The Megaman EXE franchise is a major series in the GBA, spanning over 6 installations that follow the story of Megaman, Lan and friends hunting down bullies, conquerors and everything else in between. However, the overwhelming majority of those games follow an Action-RPG blueprint. Only one game was truly from a TCG genre: Megaman Battle Chip Challenge (for the sake of convenience I'll be using BCC to abbreviate the title). However, despite its different style, BCC is still a worthy addition to any Megaman EXE fan and to some TCG fans who have been bludgeoned excessively by countless Yugioh releases on the GBA.
There are a whopping 6 stories to watch, from the expected characters like Lan/ Megaman, Mayl/Roll, Dex/Gutsman. Then come in three characters outside of the trio. The most recognizable one is Chaud and Protoman, while the other two (Kai/ Turboman, Mary/ Ring) are newer additions. Despite the immense number of stories, they are all pretty bland and feel tacked on. All the characters are in this Battle Chip Grand Prix (BCGP) for a specific purpose, and none of these aims are unique. I mean, Dex is mostly about battling, Lan is all about getting new chips, Mayl is in so to help Lan blah blah blah. These are all things that fans of the franchise know all about already, and the story isn't exactly appealing to new players either since the stories feel so half-cooked and predictable. Bottom line: The quantity of stories is excellent, but the quality and depth for each and every story is clearly lacking.
What is special about BCC, however, is its "card game" system. Each player uses a program deck that contains up to 30 chips, while 9 of them can only be used in the actual battle. Then, these 9 chips are picked randomly each turn (3 at a time), and the navis pull them out and attack the opponent with it. The game resumes until one of the navis' HP goes down to 0.
This is probably a simplistic overview for what you will be doing for about 95% of the game, but there is a lot of strategic depth involved before you face off against an opponent.
Firstly, a navi has a special move that he/she can pull off once the chips are used after each turn. Each Navi's attack has a different effect (Roll's Heartflash, for example, can heal her) and also has a capacity as to the types of chips he/she can use. Different chips have different power, so better chips take up a higher capacity in the navi. Choosing a navi with a high enough capacity to field the best possible deck and an attack that is favorable in battle is important to consider.
Meanwhile, the chips are unique because some have elements (like water and fire) and so some do more damage than normal against a specific type of navi (an Aquablade will do more damage to Fireman because its superior element). Another important factor is the chips' attacks against other chips. Each chip has HP too, and some chips will reduce those HPs to 0, deleting those chips and giving opponents less firepower to work with. Some chips (Guard Chips) can protect a navi from attacks at the expense of the guard chip's health. For that matter Some chips can heal. And finally, some chips (that will be designated as "Slot-in chips) can be inserted at almost any point in the match in case of an emergency. In short, the depth of strategy in BCC is overwhelming and ergo fun. There are so many factors to consider, and it is always a positive challenge to form a deck that can withstand any attack tactic.
However, there can be some annoyances to the system. For example, there will be some enemies that are almost impossible to beat at a certain stage, and so this leads to some extended periods of grinding and getting better chips. Luck can also be an annoying, and sometimes the experience can be deemed as downright horrid. Sometimes, chip attacks miss due to its accuracy an the speed of a navi. These moments when a navi dodges an attack are highly unpredictable and could spoil a game (if you missed three consecutive attacks, it's demoralizing. Trust me, I've been through this). And finally, since the game is mostly about you setting up the deck and watching your navis pummel each other to the ground (except for the slot-in mechanic), you could instantly become a spectator rather than an actual player. And this potential that causes a gamer to disengage is one of BCC's biggest setbacks.
You'll spend about 95% percent of the time in the BCGP, dueling computer opponents can going up the rankings until you reach class S, where the championship occurs. You gain currency (zennies) where dueling and so you can hop on down to the store and buy some chips (sometimes getting rare chips). There are also 3 classes after class S (X, Y and Z) and there are also some challenges where you need to fend off 10, 20 and later 100 Navis. If you have a friend, you can connect and also do battles against each other. Even when you beat everything, the game is open-ended, which means that you can go on battling and collecting chips. Needless to say, it's a game that has a lot of replay value (even without the 6 tacked-on stories)
Unfortunately, the presentation that surrounds this game is totally uninteresting. Sure, it precedes Megaman Battle Network 4, where the graphics have been much improved (in my opinion, at least) but the format in which the navis just stand on two sides duking it out is just so simple and not very representative of the utter hectic chaos that the navis are going through. However, one minor feature I do like is when a slot-in chip is used. The background then either shifts towards the left and right, indicating a shift in momentum in the battle. It is a nice subtle touch that really adds more meaning and gravity in a battle. The music also just drags; it is a bunch of minimalistic tracks that gets stale very quickly. Funny enough, the intro music is energetic and exciting, making the best (though brief) soundtrack in the entire game. Which is a shame, showing how bad the actual in-game music is.
Despite the poor presentation and potential danger of getting players falling asleep in a middle of a game session, BCC is still a very unique and mostly well-done twist on the TCG genre. The depth of strategy, despite its somewhat meager collection of chips, is comparable to those of actual TCGs that are in print today. I often wonder why there isn't a BCC 2 since there is a lot of potential. But hey, at least the first one gets the job done well.
Breakdown
Story: 3.5/5
Give credit to Capcom that there are multiple story arcs involved in this game. Too bad each of them is uninteresting, and they are only there to transition people into the action. No deep character development or any other hallmarks for even a good storyline.
Gameplay: 4/5
There are hundreds of combinations for the player to experiment, hence making the game as deep and engrossing as it is. However, the system can sometimes turn a player into more of a person watching a TV instead of an active participant.
Presentation: 2.5/5
The visuals that portray the action are boring; too often Navis are standing around, waiting to get blitzed by an attack. Music is unimaginative and only around 3 tracks are used for each and every battle, which is pathetic. Along with the shallow depth of soundtracks, neither can really punctuate a mood.
Best track: The intro music. It's highly energetic and gets you pumped to play the game. Too bad it is not going to be in the game.
Bonuses, alternatives and replay value: 5/5
Many chips to collect, a long single-player campaign (with some extras after the main campaign), and a couple of really interesting "Open Battles": Gauntlets that keep sending enemies to you to defeat. There are also some cool tournament modes where the winner can get a rare chip.
Overall: 15/20, around 3.75 stars (I round to 4 stars, because the gameplay is mostly well done)
Recommended to fans of Megaman EXE (although I caution that BCC is from a different genre of games) and TCG fans who want something new after seeing too many Dark Magicians, Blue Eyes White Dragons and the like (yes, Yu-Gi-Oh dominates the GBA port that badly)
