System: NES

Company: Capcom

Released: December 1992

Catagory: Action/Adventure

The fifth game in the Mega Man series came less than a year after the great game Mega Man 4. However, this game is a whopper and may be the best Mega Man game EVER!! Everything that a great game has is in this great game. Mega Man 5 has new stages, secrets, and more! Mega Man has an incredibly POWERFUL Mega Buster thanks to Dr.Cossack enhancing its blast. Also, Rush has a new way to help Mega Man. Instead of the Rush Coil, Rush is a springboard that Mega Man can jump off of at the top of Rush's jump! Also, there are now "Mega Tanks" that refill the Blue Bomber's energy AND weapon levels. Beat the diving bird makes his first appearance in MM5. You must collect all the chips to spell MEGAMANV to activate Beat's systems. Each of the first eight stages contain one of these chips. It is worth it! This hunk of hardware is tough and will help you "beat" the game!! You will walk on the ceiling in Gravity Man's stage, ride a jetski in Wave Man's turf, and more. Excited yet? Well, here we go...

Storyline: Mega Man 5 has a great storyline that both excites and upsets people. However, I personally love it! Mega Man's loyal and mysterious brother, Protoman, has turned against the city. Half of the city lies in ruin. Eight robots commanded by Protoman have rampaged through the Star Control center, the City's Jungle, and the other major parts of the city. To top the cake, Protoman himself has kidnapped the brillant scientist and creator of Mega Man Dr.Light. Dr.Cossack(now an assistant of Dr.Light) has given Mega Man a Mega Buster enhancement to deal with these new robot pests. Rush, Fliptop, and even the prototype Beat will gladly help Mega Man find their creator. The major question is why would Protoman do this?

Graphics: The graphics in Mega Man 5 are sensationally done and some of the best that I have ever seen!! They are detailed, colorful, and bring back the feel that was in Mega Man 3. You go on a train, through a cool jungle,(with the palm trees blowing in the wind) into a crystal area, and more... You actually feel like you are in the clouds in the Gyro Man stage and dizzy in the Gravity Man stage where you are upside down part of the time. All in all, Mega Man 5 has the best graphics in the Mega Man series.

Music: Here's where Mega Man 5 REALLY shines. The soundtrack actually gives the EXCELLENT sounds of Mega Man 3 a contest. The music is original and lively like in MM3. Also, EVERY theme of Mega Man 5 is great! The Napalm Man, Stone Man, and Gyro Man themes are probably my favorites. The "story" theme music that plays right when you turn the game on is TERRIFIC!! Like in other Mega Man games, the music fits the stage(s) well. There is a nice slow theme to the mostly unhabited Wave Man stage while the Napalm Man stage has fast music. Overall, Mega Man 5 has excellent music!

Play Control: The play control is Mega Man 5 may be better than its predecessors. The new super powerful Mega Buster makes it easier to blast your foes while the Super Arrow makes travel "Mega Fast!!" Also, the new "springboard" Rush is a nice change from the traditional Rush Coil. Weapon control is as good as ever. With the Gyro Attack, you can throw a Gyro Blade straight ahead then make it go up or down before it disappears off the screen!! The Crystal Eye separates into several pieces when it hits a wall and the Power Stone circles the screen until it hits an enemy or goes off the screen. Talk about COOL weapons and weapons control! Who can forget the Charge Kick where you can defeat enemies by sliding into them? All things considered, the play control in Mega Man 5 is awesome!!

Challenge: I can assure you game players that Mega Man 5 is a challenging game! There are jumps in Crystal Man's hideout that are always challenging no matter how many times you've beat the game. Like the first four Mega Man games, MM5 is not too tough and not too easy. I'm sure that those of you who have played Star Man stage will agree.

Funfactor/Lasting Value: Mega Man 5 is one of the funnest games that I have EVER played!! The feel of each stage, the excellent graphics, and the superb music are just a few reasons why I like MM5 so much. There are lots of stages and this game has like I said, great play control. The search for all eight chips to activate Beat has kept many game players up in the wee hours of the night. This game may have more lasting value than ANY other game that I have EVER seen!! I'm always finding myself saying, "I'll play Mega Man 5 today" when I've beat it probably 20 times. But the game play is SO good, the music so nice, and the play control so fluid. Maybe I should just end this review here and play a game of MM5. Nah, don't worry. I'll wait.

Ending: Any game with a lot of lasting value HAS to have a great ending. After all, don't you consider playing a game so you can see its great ending again? Mega Man 5 has a GREAT(and surprising) ending. After you beat a foe who is all too familar, he tries to escape. However, Mega Man gives chase and catches his nemesis. He frees Dr.Light, and it looks like everything will be fine until the ceiling gives way. Mega Man, being super strong, keeps the ceiling from falling on Dr.Light. He can't hold it for long though. When all seems hopeless, a familar whistle is heard and part of the ceiling is shot away. Mega Man and Dr.Light don't ask questions. They run out of the castle!! Outside, they look on as their nemesis escapes in his flying saucer. Behind them, the familar "Red" guy in shades looks on and disappears until next time. Of course, the castle is totaled by this time. Afterwards, the credits roll and a REALLY nice theme plays in the background. Mega Man 5 has a great ending!

Here are my personal ratings for the game Mega Man 5 on a scale of 1 to 5:

Storyline: 4.8
Graphics: 5.0*
Music: 5.0*
Play Control: 4.8
Challenge: 4.6
Funfactor: 5.0*
Ending: 4.8

Negatives: Mega Man 5 was done VERY well as seen in my ratings. There aren't really any negatives. The game could have been a little more challenging. It is very easy to get 1ups by just destroying enemies. After a while, you WILL get a 1up. It can be annoying to see your foe escape again after this game. That all the negatives that I can find for Mega Man 5.