STOP MAKING MEGA MAN
ROBOT MASTERS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE GIVEN REAL JOBS
YEARS OF MEGA MAN ENTRIES yet NO-REAL WORLD USE FOUND for STAR MAN
Wanted a strong and tough robot master for a laugh? We had one for that. It was called "GUTS MAN"
"Yes please give me WAVE MAN. Please give me GRAVITY MAN" - Robot masters dreamed up by the utterly deranged
"Hello I would like to fight Gyro Man please"
They have played us for absolute fools
ROBOT MASTERS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE GIVEN REAL JOBS
YEARS OF MEGA MAN ENTRIES yet NO-REAL WORLD USE FOUND for STAR MAN
Wanted a strong and tough robot master for a laugh? We had one for that. It was called "GUTS MAN"
"Yes please give me WAVE MAN. Please give me GRAVITY MAN" - Robot masters dreamed up by the utterly deranged
"Hello I would like to fight Gyro Man please"
They have played us for absolute fools
As one would expect, Mega Man 4 was yet another fantastic entry in this fantastic series, continuing the solid gameplay for a fourth roundabout, while introducing enough to see that the series still had elements to bring to the table, despite how at this point, things were getting pretty repetitive for most players, and how it was seen as the beginning of the “Meh” trilogy of Mega Man games. So, of course, a sequel was inevitable, although there would be troubles when it came to developing this sequel, given how there was a new project leader for this game, and how the developers felt they already succeeded in what they wanted to do with the series with Mega Man 4. So, instead of trying reinvent the wheel, or putting unnecessary dents into it, they just decided to try to make a bigger and better experience with the next game, and thus, we got Mega Man 5 as a result.
Out of all the Mega Man games on the NES, I would say Mega Man 5 is the one that is the most well-centered of the bunch. While it does introduce new elements to the series like previous entries, it focuses more on making the gameplay more fun and accessible, while still trying new things to not seem like a broken record… even though most would probably consider it one at that point. With that in mind, I would consider it to be yet another wonderful entry in this series(wow, what a shocker), and a definite improvement over Mega Man 4, which was already great to begin with. Sure, it’s not perfect, and it does carry the same issue that Mega Man 4 had, but it is still just as fun as any of the other games so far in this franchise (at least for me), and I love it dearly.
The story is actually somewhat different from the usual “robots are being violent, go stop them”, although let’s be honest, a kidnapping plot isn’t any better, the graphics are about the same as the other four games, but of course, the sprites and animations have been improved upon here, the music is great, as per usual, the control is just as responsive and solid as ever, and the gameplay still carries the same run and gunning style that still manages to be fun and addictive, five titles in.
The gameplay remains the same as the gameplay for all of the other Mega Man games at this point, where you take control of the blue bomber, go through eight plus stages in whatever order you please, shoot down all of the enemies that you come across along the way, pick up many different health, ammo, and special items to give you an edge over what you will face, take on a set of Robot Masters and bosses, and gain their special abilities to help you out against stronger opponents. Most of it remains unchanged, although there is alterations made to elements like the mega buster, making it much more powerful and having a much wider range, as well as the Rush Coil, which now, rather then just bouncing you up to your destination, it bounces up itself, and you have to jump off of it. Not sure why they changed that, but it still works nonetheless.
New additions to this game would be that, for the first time in a Mega Man game, there is a consistent collectible to get throughout the game. Yes, the previous games have had optional weapons to get, but they weren’t a consistent part of all the levels, and moreso just one or two random things you could grab if you wished to. For this game, there are letters that spell out “MEGAMANV”, and you can collect one of these letters in each of the eight initial stages. While they aren’t really that hard to find or even collect (with the one in Stone Man Stage being somewhat of an exception), what you get from them is absolutely worth the effort of collecting them in the first place, so this is a much appreciated addition. Alongside that, there are also several moments in the game where the gameplay is mixed up to implement new challenges never before seen in the series, such as one stage where gravity is inverted in most instances, and one stage that includes a vehicle section for the first time in the series. There aren’t too many of these moments, but when they do show up, it is much appreciated, and it makes the game more varied and fun.
I don’t have too many problems with this game, which isn’t surprising, but I do carry the problem that I had with Mega Man 4: the unnecessary padding. Just like in that last game, there is a twist in the plot (even though it is pretty obvious), and also just like that last game, you have to go through two final castles rather than just one. It is fun padding, but it is padding nonetheless, and it is still not needed here. Aside from that, and some minor frustrations that I have with some of the weapons in the game (cough, Power Stone, cough), there’s not really much else I can complain about this game. It is solid enough, even if it doesn’t leave too much of an impact on the universe or these characters.
Overall, despite the same padding issues as before and not too much change to the gameplay, Mega Man 5 is still a great romp through and through, and definitely the best of the “Meh” trilogy of Mega Man games on the NES. I would definitely recommend it for Mega Man fans, and for those who might wanna try getting into the series, as it isn’t that bad of a place to start. And since I can’t think of a joke to end this review on, I wanna point out that one of the weapons in this game, the Napalm Bomb, is shortened to “N-Bomb” in the selection screen, and that is fucking hilarious.
Game #304
Out of all the Mega Man games on the NES, I would say Mega Man 5 is the one that is the most well-centered of the bunch. While it does introduce new elements to the series like previous entries, it focuses more on making the gameplay more fun and accessible, while still trying new things to not seem like a broken record… even though most would probably consider it one at that point. With that in mind, I would consider it to be yet another wonderful entry in this series(wow, what a shocker), and a definite improvement over Mega Man 4, which was already great to begin with. Sure, it’s not perfect, and it does carry the same issue that Mega Man 4 had, but it is still just as fun as any of the other games so far in this franchise (at least for me), and I love it dearly.
