Saturday, October 17, 2009

Operate Shooting Star vs. Battle Network

Considering we have a sufficient amount screens now, I think it's about time for the inevitable graphical comparison between the soon to be released Operate Shooting Star and its eight year old counterpart Mega Man Battle Network.

OSS left, Battle Network right:






Only keen observers can really pin-point the slight graphical differences between the two. The most obvious are the new mugshots and overall screen resolution. A bit disheartening, isn't it?

Graphics aside, OSS does have its fair share of gameplay differences, such as the inclusion of a fully-playable Star Force Mega Man, new scenarios and a few minor bells and whistles. But, is that enough to warrant a purchase?

34 comments:

  1. "A nice, big cannon!"

    That's what Roll.EXE said!

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  2. Mind if I point some of the differences out?
    In all screen shots, you can see more of the area in the DS version than the GBA version.

    Screen Shot #1:
    -I can't find any differences.
    Screen Shot #2:
    -I can't find any differences here either.
    Screen Shot #3:
    -The chip selection screen is different, such as the border around it, and the slots that that chips go in. Plus, there's a "select" and "L" option below the chip select screen in the DS version.
    -And obviously, the HP above the enemies is in a different place, with it being shifted more to the left in the DS version.
    Screen Shot #4:
    -Again, the border is different around the "GET DATA" screen.
    -The "GET DATA" lettering is more slanted, plus it's a different color.
    Screen Shot #5:
    -The orange ring around Mega Man is thicker in the DS version.
    -The "Lv. 1" is over the HP bar in the DS version, where in the GBA version it's in the upper right hand corner.
    -The colors of the screen are different (or that could just be the better resolution).
    -The green dots are not as circular in the DS version. They appear to be more of a diamond shape.
    -Not sure where the Armor part is in the DS version. It could be that Japanese wording...
    Screen Shot #6:
    -A "Select" and "X" button function is in the lower right hand corner in the DS version.
    -Nothing else except a color change.

    Can anyone else find any more differences? Oh, and one more thing. *Cough* disappoinment! *Cough* What? It's flu season! (Don't get made me for saying that, I like .EXE. I actually started playing EXE 6 again.) =P

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  3. lol.exe

    Someone call me when the rabid .exe fans are sleeping and Capcom can move ahead with the Rockman franchise without their bitching.

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  4. Something that occurs to me: OSS has "Rockman" as the title of the stat screen rather than "Rockman.exe", and "Rockman.exe" is over above the stats. Perhaps an indicator we can upgrade SS Rockman while playing as him?

    Also, Hiroki, there's no need for that here. And frankly, I have to say you're being a little hypocritical if you're complaining about bitching.

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  5. I just wish they redid the music in EXE 5 DS style.

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  6. I noticed that the enemy HP values have been changed from beige to silver as in the later games, but they still use the hollow zeroes from the Japanese version of the first game. (The English versions and all the sequels used slashed zeroes instead.)

    But I don't understand why they're all shifted to the left! It's so obvious and it's been that way for so long that I have to think it's an intentional choice, but what does it mean?

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  7. No changes on that terrible looking PC.

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  8. Quite frankly, MMBN1 is what got me into *more* into Mega Man than I already was at the time [I started with MMX]. It was just one of those games where I remembered where I was when I beat it [on Christmas no doubt].

    I am going to get this as I've wanted CAPCOM to re-release MMBN1 on the DS since I played MMBN5 DT:TL DS [lol @ abbrev].

    Also, a big LOL and thank you @ Anonymous to Hiroki.

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  9. Filter -> Sharpen
    Talk about a graphical update...

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  10. At least the PET menu looks a little better than before.

    @Hiroki: Well good luck never ever coming back.

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  11. Another thing that is bothering me is the thing under the fifth chip in the vertical chip selection. What is that thing? To top it off, we STILL haven't seen SSR Chip Selection Screen! Plus everybody would be using SSR because of his abilities. I wonder if EXE got any? Maybe EXE can only use the ADD system?

