Rockman EXE
The Rockman DASH series is the fourth in the franchise, and debuted in 2001, on the GameBoy Advance. Rockman EXE is one of the spinoffs of the now long-running video game series, and has 7 games in the series currently, plus many "versions" and a port.
The Rockman EXE series is set in the year 200X, in an alternate version of the original Rockman universe in which computers, rather than robots, were the subject of the most research. Like the original, there were two main projects and only one was funded, but unlike the original, the work of Dr. Tadashi Hikari's research in the field of networking and AI programs had been funded over Dr. Wily's research in robotics. The result of Dr. Hikari's research was the PET, a small computer which is used similarly to a cellular phone or PDA and which contains a customizable AI complete with emotions, known as a NetNavi.
A NetNavi is responsible for helping the operator search, use, and surf the internet as well as protect the PET and itself from viruses. Within years the Internet evolves to the point where it litterally becomes possible to send an AI into it and physically move around as if it were another world, and technically, it is. There is some danger, however: viruses evolve alongside Navis and the Internet to become intelligent on some level. Navis presumably have advanced data to prevent tampering with their code directly: Viruses cannot harm them by corrupting their data, unlike viruses of our age, who cannot do anything but this.
However, because the Internet has evolved to the point of taking on a manifestation, so, too, can virtual weapons be used. If a Navi or a Virus takes too much damage from viral weapons, it's programming will lose integrity, disperse, and be deleted shortly afterwards. Navis, however, have weapons of their own: Each Navi has antiviral weapons that are built directly into its programming that provide basic defense, and can, in addition to this, be sent weapon programs from the PET via the use of battlechips.
Some years later, the series focuses on Tadashi's grandson, Netto Hikari. and his extraordinary navi, Rockman.EXE. They end up getting involved in foiling the schemes of a net-crime organization called the WWW ("World Three"), headed by Wily. In a side note, the .EXE suffix is generally applied to a NetNavi's name to differentiate their digital form from that of their forms in the Classic series. As the series progressed, characters from the Rockman X series of games, specifically Zero, Colonel, and Iris appeared. The NetNavis used by Mr. Famous, as well, are not drawn from other series--all of them, except Punk.EXE, were created by fans of the series, being winners in a design contest held by Capcom.
Interestingly, Rockman.EXE in many cases replaced his original counterpart; for example, for the 15th anniversary of Rockman, Rockman.EXE (and not the original from the Classic series) appears on the box cover of every game released that year. Technically speaking, this is culturally correct, as circa 1987, robotics was considered the next stepping stone in technology's evolution. Of course, with the development of the Internet, the technological destiny of our society was completely re-evaluated. Therefore, Rockman, being one of humanity's best achievements in the timeline, was re-envisioned as a digital program that fights harmful viruses--a much more realistic threat today than gigantic, rampaging robots.
Games
- Rockman EXE [ Wiki Category ]
Released for GameBoy Advance - Rockman EXE 2 [ Wiki Category ]
Released for GameBoy Advance - Rockman EXE 3 (White / Blue) [ Wiki Category ]
Released for GameBoy Advance - Rockman EXE 4 (Red Sun / Blue Moon) [ Wiki Category ]
Released for GameBoy Advance - Rockman EXE 4.5 Real Operation [ Wiki Category ]
Released for GameBoy Advance - Rockman EXE 5 (Team of Blues / Colonel / Double Team) [ Wiki Category ]
Released for GameBoy Advance (Double Team is for Nintendo DS) - Rockman EXE 6 [ Wiki Category ]
Released for GameBoy Advance - Rockman Network Transmission
Released for GameCube - Rockman Battle Chip Challenge
Released for GameBoy Advance
See Also