Back in the late 80’s Capcom’s insanely popular Mega Man franchise on the N.E.S. was about the most exciting time one could have using only their thumbs.  In the early 90’s Mega Man capped off his run on Nintendo’s 8-bit system and set up shop on the Super Nintendo, where plenty of good ol’ fashioned platforming action was had with the Mega Man X series.  Now, 10 years or so later, an entertaining game starring the legendary Blue Bomber is as hard to come by as a PG-13 movie that’s worth watching.  I could go on and on about how all six of the original Mega Man games managed to rake in gleaming review scores and hundreds of thousands of units sold in America alone.  But I won’t.  The past is history, and the future a mystery.  All we can say with certainty at this junction is the “present” isn’t exactly a gift when it comes to Mega Man games.  I mean, what is this; Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge?  WTF?!  Like ripping Mega Man out of the traditional side-scrolling platform universe and sticking him in the unfamiliar territory of the Mega Man Battle Network RPGs wasn’t enough of a shell shock, now Capcom is trying to super-impose the little guy in a Yu-Gi-Oh! style experience.  What’s next, Mega Man Extreme Arm Cannon Shot Put?  But as much as I pine and whine for the good old days, I must admit that Battle Chip Challenge is strangely addicting.

Taking place in the same universe as the Battle Network series, this latest installment further establishes the network era that is now Mega Man’s new home on the GBA.  But this time around the roles of the internet savvy grade-schoolers, who control their Mega Man themed avatars in cyberspace, to destroy viruses are more heavily emphasized.  The story in Battle Chip Challenge revolves around six children who plan on competing and ultimately winning in the biggest net battle competition ever; the Battle Chip Grand Prix.  But it isn’t long before Lan and his navi Mega Man discover the evil WWW’s (a terrorist group bent on destroying cyberspace) involvement in the tournament.  It seems the only way to get to the bottom of the WWW’s nefarious plans is to enter the competition and battle through the ranks.  Predictable?  Yes.  Original?  No.  Fun?  Yes, actually!

Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge’s single player adventure mode is essentially a collection of different competitions in different locations around wherever it is that Lan and pals reside.  But you don’t actually move your character around in the game, instead you simply scroll through a series of different static images that represent different locations and select an area that you want to travel to.  In fact, the game is almost exclusively menu-driven.  As you complete different challenges you’ll earn Zenny (money), battle chips that allow you to perform new types of attacks, battle chip shops, and of course new competitions. 

If you liked the semi-turn-based strategy of combat found in the Battle Network games then there is a good chance you’ll enjoy Battle Chip Challenge’s fighting system.  Not because they are similar in terms of mechanics, but because in order to win battles in this game you’ll need to use your noggin on a pretty consistent basis.  Basically, each Net Navi has a grid that you can place battle chips on.  The first row of the grid has two slots for battle chips, the second row has three slots, and the third row has four slots.  While in battle the computer will randomly choose which slots will be used from each row.  Obviously, there is a 50% chance the computer will select a particular battle chip out of the first row, a 33% chance in the second row, and a 25% chance in the third row.  A good strategy is to place your most powerful battle chips in the first slots and your weaker chips in the third row; this will maximize the potential damage you can inflict.

Each battle chip takes up a certain amount of megabytes from your Net Navi’s memory capacity (usually dependant on the amount of damage the chip is capable of inflicting), so naturally you may have to leave some slots empty.  Some battle chips also have different elemental properties that deal varying damage depending on the elemental property of the opponent.  The different elemental properties are water, fire, electricity, and wood.  Using a fire elemental battle chip against a wood elemental enemy will deal considerably more damage.  You’ll also get a slight boost in the amount of damage you inflict if you utilize a battle chip that is of the same element as your Net Navi.  But battle chips can do more than just damage your opponent.  Some of them will restore health, create protective barriers, or minimize your chances of being hit by an enemy attack.

The player has very little interaction during combat sequences.  Once you’ve laid out your battle chips and initiated a Net Battle you are pretty much restricted to constantly tapping the A button to advance the computer-controlled move selections.  As you duke it out, your “Slot-in” meter will gradually fill up from 0% to 100%.  If you hit the L or R buttons during a battle your Net Navi will perform a special move (dependant on the battle chip you have selected for your Slot-in slot).  If your Slot-in meter is at 50% then there is a 50% chance your Slot-in attack will be successful, etc.  Hitting the B button during battle will dramatically increase the speed of the randomly selected moves.  Outside of these very minor interactions during a Net Battle, there really isn’t much to do except watch and cross your fingers.

Visually, Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge is a good-looking game, though it borrows nearly all of its graphical assets from the Battle Network games.  The various Net Navis are nicely animated and benefit from quite a bit of detail.  The character designs, too, seem well thought-out and a few of them are surprisingly creative.  But outside of an impressive segue animation before every battle and static menu screen images; there isn’t much to this game in terms of graphics.  The sound presentation is also surprisingly sparse, but when it’s there it does sound good and enhances the experience.  Music in Battle Chip Challenge is of the same style found in most of the Battle Network games, with maybe a hint of the Street Fighter II intro track.  The sound effects are almost entirely ripped straight out of the Battle Network games, though if you listen carefully you may notice a few new aural tidbits here and there.

Overall, Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge is certainly a strange take on the Mega Man franchise and I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about the whole thing.  It’s simple and oftentimes fun, but it’s also largely non-interactive and somewhat repetitive.  Fans of card games like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! will probably feel right at home.  The game also features a nifty link-up mode where you can pit your Navi against a buddy’s, so if you have a friend with the game there is some potential fun to be had there.  But when it comes down to it I just can’t help feeling somewhat indifferent about a Mega Man game that doesn’t involve running and jumping. 

Gameplay: 7.8

Once you learn what the different Battle Chips do and how to place them on your grid (which doesn’t take long) you’re pretty much set.

Graphics: 8.1
Bright, colorful, and nicely detailed.  Though the fact that the visuals are recycled from the Battle Network games is somewhat disappointing.

Sound: 7.6

Light hearted and airy.  You’d swear you were playing Battle Network if you closed your eyes.

Difficulty: Easy

It’ll take a dozen or so hours to beat the game but aside from an investment of time not much else is required to consistently progress through the game.

Concept: 6.4
A Mega Man title that plays like a card game is not my idea of a good concept, but then again I don’t much like Yu-Gi-Oh!, either.

Multiplayer: 7.1

The ability to trade Battle Chips and slug it out with your friends is kinda cool, but the multiplayer component is mostly a gimmick.

Overall: 7.4

Battle Chip Challenge plays a lot like an electronic gambling machine; hardly interactive but fun all the same.