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MegaMan Battle Network 5: Team Colonel / Team ProtoMan (GBA) Double Team DS (Nintendo DS)
Developer(s)	Capcom Production Studio 2
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Designer(s)	Keiji Inafune
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS
Release	2005 (JP), (EU), (NA)
Genre(s)	Data action RPG
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer

Megaman Battle Network 5 is the fifth game in the MegaMan Battle Network series. There are three versions of this series, with Team Colonel and Team ProtoMan (titled Team of Colonel and Team of Blues in Japan) being Game Boy Advance games, while Double Team DS (titled Twin Leaders in Japan) is an enhanced remake combining the two games together (along with other features to take advantage of the capabilities of the Nintendo DS). The GBA games are also compatible with the e-Reader, which allows powerups to be added on to MegaMan in this game (one card, BassCrossMegaMan , unlocks a secret sidestory), and the Progress Battle Chip Gate, which allows easier slotting of BattleChips in the game (however, the Advanced Battle Chip Gate used in Battle Network 4 is not compatible). However, neither accessory has been released in English or are compatible with the Nintendo DS, thus it is unknown at this point whether alternatives are available for Double Team DS.

Like previous games, there are a few very subtle differences between Team Colonel and Team ProtoMan: the most notable of which is that the ending to Team Colonel is longer and more drawn-out (this is as Team of Colonel was released later compared to Team of Blues). However, it is to be noted that between the Japanese and English releases of the games there are several major differences, ostensibly due to long and repetitive gameplay but more likely due to technical limitations of the cartridge. It is unknown as of yet whether the English Double Team DS will use the original levels or the edited English levels.

Double Team DS, although considered to be two games (one Team Colonel and one Team ProtoMan) in one, enhances elements of Team Colonel and Team ProtoMan by allowing you to incorporate the progress of one game into the other (effectively, using NetNavis that are found in one game in the other game). Other features include:

• For the Japanese version, the opening intro song is a remixed version of Be Somewhere, the theme from Rockman.EXE Stream.
• The touch-screen is used to access certain parts of the PET (such as rearranging your chip folder), as well as serving as a map of the area MegaMan is in, to help prevent MegaMan from getting lost.
• Being able to switch out one navi for another during battle (effectively tag-team NetBattling), akin to Operation Battle mode with the Progress Battle Chip Gate accessory. Navi combination attacks are also possible if the switching of navis is performed in Full Synchro.
• Using the internal microphone to cheer on MegaMan, allowing him to powerup.
• Some dialog have full voice accompaniment, with the voices done by the voice actors behind the Battle Network anime.
• Unlockable secrets from inserting various Game Boy Advance games into the DS while playing Battle Network 5, including remixes of music from earlier Battle Network games, Sol Cross MegaMan (a combination of MegaMan (Rockman) and Django of the Boktai series), and Bass Cross MegaMan, a Cross using Bass' abilities and changes depending on version being played on Double Team DS.
• Two new BattleChips have been added. One is LeaderR (Leaders Raid) and another is ChaosL (Chaos Lord).

The key feature in the game is the new "Liberation Mission" game play, which combines turn-based strategy with traditional virus busting, as well as the ability to play as NetNavis other than MegaMan (although that had been done before in Battle Chip Challenge and Real Operation).

A special edition of the Nintendo DS, featuring elements of the Progress PET (the name of the PETs used in the game) design, is to be released bundled with Double Team DS.

Story

In the year 19XX, old friends Tadashi Hikari and Dr. Wily had developed a project together (before their friendship turned sour with funding given to Tadashi's research on networking over Wily's robotics research), but it was left unfinished, leaving their work for future generations.

