Mega Man X5

"He keeps going and going and ..."

He keeps going and going, Mega Man X that is. Sometimes I wonder if Capcom should just retire the Mega Man/Mega Man X series. Don’t get me wrong I love the blue guy (and Zero) but enough is enough. Mega Man X5 has its good points and its well not so good parts that make playing fun and the next minute agonizing. Take Alia for example. All she seems to do is constantly drive the player insane with the same tips over and over again. And what’s up Dynamo? Why the heck isn’t he a major boss if he works for evil (like Vile)?
Why all the Guns ‘N’ Roses references?

Of course MMX5 has its fun aspects also. Gotta love that auto-fire and speed shots that are found in the config menu. And finally Zero has his buster from X3 again (But only if you play as Zero in the beginning stage). Also you can change the difficulty at the menu in the beginning also, and the armors are fun to play with too (Go Falcon Armor).

Gameplay – Similar to X4 (in more ways then one). The new crouch feature is very useful and the wire hang thing is nifty too. Veterans of X4 will have no problem with this game.

Story – The story seems really stupid to me. I guess Sigma makes Eurasia Space Colony crash to earth (that’s why the game’s timed) and the Maverick hunters only have 16 hours to save earth or bad stuff happens.

Audio/Video – This seems to be a step down from X4. No more FMV’s and hardly any voice overs (which isn’t a bad thing). The battle music is pretty good and I liked Crescent Grizzly’s stage music, but this game just seemed to be lacking in the music department (they even used Bubble Crab’s Music from X2)

Replay Value – Well there are several different paths to take with 3 endings but after your third time playing through your gonna find a new game to perk your interests.

To buy or not to buy? – If your like me and collect anything Mega Man/X then I guess nothing is going to stop you from buying, but casual and new players would be better off renting.

Final Tally
Gameplay: 9
Story: 6
Audio/Video: 5 (lots of “borrowed” tunes from the other X games, I would have like to hear more orignal work, unless...)
Replay Value: 5
Final Score: 6

Note: this is possibly the last game of the X series , and if that is so then I would give this game an 8. Just because lots of references to the other X games which would kinda tie up the series with this game. If this is just another chapter in the X series then it gets a 6.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/27/01, Updated 02/27/01