is a 2003 action-platform video game developed by Arika and published by Capcom for the GameCube video game console. The game was first released in Japan on March 6, 2003, and in North America and PAL regions the following June as Arika's only GameCube game. Network Transmission is part of the Mega Man Battle Network series, which originated on the Game Boy Advance (GBA) handheld and takes place in an alternate timeline to the main Mega Man series.

Taking place one month after the events of the first Mega Man Battle Network game, the plot follows the human protagonist Lan Hikari and his online avatar MegaMan.EXE in their fight against the "WWW (World Three)" organization and its attempt to unleash and spread the infectious "Zero Virus" into cyberspace. The player controls MegaMan through a set of levels that require actions such as jumping, sliding, and shooting, as well as the use of special "Battle Chips" that grant the player various combat and movement abilities. Network Transmission combines action and platforming gameplay elements from older Mega Man games with the strategy and role-playing elements as defined by the Battle Network series.

The development team's intent was to meld these attributes into a home console title that would appeal to the young gamer audience that they found with the GBA series. Critical reception for Network Transmission has been mostly average reviews. Although it received some positive remarks for its Battle Chip gameplay, many critics have complained that the game features a high or unbalanced difficulty level. The game's sound and its combination of 2D and 3D cel-shaded graphics have been met with varied opinions.

Gameplay

thumb|left|The player selects and uses a LongSwrd Battle Chip from the [[HUD (video gaming)|HUD at the bottom of the screen. The Custom Bar extends across the top.]]

Mega Man Network Transmission incorporates aspects of action and platforming games similar to other Mega Man series, while retaining the strategy and role-playing elements of the Battle Network series. The player takes control of the protagonist Lan within the game's real world and his NetNavi MegaMan.EXE within its internet.

Special abilities called "Battle Chips" are provided through a "Custom Bar" that slowly fills at the top of the screen. When the bar is full, the player can select up to five Battle Chips, which are provided from a folder of player-selected chips. Battle Chips are used for dealing large amounts of damage to enemies, protecting and restoring the player's health, summoning other Navi's to MegaMan's aid, and for some platforming abilities. Certain chips can even be combined to be more effective. Following the defeat of the "Life Virus", the ultimate weapon of Dr. Wily and the "WWW (World Three)" criminal organization, Lan Hikari and his network navigator (NetNavi) MegaMan.EXE return to a life of ease. However, no sooner does Lan begin to relax when he hears of a mysterious and destructive computer virus called the "Zero Virus" that infects Navis and causes mayhem via his personal information terminal (PET) e-mail. Lan has other qualms to deal with however, receiving an e-mail detailing fellow NetNavi Roll.EXE being trapped in the internet.

Confirming this with Lan's father, Dr. Yuichiro Hikari, the two set out to search for the cure of the problem, finding many situations of pragmatic Navis infected and causing mayhem. Stopping all of them and returning them to their respective operators, the two eventually discover more clues leading to the remnants of the WWW. It is revealed that a powerful Navi called StarMan.EXE has been distributing the virus. After defeating StarMan, Lan and MegaMan engage in a climactic battle against the powerful super virus Zero himself. However, at the conclusion of the battle, just as the finishing blow is about to be delivered to Zero, the heroes discover he is not evil. Yuichiro then transforms him into a full-fledged Navi. However, their happiness is short-lived as a former member of the WWW simply called "Professor" reveals this was all part of his scheme to revive the dreaded Life Virus. Analyzing clues, Lan and MegaMan engage and defeat the newly upgraded Life Virus R and use Zero's observation powers to eventually bring the Professor to justice. There is dialogue at the end of the game between ShadowMan.EXE and his operator Mr. Dark, leading the plot into the next chronological installment, Mega Man Battle Network 2.

Development

Mega Man Network Transmission was developed by Arika, who had previously worked on the Street Fighter EX series, a 3D polygon rendition of publisher Capcom's traditionally 2D fighting series. Producer Keiji Inafune revealed in an interview with Dengeki that after a string of PlayStation releases, the team chose to focus their development efforts of the Mega Man franchise for Nintendo consoles with the Battle Network series. They felt that children who played the GBA handheld were beginning to show interest in the GameCube, and that the character was more suitable to a console related to the Nintendo Family Computer, where the franchise originated. Inafune stated that the developer wanted to "preserve the core of Rockman" by transcending the traditional action elements (i.e. running and jumping) for the current gaming hardware from the perspective of the role-playing series. The musical score for Network Transmission was co-composed by Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso, and Yousuke Yasui. Hosoe's company Super Sweep Records has recently been given the rights to produce the soundtrack, and it was released as a part of Megaman's 25th Anniversary on November 2, 2012.

Network Transmission was announced and on display for the first time at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2002. A playable version made appearances in January 2003 at the World Hobby Fair in Osaka and at the Capcom Gamer's Day event in Las Vegas. Finally, the game was on display at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles during the summer between its Japanese and North American releases.

|MC=65/100

|EGM=6/10

|EuroG=6/10

|G4=2/5

|GSpot=6.7/10

|IGN=6.7/10

Media Create sales data for Japan shows that Mega Man Network Transmission sold 23,147 copies during its first week on sale, 9,041 copies during its second week, 7,859 copies during its third week, and 4,679 copies during its fifth week. A total of 79,360 copies were sold in the country by the end of 2003. A bargain-priced version of the game was released in Japan on March 18, 2004. According to NPD Group, Network Transmission sold 30,224 copies in North America, making it the eighth best-selling GameCube game in the region for the month of June 2003.

Mega Man Network Transmission has been met with mixed critical reception. The game currently holds scores of 67% on GameRankings and 65 out of 100 on Metacritic.