But of course, Nintendo's catchphrase is "gameplay over graphics", right? Well, what if your game excels at neither? This becomes all too apparent in Mega Man Star Force as its juvenile, poorly-translated plot unfolds. And while the new 3D head-on battles do take advantage of the DS's power, it's usually for about ten seconds. Ten seconds being the average length of about 90% of battles.

Before a duel with an enemy begins, you're randomly dealt six cards from your deck. Naturally, you'll want to keep a balance of attack/defense/support and recovery cards on hand, with rules governing which combinations of cards you can use during each respective turn. Once you've chosen your cards, it's time to dish out their effects in real time via strategically-timed presses of the A button. You'll also have to keep a constant eye on your Reshuffle Meter, as once you've run out of playable cards, you'll have to make due with weak Mega-Buster shots until the meter recharges and you're allowed to select a new set of cards.

As mentioned before, Star Force's battles are fought in a third-person point of view, as opposed to Battle Network's 2D horizontal battling. It's rather unfair that your enemies can freely move about the 3x5 grid in front of you while Mega Man is stuck with only left and right movements across a whopping three squares. If it weren't for the Blue Bomber's healthy arsenal, battles would be a downright massacre.

What is this arsenal, you ask? Well, area-frying flamethrowers, homing missiles and beam sabers, to name a few. You can also summon giant beasts to clear the field of any unwanted pests as well as activate defensive techniques like stealth and counter. Should things get too rough for Mega Man's miniscule shielding and dodging to handle, recovery items are also available. Overall, though, other than 3D perspective and visual effects, battles remain mostly unchanged from the Battle Network games.