Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge - GBA

Capcom's relentlessly burgeoning library of Megaman titles grows by one with the release of Battle Chip Challenge on the Game Boy Advance. In a slight change from the norm however, the game moves away from the usual platform-based shoot-em-up affair, instead delivering a turn-based, trading/combat game, in similar vein to the likes of Yu-Gi-Oh.

The concept is fairly simple, yet also offers a number of original elements to the genre. Players must strategically gather up to 10 Battle Chips from the game's data library in order to build a program deck, which can then be used to instruct what's known as the player's Net-Navi to perform specialised moves and attacks upon an opponent. Once the battle begins, the Navi acts independently as it challenges other players in a kind of semi-automatic turn-based format. As a result, the Navi's success or failure depends on the player's pre-battle 'programming' of the Battle Chips, which is where the main focus of the game lies.

Starting off, players have the opportunity to play as one of six characters, four of them from the Megaman Battle Networks series, including (obviously) Megaman himself, as well as Gutsman, Roll, and two brand new ones. In the usual style for such a game, winning tournaments awards players with new and rare Battle Chips, which can then be used to further power up the Net-Navi and subsequently enable players to take on more difficult opponents.
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