The story is actually somewhat different from the usual “robots are being violent, go stop them”, although let’s be honest, a kidnapping plot isn’t any better, the graphics are about the same as the other four games, but of course, the sprites and animations have been improved upon here, the music is great, as per usual, the control is just as responsive and solid as ever, and the gameplay still carries the same run and gunning style that still manages to be fun and addictive, five titles in.
The gameplay remains the same as the gameplay for all of the other Mega Man games at this point, where you take control of the blue bomber, go through eight plus stages in whatever order you please, shoot down all of the enemies that you come across along the way, pick up many different health, ammo, and special items to give you an edge over what you will face, take on a set of Robot Masters and bosses, and gain their special abilities to help you out against stronger opponents. Most of it remains unchanged, although there is alterations made to elements like the mega buster, making it much more powerful and having a much wider range, as well as the Rush Coil, which now, rather then just bouncing you up to your destination, it bounces up itself, and you have to jump off of it. Not sure why they changed that, but it still works nonetheless.
New additions to this game would be that, for the first time in a Mega Man game, there is a consistent collectible to get throughout the game. Yes, the previous games have had optional weapons to get, but they weren’t a consistent part of all the levels, and moreso just one or two random things you could grab if you wished to. For this game, there are letters that spell out “MEGAMANV”, and you can collect one of these letters in each of the eight initial stages. While they aren’t really that hard to find or even collect (with the one in Stone Man Stage being somewhat of an exception), what you get from them is absolutely worth the effort of collecting them in the first place, so this is a much appreciated addition. Alongside that, there are also several moments in the game where the gameplay is mixed up to implement new challenges never before seen in the series, such as one stage where gravity is inverted in most instances, and one stage that includes a vehicle section for the first time in the series. There aren’t too many of these moments, but when they do show up, it is much appreciated, and it makes the game more varied and fun.
I don’t have too many problems with this game, which isn’t surprising, but I do carry the problem that I had with Mega Man 4: the unnecessary padding. Just like in that last game, there is a twist in the plot (even though it is pretty obvious), and also just like that last game, you have to go through two final castles rather than just one. It is fun padding, but it is padding nonetheless, and it is still not needed here. Aside from that, and some minor frustrations that I have with some of the weapons in the game (cough, Power Stone, cough), there’s not really much else I can complain about this game. It is solid enough, even if it doesn’t leave too much of an impact on the universe or these characters.
Overall, despite the same padding issues as before and not too much change to the gameplay, Mega Man 5 is still a great romp through and through, and definitely the best of the “Meh” trilogy of Mega Man games on the NES. I would definitely recommend it for Mega Man fans, and for those who might wanna try getting into the series, as it isn’t that bad of a place to start. And since I can’t think of a joke to end this review on, I wanna point out that one of the weapons in this game, the Napalm Bomb, is shortened to “N-Bomb” in the selection screen, and that is fucking hilarious.
Game #304
This box art is the stuff that inspired me to keep drawing dumb shit for the rest of my life.
Like, Rock isn't even looking at Gravity Man's lightning beam or his stupid stomach gauge, man is running forward MID-PARRY saying "nah bitch, get that weak ass shit outta here, not worth my time", I love it
Like, Rock isn't even looking at Gravity Man's lightning beam or his stupid stomach gauge, man is running forward MID-PARRY saying "nah bitch, get that weak ass shit outta here, not worth my time", I love it
Undoubtedly the best mainline Mega Man game I’ve played so far. Visually beautiful, this game really pushes what the NES can display, and the music here is fantastic too. The level design is also very good apart from Crystal Man’s stage, and obviously as ever the Fortress levels are infuriating.
Finally a Mega Man I can say I almost thoroughly enjoyed, and not because I got carried by the Metal Blade.
Finally a Mega Man I can say I almost thoroughly enjoyed, and not because I got carried by the Metal Blade.
Actually pretty darn creative and fun for NES game.
Tive que abrir uma exceção nos jogos 4.5 estrelas, só pra colocar esse jogo. Disparado o ápice de um jogo charmoso e divertido, com o tamanho ideal. Nesse jogo tu vai ter fases com gravidade invertida, fase com sessão Jetski, fase com gravidade diminuída e todo tipo de criatividade que um jogo dessa época poderia oferecer. Os Power ups são os mais variados e divertidos, nenhum é extremamente quebrado ou um lixo, por um guia errado da internet, acabei pegando um sequência de bosses bem errada, mas mesmo assim consegui me virar muito bem com os poderes que eu tinha na hora e com a buster. Fora que é disparado até o momento o Mega com as melhores fases pós os 8 bosses, eu odiei elas nos megas passados, principalmente no 2 (tmnc ter que regular bomba), mas nesse jogo elas são todas muito divertidas e bem pensadas. Já disse isso no começo, mas esse jogo é o pico do level design da época, justo, grandinho até, divertido e criativo.
Robot master designs kept getting weirder, levels stayed fun and music stayed rad though. Collecting the letters for Beat was tough but he was a cool ally to go with Rush
Finished this game in one sitting after four left a bad taste in my mouth and I am so happy to see it as one of my favorites. Many truly frustrating design decisions from the previous game have become more manageable, especially with the difficulty of the bosses.
Robot masters no longer hit like a tank and can reasonably be defeated even with the base mega-buster. This made the time spent replaying parts of the stages more rewarding as I enjoyed each of the fights. The stages also received upgrades with them being some of the most appealing themed stages I have seen in the series so far. A special shout-out to the Gravity Man and Charge Man stages for being some of my favorites. The series finally introduced interesting stage gimmicks such as gravity flipping and a vehicle section. These gimmicks are usually pretty short but they do wonders for making the stages stand out more.
