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Battle Network 6 (Falzar) – Pre-Let’s Play Notes
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Preface
Personal Notes
- Be sure to mention all of the changes between Japanese and International versions.
Commentary
- My Battle Network 6 games use a patch made by exeguy11.
- Navis without Counterparts: BlastMan*, CircusMan, JudgeMan, ElementMan, EraseMan, Cache, JammingMan, RideMan, HatMan
* At the time the game was created, BlastMan did not have one. However, one was added to the Classic series later. They do not share many visible similarities despite that.
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Opening
Personal Notes
- Lan is seated in a different seat than usual. Check and see if anyone else is in different spots, too.
Commentary
- Right out the gate, the game exhibits a lot of personality by having Lan and MegaMan talk directly to the audience, as opposed to the previous games where the opening narration was delivered by a faceless narrator matter-of-factly.
- ACDC Elementary returns! As does Ms. Mari! It's kind of weird seeing her with a new sprite and mugshot, though, given her absence from 4 and 5.
- Oh boy, right into the negative already, huh? While leaving ACDC Town does help set up curiosity as to how things will pan out in a new location, this is yet another excuse to ditch Lan's friends as opposed to simply improving them as characters.
- I do appreciate that the writers managed to avoid having Lan do the same thing he chided Dex for in Battle Network 3 by having him address the class with the news rather than leaving Ms. Mari to do it. He even told them two days before the move rather than literally minutes before.
- I kind of like that Mayl knew already, but I wish she heard from Lan rather than Haruka given how the games have been trying to show her and Lan as being very close friends.
- Mayl's BN6 mugshot is a remake of her original one. MegaMan's as well, sort of.
- Yuichiro has a car?! It feels so weird thinking about that given that we've never seen a garage or carport at Lan's house.
- Lan has a calendar of Gow, though the actual dog never shows up again. There's also a poster of Django, of course. All in all, this room has a new vibe, one that is kind of throwing me off and feels very weird. I think the new "In the Room" theme is supposed to be going with that, too.
- It's mentioned that some of Lan's memorabilia has been thrown out. The trophies from 4 are suspiciously absent, though it seems odd he'd throw trophies away. Maybe they're in Gregar version.
- Central Town is a bit of a letdown for a new hub city. While the school winds up having a lot of heft to it, the town proper has nothing aside from Lan's house and Tab's shop, a far-cry from ACDC Town. At the very least, Mick and Tab's houses should've been places that could be visited later.
- "Normally, RoboDogs are programmed to never attack humans." By that logic, there are RoboDogs who ARE programmed to attack humans? Apparently, this RoboDog is also based on one from the anime that bothered Dex.
- Battle Network 2 and 3's Yoshino Aoki returns as the musical composer for this game, and pretty much every track is a solid hit from start to finish, especially the battle theme. On the topic of battles, MegaMan has a new sprite and combat pose!
- Combat is the same as in BN4, only the Anxiety and Evil states no longer exist, making the game feel overall a lot easier. Most of the emotions are positive, with only one having a downside, and it requires you going out of your way to trigger it.
- Getting an S-Rank seems easier this time around. Before I had to delete multiple viruses at once to get a good rank if there was more than one enemy. But even at the beginning of the game, picking Mettaurs off one by one gives me an S at the end, plus a chip.
- While Meddy is not in the game, White Capsule chips are available in MegaMan's folder. I like to imagine that Lan and MegaMan helped Jasmine find that medicinal recipe for her grandfather and she gifted these to them when touching base about his condition.
- Mettaurs have a new chip replacing their Guard (and Shockwave) chips from the previous game: Reflector. Whereas Guard was a slow counter shockwave, Reflector is basically a free counter on whatever is hitting you a good deal of the time in addition to being solid damage. It's the beginning of the game and I already have an outrageous chip. And then Central Area 1 has another virus with a good chip in the same code. And both match codes of your starting folder!
- Net Cafes aren't a perfect replacement for Net Squares, but I appreciate their existence all the same.
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BlastMan
Personal Notes
- Be sure to buy an Unlocker before going to school.
- LP Gag: Random cuts to Solo's dialogue from Star Force 2/3 whenever Mick says "hmph".
- LP Gag: Have the “no way fag” meme face as a mugshot for Mick’s "No way, freak." line.
Commentary
- It's really weird, if refreshing, seeing Yuichiro at home.
- Central City seems a lot more serious about internet security than... pretty much everywhere else in this series. I can appreciate that. That said, it's odd that Lan (and later Chaud) can just jack into the Security Bots and disable them when they're designed to get rid of would-be hackers.
- Battle Network 6 realizes Might Guy was the best thing about Naruto, so they just straight up made him Lan's teacher. Apparently, he might also be a Speed Racer reference. In Japanese, Speed Racer is Mach GoGoGo, which is a bit similar to Joe Mach.
- Standing in a hallway with a bucket of water on your head is, in fact, a real form of punishment. I believe it’s currently outdated.
- Talking to the students twice in a row yields alternate dialogue before and during the segment where MegaMan enters the Copybot. Mick has nothing noteworthy to say, of course.
- Mick's Navi looks like a yellow and brown BN2 Heel Navi.
- Given that Mr. Mach being a WWW member is a plot twist, it's nice that they bothered to give him a temporary Navi to remove him as a suspect as BlastMan's operator. That said, it is curious that this Navi is more in line with Mach's personality while BlastMan is just a sadist. We also never even see Mach and BlastMan interact. I wonder if this temporary Navi is BlastMan in disguise considering how we never see him again and he has an odd speech pattern.
- Speaking of which, Mick's Navi blames him for poor operating, but it's not like Mick was directly controlling the viruses, right? That's kind of a weird statement.
- "It's all Lan's fault that I got in trouble for hacking the teacher's equipment and yelled at my Navi until he ran away. Why would Lan do this?"
- The fact that Copy Bots were not followed up on in Star Force was big a missed opportunity. I suppose the idea of materializing digital lifeforms in the real world is somewhat followed up with Matter Waves and Wizards, though.
- Addressing the issue of Copy Bots being dangerous isn't something I'd expect from this series given the usual insanity of how the Net is set up, so kudos to the writers for accounting for that.
- This segment of MegaMan in the Copy Bot feels like an intentional mirror of Lan's nightmare in 3, albeit much more positive in tone and reversed.
- Mr. Mach is literally using Guy's Asakujaku on this Security Bot. I can only assume he's holding back his true power out of concern for his students, the sake of BlastMan’s mission, or both.
- Mick is a bit TOO awful in this opening segment. I don't mind him hazing Lan a bit for being new, but threatening his whole class with flamethrowers is beyond a step too far. What even is his problem with Lan?
- Aside from Class 1-2, all of the blackboards in the school can be jacked into immediately.
- Given the foyer door is locked, I'm going to assume the teachers menaced by flamethrower robots are also surrounded by locked doors.
- How did the computer shoot fire? How is it still operational after shooting fire? How long was Mick's Navi going to sit there and let people nearly be burned to death before activating the fire extinguisher? Why is the fire suppression system not automatic?
- The first dungeon is okay. Not the best gimmick, but hardly the worst.
- BlastMan is a wimp, but I'm not sure if he's the easiest first boss. He has obstacles that block his own attacks, but he actually can aim his attacks, unlike FireMan.
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DiveMan
Personal Notes
- Grab the Seaside Key from the Mr. Prog in the Fish Stick machine ASAP.
Commentary
- I enjoy Mayor Cain's coy remark to Yuichiro about how he knows details about his work due to an associate that used to work at SciLab. Very innocuous foreshadowing.
- How did Plata get here? Did he just climb onto the LevBus, get off at Central Town, and no one noticed or said anything about it? Then again, considering a later BBS quest involves five penguins escaping to Central Town, maybe that IS what I'm expected to believe.
- Despite them not being random encounters yet, this game throws Mettaur2 and Mettaur 3 at you in fixed encounters very early.
- This game makes running away from enemies, bosses included, feel a lot easier than previous games.
- How did he clean the path with a plunger? I thought he was working on the pipes, but they're still leaky afterwards.
- Crossover Battle Points are used for the Otenko Crossover Point Trader in Seaside Area 1 (Internet). Whichever Points you select to trade will come out with the possible chip. Crossover Points are obtained through winning a Battle in Crossover Battle 2. To make the Otenko Crossover Point Trader appear you have to do a Crossover Battle at least once with Shin Bokura no Taiyou.
- I have no idea how the LevBus manages to stay airborne or on the "path" that keeps it aligned with the other terminals.
- The mermaid statue has Lan's face and backpack, as well as Iris' hair.
- I really want to know how Mick explained the penguin to his parents.
- The Navi Customizer is given really early in this game, and I like that. The theme is also a remix of the one from 3.
- The fish stick shop is a taiyaki shop in Japanese.