Years later, after Dr. Regal had apparently committed suicide (to prevent being arrested by officials), he, and his organization, Nebula, mysteriously resurfaces, and manages to kidnap Yuichiro Hikari as well as confiscate the PETs containing Roll, GutsMan, and Glyde by spraying sleeping gas all over SciLabs. (Lan and MegaMan were lucky to be hidden behind the desk when the sleeping gas activated, and evaded detection). In an attempt to save his friends' NetNavis as well as his father, Lan joins Barrel (a possible reference to Barrel Caskett from Mega Man Legends although nothing is proven to support that other than his name is the same) and his NetNavi Colonel (a reference to his namesake in the Mega Man X series) in Team Colonel, and Chaud and ProtoMan in Team ProtoMan, in an elite navi team that helps liberate the internet from Nebula's influence. Later joining the team are various NetNavis and their NetOps, some of which were villains in earlier games, and the majority of which are effectively Battle Network versions of classic-series Robot Masters.

However, Dr. Regal is merely occupying areas of the internet for a diabolical purpose, one that would unleash the darkness upon the souls of mankind.

Gameplay

Although much of the gameplay remained the same, the random tournaments and the ability to replay the game were excised in favor of a longer storyline. In virus busting, many BattleChips now force the enemy into hitstun (and thus momentary invincibility), thus making it harder for players to develop strong and effective chip folders. In addition, Program Advances may only be done once per battle. However, the main difference lies in the use of DarkChips. In Battle Network 4, DarkChips were generally considered to be useless because its negatives far outweighed the positives, while in Battle Network 5, a new feature called Chaos Unison (effectively, DoubleSoul by sacrificing a DarkChip), allows players to use DarkChips without suffering from its effects. To this end, DarkChips in Battle Network 5 are chips that are placed in your folder (as part of your 30 chips) instead of randomly appearing after MegaMan's mood changes. All in all, effective fighting in Battle Network 5 largely emphasizes the use of DoubleSoul and Chaos Unisons.

Gameplay in Double Team DS also relies heavily on Full Synchro, a gameplay element introduced in Battle Network 4. There, the use of Navi combination attacks (where two navis, in the process of switching one for another, perform a team-up attack) thus putting more emphasis on using BattleChips to counter-hit opponents.

When Megaman gets a certain key item he goes to a place on the internet that was libarated and is able to open a cyber door which leads him into a town eleven years earlier.

Characters

Names are given with the original Japanese name first where it differs between the Japanese and English releases. For more information about the characters, check out List of Mega Man characters (Battle Network series).

Team Protoman Operators:

• Enzan Ijuin / Eugene Chaud - The leader of Team ProtoMan, Chaud is something of a prodigy, and even customized his own netnavi (ProtoMan). He recruits the other members of the team to help him liberate the net from the darkloids.
• Tesla Magnets / Tesla Gauss - Tesla is the daughter of Gospel agent Magnets Gauss (the difference in surnames between versions reflects the difference in names for Tesla's father), who goes mining for MagnoMetal with MagnetMan as part of her business. She and MagnetMan join Team ProtoMan to fight off a common foe in Nebula.
• Charlie Airstar - Charlie is a Netopian helicopter pilot, whose navi, GyroMan, can transform himself into a helicopter. He is hired by Chaud to join Team ProtoMan.
• Nenji Rokushakudama / Fyrefox - Nenji is a fireworks maker, and the operator of NapalmMan (how he gets NapalmMan from his previous criminal operator remains a mystery), who is a NetBattler hired to entertainment patrons of a cruise ship. However, he plots to steal the Booster System to make his cyber fireworks more spectacular. In the end, it is revealed that he was really on their side (Enzan almost reveals this before boarding the Queen Bohemia).
• Laika / Raika - the soldier from Sharo is hired by Chaud to join Team ProtoMan. His navi is Searchman.
• Jasmine - Jasmine, a foreigner who visits ACDC Town, tries very hard to deduce the identities of Team ProtoMan's members, but as a result is partly responsible for ProtoMan's disappearance. She tries against Lan's wishes with Medi/Meddy to save him.

