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Battle Chip Gate Homebrew released!

Prof. 9

Ever wanted to play around with Battle Network’s real-life Battle Chip Gate peripherals that were never released outside of Japan? Buying tons of expensive chips from the secondhand market is now a thing of the past, with The Rockman EXE Zone admin Greiga Master‘s brand new Battle Chip Gate Homebrew!

This nifty GBA homebrew app turns a second GBA with a flash cart into a Battle Chip Gate and is fully compatibility with both the English and Japanese versions of Mega Man Battle Network 4, 4.5, 5 and 6, as well as Mega Man Zero 3. The app also lets you build folders for easy access to your favorite chips and even slot-in Program Advance combos automatically, making it far easier to use than the real Battle Chip Gate.

Although a number of the real-life BattleChips were sold outside of Japan, the Battle Chip Gate, first introduced in Mega Man Battle Network 4, was not. This peripheral connected to your Game Boy Advance via the link port and allowed you to play a special mode named Operation Battle in Battle Network 4 and 5. This was later followed up with full-game compatibility in Rockman EXE4.5 and Battle Network 6.

The Battle Chip Gate Homebrew supports multi-player as well – it’s even possible to combine it with a real BattleChip Gate if you have one on hand. Greiga Master lists the following additional features:

  • Battle Chips are arranged by Library and can be sorted by Name, Attack, and Element
  • Can mark chips as Favorite for quick access in a dedicated tab
  • Create up to 16 Chip Folders for managing multiple themed folders or strategies
  • Favorites and folders are saved
  • When browsing Chips, switch between Send Mode to send instantly, and Sort Mode to rearrange Chips in the order you want
  • Send Navi Chips, grouped by compatible game version
  • Send Program Advance (PA) combinations automatically
  • For Battle Network 6, send Navi chips in all available levels and even view their stats before sending
  • Can do multiplayer battles with real Chip Gates or with other Chip Gate Homebrew players

Download the Battle Chip Gate Homebrew below (be sure to read the included readme.html!) and head on over to TREZ Forums to discuss the project!

DOWNLOAD v1.1

EndCycle VS adds custom game modes, including Custom Screen gameplay

Prof. 9

EndCycle VS, an MMBN-inspired game for PC and Android, has just received a big new update! The REVO Update bolts a full-featured scripting IDE right on top of the game’s modding tools, which allows you to create your own custom battle systems and game modes that completely transform the gameplay.

The REVO Update is set to go live later today on both Steam and Google Play. Along with the update, 12B3 Games are releasing a free More Modes Pack which contains a few sample game modes. This includes Operation Mode, replacing the battle system with classic Battle Network combat, complete with a Custom Screen and folder editor! Another new battle system is Turn-Based, which morphs the game into a turn-based RPG where you and the enemy alternate actions on a familiar 6-by-3 grid.

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Hero.EXE releases alpha demo

Prof. 9

If you’ve been craving more games that carry on the torch of the MMBN series, here’s another one to keep an eye on! Developers MysteryEggGames have released an alpha demo of their upcoming game Hero.EXE, a new MMBN-inspired indie game.

Unlike some of the other recent MMBN-inspired games that have come out recently, this one plays things a little closer to the original games. In Hero.EXE you choose a personal A.V.A.: a digital assistant capable of exploring Server Worlds. However, Glitches are abound in the digital world and your task is to erase them. Battles consist of two phases: a Compile Phase where you draw codes from your deck and choose which ones to use — similar to the Custom Screen in MMBN. Once you’ve chosen your codes, the GO Phase begins: you control your A.V.A. directly and use your chosen attacks on a familiar 6-by-3 grid.

The game mixes up the formula by adding (fully voice acted!) visual novel scenes with branching dialogue. Pick your responses carefully as they’ll affect the bond between you and your A.V.A.; forming a strong relationship is key to fighting more effectively.

The demo is available for Windows PC, and you can download it over on GameJolt. You can also leave feedback in the MysteryEggGames Discord server, as well follow the Hero.EXE Twitter feed to keep up-to-date with news about the game.

