Today, another excerpt from the CFC FB 3, page 4. Featuring some very rare artwork, and the "story" behind Roll's secret karaoke ending.
Special 2 _Consumer Game
Rockman Battle & Chase
Playstation / Battle Race
Available 3.20.1997 / 5,800 Yen (tax not included)
For 1~2 Players / Uses Memory Card
Roll's Idol Debut At Last!?
Miss Roll is the beautiful female driver appearing in the popular television program "Battle & Chase." Lately, her adorable charm has been creating a lot of buzz in many circles.
During her interview yesterday, Miss Roll was asked "If you win the championship, is there anything you'd like to say or to do for all your fans?" to which, somewhat embarrassed, she replied, "If I can win without losing even once, then, I'll present a new song in front of everyone."
Although her songwriting and vocalist skills are not yet known, there has already been a great deal of interest expressed in the production by talent scouts.
"IF I CAN WIN WITHOUT LOSING EVEN ONCE, THEN, I'LL PRESENT A NEW SONG IN FRONT OF EVERYONE"
Actually, another racer claimed to have previously made a similar pledge to the public. Battle & Chase driver Gutsman (shown to the left) commented indignantly that "It was my idea to entertain everyone first, after I win all my races! I'll have to show the competition they can't just imitate me!"
No Doubt About It, Battle & Chase Is One Heated Race!
This time, Rockman is hitting the scene of the mad battle race where the rules eat your dust! The winner of a race can snatch away parts from the loser's machine for their own use, thereby creating their own unique spectacular racing machine!
Naturally, it's possible for 2 players to get in on the racing action. That's where things will really heat up!
An intense dead heat!
Battle & Chase
The Road to Victory
Last year's Battle & Chase Champion has some hot tips to share with the new drivers.
"Of course, every course has its own optimal settings and paths. Different parts may produce a surprisingly strong combination, so be sure to try out many different configurations. Also, items have the potential to cause an amazing turn-around upset, so most importantly, never give up even under the direst of circumstances!"
Battle & Chase is one of Inafune's favorite Rockman games, according to the Mega Man Official Complete Works book. Personally, it is one of mine, too. It adds such color and depth to the Rockman world and its characters, while sporting an incredibly rockin' soundtrack, and being an amazingly immersive racing game at the same time.
Roll's karaoke theme, KAZEyo Tsutaete has since appeared in the Marvel vs Capcom and Tatsunoko vs Capcom series, and with the latter finally received an official English version release titled "Where the Wind Blows." Gutsman's karaoke theme, Ah~ Otoko Ichidai hasn't taken off beyond this game, but it's still a cult classic as far as I'm concerned.
I remember reading so many years ago that the setting for Battle & Chase involved a fictional TV show, but I wasn't able to find any reference to that since. I'm glad to see that I wasn't mistaken!
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the few in North America to own a copy of the Playstation version (in Japanese of course), and it's true that it's a fun game. The controls are a bit too blocky for my tastes, but it really adds a lot to the Mega Man universe.
Hey Doc! Glad you're still keeping up with me!
ReplyDeleteRemember the time I tried to get everyone's top speed on every terrain charted? I wonder if I still have that somewhere, or if I lost it. Maybe I'll do some other B&C related projects, since the English version wound up dropping some of the Japanese content. The English version was probably rarer than the Japanese before the Mega Man X Collection came out. I think it was really great of them to include it, even when it had little to do with the X series.