Gaming Target - GameCube: Mega Man Network Transmission

Written by Jeff Milligan on June 13, 2003

Final Glimpse: And you thought 2D Mega Man was dead for consoles...

If you take a look around the gaming industry in recent times, you'll see how hard at work Capcom's production studio 4 is. With the announcement of the УCapcom 5Ф, players have 5 very slick GameCube games to look forward to from the team. However, even though production studio 4 has their hands full, the rest of Capcom's development teams have also been putting in some serious overtime. This side of Capcom has been working on yet another highly lucrative project; a project containing one of their most infamous characters; a project that returns to the roots of all that is gaming. The project is none other than Mega Man Network Transmission.

So what's the big commotion? So we get another Mega Man game, big deal. Well, actually, it is a big deal. Mega Man Network Transmission (MMNT) is something older gamers have been asking for ever since 3D games have debuted; a 2D game utilizing the graphical power of today's consoles. That's correct, MMNT is totally 2D, the system that the Mega Man series, as well as video games themselves originated with.

MMNT takes place right smack in the middle of Mega Man Battle Network and Mega Man Battle Network 2, both released for the Game Boy Advance. Once again we find Mega Man.exe as the Personal Information Terminal for a young boy named Lan. When Lan connects to the ACDC (easy boy, this game has nothing to do with Angus Young) Town network, he can transmit Mega Man.exe to battle viruses. Mega Man.exe is now after a lethal nemesis Zero Virus. Players will have to guide Mega Man in the mission to eradicate the virus, as well as gain valuable information.

In yet another move to direct MMNT back towards its roots, Capcom has decided to take out the turn-based battling from the 2 GBA Mega Man Battle Network games. For MMNT, battles will be conducted in action sequences, just as the original Mega Man games were. However, MMNT does adopt the use of silicon chips from the Mega Man Battle games. By selecting and arranging these chips, players can customize Mega Man's attacks. There are over 100 attacks Mega Man can use, so players will be able to use lots of different strategies in battle. Early chips include the V-Gunn, which allows players to attack multiple foes at once, and the Mini Bomb, which can be thrown at enemies that stand on platforms and ledges.

As was brought out, MMNT will be a 2D action game, and will be showcased with astounding cel-shaded graphics. This is an extremely bold move by Capcom, as players these days seem to disapprove of anything that isn't in full 3D (*cough* Wind Waker *cough*). However, for the older gamers out there, this is something that could bring great joy, as the wonders of 2D side-scrollers seem to be nonexistent on consoles. Characters and enemies have been drawn in a distinct comic-book style, coming to life with bold outlines and strong colors. Backgrounds have been given a wide array of looks, with scenes ranging from computer circuits and wires, to beautiful plant life shots. Background scenes have been done in 3D, which adds immensely to the overall depth of the graphics interface.