Battle Chip Challenge, no there wasn't much of a point to this and it's really really long
I don't think the Battle Network series has any truly terrible games.
Despite its fallacies, 4 wasn't horrible as a game in and of itself. It just wasn't a good Battle Network game. Considering the high quality of the rest of the series, I think 4 was just disappointing because it wasn't up to our usual somewhat spoiled standards. (I.e., this is where Capcom puts its good writers because they can take flak for Resident Evil since bad story doesn't drive away players from FPSes but god help them if they ever screwed an RPG with a Resident Evil-quality script.) Network Transmission, too, was...special. Not wonderful special, but it was a break from the main series. (Not an entirely successful one, but they did at least try the sidescroller thing with Battle Network. The system was actually pretty good; it's not Capcom's fault it was a total failure.) Network Transmission lost because it mucked with the brilliant battle system present in Battle Network.
So of course Battle Chip Challenge, which bears almost no similarity to the combat of the numbered games, must fail equally badly, yes?
Well. No.
I've read a lot of complaints about Battle Chip Challenge's system. It's mainly based on luck, the RNG can screw you over, there's no overworld, the chips can get removed from your deck, it's too easy, etc. And while each is valid to some degree, it does not detract from the fact that the game works.
It's based on luck? It's a strategy game. 90% of those have some sort of luck element. Mostly dependant on the RNG at any given point.
The RNG can screw you? That's the point. Battle Network, as a series, has a very strict, very set battlefield. Your skill determines almost entirely whether you will hit or miss. This is not normal. In most games, you can have perfectly accurate moves miss due to the RNG. Pokémon is probably one of the most well-known examples of this. It's also much more sadistic, at least in later generations, than BCC is.
There's no overworld? Well, no. Given the fact that you can choose from six different character sets to play from, plus how the game is overall set up, I don't blame them for it either.
The chips can get deleted? It's another part of the strategy. If they couldn't everyone would load the front end down with Invis chips and that'd be that. They had to be deleteable.
It's too easy? Yes and no. Certainly the early stages are ridiculously easy and can be grinded repeatedly to get cash. However, later challenges are deceptively hard. The generic Navis (this, by the way, is the only game aside from 4 and 4.5 where you can fight nondescript Navis and the only one where they give actual levels or elements to them) are gone after the A-Rank tournament. In S, X, Y, and Z plus the bonus area Hacker's Net you face entirely custom Navis and you will almost certainly lose to several of them the first time you face them. Another thing BCC does which no other game in the series had done before or has since...when you go back to the earlier areas after beating later ones, it actually penalizes your busting level for the early areas. I'm not kidding. This is brilliant. The game is actually saying 'no, you have way better stuff than them, go away.' This doesn't stop you from going back to get the cash tourney prizes and the open battle areas don't have this happen but I found this a very nice touch.
Another thing people overlook about it is that BCC has every single character to date that had appeared in Battle Network as of BN2. That may not seem like loads, especially as it used a couple backgrounds from 3, but when you consider the sheer volume of characters in the series it's quite a feat. They feature the odd person from 3 as well; Plantman, Flameman, Metalman, and Flashman, among others, are gainable Navi Chips. Actually, I believe Desertman and Bubbleman are pretty much the only ones they left out from 3. Probably due to it being difficult to put any unoperated Navi whose name is not Bass into the tournament and Desertman's sprite configuration.
In addition, BCC adds flavour to the general NPCs running around--everyone says something before and after you fight them. You can also choose as your PC two new characters in addition to 4 old ones, and here's the brilliant thing, everyone has a different story and something going for their base Navi.
I've naturally played through each (what? I love this game.) and can give the basic rundown.
1. Lan and MegaMan
Well duh.
They have the typical sort of 'whee, it's a tournament, let's enter and win!' thing going on. Feels like a normal BN game. Sort of bleh compared to the rest. MegaMan's default damages the last chip in the enemy's arsenal, which is quite useful. He also has the highest base program capacity of any starting Navi. This is important too.
2. Mayl and Roll
Again, duh.
Mayl's story is far more interesting than I initially gave it credit. Mostly because I generally dislike her. However, she has perhaps one of the more touching stories in the game (save Mary's). She's basically trying to match up to the boys, and wants badly to come up against Lan in the tournament and show she can beat him. But Lan is sick the first day and can't enter because of it. She gets help along the way, including from Lan's parent's, and Lan even shows at the S-Class to cheer her on in the 'final' match, against Chaud. Quite nice, I think. Roll's default attack heals her for 50 damage each turn regardless of whether she hits with it or not.