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  12. Considering I'm a huge Mega Man nut, I'll buy the game despite what it has. Heck, I'm buying for SSRockman alone (I'm one of those who prefers the Star Force series over the EXE series).

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  13. This is the laziest most pathetic excuse for a 'remake' I've ever seen. I know the .EXE and SSR series were always about taking fans money for doing the least amount of work but this is inexcusable.

    And yet people are going to buy this shit.

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  14. - The "canvas" size is bigger. Graphics were not resized. Thanks, 'dude.

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  15. Next, we compare if the dialogue is word-for-word the same xD

    Wouldn't it be better if you compare between the Japanese versions rather than the English one?

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  16. It's worth a purchase if you haven't played EXE1, but don't feel like trying to track down a copy (I don't remember seeing any used carts at GameStop).

    I didn't see many differences in the overworld screenshots, but at least Megaman.EXE's mugshot is vastly improved.

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  17. This is a truly bad effort to remake a game. I know it's by different companies, but Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver were remade a thousandfold better than this.

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  18. @C: Again, same with every other rerelease of a megaman game. Think about the release of MML on the PSP. Was that shit? This at least actually adds something.

    @Snap: That's just the quality of the screenshots, the GBA game is just as sharp. :)

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  19. People who say they can't find any differences must be pretty blind. I find the OSS screens to be a lot more crisp, and I am not saying that based on the screens provided either, I am basing that off of when I last played it.

    Anyway I am excited about this game since I am lazy and never even finished EXE 1, so I will definitely be "Playing" this. *Cough*flashcart*cough*

    And all these people bitching about EXE and SSR, shut up and ignore the articles about them. I mean if you don't like them, then why the hell are you even looking at them?

    I mean seriously, it just makes you trolls when you do that.

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  20. Hmm, hey, what if the HP values are shifted to the left because there's going to be some other statistic that appears on the right? I was thinking it could be elemental type, but we didn't see anything special next to FireMan's HP, so it's probably something else for later on.

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  21. Also notable is that, like those zeroes that were mentioned before by Ryan Ferneau, the JP version of the original was the only game in the series to have a null-element icon different to any other series title. In EXE1, null-element was a slash, compared to the dot found in EXE2 onward and the whole localized series.

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  22. "I mean seriously, it just makes you trolls when you do that."

    That's because they ARE trolls. I recognize both of them doing the exact same thing in past articles during the past few months, so I've pretty much learned to stop taking them seriously.

    ---

    Ryan: Intersting theory, but I wouldn't count on it happening.

    If it does indeed happen, my guess is that it's going to display the number in which attacks dealing damage over that value will result in flinching (assuming I understand how the system worked in EXE 1, as I've only played 2-6. People on GameFAQs are telling me that 2-6 relied on the actual battlechip effects to determine whether enemies flinched or not rather than a hidden value in 1).

    Although... Your idea with the secondary value did give me a few ideas on how they can change around and refine the EXE battle system, without having to limit movement (and subsequently options with objects on the field and such) like how Star Force did.

    [WARNING - RAMBLING AHEAD]

    Maybe a second value, if one will ever exist, could represent the amount of damage you have to do over a period of time in order to stun/paralyze the target. The number increases/decreases constantly depending on how often your attacks are hitting. Or something like that. (It's rather similar to the system that Ys Seven appears to use.)

    It also sort of bothered me how each and every single transformation that existed in the EXE games only had one type of charged shot with no way to change what it did aside from the amount of damage, which pretty much forced people into a certain playstyle (althoug the 'forced' part applies more to the Style system rather than the Soul/Cross system).

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  23. The Oblivious PrattlerOctober 18, 2009 at 7:56 PM

    What do you mean by "disheartening?" Do you mean because they barely changed anything? Well, at this point, I wasn't expecting much, but at least the changes they did make are nice. BN1 wasn't my favorite, so any improvements are welcome. Still, I do wish OSS was a legitimate remake.

