Mega Man Battle Network 2

Last year's Mega Man Battle Network offered an interesting twist on the standard Mega Man theme, mixing RPG-inspired gameplay with an innovative, action-based battle system. It comes as no surprise that a follow-up is already upon us (this is Capcom, after all), but this time around, it feels less like a sequel and more like a remix of the original game. Battle Network 2's graphics and sounds are only slightly improved over those of its predecessor, and the general game structure is mostly the same as well: Wander around, talk to people, get on the Net and bust viruses (i.e., explore dungeons and fight enemies), etc. Still, the core gameplay has been fine-tuned and improved upon quite a bit with many subtle but welcome enhancements. New "wild card" Chips allow for a greater variety of combinations during battle, and the fact that you no longer refill HP automatically after each fight makes combat strategy that much more important. Revolutionary it ain't, but if you Uked the first Battle Network, chances are good you'll dig the sequel as well.