Megaman Star Force - Leo, Dragon & Pegasus

A definite improvement to the Battle Network series, with some modifications and new features.

Would you buy a new game to a series if it had been "changed"? Some people won't. If you go to the DS game boards, you'll most likely see people left and right complaining about how the stylus is annoying and how dual controls would be more convenient. 

And if you go to the Wii board, you'll see owners and non-owners of Wii's alike starting riots and pointless topics about why Wii's motion censors aren't the best control schemes. And if you go to the Site Suggestions boards, you'll spot a person or two commenting that "Change isn't good". 

Now, let us research that claim. Are these people objecting that the NES was fine and the SNES was unneeded? That our ancestors should have stuck to cave paintings and never have invented books? That the invention of the wheel was pointless compared to dragging heavy loads? Perhaps in some cases change isn't necessary or useful. But that certainly is not the case for Mega Man Star Force!

You start the game out as a young 5th grader (why is it always 5th graders these days?) who's is distraught and refuses to go to school for quite some time because his father died in an accident in space. One day, as he is star gazing, he meets Omega - Xis, Mega for short (wherever did they get that idea?) an alien from the planet FM, who is being chased by his fellows for a crime he committed. The two agree to cooperate and allow Mega to use the main character's body while Mega will, in turn, will give you information about your father. A classic, but not history. To older gamers this story may seem childish and unsatisfactory, but it is all there is, so you'll have to live with it.

What really makes the difference in Mega Man Star Force, is the new gameplay. You fuse with Mega to become "Mega Man" and protect citizens from FM-ians, and "pulse in" to electromagnetic waves to enter the "wave world", which is similar to "jacking in" to the internet in the Battle Network series. As usual, you have random encounters with viruses you must "delete" by fighting them with "battle cards", similar to "battle chips". But this is the most significant and obvious change. Instead of a 3 x 6 grid, with half of it for you to move and fight on, and vice versa for the viruses, the battle field is now a 3 x 5 grid, with only the back row for you to move left and right on while the viruses get the rest of the field. While this may seem unfair, it does not upset the balance of deleting viruses or the viruses deleting you. This time, you can use a shield that stays up for 2 seconds that can block any attack, and can be used at any time. There is also an "auto lock" feature, which lets you use a lock when using chips. While this may seem overpowering at first, later on in the game, the lock ability can be dodged. The "custom gauge" has not gone and been replaced, however. The custom gauge is a gauge, that when completely filled over a period of time, will allow you to select your battle cards. With this new battle system, they'll be no more useless cards that you can't use. The new system is also smooth, and flowing, and although it may take some time to get used to, will seem easy, and natural.

Another interesting feature of MMSF, is the ''brother band'' feature. This allows you to "band" with in-game characters, or over wi-fi to be able to use their favorite cards and use their different forms. You can delete any of you brothers, even in-game brothers, at any given time you want.

The graphics, I must say, are terrific. Battles are in 3-D, and in third-person view, and I will add, does not impede gameplay in any way. Other 3-D Mega Man games really didn't go through the loop, and this dissapointed me. The music isn't anything to marvel at, but is well-balanced. Some songs, you may find, will stick in your head, and others, to your dismay, will be annoying and so unwelcome that you may turn off your volume. The boss battle music makes your heart rush, and gives you that feeling of "I gotta run away! Oh no, he's coming at me!" and that sense of danger that keeps your toes on end. Overall, the music is well implied, and I would like to see the same in the sequel.

Replayability was sometimes a problem in past Mega Man games, but there are new features that will definitely keep you busy for some time. There are jobs you can do for citizens and bystanders that will earn you rewards, sometime the Zenny currency, or rare battle cards. Sometimes you'll go around exploring, finding new places, noticing a few fun things the makers stuck in as a reference to the past games. Of course, there is always the tedious job of collecting all the card forces, and the sense of accomplishment that makes you proud of yourself. The Brother Band system is also a fun objective that will keep you busy, going to the messages boards and saying "XX Lv XXXXX, looking for a XXXX or XXX bro". Just as a hint, I've found it's useful to have good grammar if you want people to click on your topic. Completing the story line will most likely take about 20 hours for the BN veteran, or perhaps more for the average joy who took a look at the shelves and decided to hit it.

Adding everything up, Mega Man Star Force is a definite buy, especially if you loved the BN series. If you also enjoy playing card games such as Yu-Gi-Oh or Baten Kaitos, this game is for you. But for all fans for any series or game: this game is definitely worth your while.

NAME: MEGAMAN STARFORCE - LEO, DRAGON & PEGASUS
SYSTEM: Nintendo DS