Mega Man Network Transmission
It's been around 15 years since the Blue Bomber made his debut appearance back on the Nintendo Entertainment System. In honor of this occasion, Capcom released a new side scrolling Mega Man game for the Nintendo GameCube. This game of course is Mega Man Network Transmission. While it may not be the traditional Mega Man we know and love, Mega Man Network Transmission packs quite a punch.

Graphics:

While Network Transmission may be a 2-D side scrolling game, all the animations and character models are in 3-D. Also, like many other games nowadays, Network Transmission uses the cel-shaded graphical style. Capcom was able to create a good blend between two dimensional and three dimensional environments that is only bettered by the unique cel-shading used. The animations are crisp and smooth, and everything moves along fluently and without slowdown. Though many may not think the graphics are great by today's standards, I truly can't see a Mega Man game any other way.

Sound and Music:

Mega Man games are known for their excellent musical scores. Unfortunately, Network Transmission doesn't even come close when compared to the earlier titles in the Mega Man franchise. Instead, Network Transmission features techno-like music that is fitting to its Cyberworld theme. Each area has its own songs, which is definitely a plus since some games aren't even nice enough to add different music to every level. As for sound, there's an upside and a downside. The upside is that all the explosions, shots, etc. all sound wonderful. The bad side is that Capcom was too lazy to translate all the spoken phrases throughout the game, which means you'll hear a lot of Japanese while playing. The really sad thing is that Capcom didn't even translate the cutscenes, which means you'll be forced to read subtitles.

Storyline:

Network Transmission is technically part of the Battle Network series. Storyline wise, it takes place between Mega Man Battle Network and Mega Man Battle Network 2. The game starts off with a cutscene of Mega Man destroying the end boss of Battle Network, which is good because it fills you in on the events of that game is you haven't played it. As you enjoy peace in the Cyberworld, something goes wrong. Your friend's Navi, Roll, is stuck in the Cyberworld and can't get out. For those who don't know, a Navi is like a Cyberworld partner. For instance, your Navi is Mega Man. Once you rescue Roll, you find out that other people's Navis are going haywire due to a fake Zero Virus Vaccine that someone is spreading. As you journey through the game, you'll uncover the one who spread the fake vaccine and uncover the fact that the vaccine is just the beginning of an even bigger plot to destroy the Cyberworld completely. Overall, the storyline is fairly in depth for a Mega Man game and moves along nicely.

Gameplay:

You play as Lan Hikari, a young virus buster and star of the Battle Network series. You and your Navi Mega Man will move from place to place around the Cyberworld in search of the one who spread the fake Zero Virus Vaccine. At the end of each area, a boss fight will ensue. Does this sound like every other Mega Man game? Well, here's the twist. As you progress through the game, you collect battle chips. Each battle chip is like a weapon or upgrade. Some are guns, some are swords, and others heal you or make you invisible. In order to get more powerful battle chips, you must defeat enemies faster and more efficiently. The more bad guys you kill, the more chips you will have to use. The bad thing is that, even though there are 137 chips overall, you can only carry 20 types of chips at once. At the start of each level, you will be randomly given five chips. If you want different ones, you have to wait for your Custom Gauge bar to fill up. Also, if you kill the bosses quickly and without losing much health, you'll get their Navi chip. Navi chips allow you to "summon" that Navi so it can attack your enemies. Anyway, enough about the chips. The actual gameplay consists of running, jumping, and shooting through levels that only allow you to go left or right. Anyone who's played a Mega Man game before will know what to expect, which is why there isn't much else to say about the gameplay.

Controls:

The controls are really simple, seeing as how there isn't much you can do. You can jump, shoot, move, and change chips. The time is takes to learn the controls barely exists, because once I picked up the game it seemed like I had already figured it out. I always find the control category hard to write about, because if the controls are good, I don't really know what to write.

Replayability:

The replay value is above average for Network Transmission. There are 137 chips to collect, along with maxing out all your stats. There's even an area where you can fight bosses over and over again without having to go through their levels. However, once you do all this stuff, there isn't really much else left to do. You can always go through levels just to shoot stuff, but even that gets boring after awhile.

Overall, Mega Man Network Transmission is worthy of its name. While it may not be the traditional Mega Man, the new gameplay features offer an exciting twist to the franchise that will keep the Battle Network series going for a long time to come.
Graphics: 8.0/10
Sound and Music: 8.0/10
Storyline: 9.0/10
Gameplay: 7.5/10
Controls: 9.8/10
Replayability: 6.0/10
7.0
Out of 10