A Look Back: MegaMan Battle Network 5 Double Team DS

With Rockman.EXE Operate Shooting Star coming to the DS, I decided to take a look back at the first and only other EXE title to make its way to the Nintendo DS: Rockman.EXE 5 DS: Twin Leaders (NA/EU/AU title: MegaMan Battle Network 5 Double Team DS). This title included both versions of EXE 5 from the Gameboy Advance, Team of Blues (NA/EU/AU title: Team ProtoMan) and Team of Colonel (NA/EU/AU title: Team Colonel) with DS exclusive features.

Game Info:

Title Japan/Asia: "Rockman.EXE 5 DS Twin Leaders"

Title NA/EU/AU: "MegaMan Battle Network 5-Double Team DS"

Style: Action RPG

Developer/Producer: Capcom Japan- Capcom Production Studio 3

English Translation for North America: Capcom USA

Translation for Europe: Capcom Europe

Platform: Nintendo DS

Release Date Japan: July 21, 2005

Release Date North America: November 1, 2005

Release Date Europe: April 13, 2006

Release Date Austrailia: April 12, 2007

Let's look back at some of the DS Exclusive features:

• Party Battle System: This feature give you the opportunity to support MegaMan by installing 2 of your teammates into your PET. This is called Group (or Party) Battle. You can install party cust programs that are also exclusive to the game. These programs have "P." before the actual name of the program (programs look like this: "P.Atk +5", "P. HP +100", "P.Support"). You can switch out your navi up to 3 times in one battle (unless you install a program in your navi customizer that increase the number). With this system, if used right, you can keep MegaMan out of danger and be tough to beat.

• Interactive PET menu on the touch screen: It is modeled after the Progress PET Menu screen from the anime Rockman.EXE Stream. Access you battlechip folder, look at your library, map out your way through the internet, battle friends wirelessly, check Lan's Emails, Customize MegaMan and your "Party Battle" Navis, and touch MegaMan to ask for advice (or hear a joke if you have "Humor" installed in the NaviCustomizer). During battle you can call upon the teammates you installed in your Party Battle System (unless otherwise stated by Lan or MegaMan). When in the real world playing as Lan, a 3-D image of MegaMan (or Colonel or ProtoMan when Nebula kidnaps MegaMan) will appear on the touch screen in either normal form, Dark form (if you use darkchips), Bass Cross form (if you have a gba BN5 with the Bass Icon on the title screen in the GBA port of your DS), or Sol Cross form (if you have the gba game Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django in the gba port).

• Data Transmission: Are you a fan of the Battle Network Series? If the answer is yes this feature is for you. If you have Battle Networks 1-4 slotted in there will be special occurances in game and remixed versions of that game's battle music. If you have a BN 5 game slotted in you can transfer your in-game folder from your GBA version to the either version on your DS. Also if your BN5 GBA game has the Bass Icon on the title screen you can battle in Bass Cross in MegaMan Battle Network 5 DS(Gold Version for TP and Silver for TC). When Jacked out a 3-D model of Bass Cross will appear on your PET. Bass Cross is always active as long as BN5 TC or TP remain in the GBA slot. When you get this cross, an anonymous person will send you an email talking about the cross. Also if you have Konami's Boktai 2 Solar Boy Django you unlock something special...

^Bass Cross MegaMan (Bass + MegaMan synthesis)

• Sol Cross MegaMan: A Battle Network 5 DS exclusive Cross Soul, it can only be obtained by having Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django slotted in to the GBA slot. When this soul is obtained you will get an anonymous message (like with Bass Cross). MegaMan's charge shot changes to GunDelSol. If you jacked in from an outdoor location (ie the speaker system at Oran Isle) a sun will appear in the upper left hand corner of virus and boss battles powering up all Django or Otenko related attacks (GunDelSol 1,2,3 and EX, Django Battlechip series except for DjangoDS, Otenko battlechip, PileDriver Program Advance, MegaMan's GunDelSol Charge Shot). This cross is always active as long as Boktai 2 remains in the GBA slot.

^Sol Cross MegaMan (Django + MegaMan synthesis)

• Microphone Communication: This game incorporates the DS's microphone. Cheer MegaMan on and, depending on the situation, something will happen. If MegaMan is normal, and you cheer him on he might enter full snychro. If MegaMan is struggling, you can get MegaMan back to normal status and possibly to full synchro or recover HP. If in Dark Soul, you will have to try really hard to get MegaMan back to normal and out of dark soul or just become enraged at the enemy instead of being evil. It depends on you!

• Voice Acting: In this game Lan, MegaMan, ProtoMan, and Colonel all have Voice actors. The voice acting is based off the Anime, however the English voices were not the actual voice actors from MegaMan NT Warrior.

Voice Talent (NA/EU/AU versions):

• Lan Hikari- Mark Gatha
• MegaMan.EXE- Jeffrey Watson
• ProtoMan.EXE- Tommy James
• Colonel.EXE- Tommy James

Voice Talent (JP/Asia versions):

• Hikari Netto- Higa Kumiko
• Rockman.EXE- Kimura Akiko
• Blues.EXE- Matsukaze Masuya
• Colonel.EXE- Yasumoto Hiroki

• Transport Chips: Known as TP chips, these are used in Liberation Missions to transfer Navi's from a different version of the game into the one you are currently playing as long as they correspond to each other. Hate NumberMan? Transfer SearchMan. Hate MagnetMan? Transfer KnightMan. Don't want to deal with GyroMan? Transfer ShadowMan Want to switch Leaders? You can do that too. With this feature you can literally create your own BN 5 Dream Team. Transfered Navi's stay until you sub them out again or the Liberation Mission ends, whichever comes first.

• Finally look at the E3 2005 Trailer for the game:

this game got mixed reviews here in the US but all in all the gameplay is great.

This game plays better than the GBA version in my opinion. Out of a possible 10 points I give MegaMan Battle Network 5 Double Team DS: 9.5/10. The PET felt realistic, Bass Cross rocks, 3-D modeling is great. Voice acting is very well executed in my opinion, and it takes advange of most of the DS's features including the mircophone, which seems to be forgotten in a lot of games. The DS exclusives make this one of the best Battle Network titles. This is a needed game for any die hard Battle Network fan, or even someone wanting to play the series for the first time.

(note: The reason I don't give it 10/10 is because there is no wifi compatability only local wireless gameplay. Only people within 50 feet of you can battle you. While this game takes advantage of almost all parts of the DS, wifi isn't one of them. That is the only disappointing thing about this title)