Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection

It's clear that a lot of effort and love went into Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection; this is a worthwhile re-release that gives you a lot of bang for your buck. While everyone will have their favorite, the Mega Man Battle Network series remained remarkably consistent throughout its whole run, due in no small part to the innovative battle system and charming storylines present in each entry. If you're a fan of Mega Man and haven't given these games a shot yet, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up immediately. Even if you're not a Rockman enthusiast, these games each offer up some inventive RPG experiences that are certainly worth your time.

Despite some poorly translated dialogue and missed opportunities for other remaster additions, Mega Man Battle Network is well worth revisiting or experiencing for the first time.

These games are unquestionably improved in this package, but while they're fine, they don't do enough to build on the games from the first collection.

Aside aside, that’s what this particular Legacy Collection is all about, to me. In a lot of ways the early Game Boy Advance years were all over the place. The rules hadn’t been established yet, and the potential was higher than ever. Anime had penetrated the mainstream, Call of Duty didn’t exist and nobody really hated Sonic the Hedgehog yet. Experiments and sequel vomiting could happen at the same time, and games were still small enough to support niche audiences of all sizes. Battle Network, especially in retrospect, feels like a poster child of that time. It’s probably a little overwhelming to dive in now, and lord knows how corny the Y2K tech jargon reads, but you can’t find a better singular piece of media that sums it all up so neatly.

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection remains true to its original releases while adding a couple of appreciated additions to clean up some of its timewasters.

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection presents a collection for the hardcore, but also with small changes that may speak to the hearts of new players who did not know this series

Mega Man Battle Network is a brand new type of adventure for Capcom’s successful blue bomber. While fans know him for his 2D run and gun hardcore antics, this new spinoff is a tactical role-playing game series. The series began way back in 2001 and garnered high praise which resulted in 6 main games and spinoffs of a spinoff.

It was great to play through the first Battle Network for the first time, and having these games available again as a whole. While I still have a GBA, I have only been able to get my hands on Battle Network 5 for it, and being an adult now, it’s hard to hold only for too long having much longer fingers. I’m glad I can sink hours upon hours into this series that I’ve always adored, but it’s even better people will be able to experience this series for the first time. These are definitely the definitive versions of these games, making it the ideal launching place for everyone else to get lost when you’re simply told “I wonder if someone can help” and you need to Google what the hell you’re supposed to be doing.

As far as retro compilations go, Legacy Collection is a fine addition to Capcom’s robust Mega Man offerings. With ten games to play through, all available additional content unlocked for them, and extras like online play available, there’s enough here to keep players busy for many, many hours. While it has been a while since the Battle Network series was wrapped up, these games remain fresh and innovative all these years later thanks to the unique battle system at its core. We strongly recommend Legacy Collection and hope that you’ll add it to your collection on Switch.

When releasing a large collection of classic games, there is a lot that can be done to make them more accessible without compromising on the original vision of the game. Unfortunately, in the case of the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, very little was done, resulting in a barebones port that highlights the aged nature of these GBA titles that will likely sour the taste buds of those accustomed to modern sensibilities.