- I can MAYBE buy the idea of the Aquarium being hooked to the town's water supply to let water into the aquarium for the appropriate fish. I don't get why the system is large enough to allow the animals to travel outside, though!
- Wouldn't the Feeding Time chime only cause the animals inside the aquarium to return to their pens? And that's assuming they know how to navigate back to where they came from from where they are now. What about the piranha and sharks outside? For that matter, how are the fish trained to return to their tanks? Are they normally allowed to leave!? Either way, the Feeding Time chime isn't going to save the director, given that he's cornered by alligators in the alligator cage.
- Even knowing that Iris is a Navi, I have no idea how she pulled off these teleportation tricks.
- How did Fanny's ball sink to the bottom of the tank? Shouldn't it float to the surface? Is that the weight that Blackbeard made her lift?
- Blackbeard doesn't have much of a beard. Also, he kind of looks like Wario.
- Either Blackbeard is an idiot or Wily never told him about MegaMan. And even if the latter is true, the former still holds.
- Apparently, the blue shark have free range of motion, while the orange sharks follow a set path.
- The dungeon turning off random battles while you have a Mr. Prog with you is a godsend. Why couldn't they implement anti-frustration features like this several games ago?
- I would call this the worst dungeon in 6, if only because it is very difficult to react to the sharks coming quickly from off-screen and MegaMan is moving fast as well. More than once, I've had a situation where I've been herded into what I thought was a safe spot, only to be blocked by sharks from all directions. There's not enough conveyance that a shark is in the area until you're milliseconds away from your Mr. Prog being eaten.
- DiveMan has a pretty neat design. Awooga! That said, I have to wonder why Blackbeard's Navi isn't PirateMan. It seems like it'd be more fitting with his character design.
- While this whole section with the penguin feels a little random, it's fairly charming and it doesn't go on long enough to get tiresome. Mick also becomes more likable after how terrible he was previously, though it's another Tesla situation where I wonder why the writers went that hard on the character's nastiness initially.
- Baryl and mysterious Heel Navi continue to talk about the Cybeasts in as vague of a manner as possible, probably since they know they need the dramatic effect for the audience.
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CircusMan
Personal Notes
- Mod Cards apparently work on Link Navis? Give this a test.
- When you're reduced to 0 HP against evil spirits, there is additional dialogue and no game over. Get screenshots of this.
Link Navi Obstacles
- Fire Gates: HeatMan, ChargeMan, AquaMan, TenguMan
- Tree Gates: HeatMan, SlashMan, TomahawkMan, GroundMan
- Water Gates: ElecMan, EraseMan, AquaMan, GroundMan
- Cloud Gates: ElecMan, EraseMan, TomahawkMan, DustMan
- Tornado Gates: SlashMan, ChargeMan, TenguMan, DustMan
Dialogue
- AquaMan: Lan, shall we drip drip away? (Fleeing)
- AquaMan: ...Drip! We couldn't run...! (Failed Fleeing)
- AquaMan: ...Drip! We ran away, drip!! (Successful Fleeing)
Commentary
- Is Lan clairvoyant? He seems to have prophetic dreams about bad things happening to MegaMan right before they happen. I wouldn't be surprised if he dreamed about DarkMega before fighting CloudMan.
- The Virus Battler isn't quite as neat as the Virus Breeder, but I do like the idea of MegaMan raising good viruses. Both of those would've been a nice thing to have for a playable Roll, given her tendency to summon viruses to her aid in 4.
- Shuko returns from Battle Network 4, making AquaMan one of the two newly introduced Soul Navis in that game who makes another appearance. The other is SearchMan. Tough break for Lilly, WindMan, and JunkMan, though at least the latter two have 4.5.
- It's charming to see how much incidental dialogue there is for Link Navis.
- Shuko opens a valve. This leads to the Net flooding. I'm not sure I follow the logic train here. Why is that even a thing?
- Shuko getting fired for flooding the Net is kind of funny if a bit harsh. She did help fix it back up! I guess it's bad luck on her part that Blackbeard did his shenanigans the day prior.
- The Cross System is not exclusive to MegaMan. Despite that, literally no one else will use it for some reason. Your Link Navis don't even get a MegaCross, not even while being operated by Lan. Why even bother making the Cross System something available to everyone when only Lan and MegaMan use it?
- You'd think Mr. Match would be able to make use of Full Synchro like Lan and MegaMan. He's the only character returning from Battle Network 3 who has also undergone that experience. I guess HeatMan isn't made of enough dead siblings to use that power.
- Fire viruses begin showing up in random encounters while controlling HeatMan in order to make dealing with the Kettles easier in the event you don't have enough Fire chips. Pretty thoughtful addition considering Area 3 already had Fire viruses.
- If OSS was linked up with Battle Network 6, I imagine Geo could've been a Link Navi. I wonder what a Mega Cross with the both of them would've been like.
- Given that my top three games in the series use the Job BBS, I wonder if I'm biased in favor of this system.
- There has been mention of a Navi (CircusMan) going around and causing trouble and people being on edge. Additionally, the Net Police have been pretty vigilant in their patrols, showing up immediately following the incidents with BlastMan and DiveMan.
- Iris shows up at Lan's house, rings the doorbell, and then runs away. Even for someone that's shy, that seems a bit excessive.
- While the Cybeast is active in Central Area 3, you can't operate HeatMan/AquaMan so as to avoid confronting the Cybeast without MegaMan.
- Cybeasts get an odd amount of wank in this story. MegaMan has already defeated Gospel, which is functionally similar to Gregar if less developed, as well as a host of other dangerous entities. Why would a Cybeast that has barely woken up and hasn't even taken its full form be able to beat him? Later in the game he even fights it and defeats it at full power!
- While I’m not a fan of the evil spirits mini-game, it’s less intrusive than the mini-games of 4 and 5.
- Why is Yuichiro calling Lan and MegaMan instead of just walking into the room? He hasn't left the house yet, as far as we know. For that matter, if Lan doesn't want MegaMan to do this, why not just jack him out? No one ever seems to remember that they can do that.
- It's awfully kind of the Cybeast to sit back and listen to Hub's dramatic speech considering how eager it was to one-shot him earlier.
- The absorption of the Cybeast ripping MegaMan apart from the inside makes sense. Gospel showed up at the end of 3 specifically to save Bass, and the process was incredibly damaging to Bass' memory. Falzar or Gregar not wanting to be a part of MegaMan would definitely be a more painful fusion.
- This whole sealing the Cybeast into MegaMan thing is literally just Naruto's backstory.
- Despite MegaMan being out of commission, you can still fiddle with his Navi Customizer and have him comment on when it finishes running.
- While Beast Out is largely a buff, it does feel annoying at times that the Auto Lock-On gets in the way of some strategies, like the Air Wheel/Tornado combo. Other times, it can do something like carry you into an enemy's attack despite the chip you're using having a big attack radius, particularly with chips like Tank Cannon. It also feels like Beast Out's chip activation is rather sticky at times, resulting in multiple chips being used back to back if they're quick to fire.
- When in Beast Out, the running away mugshot does not change to the Beast Out mugshot.
- Yuika disappears after she fails to get the Cybeast. She has no dialogue during the bit with the Healing Water, nor when MegaMan goes to fight CircusMan.
- Baryl seems surprised that Lan and MegaMan are involved. Didn't Wily use Yuichiro as part of his plan? Maybe Baryl wasn't aware of that part.
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JudgeMan
Personal Notes
- LP Gag: Trial for Blackbeard's trial, Suspense for Yuichiro's trial, Logic and Trick for the following conversation with Ito, and Won the Case! ~ The First Success for Ito's sentencing.
- Mines do not work on TenguMan because he does not make direct contact with panels.
Dialogue
- TenguMan: Lan, let's leave and fight another day? (Fleeing)
- TenguMan: ...Nooo! We couldn't flee!! (Failed Fleeing)
- TenguMan: ...We got away! (Successful Fleeing)
Commentary
- Master Feng-Tian's Japanese name, Fūten Rōshi, reminds me of Dragon Ball's Mūten Rōshi.
- How are non-students supposed to get into the school camera for the crayfish hint? The Security Bots would arrest anyone without an ID.
- This is about the point where I realize that the LevBus' animations take too long, and I want to fast forward through them. I applaud them for coming up with a new method of transportation for Cyber City, but I'm missing the quick access of the Metroline from 4.
- I have to wonder if Undercover Chaud is supposed to be disguising his voice, otherwise it seems like he'd be recognizable by Lan near immediately. He's also dressed a bit like Speedy Dave, just with a hoodie.
- I imagine the stiff penalty for entering the courthouse without permission is to deter people from tampering with the Judge Tree. Ironically, the person with the most clearance has already done that. This says a lot about our society.
- Koetsu has become a lawyer since the previous games!
- I wonder if the Judge Tree is incapable of fairly ruling over trials involving deforestation or forest fires due to it being a conflict of interest.
