We feared it, we hoped that it wasn't going to happen, but deep down inside we all knew it was inevitable. GBA games getting ported to the innovative DS. Prepare for an almost useless appearance of Capcom's cult icon on the DS. Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team.

Let's face it. If you've never bothered with a Mega Man game before, let alone a Mega Man Battle Network game, it's better not to get involved in this somehow complex series. Five years have passed and five Battle Network games have arrived (not including the different versions). With part one just slightly different from number five; the comparison with Mario Party is almost justified in this aspect. But the genre of Mega Man Battle Network games is a totally different one. In these games players assist Mega Man and friends (Navis) to liberate areas of the Internet taken over by a malevolent organisation. This RPG type of game let's you form decks with different moves, attacks and abilities. The more enemies you defeat, the more moves you gather. You move where you're allowed and fire and attack your enemies in hope of killing them. That's pretty much it, you get the jist from screenshots. Maybe i'm being over critical, there's a reason there's so many Mega Man games and its because it is popular with some so, take it in your stride if it looks fun to you.

A while ago Capcom released two different versions of Battle Network 5 on the GBA. Soon the DS library will be enlarged with this title. Capcom did little to distinctly change the DS version from the GBA version. Sure, graphics look slightly better; well they are sharper at least. The music in the game is a remix from the originals and options of both different versions are now included in one cartridge. The game contains two save slots, so you can play both editions of Battle Network 5, added with new interchangeable characters, and an upgraded 'Soul Unison' system. If you have a copy of an older Battle Network game for the Gameboy Advance in the GBA slot then you can power up your old Navis as well.

Of course, controlling the game now includes the touch screen (not even necessary to play the game), mostly used for arranging items and decks. The upper screen shows the regular GBA screen view. Even the microphone is included to convince players this is really a new experience. Too bad the mic only has the gimmicky function of cheering to your Navis…

But are these 'new' features enough to justify a release of this game on the DS? Who else but the real Mega Man fan gets excited by this rip-off? (Putting it strongly). I sure don't. You might want to think twice before wasting your money for this lazy port unless you've never played Mega Man Battle Network games before and would like to give it a try.

The release of Mega Man Battle Network 5 has been postponed to the first quarter of 2006.