Mega Man Battle Network's main character was not only Mega Man, but a young boy named Lan. Both of them fought against a terrorist organization known as WWW (World Three) who attempted time and time again to destroy the world using computer viruses to take over the NetNavis. Another terrorist group in Battle Network 2 is introduced, it is known as Gospel, who's plan only consisted of destroying the world using their NetNavis. Many new villains and heroes were introduced, as well as the appearance of recurring old foes and friends. Characters such as ProtoMan, Zero, Roll, Bass and so on made their appearances in sequels, not to mention other old enemies such as Guts Man, but rather than an enemy it was an ally.
Mega Man Battle Network was so popular in the Game Boy Advance that it had spawned an anime series titled Mega Man NT Warrior (Japanese: Rockman EXE. ロックマン.エグゼ). The series had six games and turned out to be a success. Battle Network remains a cult classic.
Mega Man Star Force
The Star Force series took place 200 years after Battle Network, As such, Star Force deviates greatly from the standard Mega Man fare because it draws almost exclusively on elements from Battle Network, making very few references or allusions to the other Mega Man series. However, Capcom has produced Star Force as a stand-alone series, meaning players can fully enjoy the title without being familiar with the Battle Network series.
Two hundred years had passed since the Battle Network series, emphasis on internet technology has lessened, and instead, the world has become networked through use of EM waves. Though cyber worlds and NetNavis still exist in Star Force, human dependency on them has greatly decreased, and people no longer have Navi companions. Three large satellites orbiting the Earth—Pegasus, Leo, and Dragon—power the EM Wave World that exists around the Earth's atmosphere, keeping the world networked. While the EM Wave World is normally invisible to the human eye, a special piece of eye-wear called the Visualizer (possessed by the series' protagonist) allows a human to see this other world. However, like with the cyber worlds of Battle Network, EM Wave Viruses inhabit the EM Wave World, causing problems in every day life.
The main character of Star Force is Geo Stelar, a lonely 5th grader who is sad and depressed because of the disappearance of his father in space, and lives with his mother in Echo Ridge. Until one day at Vista Point, an EM Wave appeared out of the blue, and activated his Visualizer, which once belonged to his father. The EM wave was actually a resident of the extraterrestrial planet that Kelvin was studying, a species called FM-ian. He called himself Omega-Xis, also called Mega for short, and said that he was a fugitive of the planet FM, his home planet. Then, a Wave Viruses took over a train and attempted to harm the Echo Ridge town, which led to Omega-Xis helping Geo out, and they fused to form a living Wave body, known as Electromagnetic (EM for short) Wave Change. From that day he became Mega Man.
New heroes and villains were introduced in this fantastic game.
Mega Man Star Force was just as successful as Battle Network, spawning sequels, manga and even another anime. The anime was titled Shooting Star Rockman (流星のロックマン Ryūsei no Rokkuman), which only had 21 episodes.
Mega Man ZX
Mega Man ZX introduces two new characters, Vent and Aile, who lost their parents to Maverick attacks at an amusement park. They were taken in by Girouette or Giro, owner of Giro Express, a delivery service company delivering all kinds of items. In the story, whatever character selected are headed for a delivery when attacked by Mavericks and encounter Prairie, leader of the Guardians. Using the biometal, Vent/Aile become the new Mega Man X.
The ZX games has gameplay elements of Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero. People can select either Vent or Aile to play. Like in all games, except Battle Network, Legends, X7, X8, Command Mission and Star Force, the graphics are rendered in 2D sprites, where they engage enemies to finish their mission. When a player receives a Biometal, he is able to change form, gaining various abilities, such as the charge moves, or charging the player's weapon with an element of that Biometal; for example, Biometal H will charge the weapon with electricity. While in a special form, using the form-specific abilities use up weapon energy. When the player receives the other half of the Biometal, he is able to perform a different special ability. Missions are selected from a list, displayed on a computer. The player can freely explore the game world during and between missions, and they must find the specified area themselves. Computer chips can be found to complete the game database. Also, there are Life Ups which fill the health bar. These can be compared to the Heart Tanks from the Mega Man X series. Bosses all have their own individual weak points: it is where the Biometal they're using is stored. Hitting it deals more damage than the other hits, but it also decreases your ranking level at the end of the battle (ranging from one being the worst to four being the best).
The Mega Man franchise is one of Capcoms most loved and respected franchises as much as titles such as Street Fighter, Breath of Fire, Ghosts N Goblins, Resident Evil, Onimusha, and so on. Mega Man was so popular not just in video games, but it also spawned video games, toys, comic books, and even a comic book crossover with Sonic the Hedgehog just recently. The Facebook group 100,000 Strong For Bringing Back Mega Man Legends 3 led by Matthew Denman, continues the fight to bring back Mega Man, as well as this website GCGameReviews, ran by me, Giancarlos Calderon.
Next on The Rise and Fall of Capcom, Street Fighter.
God Bless and Play Hard Gamers!