Part 1: The Boys Are Back

Update #1: The Boys Are Back

Welcome, everyone. I promised the translation team I would Let's Play this when they finished their work, so off we go. I got GeneralYeti back with me again, coming off our victory against BassBS. Wake up Yeti.

Hello, I'm here. And probably awake.

I linked the translation patch for this in the OP, so go grab it if you want to play along.



OperateShooting Star (OSS) saves data outside the normal game, hence this message. We're actually about to see that further in.




The boys are back, and given that this is a port-with-extra-features type of game, the developers will at least try to convey the new material as best they can.

And nothing says 'Enhanced Remake' like a fancy new animated intro. Granted, it's better than nothing, which is what BN1 had before.





Eyyy, this looks cool. Now, this Let's Play will assume you've played through Battle Network 1. I linked EPM's earlier Let's Play in the description post, so go check that out. I'll also assume you know a bit about Geo Stelar and his transformation (MegaMan), but for that, I'll make sure to try and explain anything that's too confusing.

The joke answer is, StarForce is what happened when the BN writers realized that WiFi existed.





After that intro, we're taken to the title screen. Instead of jumping right in, let's check out this "Star Colo" (Star Coliseum).



Ah, and this minigame of sorts supports DS Download Play. I honestly loved that feature.

It was a nice way to get other people involved, even if they didn't have the game. I remember hosting a bunch of Mario Kart DS races, where half of the racers were Shy Guys.

The Star Colo DS Download Play hasn't been translated. That's because it's signed, meaning your DS won't run it if was modified.




Spoilers. But that's fine, this LP is for those who mainly want to check the differences between the original Battle Network 1 and this. So, completion of this minigame earns us points.



So, Bass is the only enemy we fight in the Star Coliseum. He'll chase us down constantly. If he catches us twice, we lose. To damage him, we need to pick up bombs and place them in Bass' path to deal damage. The closer Bass is to the bomb radius, the more damage he takes.

We'll also gain points based on our deletion time, and get 1 point if we lose the minigame. These points can be redeemed in the campaign for strong BattleChips.

See, I like this! It's an interesting little game, and if you play enough you get a bonus that's not necessary to win but definitely makes things easier. It's an incentive to play with friends (even if you also get points for playing solo but shh, we don't talk about that).



Note: You can unlock Bass as a playable character, but we have to play 50 matches. We aren't going to go too deep into this minigame right now, so I'll just cover the basics.



The maze is a cool map. In fact, the music is actually StarForce 2's final boss track. I AM NOW YOPYOP

YOPYOP RISES



Bass is a cheater and can fly over the area. One bomb can deal 100-300 damage depending on radius. It's possible to combo two bombs together to deal even more damage at a time. This is semi-difficult, as you can only hold one item at a time. And yes, the bombs can damage us and take out our HP. Remember, you only have 2 HP in this.



Fantastic ability. Once you're like this, Bass loses sight of you, and you can sneak up and hit him with bombs. Note: you can still take damage from your own bombs.

There could be a yopyop behind you right now and you might not know



This is a speed up, letting us move twice as fast. Self-explanatory.



This color represents a temporary bridge. It will constantly disappear after flickering for a bit, and then reform. If you're caught on the bridge when it falls, then you lose 1 HP.



So when you get caught, you stay on the floor for a few seconds...




And spawn somewhere else. For some reason, whenever I had one HP left, Bass sped up considerably. This asshole can literally fly halfway across the map in under 5 seconds and hit me again, forcing a loss. Only way to stop this, is to have a speed up, but those are temporary! So, if that happens, and you can't damage him before you're out of speed, then you're dead. Start over.

Luck-based trash.



Eat shit, Bass. Strongest Navi, my ass.

Strong words coming from someone who just whined about how hard the game could be the screenshot before this.



And he goes down.



You can press directions on the D-pad to use different cheer effects. Useless, but it's funny.


"Also, because you beat Bass in 3 minute(s), I present to you 10 point(s) as a bonus!"

Boy, we're just rich.

We'll see the prize costs later.



Going over the other maps, we have Standard, which is exactly how it sounds. There aren't as many powerups like on Maze, but it's balanced.



This map is both a boon for its simplicity and a curse. There are removable bridges leading to the corners on the map, but that's a trap.



I actually like this map, mainly because Bass' speedups don't matter. By jumping on the wave arrows, we can get to the other sections really quickly. It evens the playing field, especially since Bass can travel over the abyss.

This map is based off of the StarForce side of this crossover. The warps on the bottom left seem more useful than the others, since it lets you choose which direction to flee.



The Triple island map is actually not bad. It's condensed enough in some parts to keep things tense, and the items on some parts aren't too spread out.

Getting stuck in the top-right might be dangerous if you're not careful, since there's no quick escapes like in the bottom-right island.



ACDC is the final map, and the simplest. Honestly, just run around on the outskirts and drop bombs.



Just a note, you can press A to do a normal attack. It won't do any damage, but it'll cause Bass to go through his hurt frames, giving you a chance to get away.



Alright, let's check out the Prologue.

Yeah, let's! I always love the condensed insanity of these stories, even as dumb as they can get

Also, fair warning, there might be minor spoilers for StarForce, mostly SF1 and only about the characters.