The gameplay remains the same albeit with slight changes. The mega-busters charge has received another upgrade with a more destructive blast that feels great to use. The weapon upgrades are also a lot of fun to use and I found myself using them outside of boss fights more than I did in some previous entries. The gravity-hold is one of my favorites with it acting as a screen-clearing weapon that causes enemies to fly into the sky once hurt enough. The special weapon "Beak", a robotic bird, is both fun to unlock, with you having to collect hidden letters in each level, and extremely helpful to use.
Honestly, the game seems a lot more forgiving than previous entries with increased life drops and energy tanks to collect. Some might be opposed to its more forgiving nature, but it allowed me to take the time and enjoy the different aspects of the game. The entry ranks pretty high for me and has encouraged me to jump into the sixth entry right away. This game also gets bonus points for proving Proto-Man is one of my favorite characters in the series now.
Robot masters no longer hit like a tank and can reasonably be defeated even with the base mega-buster. This made the time spent replaying parts of the stages more rewarding as I enjoyed each of the fights. The stages also received upgrades with them being some of the most appealing themed stages I have seen in the series so far. A special shout-out to the Gravity Man and Charge Man stages for being some of my favorites. The series finally introduced interesting stage gimmicks such as gravity flipping and a vehicle section. These gimmicks are usually pretty short but they do wonders for making the stages stand out more.
The gameplay remains the same albeit with slight changes. The mega-busters charge has received another upgrade with a more destructive blast that feels great to use. The weapon upgrades are also a lot of fun to use and I found myself using them outside of boss fights more than I did in some previous entries. The gravity-hold is one of my favorites with it acting as a screen-clearing weapon that causes enemies to fly into the sky once hurt enough. The special weapon "Beak", a robotic bird, is both fun to unlock, with you having to collect hidden letters in each level, and extremely helpful to use.
Honestly, the game seems a lot more forgiving than previous entries with increased life drops and energy tanks to collect. Some might be opposed to its more forgiving nature, but it allowed me to take the time and enjoy the different aspects of the game. The entry ranks pretty high for me and has encouraged me to jump into the sixth entry right away. This game also gets bonus points for proving Proto-Man is one of my favorite characters in the series now.
HOLY SHIT
now we're fucking talking bro
charge man is ADORABLE
charge man is ADORABLE
This has just what Mega Man 4 was missing: War Crimes.
Mega Man 5 also has a charge shot that looks great and melts through everything in the game.
Mega Man 5 ALSO has nothing but bangers in its soundtrack. I love every song in this game, especially the Proto Man stages. They were cookin here.
The Super Arrow is pretty redundant in this game though, considering Rush Jet is present, as well as an upgraded Rush Coil. It's pretty cool though!
There's not much else to be critical about here, the game is really solid all around. I love every bit of it. They added some extra frames of animation so that Mega Man can spin around. It's great! How could you be mad with that?
I've beaten Mega Man 5 four times and enjoyed it each time. I recommend it to anyone who likes video games. You don't even gotta study or play the previous games to enjoy it, just jump right in and have fun.
Mega Man 5 also has a charge shot that looks great and melts through everything in the game.
Mega Man 5 ALSO has nothing but bangers in its soundtrack. I love every song in this game, especially the Proto Man stages. They were cookin here.
The Super Arrow is pretty redundant in this game though, considering Rush Jet is present, as well as an upgraded Rush Coil. It's pretty cool though!
There's not much else to be critical about here, the game is really solid all around. I love every bit of it. They added some extra frames of animation so that Mega Man can spin around. It's great! How could you be mad with that?
I've beaten Mega Man 5 four times and enjoyed it each time. I recommend it to anyone who likes video games. You don't even gotta study or play the previous games to enjoy it, just jump right in and have fun.
Yeah, you read the title right. I think Mega Man 5 is both the best classic Mega Man game and one of the most underrated games I have ever played. I adore this game from start to finish, it is one of my all time favorite platformer games. The game features some of the best level variety I have found in a platformer game, especially for a game on the fucking NES. It’s wild. This game has great levels, pretty good weapons, great bosses, and feels like the pinnacle of what a platformer game from this era could be. For all of these reasons and more, it is my favorite NES game, and I hope I can convince some of the people who don’t love it as much as me to think about it more and perhaps give it a second chance.
See full review here: https://medium.com/@QueenEmilysCourt/mega-man-5-the-best-classic-mega-man-game-5ddb7301a208
See full review here: https://medium.com/@QueenEmilysCourt/mega-man-5-the-best-classic-mega-man-game-5ddb7301a208
Seemed a bit easier than the previous games but that might also be because the charged shot is very strong in this game. Anyway, I barely had any trouble at all beating this game while some sections in the earlier games were pretty difficult/annoying.
I liked this game about the same as Mega Man 4 maybe just a tad less but still pretty enjoyable. The powers were cool and so were most of the bosses. The stages weren't bad either.
And I absolutely loved the little bird Beat.
I liked this game about the same as Mega Man 4 maybe just a tad less but still pretty enjoyable. The powers were cool and so were most of the bosses. The stages weren't bad either.
And I absolutely loved the little bird Beat.
Tight, polished, and just a joy to play. Some of the best level gimmicks of the NES MM games with Gravity Man and Wave Man being some highlights. People often say that this game has the worst boss weapons, but outside of Power Stone and Charge Kick, most of the weapons are really useful. This game gets a lot of unnecessary hate, if you haven't played it in a while I would give it another shot you might be presently surprised.
