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Mega Man Star Force: I can't believe it's not Megaman Battle Network!
by RockmanHalo
Ver 1.0.
Thanks to GuardianHX and IGN.com for pictures.
Game Title: "Megaman Battle Network Sev-"I mean "Mega Man Star Force".
System: Nintendo DS Original
Let me take you back to June 13th, 2006. It was a normal day, all things considered, except for one thing; The US was graced (or DIS-graced to some) with Megaman Battle Network 6. Me and no doubt millions of people played tirelessly the next few weeks, all working towards the same, heart sinking goal; the words "MEGAMAN BATTLE NETWORK SERIES END" after beating a pleasing game but somewhat uninspired 6th "OMG HALF-OF-THE-SCREEN" BN boss.
Now, some of us know about the fan-project to continue the EXE Series, but say you didn't. If you took one look at the original EXE GBA games, then Star Force, you might be liable to say something along the lines of "Woohoo! Battle Network 7!" For all the right-and wrong reasons. Let me explain.
You start Star Force out with a dialogue scene between what looks like Lan's mom, a mechanic, and finally, a near-perfect, albeit shorter, version of Lan. Meet *cringe* Geo Stellar. That's right, Geo [hard knuckle]ing Stellar. Along with some other minor flaws, Star Force does not have the best names CoA could've chosen. The good thing is, you're allowed to change Geo's name into your own, or another one you so choose. You get these glasses called a "Visualizer" which show you the world of the Wave Road; basically Radio Waves that you can travel on. Then, your Mom bitches at you to turn on your "Transer"; which is basically like a PET, just without a Navi of any sort. (Maybe after the EXE series ended, Navi's that did homework for you were phased out...so much for the "No Child Left Behind Again" act...).
The Transer Screen (up top). Note the name of the character...ugh. So, you get explained how the Transer works by this games version of "Yai". The personality really hasn't changed, she's still a whiny, stuck up [noise crush]. Anyhow, she teaches you about Brother Banding and how to do it, etc. (Brother Banding is a major improvement in the usefulness of the DS' Wi-Fi capabilities. Through Brother Banding, you can upgrade Megaman in a limited version of the Navi Customizer from MMBN 3 and on. Also, Brother Banding has a limited E-Mail feature, along with a customizable portrait. While merely for show, it adds a nice effect that makes you want to keep the game in your DS. Brother Banding with other people also gives you the power to transform into their version's Satellite Admin, much like the Crosses from BN6.) Then Geo (or whatever you named him) goes up to think about his dad at Vista Point, and then the storyline starts. (I'll keep it short, for your sake). Omega-Xis, an Alien from the planet FM, crashes near Geo and then merges with him to stop a train from destroying Geo's town. (I know, a train. Story is not the focus in this game.)
This is where you start the battling. Traditionally, all the BN games are played on a 3X6 field, with the field shared (at start) equally. In Star Force, you are stuck in the back row while the enemies have the other part of the field, and the camera is behind Geo's back, with a 3D field.
The Battle Screen, where you'll be spending most of your time. (Strangely, it's red and not blue, like in BN games). This would be considered a glaring flaw, if it wasn't for two things. One, is that you have a new attack besides the "battle cards" and Megaman's buster. It's called a "MegaAttack", and it serves the purpose of attacking far away enemies. (Or for dodging attacks, if used that way.) By pressing down on the D-Pad, Megaman locks on to an enemy directly in front of him, or in a straight diagonal path. Depending on what battle card you have, he does a different thing everytime you execute a "MegaAttack", but will always jump in front of the enemy locked onto. I've found this method of attack to be somewhat forgiving, as often some later bosses move faster than you can lock-on to them. The other is shielding, which is a lot like the "Guard" chip from the BN series. It protects you from most attacks, and anything it doesn't is either slow, or easy to dodge. The battle cards are fairly wide-ranged, with healing, attacking, and other types of various chips. Capcom decided to go back to the fundamental 5 element set-up. Which makes strategizing against some bosses and enemies easier than previous BN games. Along with that, there is a lack of Chip Codes, which means to some that one of their favorite aspects of EXE is gone; the Program Advance. (There is hope though. A feature called "Best Combo" takes the place of the PA. By using 3 or more standard battle cards against an EX or SP boss, as long as they do 300 of damage or more, you can save that combo and turn it into a chip for later use; and to show off to friends.) The plus side is that chip selection is easier to grasp for younger players, and also adds more universal feeling to chip deck building.
I do not want to spend too much time on the Graphics of Star Force, as they do not mean much to * my * overall experience of the game. In Star Force, they get the job done, and then some. The environments are colorful, detailed on crisp, and during battle, the 3D models are detailed to as much as the DS can display.
Megaman letting loose a "Magician's Freeze" Note how beautiful the pillars of ice look. The battle cards are instantly recognizable, and the field panels flash a yellow color to indicate an attack. I have no complaints, and believe Capcom did a nice job in this department.
So, Overall...
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Story: 3.5/10
Replay: 9.5/10
Originality: 1/10
Overall: 8.4/10
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