Part 1 of an English translation of the 2016 EXE developers’ interview from inside-games.
Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X – Demo 5 out now!
MegaDudes Productions has released Demo 5.0 of their fangame Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X! This long-awaited new demo brings a whole slew of new features, including an extra story chapter, a brand new soundtrack and, at last, online NetBattling.
Demo 5.0 completely revamps the game with fresh new graphics, music and adjustments to the story presentation. You will also get to experience chapter 3, which introduces a number of new bosses, including the fan-designed CactusMan.EXE. Chapter 3 is also where you’ll obtain the first transformation for MegaMan, namely Quick MeMENTO.
Of course, the biggest new feature on display here is the capability to battle online with other players. Demo 5.0 lets you exchange friend codes with other players and challenge them to a NetBattle over the Internet. With over 60 different BattleChips and 13 Navi Customizer programs already available in the game, and Quick MeMENTO at your disposal, you’ll be sure to have plenty of different options for building your strategy.
Head over to the Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X homepage to read the full release details and grab the download link. Can’t wait? Check out the release trailer below for an overview what’s in the new demo. You can also listen to the full new soundtrack on YouTube.
TeamBN Winter Festival 2017 recap!
TeamBN’s Winter Festival 2017 took place last week, and featured a host of new demos, showcases and presentations from the Mega Man Battle Network community. A number of MMBN fan games and MMBN-inspired indie games were on display, as well as some other projects including translations and abridged series. If you missed any of the presentations, here’s a recap of all the stuff that was shown and announced!
English version of Shanghai EXE: Genso Network released!
An English version of MMBN fangame Shanghai EXE: Genso Network has been released! The game, which is currently in development by Koki and several contributors, has been translated from Japanese to English by several members and regulars of TeamBN.
For those not in the know, Shanghai EXE: Genso Network is an MMBN fangame set in the Touhou Project universe. You play as Alice, a regular middle schooler who finds herself and her Navi Shanghai.EXE caught up in several incidents, caused by the nefarious organization ROM. Many Touhou characters make an appearance as human characters and NetNavis, but you don’t need to be familiar with the series in order to understand the story; it plays just like Mega Man Battle Network.
The game also bring some new elements to the table: two new elements, Poison and Earth, are added to the elemental cycle. The Style system in Shanghai EXE combines the Styles from Battle Network 2/3 with the Crosses from Battle Network 6, and the AddOn Manager, which replaces the Navi Customizer, lets you customize Shanghai with various programs.
The current version of the game (v0.40) runs up to Chapter 4 — roughly half of the story. You can download the game for Windows PC on the Shanghai EXE website. The game will also be shown at the TeamBN Winter Festival this weekend, with a showcase of the English translation.
Thanks to Kerreb17 for contributing to this post!
TeamBN Winter Festival 2017 coming up
This December, celebrate the Blue Bomber’s 30th anniversary in style by tuning in to a new marathon, hosted by local speedrunning group TeamBN. During the TeamBN Winter Festival 2017, once again a fair number of Battle Network games will be cleared as quickly as humanly possible, and some even as quickly as inhumanly possible.
Several MMBN fan games and MMBN-inspired indie games will also be shown off, including newcomers Card Witch, One Step From Eden and Project PET, with several developer Q&As. Additionally, TeamEXE from the ol’ MegaMan Abridged Warrior series will be making a guest appearance.
As usual, the whole thing will be live streamed right into your computer screen from TeamBN’s Twitch channel. The TeamBN Winter Festival 2017 will commence December 16th, 2017 and will run throughout the weekend.
The exact schedule is yet to be finalized, but check out all the deets in Tterraj42’s post on TREZ Forums. You can stay up-to-date by following TeamBN on Twitter.
Here’s the full list of games being played:
- Rockman EXE Operate Shooting Star
- Mega Man Battle Network 2
- Mega Man Battle Network 3
- Mega Man Battle Network 4
- Mega Man Battle Network 4.5: Real Operation
- Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS
- Mega Man Battle Network 6
- Mega Man Network Transmission
- Mega Man NT Warrior TCG
- Rockman EXE WS
- Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X
- Mega Man Battle Network 3D
- Project PET
- Shanghai EXE: Genso Network
- Tri Wing
- EndCycle
- Card Witch
- One Step From Eden
Marathon announcement
TeamBN Twitch channel
TeamBN Twitter feed
English Advanced PET II discovered after 12 years!
Takara released the Advanced PET II on June 2004 and it was a complete improvement over the original Advanced PET; introducing elements such as Cross Fusion and Double Soul, and a faster time shaking to find those darn battles. But most important of all, being to role play as Lan from Mega Man NT Warrior Axess‘s later episodes.
Much like the other Advanced P.E.T.s, the English version of the Advanced PET II was expected to come out under the hands of Mattel. A listing on Mattel‘s site had shown up calling it the DoubleSoul Personal Terminal and even set it for a 2005 release, but it never hit store shelves. Fans assumed it to be a totally cancelled product… Until 12 years later, a user named ubergeek77 stumbled upon it completely by accident! Was it stolen from a Mattel warehouse? Did it come out in a far off country without a peep? We don’t know and neither does he, but it’s good knowing this little collector’s item existed at all!
Ubergeek has posted this video giving a side-by-side comparison with the Japanese version. More close-up photos can be viewed after the skip.
We reached out to Mattel regarding this toy, but they declined to comment.
Special thanks to ubergeek77 for sharing us the photos, and MegaMasterX for additional information.