I think this one gets a lot of points in my book for having some ridiculous shit in it, which I just eat up. This game has Napalm Man in it!!! And a castle shaped like Proto Man! How can you not love that? The gameplay doesn't stick out in my brain over 4 or 6, but it's definitely a solid entry.
I figure I should probably round up the reviews, and hey, I'm actually excited for this one. Megaman 5? Probably my favorite out of the classic games!
I'll do the format I did for the other NES Megaman titles.
Star Man Stage: Starting off strong, Star Man's stage is gorgeous (for the NES at least) and actually gives you a fun low-gravity excuse that isn't water. The enemy placement is actually pretty solid, and the platforming is pretty fun, even if the spikes can make it a bit punishing (but if you're playing 5, you should already have mastered low-gravity spike platforming honestly). Star Man's fight is pretty fun, you have a lot of room to maneuver and the pattern's not hard to get down.
Gravity Man Stage: A really wild stage concept with a fun gimmick, this one's a blast. If you enjoyed that one weird Run n' Gun section of Cuphead with the inverted gravity, you'll probably like this. The fact that the enemies are designed with the stage's gimmick in mind and interact with it meaningfully is also fantastic. You'll see the little dropper enemy and think: "What's this?" only to see the gravity change and go "Oh, I see!". It's kind of silly to be impressed by this stuff nowadays, but I really didn't expect to see something as novel as a gravity switch mechanic in an NES game. Just goes to show how much Capcom was innovating on the NES! Gravity Man's boss fight is also a ton of fun, especially if you're timing it with Star Crash and you slap him in the middle of the gravity flip. This fight is a blast, and it gives you a pretty damn busted weapon with Gravity Hold too.
Gyro Man Stage: Visions of Air Man,,,,, but it's actually a lot more fun! The elevators are a great setpiece for the stage in general, and the enemies feel fair to fight, even with all the platforming. Gyro Man's fight is a little eh, but he goes down really fast if you have Gravity Hold so there's not much to complain about there.
Crystal Man Stage: Super interesting design that reminds me of a better-looking Top Man stage. There's a ton of verticality which really adds to the "delving into a cave" theme the stage has going on. As for Crystal Man himself, his attack is a little hard to dodge but thankfully the damage they deal is pretty reasonable, so it's not bad at all.
Napalm Man Stage: Napalm Man as a concept is fucking hilarious. What the hell was Light smoking when he made this guy? Well, anyways. Stage is incredibly unsubtle about the fact it parodies Vietnam, but hey, it looks pretty damn good for 8-bit. The tiger enemies are a good test for your reflexes, and none of the other enemies are really bad to deal with aside from maybe the missile guys and the helicopter joes? As for Napalm Man himself, he's a little bit tricky but not hard to deal with once you get him down.
On a sidenote, I find it funny that Napalm Man and Air Man have a similar body type. Maybe they're brothers? And on the topic of sidenotes, the boss theme in this game sounds kind of silly, but it really grew on me.
Stone Man Stage: Bats and Mets that explode,,,,, really iffy enemy selection. This stage is kind of unmemorable sadly, I don't have a lot to say about it. At least Stone Man is a decent enough fight.
Charge Man Stage: Awesome stage design, love how you go on the train, into the train, back out again, then back in. I think it's a little short, but the stage concept is awesome and it's a damn good stage in the short length it had. I struggled a little bit on Charge Man because Power Stone is miserable to aim, but eventually I realized it's just better to use the Buster and I beat him the first try after I realized that. Whoops.
Dive Man Stage: It's an interesting stage, I'll give it that. You'd expect another uninspired water level, but thankfully they didn't and they decided to give us a unique ship level with the main highlight being the Rush Marine section. I wasn't a terribly big fan of this section because you couldn't really use the powers you'd been accruing over the course of the playthrough, but it was definitely a novel concept and I'm glad they decided to at least try to mix it up. Unfortunately, Dive Man is kind of a lame fight that's not too interesting if you try to do it honorably, so just Charge Kick the crap out of him and get it over with.
And onto the Proto Man Stages.
Proto Man Stage 1: It's surprisingly pink. The return of the kaizo blocks is kind of mitigated due to the fact Rush Jet exists. Dark Man I isn't anything to write home about, but he sure does exist.
Proto Man Stage 2: Some fun enemies return, but nothing terribly memorable happens in this stage. Dark Man II is A Boss That Exists, I guess.
Proto Man Stage 3: They bombard you with the helicopter Joes at the start for some reason, but the quick horizontal platforming section is cool. The snake block section is probably the most memorable part about the whole stage though; if you played Mario Maker 2, you probably have an idea of what I'm referring to. Anyway, Dark Man III freezes you and that's not really fun; but thankfully it's avoidable for the most part if you don't let yourself get cornered.
Proto Man Stage 4: Interesting beginning section where you have to destroy the support blocks and let the tower fall before you get to move on. I find it really cool that they made a whole fake Proto Man whistle only to have the REAL Proto Man come along. Dark Man IV finally feels like a proper fight, even if the rotating pillars are a little annoying.
And now we actually get to the final stages with Wily. But before we get to it, can I mention how awesome the Wily Stage theme sounds in this game? I mean, take a listen. Sounds awesome.
Wily Stage 1: Nice of them to give you a free E-Tank, which allows me to forgive them for having a semi-blind spike pit at the very start. The donut platforms and the trash presses give this stage a little bit of flavor. At the end of the trash press section, you probably want to grind on the chicken farm to refill your energy; it's very likely that the Proto Man stages left you kind of dry by now. The boss for this stage is none other than motherfucking Big Pets, the guy that the Glitch Gremlin tried to fuck up the AVGN with. Pretty simple fight honestly, but a ton of fun all the same. If you're going to hit it's weakness though, prepare to open and close the menu a ton.
