Sunday, September 2, 2007
QuickView
Good: All-new story, fairly lengthy adventure, brother band list is a nice addition
Bad: Not that different from the Battle Network series, lackluster plot and characters, repetitive dungeon crawls and random encounters
AKA: Battle Network 7
Anyone who has stuck with the Mega Man Battle Network series surely knows how that series was running out of steam. What started off as an interesting foray into the RPG genre with a well-established and well-loved character quickly devolved into repetition and tedium with each subsequent title. When Capcom announced the Star Force series for the DS, some long-time veterans hoped for something dramatically different. Unfortunately, those fans are going to be pretty disappointed, as Star Force is essentially a rehash of the same game mechanics that were growing tiresome in the Battle Network series, with a few minor improvements for the DS.
The story follows a young hero named Geo Stellar who is able to put on special glasses that allow him to see an alternate energy world inhabited by energy beasts. He is able to merge with a special creature known as an Omega-Xi in order to explore this dimension. Capcom released three different versions of the game, and each version features a different Omega-Xi with which you merge. The story on the whole is fairly underwhelming, so don't go in expecting a narrative masterpiece.
Unfortunately, outside of this new setting, not much else has changed. Star Force is simply a glorified rehash of everything from the Battle Network series, with a few very minor differences.
The first and most obvious is the change to the battle system. This time, fights take place from behind your character's back, and your movement is limited to simply side-stepping left and right. It doesn't necessarily feel like an improvement so much as a cheap way to try and incorporate some form of 3-D gameplay into the mix. You can lock onto enemies and leap forward to use special attack cards, but even this feels more restrictive than the old formula.
The other major addition is the brother band list, sort of a glorified buddy list that allows you to trade cards with friends over the wi-fi connection, as well as using their cards in battle, and gaining special bonuses only available through the brother band list. It's an interesting feature, and one of the lone worthwhile improvements to the established formula.
In terms of longevity, the main quest is fairly lengthy, lasting upward of 30 hours, plus a few sidequests are offered here and there, further extending the playtime. That might be more time than you care to dedicate to what's basically the same game for the seventh time, but people who absolutely love the formula should be pleased.
In terms of graphics, the game doesn't look remarkably better than the Battle Network games. Exploring the world still takes place from a 2-D top-down perspective, while battles have been revamped in 3-D. It's only an adequate visual package.
Sound is also similarly average. The songs are decent, with a few familiar tunes thrown in for good measure. Sound effects, on the other hand, still sound about the same as they have for the past seven iterations.
All in all, Star Force is a pretty big letdown. Instead of revamping the tired Battle Network series, Capcom has simply tweaked it to release a barely adequate and tiresome rehash for the DS. Only the most diehard of Battle Network fans should bother checking this out.
Graphics: 6.0
Sound: 6.0
First Play: 6.0
Replay Value: 5.5
Gameplay: 5.0
Overall: 5.8
lawrence.comrade