Team Colonel Operators:

• Barrel / Baryl - Barrel is a Netopian official who mysteriously comes to Electopia, ostensibly to defeat Nebula (with the true reason only to be revealed at the end of Team Colonel). He is the operator of Colonel, an elite official navi, which has the power to equip virtually any weapon on his arm.
• Princess Pride - Pride and her navi, KnightMan, no longer allied with Gospel, the netmafia from MegaMan Battle Network 2, returns from Creamland to mine for MagnoMetal in an old mine on a deserted island. She is trying to get MagnoMetal to make special PETs back in her homeland. However, KnightMan goes out of control, but is saved by MegaMan. She joins Team Colonel to return the favor.
• Dark Miyabi / Dusk - Dusk and his navi ShadowMan, thought to be an agent of Gospel but in reality a mercenary for hire, is hired by Barrel to join Team Colonel.
• Dingo - Dingo, a Native American from Netopia, joins a cruise ostensibly to give passengers some NetBattling entertainment. However, he intended to steal the Booster System (a system to make navis stronger) as its production ruined the livelihood of many in his community. He and his navi, TomahawkMan, are recruited to Team Colonel as a way of mending their ways.
• Yamitarou Higure / Higsby - after finding about Team Colonel, he begs Barrel to join the team, to prove his worth as a man.
• Kero Midorikawa / Ribitta - when DNN's ace reporter finds out about Team Colonel, she tries to deduce their identities. However, as a result she is partly responsible for Colonel's disappearance, and thus tries (against Lan's wishes) with her navi ToadMan to save him.

Navis

As each game boasts a different roster of characters, there are also different navis. There are twelve navis in total, six exclusive to each game.

Team Protoman Navis:

• Blues/Protoman - Protoman has little/moderate HP and focuses mostly on speed and damage. His charged attack is a modified Wide Sword, and his special chip is Step Sword, which warps Blues/ProtoMan 2 panels forward and attacks an enemy. Blues/Proto Soul's charge attack is also a Wide Sword attack, and the user can charge sword chips for double damage and attack two panels forward. In liberation missions, his ability is WideSword, which liberates three horizontal panels in front of the user.
• MagnetMan - MagnetMan can counteract the effects of Magnet Panels. His charged attack is Magnet Missile, a homing magnet projectile that deals 60 damage and forces enemy into paralysis. Magnet Soul increases damage of electric-based chips and allows the user to negate the effects of Magnet Panels. This soul's charge attack attracts and paralyzes enemies. MagnetMan's liberation mission ability is Magnet Barrier, which prevents allied Navis from taking damage outside of battle. His special chip is North/South Tackle, which crushes an enemy in his line of panels. This chip can also deal double damage depending on the range.
• Gyroman - GyroMan can transform into a helicopter, which lets him fly over clouds, Dark Panels, and broken panels. He can fly over broken panels, but he can't land, meaning he can't attack or use chips while hovering. His charged attack is Tornado Arm, an attack that hits three panels ahead for up to 3 hits, depending on the enemy's range, in 20 damage increments. His special chip is Airforce, which bombs all enemy panels depending on button presses. Gyro Soul increases the damage of wind-based chips, and the charged attack is also Tornado Arm. In a liberation mission, if GyroMan is hovering over a Dark Panel, he can liberate it using his Bomb Liberation ability, which does not require a battle (he cannot liberate dark holes with this ability).
• NapalmMan - NapalmMan does not have a charged attack. Rather, his attack is a machine gun that deals rapid-fire damage. His special chip is Napalm, which damages enemies in a 3 by 3 area four squares ahead. In liberation missions, he can use Napalm, which hits a giant cross area ahead. Napalm Soul upgrades fire chip damage and the charged attack is a 3-shot vulcan.
• SearchMan - SearchMan's Scope Gun charge attack locks in on nearest target, hitting multiple times in 10 damage increments. His special chip is Satellite, which beams a circling laser. When the laser stops, it hits a cross-shaped area. Search Soul allows the user to shuffle their chips, and the charge shot becomes Scope Gun. In liberation missions, SearchMan can use PanelSearch, which searches the row of ahead of him to remove traps and unlock bonuses.
• Meddy (Medi) - Meddy's charged attack is Capsule Bomb, a bomb attack that explodes 3 panels ahead. Her special chip is Meddy Capsule, which paralyzes the targeted enemy with a capsule. Meddy Soul allows the user to infuse any regular chip with one of four pills, which offer blindness, paralysis, recovery, and confusion. The charge shot for this soul is Capsule Bomb, also. In liberation missions, Meddy can liberate panelts between her and another navi with her Twin Liberation ability.