Wily Stage 2: An underwater section; you'd think it would be strange for a Megaman game to not have one of these, so here it is. Boss for this stage is is the Circling Q9, and he's just ok. He has the decency to not outlast his welcome at the very least.
Wily Stage 3: Classic Robot Master rematches, you know the deal by now. You'll have to deal with the Wily Press at the end, but it's actually a pretty fun fight, just stick by the middle and jump across it when needed. Kind of like the Egg Scorcher in Sonic 1 but better designed if you think about it. Good boss overall, which is impressive for a boss this late into a Megaman game.
Wily Stage 4: You get a whopping 3 enemies to farm for any more energy you need before facing the Wily Machine 5. That said, you probably don't need to! It's a good old-fashioned slugfest where you have to avoid a couple of patterns he throws out at you, and then you're on to Wily Capsule.
I still think Wily Capsule in Megaman 4 is cooler, but it's still a damn cool and fun fight here.
Ending cutscene is pretty well made for the NES, and hearing the Proto Man whistle is always an "oh shit" moment I've come to enjoy.
Overall? My favorite Mega Man game, it's so much fun and it's an honest blast to play. Maybe I'll get Beat next time, who knows.
Colorblindness Rating: A+
All good here from a colorblindness perspective.
I'll do the format I did for the other NES Megaman titles.
Star Man Stage: Starting off strong, Star Man's stage is gorgeous (for the NES at least) and actually gives you a fun low-gravity excuse that isn't water. The enemy placement is actually pretty solid, and the platforming is pretty fun, even if the spikes can make it a bit punishing (but if you're playing 5, you should already have mastered low-gravity spike platforming honestly). Star Man's fight is pretty fun, you have a lot of room to maneuver and the pattern's not hard to get down.
Gravity Man Stage: A really wild stage concept with a fun gimmick, this one's a blast. If you enjoyed that one weird Run n' Gun section of Cuphead with the inverted gravity, you'll probably like this. The fact that the enemies are designed with the stage's gimmick in mind and interact with it meaningfully is also fantastic. You'll see the little dropper enemy and think: "What's this?" only to see the gravity change and go "Oh, I see!". It's kind of silly to be impressed by this stuff nowadays, but I really didn't expect to see something as novel as a gravity switch mechanic in an NES game. Just goes to show how much Capcom was innovating on the NES! Gravity Man's boss fight is also a ton of fun, especially if you're timing it with Star Crash and you slap him in the middle of the gravity flip. This fight is a blast, and it gives you a pretty damn busted weapon with Gravity Hold too.
Gyro Man Stage: Visions of Air Man,,,,, but it's actually a lot more fun! The elevators are a great setpiece for the stage in general, and the enemies feel fair to fight, even with all the platforming. Gyro Man's fight is a little eh, but he goes down really fast if you have Gravity Hold so there's not much to complain about there.
Crystal Man Stage: Super interesting design that reminds me of a better-looking Top Man stage. There's a ton of verticality which really adds to the "delving into a cave" theme the stage has going on. As for Crystal Man himself, his attack is a little hard to dodge but thankfully the damage they deal is pretty reasonable, so it's not bad at all.
Napalm Man Stage: Napalm Man as a concept is fucking hilarious. What the hell was Light smoking when he made this guy? Well, anyways. Stage is incredibly unsubtle about the fact it parodies Vietnam, but hey, it looks pretty damn good for 8-bit. The tiger enemies are a good test for your reflexes, and none of the other enemies are really bad to deal with aside from maybe the missile guys and the helicopter joes? As for Napalm Man himself, he's a little bit tricky but not hard to deal with once you get him down.
On a sidenote, I find it funny that Napalm Man and Air Man have a similar body type. Maybe they're brothers? And on the topic of sidenotes, the boss theme in this game sounds kind of silly, but it really grew on me.
Stone Man Stage: Bats and Mets that explode,,,,, really iffy enemy selection. This stage is kind of unmemorable sadly, I don't have a lot to say about it. At least Stone Man is a decent enough fight.
Charge Man Stage: Awesome stage design, love how you go on the train, into the train, back out again, then back in. I think it's a little short, but the stage concept is awesome and it's a damn good stage in the short length it had. I struggled a little bit on Charge Man because Power Stone is miserable to aim, but eventually I realized it's just better to use the Buster and I beat him the first try after I realized that. Whoops.
Dive Man Stage: It's an interesting stage, I'll give it that. You'd expect another uninspired water level, but thankfully they didn't and they decided to give us a unique ship level with the main highlight being the Rush Marine section. I wasn't a terribly big fan of this section because you couldn't really use the powers you'd been accruing over the course of the playthrough, but it was definitely a novel concept and I'm glad they decided to at least try to mix it up. Unfortunately, Dive Man is kind of a lame fight that's not too interesting if you try to do it honorably, so just Charge Kick the crap out of him and get it over with.
And onto the Proto Man Stages.
Proto Man Stage 1: It's surprisingly pink. The return of the kaizo blocks is kind of mitigated due to the fact Rush Jet exists. Dark Man I isn't anything to write home about, but he sure does exist.
Proto Man Stage 2: Some fun enemies return, but nothing terribly memorable happens in this stage. Dark Man II is A Boss That Exists, I guess.
