo, 
Mega Man Portable History
Written by Cody Musser on Tuesday, September 12, 2006
We take a look back at portable Mega Man.
...Continued From Page 2 Zero Takes the Stage
Mega Man Zero - 2002 - Game Boy Advance
Mega Man Zero 2 - 2003 - Game Boy Advance
Mega Man Zero 3 - 2004 - Game Boy Advance
Mega Man Zero 4 - 2005 - Game Boy Advance
While the Battle Network series may have appeared prior to Mega Man Zero, this release is the true extension of Mega Man's traditional gameplay. Replacing X with Zero, players explore the franchise set 100 years after then end of the X timeline. The Zero series changed certain elements from Mega Man in each release, sometimes removing the stage select screen, or even the EX abilities that players obtain by defeating bosses.
 |
The changes to gameplay in the Zero franchise were mostly welcomed, and it's remembered as a highlight in the Mega Man franchise. None of the games is particularly that much worse than the others, and they don't get much lower in quality, or too familiar, as time passes. This can probably be attributed to the unique elements in each Zero game; be it the collectable cyber elves, customization chips, or Form system, this series was never afraid to make changes between each release. The only element remaining in all the games is Zero's startling difficulty.
The Battle Network
Mega Man Battle Network - 2001 - Game Boy Advance
Mega Man Battle Network 2 - 2001 - Game Boy Advance
Mega Man Battle Network 3 - 2003 - Game Boy Advance
Mega Man Battle Network 4 - 2004 - Game Boy Advance
Mega Man Battle Network 5 - 2004 - Game Boy Advance
Mega Man Battle Network 5 - 2005 - DS
Mega Man Battle Network 6 - 2006 - Game Boy Advance
Without a doubt, the Battle Network series is the single guiltiest party in Capcom's effort to put forth an unyielding amount of Mega Man releases. Not only were there six releases in five years, four of the games installments had two versions; making a total of twelve Battle Network releases in five years. It's interesting that this series, the least like traditional Mega Man, is the most released Mega Man series to date.
 |
The Battle Network series isn't all bad. The series put forth a gameplay change unlike any other Mega Man release, and it was initially embraced. The tactical gameplay takes the battles out of robots hands, and puts it inside computers featuring Megaman.EXE. However, it stands as the single greatest warning for Capcom that players will only respect their actions for so long. The Battle Network series was arguably the most unchanged Mega Man games through its installments, and by its end, most fans had simply had enough.
posted September 12, 2006