Arguably one of the biggest bombshells dropped by Nintendo during their June 2022 Direct was the announcement of the Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection. All 10 games from the iconic Blue Bomber spin-off series will be bundled together in one massive collection.
Fans are quite eager to relive the adventures of Lan Hikari and his companion NetNavi Megaman.EXE. However, this is also an opportunity for newcomers to dive in and experience this legendary series.
If you’ve been wondering how the six games stack up against each other, we’ve ranked all of the Megaman Battle Network games below.
#6 Megaman Battle Network 5: Team Protoman/Team Colonel
There’s a lot of debate about which is the worst BN title and that is because all of them are gems in their own right. However, for us, Megaman Battle Network 5: Team Protoman and Team Colonel are edged out by the rest of the series.
Though it corrects a lot of the issues BN4 had, including allowing for Dark Chip selection and making Soul Unison feel fun, it had a few annoyances. For one, item roulettes were just plain unfun and not rewarding. Boss quality also feels like it took a massive hit. But the most egregious issues were the annoying virus portals which were a must for acquiring new chips.
#5 Megaman Battle Network 4: Red Sun/Blue Moon
The community widely considers this the outcast of the series but it has a lot of redeemable qualities.
Almost every boss fight is highly engaging, with some being the best in the entire series. Its Light and Dark systems were also rewarding thanks to their respective mechanics. Finally, BN4 fleshed out the series’s world better than its brethren.
However, the way content was split between Red Sun and Blue Moon felt harsh, as if Capcom wanted to force us to buy both games. Its implementation of the BugFrag system also left a lot to be desired. What’s worse, the game had some serious QA issues, especially when you observe the poor translation work.
#4 Megaman Battle Network
The title that started it all. The original BN had a lot going for it but it’s ultimately overshadowed by its more mature offspring.
What makes it worth playing is its massive world, especially the dungeons which are quite sizable and encourage exploration. Its chip system was also quite janky, allowing for some crazy combos that made playing around with builds addictive.
Where it falters is its boss fights and thin endgame content. While the big bads are all nicely designed, they are easily defeated by spamming chips. Post-game also lacks any meaningful boss encounters that encourage you to go for 100%. Finally, while the wacky chip system is fun it’s also objectively bad from a design perspective.
#3 Megaman Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar/Cybeast Falzar
The final entry in the series is where Capcom got incredibly creative, which had both its high points and shortcomings.
Its biggest advantage is arguably the collective of its battle systems. The power of Standard chips being very high, combined with Beast Out and Crosses are the epitome of power fantasy. The game also had some of the best storytelling in the entire BN series.
Where it falls short is in its extremely boring endgame due to its massive areas that felt like slogs to get through. On top of that, all of that traversal led to no unique boss battles. If that wasn’t bad enough, BN6 went back to its roots in a bad way by way of its unremarkable boss fights.
#2 Megaman Battle Network 2
The follow-up to the original BN is also one of the best in the series, as it fully fleshed out its creators’ vision.
A big plus was its extremely engaging and well-designed boss fights, with some being the best of the series. BN2 also has one of the best soundtracks, particularly when entering dungeons. Finally, the game made huge leaps from its predecessor, particularly with standard chips and side quests.
The developers, though, weren’t completely ready to make this a more challenging game at this point. Depending on how much of the chip library you use, you can easily find yourself plowing through most of the game without issue. You’ll also need to do a fair bit of cheating and PvP to get the 5th star and unlock Hard Mode.
#1 Megaman Battle Network 3: Blue Version/White Version
The crown jewel of this incredible series is Megaman Battle Network 3: Blue and White Version.
The third installment had the most varied endgame content ever, including an exclusive area, complete with engaging bosses and special chips for enhancing Team and Custom styles. The story is also some of the best in the series as it cements the spin-off’s connections to the rest of the Megaman universe.
Its shortcomings are more like nitpicks by comparison. If you’re grinding for Styles, you’ll find it’s a bit of a slog. Navi customization is also not great, considering you’ll need to Google codes most of the time. Finally, BN3 changed a lot about how Serenade time trials work, ultimately making them less fun.