Team Colonel Navis:

• Colonel - Colonel's charged attack is Screen Divide, a powerful slash that hits a V-shaped area for 60 damage. His special chip is Colonel Cannon, a powerful cannon attack, and his soul, Colonel Soul, allows MegaMan to replace his normal Megabuster with any regular, null-element and attack-valued chip. In liberation missions, Colonel can use Screen Divide, which liberates three horizontal panels.
• KnightMan - KnightMan has a permanent Super Armor effect, so he cannot flinch. KnightMan also has the most HP of any navi. His special chip is Kingdom Crusher, which shoots a giant wrecking ball, and his charged attack, Royal Wrecking Ball, swings his wrecking ball around him to hit every surrounding panel. The same applies to Knight Soul, and the soul can charge metal/breaking chips to deal more damage. KnightMan has no order point ability, but he can withstand any damage and can protect other nearby teammates.
• ShadowMan - ShadowMan can float over all panels and negate the effects of any panels. He can walk over Dark Panels and his Order Point ability is Sneak Attack, which can damage nearby enemies. Shadowman's charged attack allows him to jump up and hurl a shuriken at the nearest enemy. Furthermore, in Shadow Soul, it offers float shoes effect and the charge shot becomes a Long Sword. The user can initiate KawarimiMagic by pressing the left directional button and B, and charging sword-based chips allow the user to attack from behind the nearest enemy.
• TomahawkMan - TomahawkMan regenerates HP over grass panels. His charged attack is Tomahawk Air Raid, a homing tomahawk, and his special chip is Tomahawk Swing. Tomahawk Soul allows the user to regenerate HP over a grass panel, and the charged attack is Tomahawk Swing a massive three by two slash, as well as increasing the damage of grass-based chips. In a liberation mission, TomahawkMan can use Tomahawk Swing to liberate a giant three by two area at once.
• NumberMan - NumberMan's charged attack is a die that explodes for a three by three area. His special chip is Number Trap, which sets a trap two panels up in the enemy area. His Order Point ability is Number Check, which checks dark panels for traps and items on a 3 by 2 area. It does not liberate panels. Number Soul increases the number of chips in the custom screen to a total of 10, an extremely helpful doubling of the player's chip selection.
• ToadMan - ToadMan's charged attack allows him to submerge and pop the nearest enemy. He can hide under water panels, and his special chip is ShockingMelody, which attacks and paralyses the enemy. In a liberation mission, his ability is LifeMelody, which allows one of your teammates to liberate up to 6 panels forward. In Toad Soul, the charge shot is Shocking Melody, which stuns your opponent. The player can also charge aqua-based chips for double damage, and can hide in water panels.

Trivia

• First game in the Megaman Battle Network GBA series in which mainstay Gutsman.EXE may not be fought in either version. Also, Mr. Match, who has been included in every other game, is not present in BN5.
• As a pack-in, this game included a battle chip for use with the Advanced PET.
• In the DS version, by sloting in Boktai 2 (in the English version) or Boktai 3 (in the Japanese version) into the GBA slot, Megaman obtains Sol Cross.

External Links

• Review of Mega Man Battle Network 5 at Netjak

• MegaMan Battle Network games
• Game Boy Advance games
• Nintendo DS games
• 2004 computer and video games
• 2005 computer and video games