Who’s the biggest icon in gaming? For many, Mario is the only answer. After all, he’s done everything from starring in countless classic titles like the controversial and endlessly meme-worthy Super Mario Sunshine and utilizing power-ups from the most unmistakable Super Mushroom to the totally obscure Pal Pill. For others, however, Capcom’s Mega Man is the only gaming legend worth a mention.
The Blue Bomber’s infamously difficult series has been confounding players with spike traps, tricky enemy spawns and devious boss battles since the original landed in 1987, but Mega Man Battle Network 5 was unique in that there were both Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions available: the Team ProtoMan and Team Colonel editions for the former handheld and Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS for the latter. What were the major differences between the GBA and DS releases? Let’s take a look.
10 ProtoMan And Colonel And Double Team, Oh My!
The first and most important difference between the GBA and DS releases is that they are, technically, entirely different games. As with Pokémon Red & Blue and respective entries in that beloved series, the two editions that launched for the GBA were subtly distinct from each other—and not so subtly where the story was concerned.
Meanwhile, Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS essentially combined the content from both into one package, making it somewhat of a definitive edition of Battle Network 5.
9 There Was No Need For Cumbersome Link Cables
Of course, the Game Boy Advance, in all its early-2000s glory, was severely lacking in the tech specs department compared to Nintendo DS. One important feature that the dual-screened wonder had over its predecessor was wireless functionality.
If you played the excellent Final Fantasy spin-off Crystal Chronicles in its original GameCube form, you’ll remember what a pain it was to link up Game Boy Advances for multiplayer. Another huge plus for Double Team DS, then, is the capacity for wireless battling!
8 A More Convenient Saving System
One of the most frequently cited advantages of gaming on handheld systems is the ability to hop in and out. To truly take advantage of this, an equally convenient method of saving the game anywhere should be implemented.
Sadly, Team ProtoMan and Team Colonel didn’t seem to get this memo, with particular NetNavis—or simply Navis—tending to be the way forward there. Luckily, Double Team DS added the ability to save once per turn, which mitigated a lot of this grief.
7 Much More Navi Customization
Speaking of those handy Navis, this feature seemed perfect for those players who like to tinker with and perfect every little aspect of their build. There was a lot of potential to this system, given the differing ways that Navis behave and their abilities. It was just a shame that the Game Boy Advance title didn’t explore that very much.
In the shift to the DS, the Navi system really was overhauled. It became possible, through the new Party Battle System, for Mega Man to fight alongside these companions, opening up an array of new combat possibilities.
6 The Tournament Mode Was Added
Nintendo is known as a family-friendly company, regardless of how brutally difficult some titles on their consoles can be, which sometimes holds them back when it comes to their tentative approach to online play, largely for the sake of keeping younger players safe. However, they’d grudgingly embraced Wi-Fi play by the time of the DS, and Double Team DS was all the better for it.
Unlike the GBA versions, this game has a tournament mode that allowed up to eight players to take turns in one-on-one matches to see who was the most powerful. This feature added a huge amount of replay value for competitive players.
5 The Soundtrack
When it comes to the “video games as art” debate, the focus is often on the presentation and visuals. This is often to the detriment of the soundtrack, which is a huge element of the experience and atmosphere of games, movies, and TV shows alike.
In the case of Battle Network 5, the DS release was given a complete remixed soundtrack. As always, opinions will differ, but the DS version’s soundtrack is arguably a vast improvement. Music has always been pivotal to the Mega Man experience—the series has brought us such iconic earworms as Snake Man’s theme from Mega Man 3—and it’s another factor that elevates the DS experience beyond its GBA counterpart for many.
4 Team ProtoMan And Team Colonel Unlock Bonuses When They’re Inserted Into The DS’s Second Cartridge Slot
Before Dark Souls became the standard against which all difficult games are measured, Mega Man perhaps had that honor. The fiendish level design of the series speaks for itself. With that in mind, then, a little extra help in a Mega Man game never goes amiss.
Thanks to the original DS’s second cartridge slot, players could insert a Game Boy Advance copy of Team ProtoMan or Team Colonel, unlocking different bonuses in Double Team DS. The Extra Folder and opposite Gigas will be transferable, as will other useful little things like new offerings in the Free Space in Higsby’s Chip Shop. This also works with other Battle Network titles—the first in the series will unlock WarFolder in DoubleTeam DS, for instance—and more obscure titles like the solar-powered vampire hunting title Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand and its sequel. A convenient little extra to give players a boost!
3 That Classic Nintendo DS Feature: The Bottom Screen Map
As open-world titles become ever more ambitious and expansive, their maps become ever harder to traverse without handy dandy fast travel options. Some players find it all too easy to get lost in games, as it is. These gamers surely appreciated the Nintendo DS’s second screen, which became the official home of the map in a whole array of different games, usually ones that couldn’t figure out what to do with that second screen.
What did this mean for Double Team DS? An all-new Map Data, which could be collected and would make journeys around the Internet that much easier for those who were struggling. Some of them could certainly be a pain to find, though.
2 Exclusive Minigames
On the subject of features that were liberally added to any Nintendo DS game worth its salt, how about a touchscreen minigame or two? Yep, Capcom had fans covered there, too.
Starting at the Queen Bohemia, fans were treated to a series of new Memory-based minigames which became available in Double Team DS, revolving around those ever-present Navis. Completing the levels rewarded the player with Party Programs, which were nice little perks including HP boosts. It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s another example of a feature that sets this edition apart.
1 It Utilized The Most Underappreciated Nintendo DS Feature Of All
At the time of its launch, Nintendo DS really was a revelation. The whole dual-screen setup made it unlike any system gamers would really have been familiar with, and touch screenplay was all but unheard of at the time, strange as that is to consider in the age of the smartphone.
One of the handheld’s most unique features was its microphone. When it was used, it was sometimes simply shoehorned in for the sake of it. Double Team DS, to its credit, at least tried to be creative with the microphone with the Voice Recovery System, which allowed gamers to cheer on Mega Man—or, more practically, simply blow on the device—to give him an item when the NetNavi is in a pinch. Interesting use of the emotion window mechanic, for sure.
![\"IT電腦補習](\"http://itteacheritfreelance.hk/test/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/logo2-2.png\"){kind=logo}
www.itsec.hk
www.itsec.vip
www.itseceu.uk
Leave a Reply