Mega Man V

"Somewhat disappionting...."

A few years back, I heard of the Super Game Boy, an add-on for the Super Nintendo that allows you to play Game Boy games on your TV screen in ''full color''. Overly excited by this new invention, I had to buy one immediately, as well as almost any game that would have SGB support. When I heard that Mega Man 5 had been released for the Super Game Boy, I looked all over for it, and snatched up a copy as quickly as possible, expecting a great new addition to the Mega Man series. What I recieved was a bit of a letdown....

While the entire story is explained at the beginning of the game, I'll tell you what it is, anyway. You are Mega Man, our little, blue, robotic super hero. You're casually strolling along with your little sister, Roll, at your side, when, suddenly, you're attacked by a humanoid robot named Terra. He is one of the evil Stardroids from outer space, bent on the domination of Earth! You attempt to defend yourself, but, your weapons are useless. You are knocked unconscious. When you awaken, your creator, Dr. Light, informs you that he has upgraded your weapons. You now possess the new Mega Arm, ''the most powerful weapon ever devised''. With it, you can stop the Stardroids. You'd better do it fast, though. They're already rampaging across the globe! Go, Mega Man! Fight for everlasting peace!

Graphics- This is very odd.... I've never been known to like the graphics in any Game Boy games...but, these are actually quite good! The backgrounds are very well done, and offer lots of eye candy for the small screen. The characters and enemies look good, as well, with lots of tiny little details that you'd barely notice unless you looked hard enough. Well, that's Capcom for ya'. The only problem I have is that the character sprites are very large, which can be a nuisance when dealing with such small enviroments. It's kind of the same problem I had with Mega Man VII for the SNES. It's not too big of a bother, though. You probably won't even notice.

Sound- Kind of a mixed bag. Some of the sound effects are rather annoying, like Mega Man charging up his Mega Arm, but, other effects are rather neat, like some of the explosions and weapon effects. The music is the same way. Some of it's your basic Mega Man fare (which means it's really good), and, some of it's rather drab, almost to the point where it's depressing to listen to. So, either turn the volume all the way down, or, plug in some headphones, and get a nice taste of stereo sound!

Play Control- As in all of the Game Boy Mega Man games, the controls are nice and responsive, but, the jumps still seem somewhat...''floaty''. Mega Man seems somewhat difficult to control in mid-air, but, it's not too much of a hassle. Play Control's okay.

Challenge- It varies. Some levels are somewhat difficult to accomplish, with many pitfalls, spikes that kill instantly with one touch, and multiple pathways, but, things never get TOO out of hand. You shouldn't have too much trouble with Mega Man 5, especially since there's a password feature available to back you up.

Replay Value- There's lots of stuff to look for in the later levels of the game. If you beat the game, you can go back, and try to collect all the goodies (which gives the game a certain ''Mega Man X'' appeal. Whoo!)! Good luck!

Other Gripes- This game doesn't seem to have the same ''feel'' as the other GB Mega Man games. It just doesn't feel like a Mega Man game, completely, probably due to the fact that there's no real order to the levels you go in. Usually, you defeat a Robot Master (or, Stardroid, in this case), then, use it's weapon to defeat your next foe. Since this game has weapons that can affect more than one of the Stardroids (or, none of them), there's no real order in which to follow. Just take out your Mega Arm, grab some E-Tanks and extra lives, and blow 'em all to smithereens! That's it! Then again, some people might like that....

Overall- Mega Man 5 seems like it could've been more than it ended up being. It's almost like something's missing. That doesn't mean this game's bad or anything. I just don't get the same thrill from it that I get from other games in the Mega Man series. But, it's still a good purchase if you enjoy Mega Man games and have a Super Game Boy. Heck, it's probably better for those who are sick of the repetition of the MM series, and want something a little different. If you're one of those people, you'll just love the ending! I wouldn't really recommend this game to anyone, but, it's worth buying, anyway, because I seem to be the only person on the face of the Earth who doesn't think this game is spectacular. Have fun.

Other Suggestions- If you like Mega Man 5, you might also enjoy Mega Man VII for the Super Nintendo, or, Mega Man 4 for Game Boy.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/29/00, Updated 02/22/01