3. Dex and Gutsman
Yeah you saw this coming too.
Dex's story is very dull. His usual 'I want to prove I'm better than you all so my little brother won't be ashamed of me' stuff. Not done nearly as well as Mayl's. Gutsman has the lowest capacity of any Navi but the most powerful default attack. It also has the breaking property, but can't cross holes. Highest HP of the starters as well, though that really doesn't matter incredibly much after a point.
4. Mary and Ring (New characters!)
Yep.
Mary is an exchange student from Netopia staying with Yai. Her energetic Navi Ring signs her up for the tournament to get her more friends...and it works. Why can't she do so normally? Aside from being shy, Mary has a heart problem and can't exert herself, up to and including needing a pacemaker. During the course of the game, she befriends the rest of the main cast slowly, including even Chaud. (It must be said, it seems Ring has a crush on ProtoMan in several of the cutscenes, but that's par for the course with non-Roll female Navis in BN.) Her story is very well-done, and despite the name does not seem to be a jab at the Mary Sue archetype at all. Ring's default attack is Elec element even though she is not which makes her get priority over a lot of others. It also is a multiple attack, which makes a big different in Navi+ chips. It does last chip damage in addition to all that, not to mention Elec is pretty much the best element in this game. Oh, and she dodges crazily well.
5. Kai and Turboman (New characters!)
He's somewhat interesting, I guess.
Kai was on the bus from BN1 that Lan stopped from exploding. As a result, he's developed a rather severe case of hero worship regarding Lan and wants nothing more than to prove himself to 'Master Lan' in the tournament. Oh, and he really likes cars. A lot. His screen pic and sprite show him carrying a wrench everywhere. Not joking. Turboman does Fire element damage to every chip the opponent has in their turn lineup, which is good because his capacity is almost as bad as Gutsman's. Fire isn't the best element in the game, but at least it isn't as bad as Aqua.
6. Chaud and ProtoMan
I find their story best; I don't think it's bias.
Chaud initially enters the tournament on an undercover assignment from the Officials, though nothing he does can be said to be undercover and the bad guys behind it not only know he's entered but plan specifically for him to be in the finals. Along the way, though, he actually seems to start to have some fun. I have to say this game generated the most personality for both of them I've seen in the games. When you are seeing it from Chaud's point of view instead of Lan's, the reactions and interactions take on a different flavour. Eventually he even drops the pretence that he's in it as an Official, at least in the post-mission tournaments. Very fun story, and some of the things he and ProtoMan say to each other before each tournament (after Yai/Famous's tournament rundown) are quite funny. They're also the only ones who talk to each other at that point at all after the E-Class is over. ProtoMan has the second-highest chip capacity and the only sword-based default Navi attack. It has the second highest damage of any of the starters, and it can target any panel of the opponent's in use, which is ultimate luck juggling. It's also the only attack aside from Step Sword and the Kunai series which can damage a Shadow across hole panels. He has decent HP and dodging capacity too. No shield, alas, but he's got high enough skill that he can peg S-Rank dodgers like ToadMan and ShadowMan with Muramasa, one of the least accurate chips in the game, ON ICE so it's a fair trade.
It's not 'if you can get decent chips and cram them in, you'll be set.' No. The AI gets a much larger program deck than you do, meaning you have to out-strategize them without their resources. There is no one kill-all strategy, although there are quite a few very good ones that are tough to beat. It's often unproductive to put more than two of the same chip in your folder because you certainly won't need more than that and you can't edit your folder in-between battles in the same tournament (just your deck with chips from the folder) so it really makes you streamline things. Fortunately they got rid of chip codes for this, and program advances are gone because a 400-damage LifeSword would kill even the biggest opponent in two hits. Elemental weaknesses do +60% damage instead of double and certain panel types have different effects than main series. BOTH Ice and Aluminum panels add damage to Elec chips, which incidentally tend to gain elemental priority, be generally more accurate, and are the only ones that can stun the opponent out of their default attack that turn. The only other type that gets a panel-based damage boost is Fire on Wood panels, and that goes away in one blow.
