As you dive into theMega Man Battle Networkgames thanks to the Legacy Collection, you may be wondering what order you should play in. Thanks to the simple nature of the combat, the stories,and the fantastic main hero, you could realistically jump into any game in any order.
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However, there is aloosely connected coming-of-age storyrunning throughout the series and some significant shifts in the quality of life of the gameplay across the entries. While you may play your favorites first, there really is a simple order to go in.
6Mega Man Battle Network 1
It’s the game that kicks off the whole series, so, of course, it should be played first. You’re little fifth-grader Lan Hikari, and with his new pal Mega Man, it’s your job to stop an actual terrorist group. That may sound bizarre, but it’s actually fantastic. This game has the weakest mechanics of all the games, but that’s a good thing because that means combat and exploration only got better.
It should be said that this game is a bit lackluster compared to others in the series, soit isn’t a big deal to skip over this one completely. There is a major story revelation toward the end, but it is touched on in other entries to the point that nothing is confusing if you haven’t experienced it. Additionally, this game featuresthe most unforgiving puzzlesin the series, making it prime for skipping.
5Mega Man Battle Network 2
While you should play this game second if you want to fully experience the story of the Mega Man Battle series, you could simply play this one first with zero issues. Like every other game in the series, you do geta simple but memorable tutorial, so you won’t be lost on any of the mechanics. This time around, little Lan and Mega Man have to deal with another terrorist group known as Gospel.
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The story of this game does ramp up in certain ways that are a bit ridiculous, but a fifth grader is taking on terrorists for a second time, so I’m sure you can forgive that. With massive improvements to level design and small innovations for combat, this game is a must-play in the series.
4Mega Man Battle Network 3: White Version/Blue Version
Once you begin the third game, you’ll be happy to know that you’ve begun the best game in the series. If, for whatever reason, you’re only interested in playing one of the games, this one might just be the one to play. Lan once again has to face terrorists, this time the returning WWW (the villains of the first game), but this adventure wastes no time whatsoever.
With plenty of unique areas to explore, tons of funand sometimes funny sidequests, the ability to raise viruses, and a fantastic post-game, you can sink dozens of hours into Mega Man Battle Network 3. While there are two different versions of the game, the differences are mostly minimal, so it’s worth it to go in blind and enjoy what your chosen version has to offer.
3Mega Man Battle Network 4: Blue Moon/Red Sun
For as little love as these entries into the series receive, they are still key, though admittedly minor parts of the story, so playing them fourth in line makes sense. Both versions serve asthe tournament arc of the seriesthat also reset some of the story arcs, but unfortunately, it’s not amazing. The various tournaments are broken up by a loose story, but these games do introduce the Double Soul mechanic. Unfortunately, to experience everything in each game, you have to play them three times each.
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Alternatively,you could play either of these games second if you still want to experience what every entry in the series has to offer while also getting the stinkers of the series out of the way first. This would also allow you to experience the two styles of the series right from the beginning.Both the first game and the two fourth games are fine; they just both serve as major step-backs from what would come and what had come before.
2Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel/Team Protoman
This Mega Man game actually has a bit of a dark story. The villains of this one take over the internet and even kidnap Lan’s dad. This is the simple set-up that leads into the team concept from the titles in which a team of net battlers is formed to stop the threat of Nebula. This game is a bit of a black sheep to some people because it did try something a bit different.
You’re able to play as other net navis for the first time in more strategy-based Liberation Missions. Whether you love these or not, this game does slot in perfectly into the fifth position of the series, and the fact that it did try something unique makes it a must-play to see if you fall into the group of people who loves this game or the group who doesn’t love it so much.
1Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar/Cybeast Falzar
The final game in the series didn’t do a lot to differentiate itself from the others. It changed a few minor systems, but for the most part, if you’ve played any of the other games in the series, you’ll be comfortable with this one. With that said,this game is best played last, as it actually does provide a solid ending to the story for Lan and all of his friends.
Considering this is the final game in the series, WWW andthe twisted scientist Dr. Wilyhad to return to the fold. This game centers around the Cybeasts Gregar and Falzar, which may lead you to believe it will have a familiarly simple story to the rest of the games, but surprisingly, this game pulls out all the stops to provide players with a rewarding conclusion to Lan’s adventures with Mega Man.
