Mega Man X5

"I didn't think they'd actually make this game!"

Well in my review for Megaman X4 I said it was unlikely that Capcom would make another sequel, I was wrong. It took a long time for them to make it, but they have! This review is based on the import version Rockman X5 and my lack of Japanese text knowledge is very high so if I make any mistakes on the story or what not, you know what's up.
This (not surprisingly) is a continuation of the events from the last installment. But there are many new things in the game moves, characters, et cetera. Although I didn't understand the story completely I think I've grasped the concept somewhat from the pretty pretty pictures (should of used anime FMV.) Basically the Reploid colony wasn't completely destroyed and is on a crash course to Earth (wow the colony looks so different...). As both Zero and X you must stop the colonies decent and destroy the Sigma Virus. Also worth noting, like the previous game there seems to be more focus on Zero (he's the man!) but unlike the last game, there is a reason for this.
The game uses an upgraded X4 engine but some of the character detail has been enhanced a few. In the beginning you get to choose between X and Zero. This doesn't mean that you must stay with that character throughout the game, it just effects the story and a few gameplay issues (X's X4 suit, and the Z-Buster.) The difficulty of the platforming has been raised a lot since X4 and to cope with that there are certain points through each stage that you can continue from even if you game over (most noticeable is continuing from the pre-fight chamber.) Also new to the X series is equipping add-ons which you may get after passing a stage.
The game centers around being timed to stop the colonies decent. They give you 16 hours to stop the colony. Note that these aren't literal hours, entering a stage costs one hour, and you won't be penalized for continuing. Also worth mentioning is that after you stop the colony the timer is taken away and you are free to do whatever. But you are timed on how long you took in a stage and complete the game. I don't believe this has much relevance, but how fast you take to finish a boss of determines your Maverick Hunter rank, again I don't think this has much relevance. Lastly, if you played the last game you'll see that there is something new to the screen. In the lower corner there is an indicator that says: normal. During certain times in certain stages you'll encounter the ''Sigma'' Virus, coming in contact with it gets you infected from normal, caution, to danger. After danger you get a poison type damage that repeatedly hurts you.
Nothing really special to say about the sound. The explosions sound nice. I did like the music a lot, the J-Rock seemed to fit a lot. The stage and fight music is it's usually X rock type, although I did like a few certain tracks better than others. But the most notable thing is that X sounds like a guy!!!!!
What I didn't like... The continuing points. At first I thought it was good with the increase in difficulty, but now I think it makes it too easy. Character Development. Taking back what I said about X4 being centered on Zero, I remember X had some development. In this one you don't see X much unless your playing him or your near the end. Also the new characters don't have much involvement in the game except for doing certain things on menus. Also there seemed to be a bad guy that disappeared half way through the game. The cut scenes weren't that good. They're mostly sets of still shots accompanied by text. Zero seems to have mostly the same types of moves with different elemental properties and a few new ones. Most of my story questions could probably be explained when they release the English version. And they didn't use the infection system that much. But what I did like was that they had expanded more on Zero's connection to Wily and the nature of the Sigma Virus. Oh minor gripe, if what I got was the good ending, then it wasn't really a ''good'' ending.
I really did enjoy this installment. I cleared the game in 1 hour 59 minutes w/o getting most of the items. But there are many hidden items to find, and if you don't cheat with a walkthrough I'm sure the play time will be longer.

Rating:
Gameplay: 9/10
Difficulty: 8/10
Sound: 7/10
Story: 9/10
Replay: 8/10
Concept: 9/10

Final Thought
Hoping they can get X6 out faster than they did this game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/00, Updated 12/18/00