Proto Man Stage 3: They bombard you with the helicopter Joes at the start for some reason, but the quick horizontal platforming section is cool. The snake block section is probably the most memorable part about the whole stage though; if you played Mario Maker 2, you probably have an idea of what I'm referring to. Anyway, Dark Man III freezes you and that's not really fun; but thankfully it's avoidable for the most part if you don't let yourself get cornered.
Proto Man Stage 4: Interesting beginning section where you have to destroy the support blocks and let the tower fall before you get to move on. I find it really cool that they made a whole fake Proto Man whistle only to have the REAL Proto Man come along. Dark Man IV finally feels like a proper fight, even if the rotating pillars are a little annoying.
And now we actually get to the final stages with Wily. But before we get to it, can I mention how awesome the Wily Stage theme sounds in this game? I mean, take a listen. Sounds awesome.
Wily Stage 1: Nice of them to give you a free E-Tank, which allows me to forgive them for having a semi-blind spike pit at the very start. The donut platforms and the trash presses give this stage a little bit of flavor. At the end of the trash press section, you probably want to grind on the chicken farm to refill your energy; it's very likely that the Proto Man stages left you kind of dry by now. The boss for this stage is none other than motherfucking Big Pets, the guy that the Glitch Gremlin tried to fuck up the AVGN with. Pretty simple fight honestly, but a ton of fun all the same. If you're going to hit it's weakness though, prepare to open and close the menu a ton.
Wily Stage 2: An underwater section; you'd think it would be strange for a Megaman game to not have one of these, so here it is. Boss for this stage is is the Circling Q9, and he's just ok. He has the decency to not outlast his welcome at the very least.
Wily Stage 3: Classic Robot Master rematches, you know the deal by now. You'll have to deal with the Wily Press at the end, but it's actually a pretty fun fight, just stick by the middle and jump across it when needed. Kind of like the Egg Scorcher in Sonic 1 but better designed if you think about it. Good boss overall, which is impressive for a boss this late into a Megaman game.
Wily Stage 4: You get a whopping 3 enemies to farm for any more energy you need before facing the Wily Machine 5. That said, you probably don't need to! It's a good old-fashioned slugfest where you have to avoid a couple of patterns he throws out at you, and then you're on to Wily Capsule.
I still think Wily Capsule in Megaman 4 is cooler, but it's still a damn cool and fun fight here.
Ending cutscene is pretty well made for the NES, and hearing the Proto Man whistle is always an "oh shit" moment I've come to enjoy.
Overall? My favorite Mega Man game, it's so much fun and it's an honest blast to play. Maybe I'll get Beat next time, who knows.
Colorblindness Rating: A+
All good here from a colorblindness perspective.
this game is awesome as hell except for star man he's a bozo
Angel_Arle Rockman reviews
Part 1: Rockman for Famicom
Part 2: Rockman 2: Dr. Wily no Nazo for Famicom
Part 3: Rockman 3: Dr. Wily no Saigo!? for Famicom
Part 4: Rockman World for GB
Part 5: Rockman 4: Aratanaru Yabou!! for Famicom
Part 6: Rockman World 2 for GB
Part 8: Rockman World 3 for GB
Part 9: Wily & Right no RockBoard: That's Paradise for Famicom
Part 10: Rockman World 4 for GB
Part 11: Rockman 6: Shijō Saidai no Tatakai!! for Famicom
Part 12: Rockman's Soccer for Super Famicom
Part 13: Rockman World 5 for GB
We’re in the 7th part of this review series and it’s another action platformer on the Famicom. I’m surprised Capcom still even had good ideas left for the franchise and this isn’t even the last game on the console. If Rockman 5: Blues no Wana!? (Translated as Rockman 5: Blues’ Trap!?) is known for one thing, I’d have to say it’s being one of the least liked of the Famicom games. I’ve never really seen anyone say this is their favorite though I’m sure they exist. I was hoping playing this again would change my mind on it like with 4 but well let’s get into it.
So what’s the plot this time? Well after two months from Rockman 4, Rock begins to ask Dr. Right about who exactly Blues is. Dr. Right reluctant to give an answer when suddenly Dr. Cossack let them know a new creation named Beat the Bird was finished. Rockman goes out to retrieve him but it gives the chance for evil to attack and not only that it appears Blues is their leader. Dr. Right calls Rockman back for an emergency but it was too late as Blues kidnapped him. With no time to think, Rockman sets forth to put a stop to Blues and his eight Robot Masters that he somehow has. Now I wanna point something out, a video I watched for this game said the japanese manual spoils what happens later on. I tried to read this manual and could not find where it says this outside of Rockman not believing it was Blues so if you wanna call me out for just not seeing it in the manual then go right ahead.
There is barely anything to add in terms of controls or new mechanics. All that’s been added for this one is the new Super Rock Buster. Yes already they’re doing another new Buster. It’s a more powerful charge size and power wise compared to 4’s New Rock Buster but it has the side effect of losing the charge when you get hit. It should be noted it was Dr. Cossack who developed this new Buster so that’s nice of him.
