A wonderful walk down memory lane, as I played all the originals back when they first came out on the GameBoy Advance. There are some added features that make them a bit more interesting, such as a toggleable Max Buster, making simple fights much faster, or select unique chips for each game to give you a bit of an edge.
For those unfamiliar with the series, but somewhat knowledgeable of MegaMan in general, this isn't your usual sidescroller. Rather, it is more akin to an rpg mixed with a deckbuilding style game, set in a branch of the megaman universe that went more internet based than robotics. The usual flair of elemental bosses and familiar characters is still true to the series core, but fighting plays out on a 3 by 9 grid, split evenly down the middle. The deckbuilding comes in here, as you collect "chips" that allow you certain abilities, actions, or summons to use against your foes.
The storyline, both the individual games and the overarching series, is very good in my opinion, only growing better and better as the series progresses. After the basics of the series is ironed out in the first two games, games 3 through 6 split into two different versions of each entry, with small story beats changing, and the opponents varying version to version as well.
If you begin straight out from the first game, I will admit, it can feel a bit clunky, as any starter game in a series can be. But any fan of the series will tell you that, as stated above, they improve as the games were released. I've seen many folks suggest starting instead with the second entry, MMBN2, then backtracking for lore/story catch-up.
Regardless of it's origins, please note: this series was/is popular enough that it lasted 6 entries in this storyline, 10 if you count each variant, as well as spawning a similar series in a far future timeline, Megaman Star Force. For those fans of the original Megaman games, liken this to the progression from the main line to the X series.
I hope this helps put some perspective on the series for anyone interested, and also that it inspires some to delve into this wonderful series' universe!