- Mayor Cain is so obviously evil that it's hilarious. His name is Cain, he has a pencil mustache, and he is a politician. It's like he's going for cliché villain Bingo or something. That being said, despite the fact that he's evil, Yuichiro has time to spend with his family on this job, so maybe the real villain was society.
- More innocuous foreshadowing. Why does Ito know about Lan? He ran a background check on him. In actuality, he's working with Baryl and Wily, both of whom could fill him in on any details he'd want to know.
- So, do people being judged by the Judge Tree not get an attorney? Or is that what the flowerbed in the courtroom lobby is for? Seriously, though, it's weird to me that these trials do have a prosecutor, but no one is interceding on behalf of the accused. Are we in the Kingdom of Khura'in?
- Blackbeard all but comes out and says Ito is a member of his group, but no one notices! I hope Chaud did, at least.
- Prosecutor Ito's sprite has no eyes due to his always closed eyes, which looks odd now that I notice it.
- "I can teach MegaMan how to use the power of wind, grasshopper." "Okay, but can you teach me how to teleport behind people?" Lan asking the real questions.
- Another mini-game that's fairly easy due to Green Town's teleporters taking you a far distance. And random battles are even turned off for the duration! Sadly, TenguMan doesn't really get the chance to talk to as many people as AquaMan since his mini-game starts as soon as you enter Green Area.
- I wonder how Fahran cooks the soup without any kitchenware. Does she make the soup in the book!?
- SlashMan's mini-game is a lot easier than TenguMan's. The time limit is a little tight, but not so much so that I can't stare at the screen for a second or so to figure out the inputs.
- The way things pan out, it seems like the soup is just for Navis. In that case, I'm not sure how it helps with cooking in the real world.
- Security Bots have gone missing at the school. It's later revealed that Mick captured one, but what about the others? And why hasn't the school investigated their disappearance considering how strict they are about security? They must have some kind of function that shows their location, or they've at least been making some degree of noise wherever they are. The one in the closet was banging around for a bit! How did no one but Lan notice that noise?
- I wish Haruka went to the courthouse for this part. It bothers me how she's never allowed to take part in these family moments.
- Is 100 hours of zapping supposed to be a nonlethal sentence? Because that sounds very fatal.
- Even by Ace Attorney standards, Yuichiro’s arrest, trial, and sentencing was absurdly fast. Even Lan points this out!
- I find it hard to believe Mick captured a Security Bot two days ago and then either told no one or told EVERYONE and no one blabbed on him to Mr. Mach. For that matter, if this was recorded on the cameras, how did no one know this happened?
- Despite Mr. Mach wondering if Lan is responsible for messing with the Security Bot, he allows him to access the security footage. Then again, I suppose if the data was erased, he could just punish Lan based on that.
- This is how you do dungeon backtracking, BN5. A straight line right to where I want to go, not a bunch of winding, twisting paths with push arrows.
- Why is prosecutor always capitalized when talking about Ito? It's not his first name! ...Is it?
- "That alibi can't be true! That would mean this was the first innocent person ever arrested in Green Town." Yeah, I kinda doubt that. Manfred von Karma must have started his prosecution career in Green Town.
- Ito admitted his evil ways really fast. Lan only somewhat insinuated he suspected Ito, but didn't even present any actual evidence.
- Battle Network 3 has my favorite WWW bosses, but the best WWW operators are those from 6. Blackbeard is kind of a nothing character, but the others more than make up for him.
- Am I to understand that the Security Bots in Cyber Academy went missing because Ito took control of them for his big "Attack Cyber City" plot? I suppose that makes sense, but it still comes across as strange that no one cared to investigate the disappearance of all of the school's robots.
- The concept of Navi Rights feels like a bit of world-building that would be interesting to explore. Do Navis stand trial too? If he wasn't deleted, would DiveMan have been sentenced along with Blackbeard? If Blackbeard got the death penalty, would DiveMan be punished with deletion? These are things I must know!
- Ito is reminding me of some weird mishmash of Light Yagami, Tohru Adachi, and Duo.
- I do like that the map obscures JudgeMan and Colonel being in the back of the third computer until the cutscene starts.
- The emergency shutdown being so difficult to access seems rather silly.
- Am I supposed to believe that Lan went back to Central Town, did an investigation on who did the actual crime, proved Yuichiro's innocence and Ito's guilt, went back to Green Town, confronted Ito, ran away, snuck into the courtroom, sent MegaMan into the Judge Tree, defeated JudgeMan, and engaged the shutdown in under one hour? Because I don't. Yuichiro is definitely more extra crispy than original recipe at this point. Sorry, Lan, your dad's been baked again.
- I'll give Green Town credit: the Judge Tree is capable of judging its creator impartially. Maybe the Classic series wouldn't have had to put up with so much nonsense from Dr. Weil if The Eight Gentle Judges could say the same!
- With Baryl's introduction, we finally get confirmation on who our mysterious organization is. Wily just can't stop causing trouble!
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ElementMan
Personal Notes
- Don’t buy more than 13 panels worth of Rush Food total. That will cover the entire game.
- The Rare Wind Box apparently is always available to fight in the Japanese version due to a glitch.
Dialogue
- TomahawkMan: Lan! Let's get out of here! OK? (Fleeing)
- TomahawkMan: ...Ugghh! We couldn't run!! (Failed Fleeing)
- TomahawkMan: ...OK!! We got outta there!! (Successful Fleeing)
Commentary
- It's kind of funny how Cyber City starts out so normal, and Seaside Town isn't too out there either. Then Green Town and Sky Town are like "Alright, their guard is down. Time to go full dystopia on them."
- Despite being called Sky Town, it seems more like this place is simply a building rather than somewhere that people actually live. Then again, Seaside Town and Green Town also only ever focused on one building, so maybe we simply never see the rest. I cannot imagine living in a hellhole like this, though. Hopefully the housing sections would be at sea level!
- Beyond the safety concerns of Sky Town not having railings and being high up enough to have thin air, wouldn't all of the propulsion systems cause a lot of pollution? How do you add more fuel if the town is constantly being propelled anyway?
- The oxygen tank has a Mr. Prog that has the "729" memo pad code for the door in the Undernet.
- During the Loan Collection quest, MegaMan's blinking animation is disabled during the line he has when the Punk Navi tries to pull a fast one the second time to convey staring, which is hilarious.
- Originally, I was under the assumption that ElecMan/TomahawkMan's classes were only available when ElementMan caused trouble. However, doing a bit of backtracking revealed that they're actually available after the cutscene before meeting Mr. Weather plays out.
- While I understand that every operator needs to have some measure of mini-game, this one strikes me as odd as TomahawkMan is the only one of the ten Link Navis that Lan has already operated once before. Wouldn't he already understand this lesson?
- Much like Shuko and AquaMan, this is another Navi that MegaMan has had a Soul Unison with before talking about souls/spirits.
- There's not much to say about ElecMan's mission. It's pretty straightforward.
- If you try to jack into the weather dungeon early, MegaMan gets upset.
- Mick's Navi walks offscreen and immediately gets kidnapped. If he was leaving, why not just jack out? Why not jack out NOW?
- The Humor program does not work in the Undernet.
- The Cult of Cybeast Worshipers is interesting, and ties into more of that Undernet mysticism that I like. That said, they see that MegaMan turned into one of their gods and then immediately leave the scene without him. Why?! For that matter, considering nothing is happening to Mick's Navi when they do their chanting, what exactly are these guys supposed to be doing? If MegaMan didn't have a Cybeast in him, would they just have zero power in this situation?
- I love how TomahawakMan has a "Not this shit again." reaction to MegaMan getting possessed by something evil.
- Poor Tab never gets to do anything in the plot other than be the Higsby replacement. Even though the game will try and suggest otherwise, he seems more like an acquaintance of Lan's rather than a friend.
- In the time it took for Lan to walk home and into his front door, Iris somehow teleported from the entrance of Cyber Academy to the center of Sky Town.
- I'm amused that Vic disguises himself as a generic NPC while initiating his evil plan. If he hadn't appeared at the end of the last section/the start of this section, this would be a pretty good fake-out.
- I wonder if Vic might have been the Nebula agent who disguised himself as Higsby/Raika in the last game. It would mean that he's been a part of two evil organizations, mind you, but I don't believe there's much to contradict the idea either. Depends on how unfamiliar Lan is to him in the dialogue.
- Purportedly, Vic's backstory is that he was a meteorologist who was fired during Mr. Weather's development and joined WWW to get revenge.
- Removing/deleting the Force Program in Sky Town will cause it to fall out of the sky. I have no idea why the town was designed this way other than someone really liking Angel Island.
- Suddenly, the walkway explodes. Not because there were explosives on it. It just explodes like this is an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
- It's a good thing Lan didn't jump because he most definitely would have died. Even MegaMan points out he should've picked a higher angle to leap from. This is also the only time I can recall Lan having a human reaction to any of his suicidal shonen stunts.