Let’s just discuss this now, Rockman 5 is easy. Like it is a very easy game that even the PS1 release I’ll go over in the future called it the Easy Rockman game. While it’s not Rockman World 2 easy, it can feel like it at times. That said however, stage design still follows a lot of what made Rockman 4 very good. You got the likes of the interesting yet deceptive gravity of Gravity Man’s stage, the falling crystals of Crystal Man’s stage, and then just Vietnam from Napalm Man’s stage. That said however not every stage is all that great. You got stuff like Charge Man and Gyro Man’s stages being just alright but nothing outstanding. Then you have Wave Man’s which has a cool pipe leak hazard, bubble platforming, and even riding a water jetski to shoot enemies down but the level feels kind of unfinished. It only has one very easy bubble section and there’s like almost no enemies until the jetski section. Stone Man’s stage is also just really boring but it is one of two stages to have the new M-Tank. It refills all of your weapon energy and health. Though you can only carry one with you. If for some reason if you want more lives which idk why you would, try using the M-Tank when everything is full. It will turn every enemy into a 1-up. For the order of Robot Masters I did, this time it was Gravity -> Gyro -> Crystal -> Napalm -> Stone -> Charge -> Wave -> Star. You know what I also realize? There’s only one mini boss in this game and it’s Octoper OA in Wave Man’s stage. I wonder why there’s none in this title? I really can’t describe well what makes the level design less fun in this one. Maybe it’s the challenge but I personally think it’s because some levels aren’t as fun as they could be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still in ways very solid but nothing about it feels all that exciting anymore outside of some notable setpieces like I mentioned earlier. I’m not saying it should be like 100% new innovative gameplay but I think me preferring 4’s level design more is hurting my perception of this title’s stage design.
Well unlike Rockman 4, you won’t struggle too hard on these Robot Masters. Stone Man is pretty easy as he just jumps around most of the time. Just don’t bother shooting him when he’s crumbled apart. He also uses Power Stone but trust me you’ll be fine. Gravity Man is on the opposite side of you so try to shoot him as you’re switching sides and he won’t be too bad. Just remember he does try to get under you and occasionally shoot at you. Crystal Man starts off with 4 Crystal Eyes but that’s the only part you’ll have a hard time dodging because he then likes to shoot just one Crystal Eye at you making it a relatively easy fight. I hate fighting Charge Man, I’ve never had a Robot Master fight where it’s so 50/50 if I win. He likes to charge at you and also shoot out 3 pieces of coal in a random location. The problem is he is invulnerable during the attacks making it feel more tedious. Napalm Man likes to shoot out missiles and lob out Napalm Bombs. He’s surprisingly easy to dodge so once you learn his two moves then you’ll be golden! Wave Man will spout out a Water Wave that will bounce off your Buster shots. He will also shoot a small trident at you so watch out. Star Man will have his Star Crash protecting him and will throw it at you but he’s so easy to dodge that you’ll have him beat in no time. Gyro Man will throw his Gyro Attack at you so be ready to slide and when he goes up in the clouds, be ready for him to land on you. So they’re not all bad fights but nothing too memorable either. Don’t really have much else to say.
Oh boy, the special weapons in this game. I have a lot of things to say about these. Power Stone from Stone Man is bad.It shoots out three stones in this circle like pattern and it’s not only hard to aim it most of the time but the power is lacking on this one making it not worth using outside of very very niche scenarios. Gravity Hold from Gravity Man is just Rain Flush but worse. That means it’s still good but what kept it from being my favorite one is that enemies won’t drop items if you defeat them this way so be thoughtful of that when doing the fortress levels. Crystal Eye from Crystal Man is okay but could be a lot better. It shoots one big crystal but if it hits a wall, it’ll release three small crystals that bounce around. It’s just hard to set up this one well because again, the power isn’t amazing on it. Charge Kick from Charge Man is really really bad! It gives your slide an attack like you’re playing Valis III but it not only does this mean it works on ground enemies only but you can’t even use your Super Rock Buster for this special weapon. Even worse, only one enemy is weak to it which is Suzy G. It’s not even good for Wave Man since you’ll get hurt trying to use it most of the time. In fact the only enemy I ever felt confident using it on was Twin Cannon which isn’t even a hard enemy! Napalm Bomb from Napalm Man is the best move in the game but that’s not saying much. It shoots out a bomb that moves forward that is mostly useful for stuff on the ground. A lot of enemies are actually weak to this move so it’s not bad to have out at times but its weaknesses do bring it down sadly. Water Wave from Wave Man is also bad. It shoots out water that moves on the ground but like why would you even want this when we already have a good move for ground enemies? I never found a use for it. Star Crash from Star Man is just another shield weapon and it’s the worst one so far. It’s weak and you don’t need it in a game like this to begin with. The only reason it’s not even worse is because it can help for Crystal Man’s stage.Gyro Attack is good but that’s mostly because a lot of enemies are weak to it. It lets you shoot it and let it move up or down depending on the direction you press. Great for Apache Joe and Power Muscler. My advice is to just stick with Gravity Hold, Napalm Bomb and Gyro Attack. Ignore the rest because I think I played worse trying to use them. The Super Rock Buster is better than every special weapon in most scenarios. I think Gyro Attack is the only one you really need if you don’t care to use them but Napalm Bomb can be helpful in scenarios.
What does Rush have for us this time? Well Rush Coil was changed so now he bounces with you letting you jump at the apex of it. Though the height is identical to the original Coil. I still will hate it because one time I used it and Rockman went through him and I fell on spikes, fun. Rush Jet is back but it’s been nerfed again! Get hit while riding him and it knocks you off so be careful when using him over deadly hazards. Rush was done dirty in this game. Eddie is still in levels so if you remember what I said about him in 4, well he’s the same here. If you beat Star Man you can unlock the Super Arrow. It’s an arrow that can help you reach higher areas if it lands on a wall. It uses energy the more distance it goes so be thoughtful about how you use it. It can also be used as an attack but I wouldn’t recommend doing that. Finally there is Beat which you can unlock by finding the item that spells out ROCKMAN5. There’s one in each stage. Beat will target enemies and it’s quite strong but each hit will take energy from him so be thoughtful about his use. He’s also great for the bosses of the fortress.