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  24. Ah yes, I remember the slash too. I also noticed that a similar slash appears on the side of the NumberMan rematch machine in all versions of the game. Could it be related to the old Null symbol? Just a way to indicate that NumberMan is Neutral-elemental? Or is it a division sign, to represent his penchant for mathematics? It doesn't look much like a lever at any rate, so I think it's some kind of emblem.

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  25. @TwilightEXE

    Those of us that dislike EXE and SSR post and will continue to post to these articles because like it or not (and we don't like it) EXE and SSR are part of Megaman. I love Megaman. I have for over 20 years now. I've seen the series flourish and decline. EXE and SSR, also known as Capcom's version of Madden, have contributed greatly to that decline.

    I'd cite examples to illustrate my point but I don't have to. We've already seen the OSS/BN1 screen shot comparisons.

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  26. What the hell Capcom!? Why do always have to screw us fans for money? It looks almost the same! CAPCOM YOU ARE REALLY LAZY! WHAT KIND OF REMAKE IS THIS! Of course, I'm still buying it only because of the crosover with starforce.

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  27. @Gold Star

    Then that just proves that you and all the other complainers are butt hurt because you aren't getting sequels to the games you want.

    Well news flash! Even though you guys may not like EXE or SSR there are actually quite a lot of people that still do. And thats why I said for you too quit commenting on these articles, since all your doing is being trolls by bashing a game you couldn't care less about.

    It actually makes the whole lot of you seem like immature fanboys. ;3

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  28. @Twilight

    I'm the fanboy? I'm criticizing the game, the company, and the franchise for a lack of quality and poor handling of an IP. I've got valid complaints. You represent a group of people who are going to buy / defend a game just based on the name on the box. Which of us is the more blatant fanboy?

    I've yet to hear a single person offer any kind of validation for Capcom's shameless performance on this game. Offer something more substantial than 'umm, it's megaman exe and I like exe'. I don't think you can, though. It's a 10 year old game being given zero modernization beyond having a tangentially related character copy and pasted into it with no more care than a hex editor would show a rom hack.

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  29. For the hundredth time:

    This is not comparable to Heart Gold and Soul Silver, for a variety of reasons.

    1. HGSS was a jump forward two generations and an adjustment to a fundamentally different game and graphics engine.
    2. HGSS was touted as a full remake - this is, as the producer said, a "plus alpha port."
    3. HGSS had far more budget than OSS, which, from what we've seen, is a low-budget title Capcom's throwing out there to keep the series alive. It's even got a budget price point.

    OSS is an updated port; HGSS is a remake. Learn the difference.

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  30. Someone mentioned that the couldn't find the Armor option on the new RockMan screen. And here reason is this: It's not there. Who knows what this means. It could just be accessed a different way, or it's not there at all.

    Or it could mean we'll get a transformation system.

    I also think some people are just overthinking a detail on the Custom Screen-- it looks like there's something under the fifth chip but I'm almost sure it's just a graphical detail.

    I'm also fairly sure only RockMan.EXE can use the ADD system, since I remember one of his abilities being able to use the bottom row on the chip screen or something. Also, S.S. RockMan's Warrock Attacks look gimped-- it looks you can only hit the row in front of you, but that's still pretty damn good.

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  31. Yeah, I bet since everything got shifted around, they added little "train tracks" to fill in the empty space and show how the rows of chips send things to the column of chips.

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  32. The screens look nearly identical in the Japanese version.
    http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g144/mega_rock_exe/statusscreen.png
    http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g144/mega_rock_exe/morning.png
    http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g144/mega_rock_exe/folder.png

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  33. Hmm, I believe the kana in the original game would have said "NormalArmor", while this game writes "RockMan.EXE" in its place. That makes me think that either the armor system is getting replaced by a character swap system, or character swapping and armor selection are accessed through the same option.

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  34. I really wonder why does it seems that Capcom is completely slacking on this project. It makes it almost seem like they only got like 5 people working on this :(. I was expecting too much from this game since it was a remake and since Capcom knows that this game has quite a lot of fans. Its sad to see that this isnt going to turn out so well.
    Either way Im still buying it, I just really hope it makes it into America cause I just love Rockman that much.

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