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Author: Prof. 9

New TeamBN speedrun marathon incoming

Prof. 9

Resident speedrunning group TeamBN is starting the year off strong with a new, just-announced bi-annual Mega Man Battle Network/Star Force marathon!

This year’s TeamBN Winter Festival will kick off on January 26th of the new year and will run throughout the weekend. The marathon includes every numbered Mega Man Battle Network and Star Force game in the series, as well as most spin-offs, some played in surprising new ways!

In addition, a number of fangames and MMBN-inspired indie games will be showcased including Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X, Shanghai EXE: Genso Network, Tri Wing, EndCycle VS and One Step From Eden, as well as newcomer Aether After. If tabletop games are more your thing, don’t miss the one-shot showcase of NetBattlers, either.

The Winter Festival will be livestreamed on TeamBN’s Twitch channel, and you can view the full schedule, adjusted to your timezone, right here.

Shanghai EXE: Genso Network development cancelled

Prof. 9 1 Comment

Sad news: it looks like production of Shanghai EXE: Genso Network, a notable Mega Man Battle Network + Touhou crossover fan game, has been cancelled. Koki, the game’s lead developer, posted a notice on his blog today stating that development can no longer continue for “unavoidable reasons”, and there are no plans to release the game in any form in the future.

For those not in the know, Shanghai EXE: Genso Network was a highly regarded Japanese indie game based on the Mega Man Battle Network gameplay and setting, but featuring an original story with mostly characters from the Touhou series. The game had been featured in a few TeamBN marathons and was expected to wrap up development sometime in 2019.

Koki has not shared the reason for the game’s cancellation at this point. It should be noted that Shanghai had a fundraiser running through Ci-en (a sort of Japanese Patreon), with supporters receiving early access to new demo versions, and there had been plans for a commercial release. As such, it’s always possible that disagreements over rights or funding led to the game’s untimely end. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be able to confirm the reasons for the time being.

Though this is the end of the road for Shanghai, Koki plans to continue to release original games on Steam; currently in the works is a Unity-based action game. In addition, Koki intends to release the remainder of the game’s planned story in some other form in the future.

At the time of writing, download links for the latest publicly released version of Shanghai EXE are still up, so if you want to see what the game is all about, make sure to grab the download before it’s too late!

Rockman EXE: Operate Shooting Star demo version translated

Prof. 9 1 Comment

Hot on the heels of our recent full English translation of Rockman EXE: Operate Shooting Star, today The Rockman EXE Zone is releasing a translation of that game’s demo version! The Rockman EXE OSS demo had an original mini-scenario featuring Mr. Famous, who does not appear in the full game. Mega Man Star Force also makes his first appearance.

This was playable at Tokyo Game Show 2009 and was later also released for download via Nintendo Channel – both versions actually have some pretty major differences! Now you, too, can get to enjoy this 9 year old appetizer with translated videos of the whole demo, as well as patches you can use to try the demo out for yourself.

For more info and downloads, see the project’s topic on The Rockman EXE Zone Forums!

Thanks to giver336 for recording the TGS demo version differences!

Fan-made MMBN tabletop RPG “NetBattlers” released

Prof. 9

Fancy a bit of tabletop dice rolling action and wish there was something a little more MMBN-themed to play? Look no further than NetBattlers, a fan-made MMBN tabletop RPG that has just been released by TREZ user Shaleblade.

NetBattlers is a tabletop roleplaying game meant to emulate the experience the Mega Man Battle Network series. NetBattlers seeks to create a rules-light, narrative-first gateway to roleplaying in MMBN’s world. Instead of emulating the nuts and bolts of the games, NetBattlers focuses on creating concise, flexible rules and letting players focus on the fantasy first.

The extensive 64-page rulebook contains all you need in order to run an MMBN campaign. The game is currently in public beta and development is ongoing, with Program Advances, NaviChips and more planned to be added in future versions.

For more info and downloads, check out Shaleblade’s post on TREZ Forums! And to stay up to date with the game’s development, stop by the game’s official Discord server.

