Mega Man 5: A Review

Mega Man 5 on the NES was different from the other Mega Man games in its own sense. This was one of the first Mega Man games I actually owned directly. However, if you got hit while charging, you had to start all over again and it added some challenge to really get your shots in before it is too late. I saw this on the Video Game Vault sometime on Gametrailers and after seeing it and playing it, I had to ask myself was it that bad in the Mega Man series?

Plot: In this one, you have a twist of robots going out destroying the city and also there is Protoman capturing Dr. Light and you see the scarf in the end. It does ask the question of did Protoman really commit such a heinous act or is there a smoke screen to something else with Dr. Wily?

Differences: Well, you have to collect letters in all the robot master stages and if you get them all, you get Beat. I recommend doing so even if it means revisiting a stage you once beat because you missed the letter. The toughest ones to get are Wave Man and Crystal Man because it is all about timing. In Anniversary Collection, instead of the Roman Numeral for five, you have to collect this at Crystal Man’s stage with it being the number five. Also, there is a Mega Tank but can only hold one. You can hold up to nine E-Tanks. Two things also I want to point out that are different. If you get hit while charging up your buster, you have to recharge again to add to a challenge and Rush is like on autopilot going into one direction but can move in vertical directions if need be.

Every Mega Man is identical based upon how it looks and how it plays. The robot masters have some strange names but it doesn’t really matter now does it? It’s all about the challenge. It can be an annoyance at first but it’s nothing that you can’t get used to overtime. There is also the item called The Super Arrow and you have to jump on it to continue somewhere for a distance if you travel but it does run out of weapon energy.

As far as the game itself overall, it’s really not a bad game. Maybe not the best of the Mega Man games but it’s acceptable. It’s pretty fun, challenging, and just keeps you going. I like the story in it about Proto Man being involved and possibly being the main villain but we know better. If you’ve played Mega Man games, the final villain is none other than Wily. If you’re looking for one that doesn’t have him there, try the Game Boy Mega Man 5 game and you will see who the final boss is exactly. I’m not going to give it away though as you’ll have to find yourself until possibly a later piece or something written up in the near future.

What I liked about this game honestly was the overall game play. You had your challenging areas and parts like Gyro’s Man part with what is like an elevator with spikes on part of the area and requiring sliding with good timing. Star Man you have to get used to the gravity in it or lack there of and it feels like you’re on the moon. Since it’s outer space it fits but it works. There’s really not a lot about this game that you could possibly hate but that’s just one man’s view.

As for my final thoughts on this game, it is pretty solid and holds true to the Mega Man series. It does it justice and it just doesn’t make sense if there’s enough heat for it but that’s just me. I hope to see this game get on the Virtual Console in the near future. If you can’t find it on Ebay, which is very unlikely since they sell everything but the kitchen sink, try your hand at getting this with the other classic Mega Man games with Mega Man Anniversary Collection. I think you will enjoy it and once you try it, you might actually like it.