- MegaMan can't go down the elevator, so he can’t talk to Dingo or Mrs. Zap.
- Most times when MegaMan leaves the Copybot, he mentions that it's almost out of power. Here he doesn't because Colonel is going to use it in a moment.
- Vic ditches his disguise for no real reason just because a person he expects to die called him out. Okay then. Also, ElementMan continues the trend of Navis with weird speaking patterns.
- The dungeon gimmick is very easy, short, and not punishing at all. Very nice aesthetic, too, of bringing the daylight back to the dungeon. Like a reverse Shadowbringers.
- Lan finally gets the name of "the organization" when Colonel tries to murder him.
- While's it's great there's a backup electrical system in Sky Town, why doesn't that kick in automatically when Mr. Weather stops working?
- Yuika and Co. are significantly more effective when working together than they are separately. I don't know why BlastMan and ElementMan couldn't have helped out with procuring the Cybeast, let alone Colonel. JudgeMan, at least, might need to lay low as Ito's Navi since he's posing as an upstanding citizen. Either way, it's bizarre to me that Baryl sends out his WWW agents one at a time to fail individually before contemplating a team effort, even going back on former praise and insulting the partially successful ones.
- Mr. Mach being a WWW agent is a nice reveal, but it makes me wonder about Gregar version. Mr. Match is a teacher at the school, a mandatory part of the story, and a former affiliate of WWW. I'm surprised that doesn't factor into the plot at all! Dr. Froid could've even stood in here in Falzar version, though I suppose that would mean ElecMan would need to be replaced with ThunderMan or SparkMan to balance out the Battle Network 4 reference, and I do prefer ElecMan.
- I wouldn't be surprised if, in addition to chewing Mick out for the stunt he pulled with the Old Stove, Mach used the discipline as a pretense for getting BlastMan close to Mick.
- Earlier in the game, BlastMan says "He" will give him another lecture. I'm not sure if he meant Mach, Baryl, Colonel, or Wily.
- During the Judge Tree scenario, Mach's ellipses make me believe that he knows full well why Lan is asking questions, given that he undoubtedly is the one who let Ito into the school without an ID Card, and is simultaneously being uncooperative out of loyalty, while also giving as much information as he can.
- Yuika and Co. complain about Baryl treating them like morons, then spill their entire plan for mutiny in front of Mr. Mach, who hasn't even said whether he'll work with them or not. Unsurprisingly, he winds up ruining their plan later. Because they're morons.
- I'm not sure if it's intentional, but Wily feels as though he's going through a nostalgic trip in this game. The first incident is an attack on a school. Then there's an attack on an aquarium (zoo). He hires a girl with a clown Navi to cause problems in the city, and they even attack a water supply. Then there's a weird, cybernetically enhanced tree. The only odd scenario out would be Sky Town, which hearkens more to Gauss' plan to get the High-Powered Program for Gospel, though Wily was the mastermind behind that organization as well.
- Wily knows full well of Mayor Cain's duplicity, plans on cutting him out, and admits that he only kept him around to exploit him for free money. I'm getting the impression Wily really got a kick out of manipulating Anetta and Bass the last time he was the main villain.
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Colonel
Personal Notes
- Undernet Zero Passwords: 729 (Undernet 1), 012 (Undernet 2)
- Navis that react to Link Navis seemingly disappear by the end of the game when Wily's Heel Navis attack everywhere. Be certain to get all reactions to Link Navis before this point.
- Gold Mystery Datas: 10 Bug Frags (Seaside Area 1), Super Vulcan (Green Area 1), CircusMan SP (Sky Area 1), another CircusMan SP (Sky Area 1).
- Colonel only uses Screen Divide Z in his EX forms and onward.
Dialogue
- GroundMan: Whiiiir!! Let's get outta here! (Fleeing)
- GroundMan: ...Ugghh! We couldn't run!! (Failed Fleeing)
- GroundMan: ...Whew! That was close!! (Successful Fleeing)
- DustMan: Lan! What should we do? Run? (Fleeing)
- DustMan: ...What!? We couldn't run! (Failed Fleeing)
- DustMan: ...Yeah! We got away!! (Successful Fleeing)
Commentary
- This section is confusing. There is a door blocking the path to Undernet 2 and the culprit has apparently been a rebel for quite some time, only completing her rehab recently. So how has MegaMan been getting to and from Undernet 2 in other games? It was never a problem before!
- That complaint aside, it is a neat detail that ChargeMan/DustMan is able to get around this obstacle because they use the vending machine in Seaside Town that you operate them from later.
- Even though Mayor Cain is being duped by Wily, he would've managed to get one of the Cybeasts here if it wasn't for ChargeMan/DustMan. Or even earlier when the cultists saw MegaMan turn into the Cybeast and then just left for no reason.
- Kind of weird that KillerMan was censored to EraseMan despite the Killer Eye viruses in BN3 keeping their names intact.
- Lan mentions Dark Miyabi when taking EraseMan's class. Given that he only learns of him in Team Colonel, I'm not sure what to make of this. I was under the impression Team ProtoMan lead into Gregar, and the White Capsules definitely imply a meeting with Jasmine happened. Perhaps my headcanon that Team Colonel was main plot and Team ProtoMan formed for Nebula Area is actual canon.
- GroundMan's mini-game isn't too bad, but the timer can be a bit tight. It's a bit like BurnerMan's from 4, only you take no damage for messing up.
- KillerMan's mini-game is alright, though I wish that the developers had the foresight to make the invisibility and "talk to NPC" buttons different. Then again, I suppose if you're not close enough to talk with them, turning invisible is a safety net to avoid getting put into a battle because you're too far away.
- DustMan's mini-game is easy; I rarely take damage if ever. With all five mini-games done, I have to say that none overstayed their welcome or felt overly tiring. TenguMan's was probably the "worst" of the bunch.
- Even though DustMan is said to be a frequent trash disposal for the Undernet, the Mr. Progs in the area treat him with unfamiliarity just like every other Navi in the game.
- How does Lan ride the LevBus to ACDC Town? Wouldn't he have to switch cars or something? Does ACDC station have a new type of transit?
- The squirrel is no longer a maze and is now tied to ACDC's internet. I wonder when and why that happened.
- The return to ACDC is somewhat nice, given it's treated with appropriate nostalgia and your friends giving you a gift, even if you have to do a fetch quest to obtain it. However, I am not sure how I feel about the writers suddenly making Dex into a prankster to sync up with Mick; that doesn't feel consistent with past behavior at all.
- However, I take issue with a number of details here. First, the idea that ACDC can't handle viruses without MegaMan being around to police the area makes everyone come across as pathetic. Virus busting is taught in schools, and these are just garden variety roaming enemies. Second, ACDC is reduced to just one area, as if the developers are saying "Get everything out of the way now since there's no real reason to come back here!", which feels disappointing for a location placed at the end of the game. Few BBS quests even give you a reason to go to ACDC. Even the world map for ACDC is limited in what you can do or where you can go, though that might be due to cartridge space. Third, Dex continues to talk about how much he's improved, only for the game to rob him of the opportunity to show any such improvement. Finally, Lan's friends are all taken hostage, forcing MegaMan to save them. When MegaMan is subsequently kidnapped and driven mad, they stand there and do nothing. They don't even TRY to help out. What is it with these writers and their seeming grudge against ACDC? This would've been the perfect time for Lan to operate Roll or GutsMan.
- I can't wrap my brain around the papier mache Navi that demands to see your Area Pass. Is it a joke I'm not meant to take too seriously?
- Mr. Mach walks off, knowing all of their plans and outright saying that he's going back to Baryl, and they just let it happen. They really are idiots. Then again, I doubt they could stop him.
- Proving their idiocy, the defects from the WWW immediately lose MegaMan. I imagine Baryl was speechless when Yuika told him off since they managed to capture the Cybeast (and also due to his own character arc of being unable to conceive going against orders/fate), but then they immediately managed to lose it with this stunt.
- Mick helping out Lan by getting in trouble is a nice full circle moment compared to their first meeting.
- It sure is a good thing that Mayor Cain decides to tell Lan his backstory instead of just breaking his neck or something.
- I'm surprised Mayor Cain mentions the Gospel Mega Virus by name. I guess he knows about it because of Wily, though.
- While I do like the idea of Gregar and Falzar arising from a literal primitive version of the Net (something the manga plays up a bit more), this backstory about the Cybeasts only makes me more confused as to how MegaMan can't deal with Gregar/Falzar. Gregar is basically just an older version of Gospel (without the in-battle invulnerability), and Falzar is just an out of control program. And where do the evil spirits factor into this explanation? I'd ask if that was just a Gregar thing, but Falzar does it as well. I suppose he could have been bugged up by continued contact with Gregar.