Links: Download, Twitter, Discord

One Step From Eden is now available for PC and Nintendo Switch!

Prof. 9

After a very successful Kickstarter and almost 4 years of development, MMBN-inspired grid-fighting roguelike One Step From Eden is now released on PC and Nintendo Switch! The game has been developed by Thomas Moon Kang and is being published by Humble Bundle. You can grab the game itself for $19.99 / €19.99 / £14.99 (£17.99 on Switch); in addition, the game’s excellent soundtrack composed by STEEL_PLUS can be bought on Steam for $9.99 / €8.19 / £7.19.

In One Step From Eden you play as a colorful cast of characters trying desparately to reach Eden, humanity’s last bastion. On your way you’ll meet plenty of enemies and rivals who want to stop that from happening. Take them down in relentless MMBN-style battles and you’ll earn new spells and powerups. The rewards and stages are totally random every time, so each playthrough is different.

Aside from an infinitely replayable single player mode, there’s also co-op and PvP multiplayer! And if you’re playing on PC, the game also has modding support that lets you customize the game to your liking.

If, like me, your busting skills aren’t what they used to be: don’t panic, as developer Thomas Moon Kang has promised an update in the coming weeks that will ease the difficulty.

Buy One Step From Eden on: Steam, Humble Store, Nintendo Switch

One Step From Eden gets March 26th release date

Prof. 9

Yes, you read that right: we are now only a few weeks, or indeed, a few steps away from the release of One Step From Eden; the hotly anticipated Mega Man Battle Network-inspired indie game! Developer Thomas Moon Kang just unveiled the March 26th, 2020 release date in the latest monthly update on Kickstarter, along with a snazzy new trailer. The game will release on Steam and Nintendo Switch, and is being published by Humble Bundle and Maple Whispering Limited.

One Step From Eden has you play as Saffron fighting her way to Eden, the last bastion of humanity. Along the way you’ll encounter plenty of rivals who won’t hesitate to pick a fight with you in real-time, grid-based combat. Once you defeat them, you’ll be able to choose between sparing them or finishing them off. Of course, the latter will give you immediate access to new spells and items, but building a few friendships might come in handy in the long run…

If you want even more One Step From Eden beamed to your eyeballs right now, then check out the game’s hour long showcase at the recent TeamBN Winter Festival 2020! You’ll be able to catch a glimpse of some of the bosses and extra features that will be in the game, including a PvP battle mode.

TeamBN Winter Festival 2020 is almost here

Prof. 9

Battle Network and Star Force speedrunners TeamBN are back yet again for another marathon! We won’t have to wait long, as the TeamBN Winter Festival 2020 is set to begin on February 8th, 2020, and will run throughout the weekend. As usual, the schedule is packed with Battle Network and Star Force speedruns, as well as showcases of MMBN fan games, indie games, and other community projects.

This time, be sure to catch updates on One Step From Eden, EndCycle VS and MMBN Chrono X. For those who prefer tabletop games, there’s also a segment featuring NetBattlers, an MMBN tabletop RPG.

Check out the full schedule here, which auto-adjusts to your local timezone. As usual, the marathon will be streamed live over at twitch.tv/teambn. And for more TeamBN updates, follow the team on Twitter!

MegaMan.EXE Mii costume returns to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!

Prof. 9

Just announced on Nintendo’s livestream, the MegaMan.EXE Mii costume will be returning to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as DLC!

The MegaMan.EXE Mii costume was originally available as DLC for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Although the costume did not appear in the base game for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Nintendo has been steadily adding back some of the old DLC costumes. Along with MegaMan.EXE, another Mii costume based on a Mega Man character will be added in the upcoming wave: X. They’ll be joined by Altaïr (from Assassin’s Creed), Rabbid, and Cuphead.

As before, the MegaMan.EXE costume can be used by Mii Gunners only. Sorry, WideSword and GutsPunch fans!

