Number One - Mega Man Battle Network 3: White

Probably the former.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

You probably don’t know what the Battle Network series is about. That’s fair - I don’t know many people who do. It’s a spin-off of Mega Man, in a world where humans control “NetNavis.” (Not Avatar.) In this world, the Internet is practically a tangible thing: you can “jack in” your Navi to transfer it into the ‘net where you fight viruses. There’s different areas of the Internet that can correspond with certain areas in the real world, and corresponding elements/types as well. You can also jack in to various electronic devices, usually to bust some viruses as a favor for someone else, or look for upgrades or chips. 

Ah yes, chips. “Battle Chips” to be precise. They let you pull off different attacks in battle. You can have 30 in a “folder,” which is like a deck of cards. At the start of each battle, you are able to select 5 chips at random, as well as at the start of each successive turn. However, you can only select chips with the same code - a letter like “J” or “L.” This is to, obviously, prevent you from picking all the chips and devastating your opponent without planning out your deck beforehand.

You are Lan Hikari, a strapping young teenager. Your Navi? Mega Man. Over the course of the game (and all the other games) you fight some familiar faces from the franchise like Guts Man, and some new ones. Of course, or it wouldn’t be a Mega Man spin-off, would it?

Typical “Some-guy-wants-to-take-over-the-world-and-you-the-teenage-boy-must-save-it-from-destruction-because-nobody-else-can” shenanigans ensue.

But enough about that. There’s so many other aspects that I won’t go into it any further. Check out the wiki page if you want to learn more.

Anyway, I have a bunch of memories with this game. My friend owned the other version, too, so we’d play together all the time. We’d share secrets, tips, stories, anything about the game. When the other versions came out, we got opposite versions for maximum content. We argued over which one was better.

Boy, that’s a general statement.

Huh.

You know, I can’t remember why it is, exactly, that I love the Battle Network games.

I just do.

But...

...do I need a reason?

Don’t we all have a game that, no matter what anyone might say, we just love?

Don’t we all have a game that we would defend if anyone insulted it?

Don’t we all wish they had kept making games like it?

It’s not one aspect of the game, but the game as a whole. 

It’s sad, then, that sometimes some of us walk in to a Best Buy or Game Stop, or get on Steam, and buy a game just for a certain part of it.

“It’s got really great graphics!” one might say.

“I heard the combat mechanics are awesome!” says another.

“The story’s fantastic, but the gameplay is horrible.” says the last.

I wish we could buy more games for what they are as a whole, that’s all. I’m not saying there’s not games like that out there right now, I’m just saying it’s a bit of an issue.

Why would you buy Just Cause 2? Not for the story, that’s for sure.

But I’m getting off track. Let’s wrap this up.

I got Mega Man Battle Network 4, 5, 5DS, and 6. I played 1 and 2 later.

But Battle Network 3 was where it all started, and that’s why it’s number one on the list.  

 It has awesome title music, too.

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What’s the game that means the most to you? What game do you love, while everyone else hates?