Mega Man X5

"One cool game"

It's been quite a while since Capcom released a Mega Man game but finally we get Mega Man X5. X5 lived up to my expectations and even exceeded some of them. But, how does it score against some of the other X games? Well it turns out that this game is just as good as both X1 and X2.

-Story- The story takes place years after X4 humans and Repliods alike have expanded into space living in space colonies. After years of peace the largest colony Eurasia is attacked by terrorists. The hunters are dispatched to stop the attacks. Once they get there they find Sigma there and after a fight the colony is sent hurtling towards earth and the Sigma virus is also spread over the earth. With the earth in chaos X and Zero have to save the earth by destroying the colony with an ancient weapon called Enigma. So it's a race against the clock to save the world.

-Game play- The game play has a lot of new additions to it. First off the game has a time limit of sixteen simulated hours. After you pick a level you lose an hour. In this game you pick which character to play as before each level. X now has multiple armors five in all. There are also enhancements that you make and then can equip to your characters. X and Zero also now have the ability to duck. The Sigma virus floats through the levels infecting your character if they absorb too much of it. You can also skip straight to the last levels if you wish. A new character by the name of Alia gives you back round info and gives tips to beginners. The only problem is Alia gives her tips even if you don't need them, which can be a pain sometimes.

-Sound/Music- The sound effects are great. The voice acting has been improved although there is a lot less. The music is also top notch featuring a few remixes from X1 and X2.

-Graphics- X5 uses an improved version of the X4 engine. The game looks good slightly better than X4. The Anime sequences have been removed from the game though. Now except for the intro there is little to no animation in the cut scenes. I didn't mind this much but some people will probably be bothered by it.

I really enjoyed this game it has a lot of replay with multiple ending and difficulty levels. I recommend this game to any one enjoys 2-D games or Mega Man games. You wont be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/01/01, Updated 10/01/01