Play Megaman Battle Network 6 : ShadowRock Patch Online

Megaman Battle Network 6: ShadowRock Patch is the last hurrah for the GBA series, and honestly? It goes out swinging. The ShadowRock transformation alone makes it worth playing—Megaman gets this slick black-and-red look and these brutal new attacks that just shred through viruses. Battles are still that perfect mix of frantic movement and careful planning, like if someone mashed up a card game and an action RPG.

I spent way too much time tweaking my battle chip deck, trying to find the right combos. Some of the new Cross System forms feel overpowered at first, but then you hit a boss that forces you to actually think, and suddenly you're scrambling to adjust your strategy. The story wraps things up nicely, too—lots of callbacks to earlier games, but it doesn't rely on nostalgia to carry it.

If you've played any of the Battle Network games before, this one polishes everything to a shine. If you haven't? You'll probably still have a blast, though you might miss some references. Either way, it's one of the best RPGs the GBA ever got.