Mega Man Battle Network 3 (blue ver) was my introduction to the Mega Man universe as a kid. Battle Network was first debuted in 2001 as an alternate universe where tech focused more on network tech like the internet and computers than on robots, so MegaMan.exe is a computer program called a Net Navi instead of... A robot.

While the original six games were released for Gameboy Advanced, they were rereleased in a collection on PC, Playstation, and Switch.

While I've since played games 1-3 (working on 4-6), I really recommend starting with 3, because they introduce a mechanic called NaviCust and some QOL updates that the previous two titles just don't have. While you'll miss out on the story, it doesn't fully connect from game to game other than some returning characters (Mr. Match and FlameMan for example) that reference having met before. I was able to pick up the third game and play it as a child without too much confusion on what was happening.

Gameplay is pretty simple, you can walk around as Lan Hikari in the 'real world', and jack in to use MegaMan.EXE and explore the net. Along the way you will have random encounters with viruses that you have to 'bust'. This is the tactical side of the game. You are given a certain number of battle chips that do different things (cannons, swords, bombs to name a few), and then you use them while avoiding the virus's attacks. The battle field is a 3x3 square board that you can move around freely. Some enemies may affect the field, so be careful!