Navi chips work differently. Instead of summoning the Navi to perform one hit, they take your Navi's place for that battle and thus all have their own elemental strengths and weaknesses or attributes in other ways. There's no need at any point to switch out of MegaMan, Roll, Ring, or ProtoMan, but Metalman is just a superior Gutsman so there's no reason not to switch there, and really I would get rid of Turboman the first chance you get. The only downside is the Navi Chip taking up a slot in your folder, but certain chips (such as say HubStyle) are worth it. Oh, elemental Navis add a damage boost to their type chips, so when you stack element bonus plus panel plus vs. element weakness you can rack up some major damage buffs. Minus the element bonus Ring can be particularly effective; a single Navi+20 chip can let her do 240 points of damage to an Aqua Navi on Ice/Aluminum panels. Without the +20 she still does an even 120, not shabby at all for the supposedly second-weakest Navi Chip attack.
There are no 'best' anything, though there are some strategies than are outright devastating and certainly some Navis are better than others. The biggest difference is in the elements. Elec damage packs the most punch, several chips stun, and it gets the best environments. Wood chips generally damage every chip but are outright weak; though if a Wood Navi gets a hold of one it can do some serious hurt to everything and if they miraculously hold onto the wood panels without them getting burned off they regenerate 50 HP a turn. This is easier when the panels start aluminum; any grass chip will turn those panels wood. Fire doesn't outright suck; it's got a good mix of stuff. Most chips are rather weak, there's the take-it-or-leave-it Meteor series which depending on luck can deal either incredible or piddly damage, but it does have several S-accuracy chips going for it and that whole burning wood thing. The Navis aren't bad either. Aqua is unquestionably the worst element. Aqua chips don't have a remote chance of added effects. Aside from the sword/blade, the damage is terrible. Aside from the S-series, where the damage is bad, the accuracy is sub-par. The Navis tend toward low HP and supposedly high dodges which really fail most of the time off Ice panels. They also get smacked around easily by the most powerful element in the game, which doesn't help. Aqua isn't an incredible element in the mainline games generally, but at least it's usually better than Wood. By virtue of beating the strongest element out and damaging all chips, Wood has pulled ahead considerably here. Notably, many of the earlier games had quite good Aqua chips, like the Bubbleman series. In BCC even Aqua+40 boosts don't save the poor element. The only thing it gets is ColdPunch, the only elemental breaking attack in the game, which does a mere 70 damage compared to GoldFist's 150. (Even BronzeFist, at the same capacity, does 20 more damage than it.)
I forget what I was saying. What was it? Right, Battle Chip Challenge is a good game. It's fun. It's what it tries to be, and it does it well. And even if you suck massively at the numbered games, you might just be able to beat this one.
Despite its fallacies, 4 wasn't horrible as a game in and of itself. It just wasn't a good Battle Network game. Considering the high quality of the rest of the series, I think 4 was just disappointing because it wasn't up to our usual somewhat spoiled standards. (I.e., this is where Capcom puts its good writers because they can take flak for Resident Evil since bad story doesn't drive away players from FPSes but god help them if they ever screwed an RPG with a Resident Evil-quality script.) Network Transmission, too, was...special. Not wonderful special, but it was a break from the main series. (Not an entirely successful one, but they did at least try the sidescroller thing with Battle Network. The system was actually pretty good; it's not Capcom's fault it was a total failure.) Network Transmission lost because it mucked with the brilliant battle system present in Battle Network.
So of course Battle Chip Challenge, which bears almost no similarity to the combat of the numbered games, must fail equally badly, yes?
Well. No.
I've read a lot of complaints about Battle Chip Challenge's system. It's mainly based on luck, the RNG can screw you over, there's no overworld, the chips can get removed from your deck, it's too easy, etc. And while each is valid to some degree, it does not detract from the fact that the game works.
It's based on luck? It's a strategy game. 90% of those have some sort of luck element. Mostly dependant on the RNG at any given point.
The RNG can screw you? That's the point. Battle Network, as a series, has a very strict, very set battlefield. Your skill determines almost entirely whether you will hit or miss. This is not normal. In most games, you can have perfectly accurate moves miss due to the RNG. Pokémon is probably one of the most well-known examples of this. It's also much more sadistic, at least in later generations, than BCC is.
There's no overworld? Well, no. Given the fact that you can choose from six different character sets to play from, plus how the game is overall set up, I don't blame them for it either.
The chips can get deleted? It's another part of the strategy. If they couldn't everyone would load the front end down with Invis chips and that'd be that. They had to be deleteable.