OK, so for this LP, I'll be mostly cutting out the bottom screen. As you just saw, a lot of times the bottom screen consists of the same imagery, or even a black screen. I'll put it up if there's something visually interesting, like maybe a map, but most other times, it's not necessary. It's a bit of extra work, but oh well.

For those of you not familiar with the SF side, Blue Boy in the top right is our resident MegaMan, Geo Stelar. The trio on the bottom right are, from left to right, Zack, Luna, and Bud. They act like Yai, Mayl, and Dex from the BN series, though it's not a one-to-one match.





Zack, you useless shit. You're back.



You know, the whole Saturday Morning Cartoon/Anime trope of one-note characters has really irked me these recent years.

Bud is a useless idiot but he is also Geo's best bud (no pun intended) and I will hear no wrong against him.





I know SSNeoMan hates Luna. Quick, someone get him in this thread!

Luna is like a normal-sized Yai. Though I think they overcompensated when they went with the princess ringlets, wow.


"computers around the world were linked as one, thanks to technology created by Dr.Hikari..."

Are they talking about Tadashi or Yuichiro? Probably Tadashi.

Lan's Dad is (was?) an internet wizard, but Tadashi was the one that started it all.




So, this is obviously post-Starforce 3. They're actually playing the WAXA theme in this scene. Do note the lack of A.C. Eos I betcha he's dead. DEAD.


"If Geo and OMega-Xis EM Wave Change... and become MegaMan, they can freely enter the Internet."

Which, y'know, doesn't really make a lot of sense. But that's not this game's fault. See, Starforce had issues with its own identity as it couldn't decide whether to go in a completely new direction, or stick with the old fans. Hence the fact that Cyber Cores are still using similar tech to 200 years past. But, it's science fantasy, so whatever.

I mean technically EM Wave Changing turns the human's body into radio waves so being able to enter the internet implies that the 'Internet' as we know it in BN is really just a cluster of radio waves.

So if the servers got out of control, the wavelengths could get likewise out of control and do weird things to the human body. They could possibly interfere with electrical signals being sent from the brain, not unlike radiation.

Basically I'm saying that BN2 isn't so far-fetched anymore.





Easy. Destroy everything, of course.

Omega-Xis is roughly the NetNavi analogue.





You know, I get the feeling they were setting up for an OSS2, of sorts. But that didn't happen.




"She"? Well, there are only 2 people who that could be, and one of them is always home doing nothing.

Oh no, is Sonia okay?

Spoilers.


"In order for you to return, you'll have no choice but to find those two in the world of 200 years ago."

"Those two"? Why would she mean Lan and MegaMan?

It's actually Yuichiro and Dr. Wily, plot twist.




Stakes are high at the start of a MegaMan RPG. Refreshing, for once.

Hey now, there was one game that started with a meteor coming to smash into the planet, that's kinda high-stakes.





Fuck y'all. I want my Starforce 4. I'd play it despite your gripes with the Battle System. Fight me.

The Battle System is serviceable if not what I was expecting from the Battle Network series. Also it's stupidly easy to break over your knee, but that could be said about the BN Chip Folder too.

But yes, seconding the call for StarForce 4.



"However, there's something I want you to be aware of. Don't interact too much with people of that era."

Let's pull a Futurama and sleep with our own grandmother. Cause all the paradoxes! DO IT

Better idea, after saving this mysterious 'her' go and kill Dr. Regal. Save us all from the stupidity of Battle Network 4.




Soooo, don't mention we're looking for the girl? That's gonna make intel-gathering...hard.

Probably more like 'Don't tell people you're from the future and also a human fused with an alien'.




Some of you in this thread would be happy about that.




Geo turns to leave in the clock portal thing.


"MegaMan... No, Geo! Make aaaaaabsolutely sure you come back!!"

Yeah, I'll guarantee that. Jokes aside, this isn't a terrible scene. There's effort in this, for sure.





Bud can actually Wave Change, but I guess the portal can only accommodate one being.

They did say it could only be used once. I wouldn't trust Bud in the past, he'd be like a bull in a china shop.





And there he goes.



Blinky's back. Striking in at the worst (best?) possible times. Some things never change, Yeti.

Hey, our buddy! The unofficial third commentator in the series. Welcome back!





Seeing this shit really makes me want to play another game now, fuck.




This is back when we just found AOL Online. What a shit time that was.

It could have been worse, he could have been dropped off into someone's MySpace page.




Well shit.




Omega-Xis may seem like a jerk, but that's honestly his way of getting Geo to act. It may not seem like it, but he feels exactly what Geo does, Omega-Xis' just more forward-thinking.

Omega is like a more brusque Megaman (the NetNavi) in that he seems to genuinely want Geo to be happy, it's just that nagging the kid is his way of doing it.


"...Yeah. I can't back down now. She must be somewhere in this time period. We have to find her so we can go home together."

Well, if EM Wave-Changers can be on the Internet, then there's only one person we're looking for.




Yep. We gotta save Sonia/Harp Note.

Oh no, my favorite recurring character! We gotta save her, Giver.



Let's do this!

Hooray!


...In the next update.