Megaman creator speaks out

It's easy to imagine the (lack of) quality of games described as "shovelware". And sadly, this is the less-than-flattering description that best describes the adventures of Capcom’s blue superhero Megaman (or Rockman as he’s known down Toyko-way), whose popularity has been perversely rewarded with the release of loads of unsatisfying games.

So, for the DS debut, Megaman Battle Network 5: Double Team, Capcom has got Megaman’s creator Keiji Inafune back on board to ensure something special.

He told the official Nintendo website he thought that, in the past, some people may have been put off by previous games because they were too difficult. “We’ve made the Nintendo DS version slightly easier so it’s a great introduction to the series.”

As for the tone of the game, it will be more ‘real-world’.

“The concept of the Battle Network series was to create a new Megaman by adding the card-game feature to the action which is a unique feature of Megaman,” reckons Inafune.

The game’s plot revolves around boy-hero Lan, who’s battling Dr. Regal and his Nebula, Dark Chip Syndicate. Helping Lan out are the Net Navi teams. These are powerful helpers, which you can combine into battle teams.

“You can perform combined attacks with two Navis,” explains Inafune. “For example, Double Hero is the combined attack of Megaman’s Buster and Protoman’s sword. Within the game there are many other combination attacks for the player to find.”

As for special DS features added to what is a remake of two old GBA games, Inafune reveals you’ll be able to yell into the microphone to make Megaman feel better. There’s also a Party Battle Mode so you and two other players can play co-operatively. There will be an eight-way multiplayer using the local wi-fi networking too.

Check out the rest of the interview at www.nintendo-europe.com (free registration required). Megaman Battle Network 5: Double Team is due for release on 13th April.