Mega Man Network Transmission marks the first time in years that Capcom has brought a Mega Man game to a Nintendo console. (And no, Mega Man 64 doesn’t count.) However, as Mega Man X brought a new gameplay style to the Super NES, so will Network Transmission change the series again on GameCube.

Network Transmission is an extension of the Battle Network series on GBA, but where those games are pure RPGs, this is more of a mixture between classic Mega Man action and the more recent RPG elements. Network Transmission is played from a side view in 2D, and you directly control Mega Man as he runs, jumps, and shoots his way through each level. Yet there are distinct influences from the more recent handheld quests, namely the art style and battle chip system. There is also an increased emphasis on story, and Mega Man has a world map to traverse rather than the traditional level select screen.

In this game, Mega Man doesn’t have the usual array of powers he has acquired from defeated bosses. Instead, he equips battle chips, which will determine his abilities for each stage. Battle chips can be hidden or dropped by enemies, and beating one of the bosses might gain you a really good chip or two. In general, the most useful chips are the hardest ones to find, so it pays to explore thoroughly and beat all the bosses. There are over 100 chips in the game, and you can have up to six equipped at any given time, and their effects range from shooting flames to dropping bombs to stopping time. The game’s strategy comes from the fact that each chip can only be used a few times, so your ammo for these special weapons and abilities is quite limited. However, Mega Man still has his regular arm cannon with infinite shots, and you’ll be able to equip a new set of chips at regular intervals.

In bringing the Blue Bomber to GameCube, the developers at Capcom have opted to use a cel-shaded style for the graphics that should be familiar to fans of the new animated series. Mega Man is rendered with the same new costume that he sports in the GBA titles. The special effects, like energy shots and explosions, are extremely colorful, while the backgrounds are full of moving objects and parallax scrolling. Of course, everything is rendered with polygons, even though the gameplay is strictly 2D.

Mega Man Network Transmission is certainly a departure from the classic action games, but it should appeal to fans of the cartoon and GBA titles, as well as anyone who just wants to experience the long-awaited return of Mega Man to Nintendo consoles.