UPDATE: Yup, this was an April Fools joke… we’re not actually adding any new Navis to the Rockman EXE 4.5 translation. But if you still want to see WaveMan in action, you can watch his antics in the classic The Rockman EXE Zone mini-series MMBN6: The New Crisis on YouTube!
It’s time to unveil the winners of the MMBN 4.5 Original Navi Contest! As was announced a few months ago, we’ll be putting one original Navi in our English fan-translation of Mega Man Battle Network 4.5: Real Operation. Following what Capcom has done in the past, we asked fans to submit their best and most original Navi designs. Each of our three finalists will get a professional Navi design sketch done by our artist. Of course, the big prize here is that the winning Navi will be drawn, written, and programmed into the game and completely playable for everyone when the patch is fully complete!
You can find the final results after the jump.
First off, we want to thank everyone who participated! We’ve received a great amount of wonderful submissions and it was difficult to pick the winner. We gathered a number of new and old staff members to help us judge. Here are our top three picks out of over 70 different submissions.
Third place: GentleMan.EXE by Greigory Mason. With a soft but firm demeanor, this Navi looks like he demonstrates elegance in battle through generosity. His mysterious mask pulled the judges in, but among our finalists; as they say, nice guys finish last…
Left: The original submission, right: The redesign by our artist. Does he use that distinguished cane in battle? And what could be hidden behind the mask!?
Second place is: NuclearMan.EXE by Stoise. Definitely a strong theme; he looks powerful enough to blow away any Navi it faces, but friendly enough for you to hang out with him. An all-around strong look and a popular one among the judges, but not enough to win it all.
Left: The original submission, right: The redesign by our artist. With his massive plug arms, this guy looks ready to power an entire country!
Before we reach the Navi that will be added to the game, congratulations to our finalists! Both Greigory Mason and Stoise will also receive a special cameo in our 4.5 translation. Be sure to check the BBSes!
The winner of the Navi contest is… WaveMan.EXE by Mister.E! This original NetNavi is based on the EM beings from Mega Man Star Force. The idea seamlessly connects the Star Force and Battle Network world together. With a sleek and streamline design, WaveMan naturally fits into the world of the game. While our judges were divided on the other contestants, this one received a unanimous agreement. In fact, we liked the submitted design so much that we only made some minimal changes!
Left: The original submission, right: The updated design by our artist. How will the other Navis fare against this enigmatic new opponent…?
Congratulations to Mister.E, and we hope you all look forward to playing as WaveMan in the game! Along with being a playable Navi, WaveMan will also receive his own series of BattleChips. We’ll be showing off more of his final design and original storyline in future posts.