You’ll be able to purchase and download the new Mii costume DLC packs starting January 28th/29th, depending on your timezone. They’ll run you $0.80 USD, €0.75 EUR or £0.70 GBP apiece.

Don’t forget you can also get the official MegaMan.EXE base Mii! To get him on your Switch, scan the QR code with a Nintendo 3DS; then save the Mii data to an amiibo and import it on the Switch.

EndCycle VS released for Android, iOS version on the way

Prof. 9

After a bit of a rocky launch, MMBN-inspired indie game EndCycle VS is finally available on Google Play for Android devices! You’ll need at least Android 4.1 in order to play, which shouldn’t be a large hurdle unless your phone is from 200X.

The game is free to install and play, with a one-time in-app purchase of $5 / €5 to unlock all extra content — no microtransactions here, folks. The free version, which is ad-supported, includes a basic single-player campaign mode and online multiplayer mode. Buying the full version gets you 2 extra campaigns, 15 extra playable characters, 50+ extra attacks and 30+ extra styles, as well as unlocking Onslaught mode, Mods and Replays. Speaking of mods, there are already a fair number of them available, some even adding a few familiar characters…

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Mega Man Battle Network 4.5: Real Operation – English Translation

Prof. 9 14 Comments

UPDATE: Version 1.1 is now available! Download it from the same link below, and check the README for more info on how to update.

In late 2003, Capcom released Mega Man Battle Network 4 for the Game Boy Advance. Even though most fans in the West don’t think of it very highly, the game became a runaway success, selling over 1.3 million units worldwide in its lifetime. In response, Capcom scrambled to make a follow-up that would utilize one of MMBN4’s unique peripherals: the BattleChip Gate. In just half a year, they developed Rockman EXE4.5: Real Operation, a game that fully embraced the use of the BattleChip Gate and real-life BattleChips that were already on the market.

Perhaps due to the BattleChip Gate never being released overseas, or perhaps because Mega Man Battle Network 5 was already on the way… Rockman EXE4.5 was never localized for Western audiences. Until today! After several years of development, Mega Man Battle Network fan-community The Rockman EXE Zone is proud to present a complete English localization of this game, now titled Mega Man Battle Network 4.5: Real Operation! Now, 15 years after its original release, English-speaking fans will finally have the opportunity to experience Mega Man Battle Network 4.5 in all its glory!

Rockman EXE4.5 is an outlier in the series, lacking the traditional story and battle system that players had come to expect. The game places you in the role of the operator; instead of controlling just MegaMan, you can choose from over 20 different NetNavis to play. In battle, you don’t control your Navi directly, but they move on their own, and you are restricted to sending them commands and BattleChips. The game featured a Real-Time Clock, and its slimmed-down single player campaign revolved around an Internet that changes in real-time, even while the game is shut off.

The game has been painstakingly localized into English, with all the same quirks and whimsies that were present in the English localizations of the other games in the series. Indeed, our goal with this project was to localize the game in such a way that it would be indistinguishable from an official Capcom localization, had one been released sometime in early 2005! With that said, we’ve also implemented a variety of fixes and improvements that one might have found in a Capcom localization, had they given it more time in the oven and a higher budget than usual.

And that’s not all! We’ve also thrown in a couple of extra goodies, some of which can be downloaded here exclusively at TREZ.

  • A North American and European patch, each with their own title screen and minor differences.
  • A fully localized Instruction Booklet in the same style as the other games!
  • A North American boxart for the game.
  • An Upgrade Patch for the Japanese version of the game, which backports all our bugfixes.
  • A translated interview with the development team from the Rockman EXE4.5 official strategy guide.
  • Starter save files for those who just want to play with their favorite NetNavi.

Grab the complete English patch and all bonus content from the link below! Be sure to read the included README.html first before playing!

DOWNLOAD v1.1 (latest)

Head on over to TREZ Forums to discuss the release in the project’s topic!

All versions: v1.1, v1.0