First demo for One Step From Eden released

Prof. 9 1 Comment

Good news if you’re hungry for more Battle Network-style games! Developer Thomas Moon Kang has just released the first playable demo for his MMBN-inspired indie game One Step From Eden, featuring a mish-mash of Battle Network combat and roguelike elements. If you’re new to the game, you can watch the game’s recent presentation at TeamBN Summer Showcase 2018 right here, or watch the demo release trailer below.

The official game description:

One Step From Eden is a deckbuilding roguelike set in a bleak post-war world with one shining beacon of hope, Eden. The game is centered around relentless real-time grid combat. Cast powerful spells on the fly, battle evolving enemies, find game-changing artifacts, make friends or make enemies, just make it to Eden.

Grab the demo, for Windows PC, from the game’s official website at www.onestepfromeden.com. The full game is currently scheduled to be released in Q3 2019 and will be playable on PC and Mac. You can also follow the game’s development on its dev blog, Twitter, Facebook and Discord.

Download demo: https://www.onestepfromeden.com/

New update for EndCycle, adds modding support

Prof. 9

12B3 Games have just released a new update for their Mega Man Battle Network-inspired indie game, EndCycle. This update brings modding support to the table; now you can put in your own characters, text, music and even attacks! With some effort, you might even be able to turn the game into a full-fledged Mega Man Battle Network game.

If you’re new to EndCycle, catch up with the game’s development by viewing the game’s presentation during TeamBN Winter Festival 2017. Visual and audio mods that don’t affect gameplay can also be used with the game’s online PvP mode.

For a tutorial on how to get started modding EndCycle, watch 12B3’s video below. The game will auto-update the next time you start it, if you’ve already installed it; otherwise, you can grab the game from the game’s itch.io page here.

TeamBN Summer Showcase 2018 happening soon!

Prof. 9

It’s almost that time again for a new speedrun and community marathon! Resident speedrunners TeamBN have just announced their new Summer Showcase 2018, taking place later this month. Tune in to see every single Battle Network and Star Force game be destroyed in record time! And you won’t have to wait long, as the marathon is set to begin on Saturday, July 21st, 2018.

As usual, there will also be some updates and showcases from fan-games, MMBN-inspired indie games and other community projects, including: the N1 Grand Prix NetBattling community, Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X, Shanghai EXE: Genso Network, Tri Wing and One Step From Eden. In addition, you can watch the ClockMan scenario unfold from the recently released Rockman EXE: Operate Shooting Star translation patch.

You’ll be able to catch the marathon live on TeamBN’s Twitch channel starting July 21st. Check the full schedule right here!

Rockman EXE: Operate Shooting Star translation now available!

Prof. 9

The wait is over! 8+ years after its original release, Japanese-only Nintendo DS title Rockman EXE: Operate Shooting Star has been fully translated into English and is now available for anyone to play. This translation was produced by various The Rockman EXE Zone members, with TREZ administrator Greiga Master heading the project.

The translation patch fully translates the game into English, including newly added text and the Mega Man Star Colosseum side game. Moreover, the original Mega Man Battle Network script has received another editing pass to fix errors and inconsistencies with later games. Some field graphics that were left in Japanese in the original game have also been localized this time around.

Head on over to the project’s topic on The Rockman EXE Zone Forums to download the patch for yourself! You’ll be able to apply this patch to a ROM that you can dump from your own Rockman EXE: Operate Shooting Star game cartridge using various tools.

Screenshots below the jump:

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Ryūsei no Rockman Sound BOX announced

Prof. 9

Capcom today announced Ryūsei no Rockman Sound BOX, a set of 3 CDs that will contain the complete soundtracks of all three Mega Man Star Force games. In addition, the BOX will feature new artwork as well as a booklet with composer comments.

This will be first time the entire soundtrack from Mega Man Star Force 3 will be available in CD quality! Previously, only a select few songs from MMSF3 were released on CD as part of the Capcom Special Selection: Ryūsei no Rockman CD.

Ryūsei no Rockman Sound BOX is set to be released on July 4, 2018 and will have a base price of ¥ 3,800 (excluding tax). Currently, set is already up for pre-order on Amazon.co.jp.

Source: Capcom

Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X – Demo 5 out now!

Prof. 9

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.

 

Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X screenshot 1 Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X screenshot 2

 

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.

 

Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X screenshot 3 Mega Man Battle Network Chrono X screenshot 4

 

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.