It's too easy? Yes and no. Certainly the early stages are ridiculously easy and can be grinded repeatedly to get cash. However, later challenges are deceptively hard. The generic Navis (this, by the way, is the only game aside from 4 and 4.5 where you can fight nondescript Navis and the only one where they give actual levels or elements to them) are gone after the A-Rank tournament. In S, X, Y, and Z plus the bonus area Hacker's Net you face entirely custom Navis and you will almost certainly lose to several of them the first time you face them. Another thing BCC does which no other game in the series had done before or has since...when you go back to the earlier areas after beating later ones, it actually penalizes your busting level for the early areas. I'm not kidding. This is brilliant. The game is actually saying 'no, you have way better stuff than them, go away.' This doesn't stop you from going back to get the cash tourney prizes and the open battle areas don't have this happen but I found this a very nice touch.
Another thing people overlook about it is that BCC has every single character to date that had appeared in Battle Network as of BN2. That may not seem like loads, especially as it used a couple backgrounds from 3, but when you consider the sheer volume of characters in the series it's quite a feat. They feature the odd person from 3 as well; Plantman, Flameman, Metalman, and Flashman, among others, are gainable Navi Chips. Actually, I believe Desertman and Bubbleman are pretty much the only ones they left out from 3. Probably due to it being difficult to put any unoperated Navi whose name is not Bass into the tournament and Desertman's sprite configuration.
In addition, BCC adds flavour to the general NPCs running around--everyone says something before and after you fight them. You can also choose as your PC two new characters in addition to 4 old ones, and here's the brilliant thing, everyone has a different story and something going for their base Navi.
I've naturally played through each (what? I love this game.) and can give the basic rundown.
1. Lan and MegaMan
Well duh.
They have the typical sort of 'whee, it's a tournament, let's enter and win!' thing going on. Feels like a normal BN game. Sort of bleh compared to the rest. MegaMan's default damages the last chip in the enemy's arsenal, which is quite useful. He also has the highest base program capacity of any starting Navi. This is important too.
2. Mayl and Roll
Again, duh.
Mayl's story is far more interesting than I initially gave it credit. Mostly because I generally dislike her. However, she has perhaps one of the more touching stories in the game (save Mary's). She's basically trying to match up to the boys, and wants badly to come up against Lan in the tournament and show she can beat him. But Lan is sick the first day and can't enter because of it. She gets help along the way, including from Lan's parent's, and Lan even shows at the S-Class to cheer her on in the 'final' match, against Chaud. Quite nice, I think. Roll's default attack heals her for 50 damage each turn regardless of whether she hits with it or not.
3. Dex and Gutsman
Yeah you saw this coming too.
Dex's story is very dull. His usual 'I want to prove I'm better than you all so my little brother won't be ashamed of me' stuff. Not done nearly as well as Mayl's. Gutsman has the lowest capacity of any Navi but the most powerful default attack. It also has the breaking property, but can't cross holes. Highest HP of the starters as well, though that really doesn't matter incredibly much after a point.
4. Mary and Ring (New characters!)
Yep.
Mary is an exchange student from Netopia staying with Yai. Her energetic Navi Ring signs her up for the tournament to get her more friends...and it works. Why can't she do so normally? Aside from being shy, Mary has a heart problem and can't exert herself, up to and including needing a pacemaker. During the course of the game, she befriends the rest of the main cast slowly, including even Chaud. (It must be said, it seems Ring has a crush on ProtoMan in several of the cutscenes, but that's par for the course with non-Roll female Navis in BN.) Her story is very well-done, and despite the name does not seem to be a jab at the Mary Sue archetype at all. Ring's default attack is Elec element even though she is not which makes her get priority over a lot of others. It also is a multiple attack, which makes a big different in Navi+ chips. It does last chip damage in addition to all that, not to mention Elec is pretty much the best element in this game. Oh, and she dodges crazily well.
5. Kai and Turboman (New characters!)
He's somewhat interesting, I guess.
Kai was on the bus from BN1 that Lan stopped from exploding. As a result, he's developed a rather severe case of hero worship regarding Lan and wants nothing more than to prove himself to 'Master Lan' in the tournament. Oh, and he really likes cars. A lot. His screen pic and sprite show him carrying a wrench everywhere. Not joking. Turboman does Fire element damage to every chip the opponent has in their turn lineup, which is good because his capacity is almost as bad as Gutsman's. Fire isn't the best element in the game, but at least it isn't as bad as Aqua.
6. Chaud and ProtoMan
I find their story best; I don't think it's bias.