- Considering Gregar is made of bugs and Alpha went out of control due to bugs, I wonder if it's called The Beast due to Gregar's influence or possibly tie-in knowledge of what happened with Gregar. It'd also explain why the concept of the Multi-Bug Organism came so quickly to Yuichiro and why he doesn't seem unfamiliar with the concept of the Cybeasts in this game.
- Speaking of which, where is Yuichiro? I haven't seen him around since the last scenario.
- What does Mayor Cain even want to do with the Cybeasts? Just put them on a USB and admire it now and then? Does he have his own world domination plans? I would imagine so, though he never really states any particular goal.
- Dex's apology email is titled "Borriiiing". I hope that was a dub error, otherwise it makes him look like an asshole.
- ProtoMan is still wearing his cloak just so the audience can go "Oh, so that was the mysterious guy with a sword arm that is the same color as ProtoMan's sword arm".
- TomahawkMan is the most appropriate Navi of the 10 Link Navis to save MegaMan with, in my opinion. I bet he didn't expect to reunite with Colonel by getting a sword through the gut! Sadly, he has no special dialogue for it, but I like to believe Colonel holding back because it's TomahawkMan makes for a better scene. Why would he care about not deleting any of the other Navis? That being said, bringing ElecMan here is also kind of neat since it involves ElecMan fighting against the WWW this time. He even gets to hang around with MegaMan and ProtoMan in a more positive light this time around.
- I am not sure what to make of Colonel in this game having a different fighting style from Dark Colonel in the previous one. If both versions of him aren't holding back, shouldn't they have been at the same level of power? In which case, there would be no doubt about MegaMan having the ability to defeat Colonel here, right?
- Baryl's motivation is weird in that he doesn't really seem to have one; it reminds me of Dr. Regal a bit, which is a shame coming from Battle Network 6's otherwise decent writing. That said, I feel that Baryl and Colonel actively choosing redemption and making amends works better than Regal being brainwashed into being a good person. Not to mention that Regal spends a lot of his screen time talking about secret evil plans as opposed to actually developing his character, while Battle Network 6 at least tries to have Baryl change over the course of the game, even if he also suffers from the same issue of discussing his secret plan more than building his character.
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Yuika's Lovelies/The Justice Club/Cloudy Bombers
Personal Notes
- Make a video of Yuika and Co. arguing over the name just for the comedic timing of the music?
Commentary
- Yuika, Vic, and Ito have basically become anime Team Rocket at this point.
- Wily is surprised Colonel was defeated by MegaMan. Does that mean Colonel is stronger than Bass in Battle Network 3? Because MegaMan with the Cybeast should be far beyond any power he displayed when fighting Bass back then, and Wily was present for that.
- If she can control the Punishment Robots, why doesn't Iris just have them turn on Yuika and Co.? I don't remember if Iris is struggling with allegiance to Wily, but at the very least she has no allegiance to these guys who have betrayed Wily whom she has tried to thwart the plans of on multiple occasions. I guess she didn't do that because she realizes that we have to have a boss rush later. I also wonder why she didn't just disable the hostile robot dog at the start.
- For that matter, why doesn't Iris just jack out of the CopyBot once Lan is out of harm's way?
- Anne/Dingo are removed from their spots at this point in the game to make space for a plot event that will occur later. Despite that, their Navis can still be operated at the control panel.
- The Undernet BBS thing seems a bit contrived. Someone just happened to post about Yuika and Co. taking Iris to Sky Town at that moment. Then again, Yuika does seem like the kind of person that would Tweet about her crimes. That being said, that doesn't stop this from being the third trip to Undernet 2 is a very short period of time.
- It occurs to me how, as of this scenario, the Undernet has been barely AND poorly used in the plot of the second trilogy every time it has come up. In 4, it's the backdrop of two annoying version exclusive scenarios and otherwise is just somewhere MegaMan passed through very briefly in the endgame. In 5, it's just an area that's reclaimed with no fanfare after it's mentioned that liberating End Area took back pretty much most of the Net anyway, and then it's glossed over afterwards. In 6, it at least ties into the plot somewhat with the cultists, but these characters are barely explored and are just minor characters attached to another character who himself is not really THAT major. Mayor Cain spends most of the game not really being around; he's just the piggy bank for Wily, but Wily even points out how Cain was largely unnecessary to his plans. Worse yet, it's down to only four areas (three in English) in this game and there's not even any Navi ghosts in the area to make it feel like a dangerous area to pass through.
- It's kind of lame that Mr. Mach's daughter doesn't have a name. I don't even remember if she was alluded to very much before this. I kind of wish the twist with Iris is that she was Mr. Mach's daughter instead of being a Navi.
- How does Iris keep disappearing every time I look away? Is she Batman?
- In the middle of the night, MegaMan hears either a roar or a screech depending on the version. It is, of course, the other Cybeast.
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Falzar
Personal Notes
- Before the Expo begins, skip ahead to the post-game content. Show Falzar/Gregar final battle alongside Falzar/Gregar SP.
- LP Gag: For Yuika's group use their specific names for their boss fights. Mention JudgeMan as a member of The Justice Club, ElementMan as part of Cloudy Bombers, and CircusMan as the final member of Yuika's Lovelies.
Epilogue
- Include an epilogue scene from Star Force 2, showing the Lan's diary sidequest from Star Force 2. That way, the Let's Play begins and ends with a glimpse into the future of Star Force. Conclude this with the picture of Geo and his friends from the 100% Ending.
- Star Force 2 OST Links: Familiar Indoors (Big Wave), Home Town, Wave World, Wave Square, Ride On, Wilshire Hills, Grizzly Peak Resort, Mess Village, Lake Investigation, Whazzap Village, Farewell -Arrange- (Lan's diary + final letter)
- Note: Whazzap is called Nanska in Japanese, a play on the Nazca Lines, which the area is based on, and the Japanese phrase "nandesuka" ("What is it?"). The translation on that is a bit rough, but it'd be hard to keep the meaning and the pun intact, so I'll give it a pass.
Star Force 2 Dialogue
- Starting Email: A general warning from the Satella Police Dept. At present, when attempting to access external data using a Star Carrier, you may encounter some strange data. It seems to be some kind of antiquated text, and as it may have been corrupted by a virus, you are advised to be extremely cautious.
- Jan. XXth: "Today was ACDC Elementary School's class reunion. It's been quite a while since I graduated... Time really goes by so fast. Dex, who I haven't seen for a while, has been elected mayor. He has really grown into a fine young man. And I hear Yai is the president of her father's company; traveling around the world. They both have made their own marks and now it's my turn. I'm gonna become a great scientist and help all of humanity!"
- Mar. XXth: "I went to the airport to meet Chaud, who's back from a while overseas. Apparently, he's back because the government wants to recognize his service as an International Official NetBattler by presenting him with an award. But even so, he didn't show any signs of joy, saying, '...Hmph, I didn't do it for the glory. So, I'm not particularly thrilled to be receiving this." It seems like that detached side of him hasn't changed a bit.
- Jul. XXth: "ACDC Elementary is about to be renovated. They're going to make it a lot more high-tech. I am a little sad to see the old buildings go. Oh, that reminds me. Higsby's is another place I'm gonna miss. It's not that they're closing, it just looks like they're moving to a new location. They say that the new place'll be 10 stories tall, and they're gonna call it "Higsby's Chip Emporium". I definitely have to attend the opening ceremony!
- Sep. XXth: "My son Patch nagged me into finally getting him a PET. I was planning to wait until he was a little older, but my wife Mayl said he was ready for it, so I bought him one. He named the NetNavi he installed, "MegaMan Junior". Its programming is taken from the best parts of my Navi, MegaMan and Mayl's Navi, Roll. Patch was ecstatic. He's determined to be "the greatest NetBattler in the world". I wonder what he'll grow up to be...? That's the greatest thing I have to look forward to as a father."
- Nov. XXth-: "At the SciLab meeting I put forth my "Link Hypothesis" that I've been pondering for some time now. MegaMan and I used to fight together, risking our lives. Each time, there was this almost miraculous power between us that helped pulled us through. I started thinking about that power, and that's what started me on my hypothesis. I believe that despite their invisibility, bonds contain an incredible power. I think that by researching this hypothesis, the results will somehow benefit the world. Maybe not in my lifetime, but... I'd like to think that future generations will be able to use it as a springboard to create a brighter future for all!
- Concluding Email: "Thank you for finding my diary! I wrote this because I wanted to leave some kind of message to the people of the future. Well how is it in the future? I wonder if it's the kind of future we envisioned. We will work harder to make a happy future! Please take this as sign of my appreciation for you reading my diary!"
Commentary
- Strangely enough, you can't jack in until you invite Iris, Tab, and Mick.
- The coffee rewards unlock after you save Iris. The Green Area barrista also says there's a "poem" that will make you a poet, not a "program".
