"A Successor to Battle Network?"

Visuals: 6/10 The game's anime style characters are as good as they were back in the Battle Network series. That's nothing new. The 3-D is somewhat blocky and at times makes me wish we had the 2-D graphics the Battle Network series had. The graphics aren’t horrible, but there was an expectation that it would be better than it is.

Sound: 8/10 The sound is classic the victory theme is still the same bringing back manly fond memories of lost games. The battle music does get repetitive after awhile but the music in real life is nice and somewhat soothing.

Gameplay: 5/10 The game play is the same as Starforce 1 a behind the character battling experience. While the quests and story related missions are great, the battling is lacking. After playing 2-6 of the Battle Network series then switching to Starforce, one misses the 9 panels of movement space. When facing people online the players are basically pinned to 3 spots unless they Lock-on the enemy. This leaves little room to dodge and attack. Being spoiled from Battle Network I miss areagrab, 9 panels, and other ways to move around.

Storyline: 7/10 The storyline of the game is nothing new, but why fix what isn't broken. Megaman is the once again the only person who can save the world from impending doom once again. This game once again focuses on the bond people have. The storyline gives a nice rivalry between Bonds and Loneliness, which ties the series together. The post game is somewhat lacking, however. There is still no Main Evil Antagonist in the post game leaving one to wonder "where is Bass?".

Wi-Fi:7/10 Last game there was no Wi-Fi battling which was a big disappointment. This game there is Wi-Fi and its great 80% of the time. However, after awhile one finds people who use Third Party Cheating Devices and others use Always Tribe King to gain an edge on people who chose to play fairly. When this happens, one thinks of the unfairness the online has at times.

Overall Rating: 7/10 This game, although better than the last, is still nowhere Battle Network 3 and 6. This game is still a nice game, and I suggest you buy it. However, if you want a great game of this type go buy one of the Battle Networks. A different battle system and improved graphics would make this game much better.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/08

Game Release: Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja (US, 06/24/08)