Thank goodness for Capcom, a company that is willing to keep 2D gaming alive. Honestly, if it weren't for the occasional 2D game here and there, I don't know how I could take this job much longer. Playing Mega Man this month was such a fresh change of pace over the usual 3D drab that I'm so accustomed to, it almost brought a tear to my eye. So here's hoping that Capcom will continue to keep the 2D games coming well into the next generation of game consoles. If only to please the few of us who still care about them.
But with that said, here's also hoping that Capcom will be able to invent some new gameplay ideas for Mega Man, because with this latest title it's becoming more and more apparent that we've all played this game before. Several times. There's really nothing new here at all, which means that it can only really be recommended to those of you who are diehard Mega Man fans. Or, like me, gamers who just need a new 2D title here and there.
For this Mega Man X, however, Capcom has really upped the difficulty. Even with the unlimited continues, it's not easy to make it through some of the tight spots. Often this is due to the button combinations that the game—and most Mega Man X games for that matter—require of you (such as climbing a wall while charging), but often it's also due to just the placement of enemies. Oh yeah, and some tough bosses. MMX5 does offer the option to turn your charger to always on, but this isn't much of a saving grace.
This time around, Capcom has also placed a bigger emphasis on story, which I'm not exactly too keen on. It sometimes gets a little tedious to read through lines of text, when all you really want to do is just go out and blast stuff (I mean, this is Mega Man, after all). Also, the game likes to dish out obvious pointers to you in areas that any capable gamer would know how to solve. It's just an interruption of the action if you ask me. It is kind of neat, though, that depending how quickly you finish the game, you're awarded different endings.
Hardcore MM fans should check this out. For anyone else, though, it's probably better as a rental.
Mega Man X5
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Web Site: www.capcom.com
Final Score: 3.5 points
Players: 1
Memory Card: 128 KB