EndCycle getting online multiplayer
Remember EndCycle, the MMBN-inspired indie game by 12B3 Games? Though the Kickstarter for the project failed to meet its goal, the team has nonetheless been toiling away on the game. Today the team published a trailer featuring a brand new feature: online multiplayer!
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to try it, as 12B3 noted that the online multiplayer will be available to everyone on 1 July 2017. In addition, they will be launching a Patreon to support the game’s development.
Catch the TeamBN Summer Showcase 2017 in June
This summer, speedrunning group TeamBN will be hosting their eighth bi-annual marathon: the TeamBN Summer Showcase 2017. Tune in to see each of the Battle Network and Star Force games being completed at breakneck pace, as well as catch up on recent developments with various community events and projects.
The new marathon will start on June 16th, 2017, at 1:00 AM UTC / 6:00 PM PDT / 9:00 PM EDT / 3:00 AM CEST / 10:00 AM JST. It will run for just under 2 days. As usual, you’ll be able to catch stream on TeamBN’s Twitch channel. The marathon is still a ways off, but don’t worry — we’ll remind you once we get closer to the date.
The exact schedule is not set in stone yet, but TeamBN have revealed the list of games being played. Fan games showcased this time include MMBN Chrono X, MMBN 3D, Shanghai EXE and MMBN Project Genesis, as well as MMBN-inspired indie games Tri Wing and EndCycle. You’ll also be able to see the Battle Chip Gate, a Japan-exclusive peripheral that connects to the games, in action with demoes and runs for BN5 and BN6. Additionally, get a taste of competitive MMBN multiplayer with an N1GP Exhibition Match!
Here’s the full list of games announced; check back later for the full schedule.
- Mega Man Battle Network 1
- Mega Man Battle Network 2
- Mega Man Battle Network 3
- Mega Man Battle Network 4
- Rockman EXE 4.5: Real Operation
- Mega Man Battle Network 5 (+ Progress Chip Gate demo)
- Rockman EXE 6 (with Beast Link Gate)
- Mega Man Star Force 1
- Mega Man Star Force 2
- Mega Man Star Force 3
- Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge (+ BCC plays BCC)
- Mega Man Network Transmission
- Rockman EXE WS
- Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X (+ Q & A)
- Mega Man Battle Network 3D (+ Q & A)
- Mega Man Project Genesis (+ Q & A)
- Shanghai EXE: Genso Network
- Tri Wing (+ Q & A)
- EndCycle (+ Q & A)
- N1 Grand Prix (exhibition match)
Marathon schedule (TBD)
TeamBN Twitch channel
TeamBN Twitter feed
Kickstarter for EndCycle now live!
12B3 Games has launched a Kickstarter for their indie game, EndCycle. If you watched the last TeamBN marathon, you might’ve caught a glimpse of this game already. EndCycle is slated for Windows, Linux and macOS, and the team is looking to raise €10,000 to fund the development of the game.
The game stars Fin, your average guy whose life is upended when his peaceful hometown of Everod is invaded by the evil organization Azure Shield. To stop them, Fin will need to travel the world of Anika and seek help from the team of good guys, Crimson Force. As the battle between these two world powers rages, he finds himself caught in the middle and is forced to fight in order to reclaim his normal life.
The battle system in EndCycle should be immediately familiar to anyone who’s played Mega Man Battle Network before. Each battle takes place on a grid of panels, on which you and the enemy Noise monsters move around and try to hit each other with ranged attacks. You can equip up to 12 VOC attacks, and defeating Noise will get you stronger ones as well as level up your Noisicon, which lets you summon your own Noise buddy in battle. There’s also a local multiplayer mode planned that will let up to 4 players duke it out or fight together.
For the full details, make sure to check out the Kickstarter page for EndCycle. If you want to see more before jumping in, there is a newly updated, free demo available which features the first chapter of the game as well as local multiplayer.
EndCycle Kickstarter page
EndCycle demo download
EndCycle development blog
12B3 Games Twitter feed
Mega Man Battle Network Marathon V5.5
In two weeks, tune in to the new Mega Man Battle Network Marathon V5.5 hosted by speedrunning group TeamBN! Starting on December 17, 2016, the team will be racing through a number of Battle Network and Star Force games, some in ways that haven’t been seen before. This time also sees the inclusion of two additional games, namely Mega Man X: Command Mission, a Mega Man RPG from another mother, and Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand, a series which frequently crossed over with MMBN.
Additionally, this marathon is a great time to catch up with recent news in the (fan) game development community. Shown off in this iteration are several fan games including MMBN Chrono X, MMBN 3D, Shanghai EXE, MMBN Project Genesis and Kura5 (Boktai 3D), as well as MMBN-inspired games like the recently Kickstarted Tri Wing, and Endcycle (previously known as Voxel Generation). Some of the developers will also host a live Q&A following the demonstration!
The Mega Man Battle Network Marathon V5.5 will be hosted on TeamBN’s Twitch channel. It starts on December 17, 2016, at 11:00 AM UTC (that’s 6:00 AM PST, 3:00 AM EST and 12:00 PM CET). It will run for just over one day. The list of games played is as follows — check the schedule link below for more details!
- Mega Man Battle Network 2
- Mega Man Battle Network 3: Blue
- Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar
- Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker × Ninja
- Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge
- Mega Man Network Transmission
- Mega Man X: Command Mission
- Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand
- Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X (+ Q&A)
- Mega Man Battle Network 3D (+Q&A)
- Mega Man Battle Network Project Genesis (+ Q&A)
- Shanghai EXE: Genso Network
- Kura5: Bonds of the Undying (Boktai 3D) (+ Q&A)
- Tri Wing (+ Q&A)
- Endcycle (+ Q&A)