Say hello to the yearly release of yet another Mega Man Battle Network-type game from Capcom. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Mega Man game without there being two versions of the same game, yet slightly different, either. At least there isn’t a third version, like last year.
My time with the new Star Force game was short, but for anyone that has played the series before, you pretty much know what to expect here. Read on for more info on Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian and Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Ninja after the jump.
Mega Man Star Force 2 plays out similarly to a Pokémon game. You explore towns in either the human world as the human character, or the Wave World as Mega Man. While in the Wave World, you will fall into random battles and the fighting system is based off of card battling.
The battles will take place on a three-by-five grid with various amounts of enemies. Before the fight starts and anytime during the fight when you need to, you will select two to three cards to use (bomb, blaster, shields, etc.) against your enemies. While in the battlefield, Mega Man can move to three different spots to avoid damage from enemy fire.
The funny thing about this system is that you can use the cards if you want to, but you can also just use your Mega Blaster to take out enemies. It will take longer, sure, but it’s nice and simple for people that like the simple route. However, the Mega Blaster is very bland and could get very boring to use after a short while.
Gaining new cards will depend on how you play through the game. The game will reward you with cards based on your fighting strategy. Specifics weren’t given, but one can assume that if you like to be straightforward and shoot as much as possible, you’ll get cards that upgrade your shooting system.
Cards can also be traded with your friends through the Brother Band network. Status upgrades can be shared here and stats can be viewed with friends. The friends system, or Star Carrier system, has also been upgraded. The more friends you have, the stronger Mega Man will become in the game.
Finally, it looks like the main difference between both games will be the ultimate power-up you can gain. Mega Man can transform into a Zerker, Ninja or Saurian variant, each with a unique trait to them. With the Zerker unit, which will be selectable in both versions, Mega Man gains a giant sword and has the power of lightning. With the Ninja unit, you have a giant shuriken and can move extremely fast. For the Saurian unit, you will gain the power of fire.
Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian and Zerker X Ninja will be out some time in June for $29.99 on the Nintendo DS. Also, if I may be bold here, the Zerker X Ninja version of the game will totally outsell the Zerker X Saurian version of the game five to one. You know, because Ninjas are awesome. Plus, kids don’t know what the hell a Saurian is.