- As I prepare for the endgame, I do all of the jobs that I can at this point. While I appreciate the return of the Job BBS, I don't think I like the new system that gates your progress. I have to wait until ten one star requests are on the board before I can start doing anything, which is rather inconvenient.
- In a Job BBS quest, Lan and MegaMan again make enemies of the NetMafia. I hope Rikki will convince the boss to look the other way.
- A number of NPCs seem to change places after the Dr. Wily reveal. There was a team of Officials investigating the Underground that seems to be fine now, but I recall them being defeated if you return later.
- If you try to jack into the final dungeon early, MegaMan gets upset.
- Wily finally learned how to build a secret lair without decorating with skulls. Getting eaten by Alpha must've changed him.
- Lan's friends are all captured immediately, but Lan manages not to be. I presume he used the Lan Punch a few times.
- Two of Braves is a great final dungeon theme and I like the book ends of making the final dungeon be a short version of each of the dungeons you've gone through previously, much like Battle Network 1 did.
- Battle Network 4 - 6 is weird about Navis, acting as if they have irreplaceable souls. Villain Navis continually revive with no problem, though, even when they have operators like Ito who care about them. Why is it a big deal to be deleted when ElementMan remembers everything about his first loss to MegaMan? It's not like he came back with his personality changed or holes in his memory.
- How can CircusMan control evil spirits all of a sudden? And if we could just battle them normally, what was the point of the Soul Weapons? I guess it saved a little bit of time given the sheer number of them, but ehhh.
- Six games into the series, the adult operators finally realize they could just beat up Lan. And that's only after Colonel tried to stab him a few scenarios ago.
- The Navis exploded, but where did their Copybots go?
- Lan's reason for pushing his friends away makes sense this time: evacuate the town to prevent the imminent explosion from harming people. Take note, Battle Network 3!
- There is some extra dialogue around town before the final battle begins since Lan's friends go back to their original spots.
- Wily makes Colonel and Iris in this timeline, with Iris again being Colonel's sister. Wily's organization also led to the existence of Zero.EXE, though these three never meet as far as the audience is aware. I wonder if there's an X.EXE and a Double.EXE fighting to the death somewhere.
- In hindsight, I'm surprised Iris isn't a boss in this game like she was in X4. Or, at least, a post-game Navi Chip ala Roll.
- I feel like Iris' remark about fish early in the game is supposed to be about her separation from Colonel. Or maybe she's talking about how she's a Navi living in the real world.
- Regal does not recognize Baryl in the last game, so I guess he was raised elsewhere separately. I guess Baryl's motivation is that he felt like he had no choice but to follow Wily’s desires, despite not agreeing with them, since he was his son.
- Falzar is more difficult to beat than Gregar given that the former is harder to discern where it is floating at times, while the latter has two hitboxes.
- The Cybeasts are overhyped to the point of feeling shilled, with the same holding somewhat true for Colonel and Iris. At the end of MegaMan Zero 4, the last game of that series, Zero has a final stand against Dr. Weil that results in him defeating him for good (until ZX) even at the risk of his life, but it's an ending that Zero brings about on his own. At the end of Battle Nework 6, MegaMan's triumphant final stand against the Cybeast ends with him... being possessed for the fourth? fifth? time and then passing out while Colonel and Iris fix everything? I would've accepted it more if, say, Lan and MegaMan went Full Synchro to beat the Cybeast of the current version, only for the other Cybeast to hop into MegaMan's body while he was tired which THEN prompted Colonel and Iris' sacrifice. As it is, Colonel and Iris defeat the other Cybeast, and then have to clean up MegaMan's inability to do so as well!
- I can't believe the Hero theme doesn't play once for Lan and MegaMan this whole game, unless you count Two of Braves.
- Battle Network 5 is not really touched upon in this game. A lot of things from it have been paved over in different ways. Souls have been replaced. Regal isn't mentioned. Dark Chips revolve around bugs now. That said, considering how the last game was about the older generation paving the way for the younger generation to make a brighter future, there is something charming about Lan managing to redeem Dr. Wily that feels like it's hearkening back to that game.
- "The explosion flattened the expo site, damaged the town, and obliterated part of the school. Dr. Wily was just fine afterwards despite being at the center of the explosion, though." Sounds about right.
- I guess Team Rocket was also caught in the explosion if they knocked themselves out by jumping off of the stairs.
- To my immense surprise, a number of characters are name-dropped at the end here, including Miyu who only showed up in one game. Higsby, Masa, Sal, Ribitta, Tamako, and Pride all had at least two appearances, even if Masa's second was a glorified cameo in 3, but Miyu was a fairly minor character. I guess the anime elevated her popularity.
- Kinda disappointed that Sean, Mamoru, and Cossak weren't mentioned in that read-off! Especially given that Tamako is! Does Capcom remember that they're relatives?!
- Everyone talks about their dreams so that they don't sound out of place in the credits in a few minutes! Chaud's is a natural extension of his job, and Lan's is reasonable given all of the crazy things he's learned about the Net and how much protecting he's done of it over these games. Dex just suddenly decides to be mayor. I guess he has always had kind of a thing about wanting to have respect and he typically did try to make himself the leader in group outings, but we never heard that particular aspiration prior. Yai and Tab also have reasonable goals, and Mick's desire to be a teacher could be considered a minor arc that occurs over the background of the game, especially considering how many scenes he has with Mr. Mach. Mayl, however, has no plans for the future beyond wanting to be Lan’s wife. Blargh, Capcom. Haruka being nothing but "Yuichiro's wife/Lan's mom" the whole series was already pretty lame, and now Mayl is going to be the same to Patch!
- Ironically, Dr. Wily, the guy who is basically the direct or indirect cause of just about every bit of terrorism in the games, winds up ending cyber-terrorism once and for all. I guess he'd know the best way to go about it.
- Dr. Wily's final plan involved using Copybots, robots that he created, which house Navis, the culmination of Tadashi's work. This seems like an incredibly sentimental thing for Wily's last caper; he never really says a bad word about Tadashi after the first game either, as I recall. I don't think Wily hates him as much as the first game made it seem, especially considering how the last game involved him and Tadashi’s ghost coming together to stop Regal from misusing their research.
- At the beginning of the game, Mayl says it'd be nice to be with Lan forever and then the epilogue reveals that they got married. It makes me wonder if she married him just to make sure he couldn't move away from her ever again!
- I wish we got to see what Patch Hikari looked like. Also, does MegaMan Jr. count as part human?
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Postgame
Personal Notes
- To change the panic music back to regular music for the post-game, do the following in mGBA: Tools Menu > Search Memory > Set the Value to 62 and search > Select value 02001b87 and open in Memory Viewer > Change 62 to 61 and close > Exit outdoors and save.
- The Count only seems to use Blood Rain in his EX and SP forms.
- Mention the Beast Link Gate content.
Commentary
- The Double Hero PA is not MegaMan and ProtoMan, but ProtoMan alongside whatever Navi you're playing. This can lead to two of ProtoMan on the field if you're using him as a Link Navi.
- Bass is sleeping in a grave for some reason. He then awakens to fight whatever Navi has approached him for disturbing his sleep. This might very well be the strangest reason for a fight with Bass, but at least it makes a fun early game challenge.
- Jack Dracky, The Hakushaku of Groundsoaking Blood appears in the Cyberworld this time around, no doubt following up on the postgame of Boktai 2. Meaning that even when he's dead, ShadeMan is still causing problems!
- I wonder why Django is still using his Boktai 1/2 sprite instead of the Boktai 3 one. Boktai 3 came out in July 2005, while Battle Network 6 released in November 2005.
- The Count mentions that the Immortal Area is full of darkness and protecting him. Is this supposed to be Black Earth? Nebula Area? It would fit the idea of the Darkloids constantly respawning, I suppose, though none are present here.
- Django uses a Solar Trap on The Count and also has his bike. As a result, this is definitely post-Boktai 3 Django.
- Fighting a real vampire alongside Django feels like a good send-off for him and Otenko. And there's even a new boss out of the deal! The Django bike + sword animation isn't as cool as the coffin with light beams, though. I also wish Pile Driver was retained as a Program Advance, possibly with Otenko's Mega Chip.
- The Crossover Battle has a remix of The Count's music from Boktai 3.
- The Graveyard Area makes me wish there were more details about it. Is it the source of Navi Ghosts? It seems like a rather interesting place, particularly with all of the graves reserved for Navis that are both living AND dead. There are even specific graves marked out for Link Navis, though that won't stop Bass SP from trying to put them in the blank grave reserved for MegaMan.
- Bass' first two fights feel somewhat impersonal since his reactions are apparently the same no matter what Navi you fight him with. Granted, Link Navis can only fight him as part of Japanese exclusive content, so perhaps Bass SP was meant to be specifically for MegaMan and just got recycled.
