The Mega Man Battle Network series is largely different from the classic series that began in the eighties and is still continuing, gameplay-wise, in the “Mega Man X” series.  Those titles were basic side-scrolling action games, but with a few recognizable twists.  Almost every game proposed eight new enemies, all of which having names ending in “Man” - such as Wood Man, Flash Man, and Cut Man.  Although the games, for the most part, featured great level design, graphics, sharp controls and excellent music, the hook was in the abilities of Mega Man.  Whenever you defeated a boss, you acquired its power.  Defeating Bubble Man, for example, would give you the option of changing your generic bullets to bubbles.  What's more is that you could use these special powers to defeat the bosses in a certain order, as each one was vulnerable to a certain weapon.

This design lends itself to the Battle Network series very well.  Defeating nearly any enemy in the game's battle system could net you a chance to replicate its powers, and bosses are no exception either.  Finding the weaknesses are your adversaries is an important strategy – and is, in fact, rather fun, too.

You play a young fellow named Lan in the year 200x (apparently, year numbering in the Mega Man universe is a little different from our own).  It seems that these days, everyone carries around a P.E.T. - this is a little device that actually carries artificial intelligence like Mega Man himself.  Like most RPGs, you'll spend about half of your time venturing around the world as Lan, running into characters, shops, and other things of interest.  What's neat is that when you encounter electronics, you can have your personal Mega Man “jack in” to them in order to conquer computer viruses and other harmful creatures that may be lurking inside.

The other half of the game is obviously the battle mode.  Mega Man Battle Network sports a unique one, too; each fight takes place on a 6x3 grid, half of which is yours to roam on and the other half being the enemy's.  You can use a variety of attacks, from your plain old blaster to a powerful sword, and assuming you're in a position to hit your foe, you'll deliver some damage.  You can power up Mega Man with chips that come in different varieties, offering weapons and armor and other unique powers.  You can even use the grid to your advantage, changing the tiles to lava, ice, sand, or even stealing them for yourself.  It takes a little getting used to, but the battles are a refreshing change of pace not only for this game, but the RPG genre as a whole.

There are other interesting facets to the battle system, too.  If you manage to hit an enemy exactly before they attack (signaled by a quick flash of color), you can enter “Full Synchro” mode.  This basically means that the next chip you use will deal out double the damage it usually does.  Another cool addition are dark chips, which become available after progressing so far into the game.  These chips offer a lot of power, but every time you use one, a single hit-point will be detracted from your maximum HP gauge.  If you use too many, you won't be able to enter “Full Synchro” mode, either.

The differences between the two versions of the game, Red Sun and Blue Moon, are minimal but notable.  When you defeat certain bosses, you gain their powers for much longer than you would by acquiring a simple chip.  There are six different powers to gain in each version.  For a first-timer, this is no big deal; Capcom will probably be receiving double the cash from Mega Man collectors, though.

The graphics in the game are rather good.  The game has a certain cartoony look to it that is entirely suiting and well-done.  Some of the characters are almost sickeningly cute, for better or worse, but most of the bosses still retain a “cool” look that is similar to the art style in the side-scrolling Mega Man series.  Environments are very detailed and colorful, and look fantastic.  Animation isn't bad, either.  All in all, this is a very nice looking game.

The sound in the game is pretty good, too, but it becomes a bit repetitive as you'll often hear the same tunes in similar areas of the game.  You're bound to find some music you like, but you'll be hearing most tunes a lot.  Sound effects make up for this, as they're quite poignant and sound good.

Overall, Mega Man Battle Network 4 is a really good game and a great addition to any Mega Man – or even RPG - fan's library.  Although it is somewhat similar to past entries of this series (as, suitably, the side-scrolling games are to each other) there are enough differences to make it worth a purchase, although having two versions of what is almost the same game is a little overkill.  Still, the innovative battles make this game worth checking out, and it doesn't hurt that the production values aren't bad, either.

Gameplay: 8.5

You'll wander the world in typical RPG fashion, but the battle system is truly unique and fun.

Graphics: 9.0

Crisp, clear, colorful and cute: the graphics in this game are good everywhere, from the environments to the characters to the animation.

Sound: 7.0

Very good, but repetitive, the audio in the game offers some great tunes that'll probably annoy you after you've heard them for the hundredth time.  Sound effects are quite good, though.

Concept: 7.0

Although it's a little similar to past entries, there are enough additions to make it feel original.  And it has a unique, innovative battle system that is leagues beyond the turn-based affair of generic RPGs.

Multiplayer: 7.5

Solid, but not particularly interesting, you can link up with a friend to battle or trade items.

Overall: 8.3

Mega Man Battle Network 4 is a very good game that may not be perfect, but is a refreshing RPG and a good addition to the Battle Network series.