Mega Man 5
Reviewed by Dji
Proto Man has kidnapped Dr. Light and sent out eight of his
own robots to make sure that Mega Man doesn't rescue him.
Some people think that this Mega Man isn't as good as the
others...well, I personally think that it actually is, but it's just
more of the same. Don't get me wrong, it's a great series, but
anyway. It's not as tough as Mega Man 3, but certainly tougher than
Mega Man 2. If you've played these games, you know what I mean.
Graphics 10 out of 10
In my opinion, Mega Man's graphics are unrivaled on the NES. It's
got it's own style and all. The bosses are almost all pretty neat.
There are some exceptions (Star Man and Wave Man), but the
others look cool. Some enemies are ugly (like that
slow-seeker-missile-lancher-dude), but there is still the Giant
Octopus (from Wave Man) and others. Mega Man looks the same
as always. There are some glitches and slowdown, but not enough
to worry about.
Music and Sound 8 out of 10
The sound effects are OK, but nothing more. It's always the same
little noises. When Mega Man gets hurt, hurts an enemy, lands after
a jump, etc. It may get annoying, but I personally don't care much.
The sound of an exploding Robot Master or Mega Man himself has
always been one of my favorites.
The music, however, is another story. In the series, it has always
been a strange mixture of classic and uncool tunes. Cut, Metal,
Snake, Dive...these are the greatest of all time (I left out a lot of
my favorites). In this fifth installment, Stone and Napalm rank up, but
Gyro really doesn't!!!! It's all a matter of personal taste, but all in
all, I'm sure there are at least two tunes that you will love. There
is an extreme diversity of music, which is cool, in my opinion. The
boss music is cool, too.
Game Challenge 6 out of 10
If you're a Mega Maniac (like myself) and capable of finishing Mega
Man 2 with 21 lives, 4 energy tanks, without getting touched by the
boss and without dying a single time, you won't have much trouble.
Most bosses (if not all) die easily with the Mega Buster (especially
pumped up). If you haven't played Mega Man, this is a good one to
start with. Here are my rankings (1 being toughest and 8 being
easiest) for the levels and bosses.
Levels
1. Gyro Man (falling blocks and elevator-spike parts)
2. Star Man (spikes everywhere, don't jump too high)
3. Wave Man (leveling bubbles)
4. Crystal Man (only the first half is tough)
5. Gravity Man (one of the most original levels in Mega Man history!)
6. Napalm Man (long, with tough enemies)
7. Stone Man (one somewhat tough spot, the first time, near the end)
8. Charge Man (not a single pit)
Bosses
1. Gravity Man
2. Charge Man
3. Wave Man
4. Star Man
5. Crystal Man (lots of slowdown here)
6. Napalm Man
7. Gyro Man
8. Stone Man
The castle stages are tougher than usual (and there are a lot of
them), so don't despair if you're not able to finish them. Practice
is the key to mastering this (these) game(s).
Game Play-Fun 9 out of 10
You will have fun, no doubt about it. This is typical Mega Man at
its best. However, I have never like the castle stages (in any
Mega Man) because you don't chose the order, and that's a
shame. The fact that you can choose whatever level you want
(for the Robo Masters) is great. It may be that combined with
the fact that you get the weapon of the boss you defeat. Now
THAT'S cool!!!! Also, trying different strategies is always fun,
and discovering new areas too. If you can't get enough of
Mega Man, well, these are a few more levels to calm your
appetite...before you start craving for more again!
Frustration
Oh no...this is the best word to describe Mega Man. FRUSTRATION.
Try the freakin' Crystal Man stage, it's just so stressing that it's
not even fun. And the usual get-hit-while-jumping-and-fall-in-a-pit,
reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden, is also very frustrating. Once you've
done it once, though, it's not that frustrating. And the Play
Control is so Top Notch that it is almost mouse-sensitive!!!! So
you won't be able to blame the game...only yourself!!!
Replayability 10 out of 10
Getting better is the greatest part of the game, and when you've
finished it, you'll want to do it faster with getting the fewest hits
possible, etc...or just take you time and cruise through the game.
Time goes by faster than you'd think! In this Mega Game, you can
collect letters to form MEGAMANV (one in each stage) and once
you've done it, you'll get...see for yourself.
Game Value 10 out of 10
Surely, it's not easy to find an NES game. Well, not too tough, but
Mega Man, that's almost impossible. I recommend going on Ebay's
site. I have had lots of great deals there, but if you manage to
find it elsewhere, $15 is more than reasonable for that game,
especially if it comes with the box and instructions. Either you
love it or you hate it (but when you hate it, it's usually 'cause
you're not good enough...but believe me, play the MM series a
lot and you'll change your mind).
Overall 10 out of 10
I gave the game a perfect score because it combines simple (but
great) game play with nice music and graphics. It's got all it takes
to make a great game. There is no multi player mode, but who
cares??? There are enough great Multi player games out there,
this one is a Single-Player masterpiece. Also, it is EXACTLY the
same as the other games. Had it been a PC game, the Mega Man
series would have been a bunch of add-ons, since the only
differences are the stages and the bosses. Same control, same
feeling, same everything. Oh well, I like it that way, it's simply
classic! Mega Man rules. By the way, my favorite Robot
Master of all-time is the great CRASH MAN (from Mega Man 2).