- Bass returns to the Graveyard and, for some reason, creates a copy of MegaMan as a Cybeast from leftover data in the area. Since when can he do that? And how? He also manages to get a portion of the alternate Cybeast, which I find more plausible. While the Cybeast tied to version is fully deleted by Colonel, the other is not and could have potentially survived in some small form, much like Gospel.
- Bass is (nearly?) deleted, begging and screaming for mercy from MegaMan. Considering that you fight both him and your Cybeast powers at the same time, I'm even inclined to believe that this is the game itself saying Lan and MegaMan teamwork defeated him, not the Cybeast's powers.
- Beast Out MegaMan SP and Bass BX both become ghost battles after they are defeated.
- I forgot that there was no ProtoMan EX fight in Battle Network 6. Chaud is just like "Alright, we did the obligatory base form fight. Let's get serious." That said, getting ProtoMan SP to appear is bizarre, since you have to finish all jobs and then check the Request BBS again after finishing the final job before he upgrades.
- ProtoMan is sadly easy in this game, possibly due to the Reflector chip. His sole attack that's annoying to avoid is Blade Dance. Otherwise, he's too straightforward in how he fights. He also has a new battle pose for this game.
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Boktai 3 - Sabata's Counterattack (Interlude)
Personal Notes
- Additional supporting information can be found here.
Commentary
- The gameplay is probably at its best in this game, as well as the enemy designs being a bit more polished, like the Hounds looking like monsters instead of just regular dogs.
- I feel like it was a misstep to sideline all of the cast from Boktai 2 like this. Lita was never really integral to the plot beforehand, but this is absolutely her smallest role yet. Zazie also takes a huge backseat after so much of the previous title was about her.
- The Luna lens feels a lot less useful than usual, though it has its niche uses here and there. It can destroy Pop Buds, Nidhoggr's mines, bounce around Ectoplasm in Battle Drives, and allows Beatmania/Bomber to be used for puzzles without expending energy.
- The Coffin Bike is an odd addition, but it is kind of charming in its ridiculousness and fits the Solar Gun's magic vampire hunting technology theme.
- Trance is hilariously unbalanced and will continue to be so in Lunar Knights.
- The little girl in Lifeless Town will give a doll for Django's room the first four playthroughs, and then eventually shifts to giving items like Mr. Rainnot.
- Drops in this game feel a lot more worthwhile; the Solar Trap encouraging drops to occur instead of a protector helps cut down on the gear swapping issue of the last game, and does damage at the same time.
- It's a shame that Django never got to interact with the Tree of Life or the Judge Tree considering how there's a special tree in each of his games.
- It is possible to miss the Bubbles Solar Gun if the Blackbeard Bros.' quiz is not answered perfectly.
- Four vampires team up in order to resurrect an ancient, unkillable beast in order to destroy humanity. In order to accomplish their goal, they intend to use the body of a relative of Django's in order to manipulate his powers for their end. There is also a character who introduces a prophecy spelling the destruction of the world and casts doubt on Django's ability to succeed at his quest. This is exactly the same plot as the last game.
- On that note, there's a fair bit of Boktai 1 rehashing as well. The Count is back, Sabata is brainwashed again, the Dark Castle is revisited, etc. Carmilla even pops back up, though, to be fair, her presence was felt even in Boktai 2 if you knew where to look. Still, I can't help but feel like this game's plot is a bit derivative of the previous two narratives.
- I feel like this game's plot is its weakest aspect, though the final section in Paradise makes a compelling conclusion to Sabata's journey whether he lives or dies.
- I'm kind of torn on the handling of Sabata in this game. Because he's brainwashed to be the final boss, he's offscreen a lot, which feels like a shame after his plot relevance in the last game. On the other hand, this game does finish the plot thread with Carmilla that has been building since Game 1 and even ties it into the ongoing situation he's dealing with. The ending even has Sabata using Lunar energy instead of his usual dark energy, suggesting that burning up his Dark Matter allowed him to avoid the impending death he suggested was soon off in Boktai 1 and Boktai 2.
- Trinity doesn't really seem to add anything. He's just kinda there and not terribly compelling. I don't really get why Otenko and Django consider him a friend because he doesn't really do anything to engender friendship, nor does his personality come across as magnetic enough for people to like him given he's supposed to be selfish and opportunistic like the people of his era. He's also consistently a nuisance, getting captured by vampires.
- I wish Konami had been able to recycle the concept for the Bass fight they planned for Boktai 2 here.
- Boktai 3 is strange to me. I don't enjoy the story very much, but the gameplay also has had tweaks to it that make it unpleasant to me in a lot of ways. Otenko is overbearing with the amount of tutorials he drops, the dungeons have been oversimplified and never have anything going for them other than an excessive amount of rooms, traversal being replaced by a select screen makes the world feel smaller, Solar Forging feels unrewarding until you find the ProtoMan doll, weapon durability purportedly decreases on swings now rather than from contact with enemies, the bike frames are terribly spread out with two coming on Pirate Island after the point of the game where the mandatory races are pretty much all over, other useful bike items are either gated behind high point requirements or New Game +, etc. It's a solid game and I think mechanically it is great in a lot of ways, but it's dragged down by a number of unpleasant things. It feels like an attempt was made to make the game more kid friendly, but that feels alienating to me. I wouldn't be surprised if Boktai 3 would've had divisive reception had it been released in the West.
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Final Thoughts
- Battle Network 6 is a competently written story. It knows what it wants to do, it knows how to lay the groundwork, and it knows how to execute its moments. I would dare-say it's the best structured plot in the series. That said, it does have its shortcomings.
- This and Battle Network 3 both have the issue of being story focused entries long after the characters are established, so there's little room to do much with the main characters. Battle Network 3 tried to do a little with Dex and Chaud, but this game doesn't even do that much.
- The story clings to its mysteries (Iris, motivations of certain characters like Baryl and Mach, etc.) so hard that they can lose impact later on. For example, it's pretty much beaten over your head that something is special about Iris for a good chunk of the game, and Wily basically says "Boy, I sure hope Iris comes back soon." during the scenario before the reveal happens, so her being a Navi isn't quite as punchy as it could have been.
- Battle Network (and Star Force) would both benefit heavily from letting their characters actually exist in the story and be themselves instead of keeping them secret for twists. The most realized main villain in Star Force is King, because while he's a one note villain, he doesn't dump his life story and change his world views within the span of a final boss fight. His one-dimensional nature also serves to enhance the actual sympathetic villains of that game's story, even if they're not perfectly handled either since they do motive dump during that game's final act much like other MegaMan RPG villains.
- Compared to the human characters having a lot of presence, Navis feel much more absent. While they have the same amount of general presence as you'd expect in their scenarios, their lack of screen time is more apparent in the second half of BN6, which feels more noticeable due to the villains not simply fading from the plot until the inevitable rematch. While the humans all chatter with each other, the Navis do not. BlastMan being separated from Mach allows him to feel slightly removed from that issue, but creates the new problem of the players only knowing he's Mach's Navi because people say so. Even Colonel manages to be overshadowed by Baryl despite the twist with him and Iris. Of all of the Navis, CircusMan manages to come out the best, having a recurring antagonistic presence alongside Yuika.
- Compared to BN5, Link Navis are lacking in a lot of the features that made alternate playable characters great.
- In DS 5, alternate party members are attached to MegaMan in the form of a party. Even if you don't directly play as a team member, they can provide cover fire in battle or support effects that bolster MegaMan. Additionally, they have their own customizers that can improve them as well as combination attacks that makes having them around worthwhile. None of these features are in 6, making the usage of Link Navis feel like less of an engaging choice.
- In GBA 5, you only play as your team members in Liberation Missions, which means that each of them were assigned a role (defense, offense, scouting, etc.). Link Navis, meanwhile, seem more like a random assortment of Navis without any focus; Falzar version has three Link Navis with SuperArmor back to back while Gregar doesn't even get one? Additionally, the low HP of the Link Navis makes running from or avoiding battles with them much more tedious, limiting my desire to play as them.
- Additionally, gating Link Navi content behind the Beast Link Gate hampers the potential in-game development of Link Navis by making it so that you need an e-Reader to get their optimum stats, which doesn't even affect the playable versions of the characters! It feels as though the idea of Link Navis had potential, but was hampered by the desire for more money.
- Falzar version feels harder than Gregar version. Two Link Navis with Super Armor and 2000 HP, Gregar Breath is harder to dodge than Falzar Storm on Bass BX, etc.
- While the chips all feel very solid in this game, I do feel that there could have been a bit more in terms of * code chips. Water in particular feels like it could use more code variety. There are also very few varieties of Cursor chips.