Chaud initially enters the tournament on an undercover assignment from the Officials, though nothing he does can be said to be undercover and the bad guys behind it not only know he's entered but plan specifically for him to be in the finals. Along the way, though, he actually seems to start to have some fun. I have to say this game generated the most personality for both of them I've seen in the games. When you are seeing it from Chaud's point of view instead of Lan's, the reactions and interactions take on a different flavour. Eventually he even drops the pretence that he's in it as an Official, at least in the post-mission tournaments. Very fun story, and some of the things he and ProtoMan say to each other before each tournament (after Yai/Famous's tournament rundown) are quite funny. They're also the only ones who talk to each other at that point at all after the E-Class is over. ProtoMan has the second-highest chip capacity and the only sword-based default Navi attack. It has the second highest damage of any of the starters, and it can target any panel of the opponent's in use, which is ultimate luck juggling. It's also the only attack aside from Step Sword and the Kunai series which can damage a Shadow across hole panels. He has decent HP and dodging capacity too. No shield, alas, but he's got high enough skill that he can peg S-Rank dodgers like ToadMan and ShadowMan with Muramasa, one of the least accurate chips in the game, ON ICE so it's a fair trade.
It's not 'if you can get decent chips and cram them in, you'll be set.' No. The AI gets a much larger program deck than you do, meaning you have to out-strategize them without their resources. There is no one kill-all strategy, although there are quite a few very good ones that are tough to beat. It's often unproductive to put more than two of the same chip in your folder because you certainly won't need more than that and you can't edit your folder in-between battles in the same tournament (just your deck with chips from the folder) so it really makes you streamline things. Fortunately they got rid of chip codes for this, and program advances are gone because a 400-damage LifeSword would kill even the biggest opponent in two hits. Elemental weaknesses do +60% damage instead of double and certain panel types have different effects than main series. BOTH Ice and Aluminum panels add damage to Elec chips, which incidentally tend to gain elemental priority, be generally more accurate, and are the only ones that can stun the opponent out of their default attack that turn. The only other type that gets a panel-based damage boost is Fire on Wood panels, and that goes away in one blow.
Navi chips work differently. Instead of summoning the Navi to perform one hit, they take your Navi's place for that battle and thus all have their own elemental strengths and weaknesses or attributes in other ways. There's no need at any point to switch out of MegaMan, Roll, Ring, or ProtoMan, but Metalman is just a superior Gutsman so there's no reason not to switch there, and really I would get rid of Turboman the first chance you get. The only downside is the Navi Chip taking up a slot in your folder, but certain chips (such as say HubStyle) are worth it. Oh, elemental Navis add a damage boost to their type chips, so when you stack element bonus plus panel plus vs. element weakness you can rack up some major damage buffs. Minus the element bonus Ring can be particularly effective; a single Navi+20 chip can let her do 240 points of damage to an Aqua Navi on Ice/Aluminum panels. Without the +20 she still does an even 120, not shabby at all for the supposedly second-weakest Navi Chip attack.
There are no 'best' anything, though there are some strategies than are outright devastating and certainly some Navis are better than others. The biggest difference is in the elements. Elec damage packs the most punch, several chips stun, and it gets the best environments. Wood chips generally damage every chip but are outright weak; though if a Wood Navi gets a hold of one it can do some serious hurt to everything and if they miraculously hold onto the wood panels without them getting burned off they regenerate 50 HP a turn. This is easier when the panels start aluminum; any grass chip will turn those panels wood. Fire doesn't outright suck; it's got a good mix of stuff. Most chips are rather weak, there's the take-it-or-leave-it Meteor series which depending on luck can deal either incredible or piddly damage, but it does have several S-accuracy chips going for it and that whole burning wood thing. The Navis aren't bad either. Aqua is unquestionably the worst element. Aqua chips don't have a remote chance of added effects. Aside from the sword/blade, the damage is terrible. Aside from the S-series, where the damage is bad, the accuracy is sub-par. The Navis tend toward low HP and supposedly high dodges which really fail most of the time off Ice panels. They also get smacked around easily by the most powerful element in the game, which doesn't help. Aqua isn't an incredible element in the mainline games generally, but at least it's usually better than Wood. By virtue of beating the strongest element out and damaging all chips, Wood has pulled ahead considerably here. Notably, many of the earlier games had quite good Aqua chips, like the Bubbleman series. In BCC even Aqua+40 boosts don't save the poor element. The only thing it gets is ColdPunch, the only elemental breaking attack in the game, which does a mere 70 damage compared to GoldFist's 150. (Even BronzeFist, at the same capacity, does 20 more damage than it.)
I forget what I was saying. What was it? Right, Battle Chip Challenge is a good game. It's fun. It's what it tries to be, and it does it well. And even if you suck massively at the numbered games, you might just be able to beat this one.