Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue

At first glance, the (western-only) split versions of Battle Network 3 mark the moment when Pokemon's influence creeped into the franchise. Although Blue/White continues in the same iterative vein as before, this time Capcom delivered a much more noticeable improvement on multiple levels. Starting with the combat system, whose art of endless refinement (whether deckbuilding or strategy) is enhanced by new chips that offer better control over battle grids, defense, enemy positioning and then some. The result brought the tactical aspect into focus, whereas BN2 largely emphasized elemental skills. A similar - if more subtle process took place in the build variety, replacing power-ups with the more complex Navi Customizer; a small menu-based grid that configures stats and abilities via collectible blocks, with numerous combinations despite the strict set of rules behind their placement. Next to new features like monster raising and convenient, but less dramatic upgrades to menus and past locations is the revamped Net world - perhaps the least confusing of their quasi-mazes, while its dungeons rank among Battle Network's most original yet.

The overworld side of their program - though, didn't improve by much. Scavenger hunts and NPC searches (abundant in job quests and especially in the exhausting second half) are still just lame attempts to reach the 20-hour mark, but thankfully most scenarios here are tolerable if not entertaining.