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Final Character Thoughts
- Lan and MegaMan: As protagonists go, Lan and MegaMan are really something interesting. To a degree, I find MegaMan firmly in the realm of adequate most of the time. He's a nice guy who isn't afraid to be firm, and he's typically the responsible one of the pair. I find him more interesting when he has moments where he cuts loose and does something silly, like with the Humor and Chivalry programs, or where he plays up a role like in the Cybo job quest. Lan is the one that stands out to me, oddly enough. By all accounts I should dislike him because he's an idiot hero who eats a lot and gets friendship power ups, the type of shonen protagonist I'm burned out on. But somehow he manages to be so brusque and charming that I can't help but find him pleasant. Maybe it's the fact that he's just a fifth grader that makes his flaws more acceptable compared to characters like Naruto or Goku who continue to be morons into their teenage years and adulthood.
- Mayl and Roll: If there's any character(s) I can look at in the series and say "wasted potential" about, it'd have to be Mayl (and Roll). Do these two have any character arc other than "become love interests"? The original games seemed like they were trying to have something like that, with Mayl becoming licensed, getting her A-License offscreen, and participating in the N1. But, as mentioned previously, her getting an A-License was an excuse to require you to save Roll from Yumland, at which point nothing even happens with Roll. She loses the N1 earlier than anyone else in 3. She's actively excluded from the final battle of 3, and even argues in favor of her exclusion! Despite that, Battle Network 4 sees her trying to join a tournament for the purpose of, as Yai states, trying to protect herself and Lan as well rather than always relying on him. This results in Roll being kidnapped by a Normal Navi, who doesn't even want to delete her, and held hostage by Mettaurs. Even MegaMan is unimpressed after he saves her, even if he tries to be considerate about breaking it to her. Every time danger befalls anyone, it's usually Mayl or Roll. The writers clearly want her to be the emotional center of Lan's group. She's continually the one to think of Lan's feelings, to try and offer him support, to ask about his situation with his father and things of that nature. And yet, Mayl is never allowed to actually help relieve Lan of any of this burden; that's something he does on his own or with other characters. The closest she gets is at the end of 3, and at that point, Sean and Mamoru have more meaningful things to say to Lan to get him out of his funk. Worse yet, Mayl doesn't really get to have any other interactions outside of Lan's group. She's notably the only one of Lan's friends who doesn't have a BBS in any of the games, as if the writers were terrified of giving her more connections! At the end of the day, Mayl reminds me of Mary Jane in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy: she's there to look pretty and wind up with the hero. He continually rescues her, and his reward is having a pretty girlfriend down the line. It's rather uncomfortable, seeing so many scenes in the older game where she asks Lan to do errands for her and promises to cook him something nice, as if she's already preparing for her role as his housewife down the line. And isn't it rather telling that, in the epilogue where everyone is discussing their accomplishments, Dex becomes the mayor, Yai takes over her father's company, and Mayl's only mentioned accomplishments are marrying Lan and carrying his child to term?
- Dex and GutsMan: I recall Epee Em making a remark that Mick distracting the Copybots in 6 was more than Dex ever did for Lan. I'd have to respectfully disagree. When I look back at the original trilogy, I see Dex continually taking steps to try and catch up with Lan to the point where he's one of the three that Lan trusts to have his back in the most dangerous scenario in the third game. Over the course of Battle Network 3 alone, Dex saves Lan's life once and bails MegaMan out of a jam twice. Battle Network is a series that relies heavily on anime tropes, which is something I think is incredibly apparent in 4 where it uses multiple different genres in its tournament scenarios, and the rival who is perpetually behind is quite clearly Dex's role. If I had to compare Dex to a Dragon Ball character, I think I'd choose either Yamcha or Tien, the latter being due to how far he falls off in spite of his training and the former for a more direct comparison of how the plot turns him into a chew-toy. Worse is how the series continually pays lip service to Dex's old arc and acts as though he's still improving, but then gives evidence like GutsMan's considerably worse performance in 4 or ACDC being overrun with stronger viruses to show that, no, there is no growth. This is just parroting of what came before without the actual intent of doing anything further with a character the writers have no desire to use more than necessary. GutsMan is only allowed to look strong in teamwork moments. In Battle Network 3, he helps Lan defeat a mid-game boss. Come Battle Network 5, his big moment is working together with Roll and Glyde to beat the first boss of the game. In Battle Network 6? Beating up fodder. GutsMan's supposed gains from his training comes across as more insulting to the character than complimenting, a sign that he can barely keep up with threats that MegaMan is able to brush aside at the beginning of the game.
- Yai and Glyde: In the original trilogy, Yai is Lan's bratty friend who occasionally helps out with her money and eventually takes part in the N1, making it far due to her rare chips and possibly battling skills. Based on how Yai's information peddling about the Undernet is a thing that some characters mention happens often, I got the impression that she may even have picked up some of her rare chips on the Undernet, though that could be me reading too much into things. By the second trilogy, Yai is reduced to Lan's bratty friend. She provides nothing to the plot and exists purely because she existed in previous games. She has no desire to grow, she has no arcs, she has nothing. She doesn't even use her money to advance the plot anymore, her sole contribution to 4 - 6's story being introducing Oran Island before immediately falling back into the role of "Aahh, I'm in danger!". As badly as Dex and Mayl were treated in the second trilogy, I think it's rather telling that Battle Network 4 threw them both a small bone with the tournament scenarios and GutsMan even showing up to try and help fight LaserMan in Red Sun while Glyde gets nothing. He was considered so immaterial that not only does Yai never battle again after the N1, but Capcom also couldn’t even be bothered to give him a Soul or Cross despite him being the Navi of one of Lan's purported best friends. It says a lot to me that Capcom felt a character like Lilly, who spends an entire scenario drunk and trying to kill MegaMan, leaving her (let alone her Navi) barely any time to actually connect with Lan and MegaMan meaningfully, was considered worthier of imparting a friendship power-up onto Lan than a character who had been around for the entire series.
- Chaud and ProtoMan: If I have any complaint with them, they love their Dynamic Entry trope where they show up and save the day after you've already done the lion's share of legwork. I think Battle Network 6 handled it better where they cut in during situations where it feels appropriate and doesn't rob the player of agency. There's no reason that MegaMan couldn't have just shot QuickMan or BubbleMan some more, for example. I do like how Chaud gradually begins to gain more respect for Lan, though, going from looking at him with contempt to holding him to similar standards as himself since he views them as equals. He's a bit tactless and rude at times, and totally had that punch to the face coming in 5, but I can understand exactly why he's the way he is. Unfortunately, ProtoMan as a character is very... well, unmemorable. In six games, he never really grew beyond being Chaud's mouthpiece; I never got the impression he developed his own personality or sense of self separate from Chaud. He might as well be a generic Navi for all of the individuality he shows. Combat-wise, ProtoMan should've kept Sonic Boom from 3. ProtoMan shouldn't be a cakewalk I can cheese with Reflector. He should be a step below or equal to Bass in terms of difficulty once he's fully maxed out.
- Bass: Bass is a character that I feel the writers blew their load on too early. We never find out what being a Chosen One means or why he is one, we never find out what he does with the Giga Freeze (though a Japanese exclusive game suggests Serenade takes it back from him or has another chunk... somehow), and after 3 he just kind of randomly has things happen to him. Suddenly he's a statue in 4. Suddenly, he's merged with the Chaos Lord in 5. Suddenly, he's sleeping in a giant gravestone in 6. Why are these things happening? I could try and make some guesses (the result of bugs leaving his body, the logical conclusion of him seeking immense Dark Power in Black Earth, edgy teen phase, etc.), but the games themselves don't. Additionally, it's hard to really feel attached to Bass' continued rivalry with MegaMan when he never really seems to recognize MegaMan after the fight in Alpha's core. It honestly just seems like he's lashing out at random Navis, a fact that's only made more apparent by the fact that he reacts the exact same way to all of your Link Navis in 6! The only unique interaction he has with MegaMan there is going "Oh, you have a Cybeast. I want one, too!" before fucking off to get one. There's no relationship between the two of them that's made personal or meaningful. Instead, his defeat at the end of 6 is just a measuring stick to show how far MegaMan has grown from being able to barely tear his cape (NT) to being able to bring him near deletion (6). That said, Bass does work as something of a tragic figure in the Battle Network series. Continually, the games tried to push the idea of a Dark MegaMan, but I think Bass fills that role better than any Dark Soul does. In the anime, his voice actor is a woman in order to give him a young sounding voice much like MegaMan. He's basically a hurt child, who has had his most important bond severed and is trying to fill the void by making himself strong enough to never be harmed again. While Star Force used this idea a bit more blatantly with Solo, I don't think that it's coincidence that the real Bass' signature trait in the original games is having an Aura that closes him off from everyone else. Similarly, the only person who manages to get through to him and have piercing conversations that manage to touch his nerves would be the same person who manages to break said Aura in battle continually: MegaMan. Shame that him dropping his Aura entirely in later games led to no further symbolic growth of their relationship... in the games, at least. Thank goodness for manga Bass.