As per usual we get the stages done and now it’s time for Blues’ fortress where goddamn he must be a huge narcissist because his fortress has his whole helmet on it. I’m not gonna lie with you all, these stages just keep becoming more mind numbing to talk about as these parts roll by. Like yeah the levels don’t suck but I just don’t have much to say. They don’t feel any more challenging to beat. Even the bosses aren’t fun as they’re all Dark Man bosses that are fairly easy to beat. The 4th stage has an interesting gimmick where you have to destroy blocks to push the top area down more for you to traverse but it’s such a short section. You finally reach Blues and it turns out he’s another Dark Man and goes down easily thanks to Beat. Yep big shocker, Dr. Wily was the villain the whole time. I don’t even care anymore to try to fake my reaction.
So you now have to do a couple of Wily stages for his fortress. I really love the section where if you land on the right side, the screen scrolls you right on spikes and you’re dead. How fun. I really like the part where they completely reuse the crusher segment from Dust Man’s stage from Rockman 4. Were they really that out of ideas by this point? This fortress also has the one water section in the game so that’s neat I guess. At least the first boss is neat being the Big Pets where you shoot the sections to platform on them to shoot Crystal Eye at his head. Fun boss idea! The Circring Q9 though is pretty standard but damn he hurts like hell so make sure you still have Gyro Attack left on you. There’s also the Robot Master rematches but it’s so easy in this one because the game is easy. Have I said that too many times? I'm sorry. Then you fight the Wily Press and this fight is such a joke that I swear Wily isn’t even trying like I didn’t even get hit once. I didn’t even know he was weak to Star Crash. Wily Machine 5 is also easy like you just shoot Super Arrows and then boom boom it down. Then there’s Wily Capsule II and as long as you have Beat and an E-Tank or two, you’ll win 100%. It’s very similar to the final boss in Rockman 4. Wait why are the machines normal numbers but the capsule is a roman numeral that makes no sense. Well you beat him and you reach Dr. Right’s cell and he’s saved! Problem is the building is collapsing and-holy shit since when could Rockman hold a ceiling? Sadly Wily escapes leaving the two in peril but Blues saves them in time as all three watch the fortress crumble. Blues leaves as the other two continue to watch Wily fly away. What a nothing kind of ending. We didn’t even learn anything about Blues! Plus this once again shows Wily will probably be the villain next game once again, sigh.
Rockman 5 looks great presentation wise. The graphics are superb and even better than 4’s which were already really good. I like the transition effect when you select a stage and go into their introduction. Though I have to dock a point for the awful get weapon screen. Like what happened guys it looked so good in 4. I really like the jetski section in terms of looks and the speed when riding that elevator in Gyro Man’s stage. There’s barely any flicker or slowdown too which is great. The music is also something I find a little underrated. There’s some great tracks like Dark Man Fortress’ theme, Gravity Man’s theme, and even the Wily Fortress’ theme sounds moody and I like it. This game also has my favorite song in the entire series which is Wave Man’s theme. It will forever be my favorite song in the franchise. I just love the feels it gives me. This is one of the things I’ll give the game over 4 even if it’s not anything gameplay related. Also the password theme doesn’t suck this time.
I feel kind of sad realizing Rockman 5 wasn’t going to change my opinion on this replay. I really was hoping to defend it saying my past feelings were wrong! The game isn’t bad but I wouldn’t call it a good game but why? Well I just don’t think I feel much from it. I’m just going through the motions in Rockman 5. I don’t think easy games are bad but this game doesn’t do much to excite me besides a few stages and the difficulty isn’t helping that. I’d argue it is a better game than the first one but for some reason I like playing that one more. I’m just very conflicted but regardless this still isn’t a game you should avoid but for me I’d just rather play most of the other entries we have seen so far. There will be a Rockman 6 but that won’t be for a bit so next time it’s once again back to the Game Boy with Rockman World 3. Very interested to see how I’ll feel about that entry after so many years.
Part 1: Rockman for Famicom
Part 2: Rockman 2: Dr. Wily no Nazo for Famicom
Part 3: Rockman 3: Dr. Wily no Saigo!? for Famicom
Part 4: Rockman World for GB
Part 5: Rockman 4: Aratanaru Yabou!! for Famicom
Part 6: Rockman World 2 for GB
Part 8: Rockman World 3 for GB
Part 9: Wily & Right no RockBoard: That's Paradise for Famicom
Part 10: Rockman World 4 for GB
Part 11: Rockman 6: Shijō Saidai no Tatakai!! for Famicom
Part 12: Rockman's Soccer for Super Famicom
Part 13: Rockman World 5 for GB
We’re in the 7th part of this review series and it’s another action platformer on the Famicom. I’m surprised Capcom still even had good ideas left for the franchise and this isn’t even the last game on the console. If Rockman 5: Blues no Wana!? (Translated as Rockman 5: Blues’ Trap!?) is known for one thing, I’d have to say it’s being one of the least liked of the Famicom games. I’ve never really seen anyone say this is their favorite though I’m sure they exist. I was hoping playing this again would change my mind on it like with 4 but well let’s get into it.
So what’s the plot this time? Well after two months from Rockman 4, Rock begins to ask Dr. Right about who exactly Blues is. Dr. Right reluctant to give an answer when suddenly Dr. Cossack let them know a new creation named Beat the Bird was finished. Rockman goes out to retrieve him but it gives the chance for evil to attack and not only that it appears Blues is their leader. Dr. Right calls Rockman back for an emergency but it was too late as Blues kidnapped him. With no time to think, Rockman sets forth to put a stop to Blues and his eight Robot Masters that he somehow has. Now I wanna point something out, a video I watched for this game said the japanese manual spoils what happens later on. I tried to read this manual and could not find where it says this outside of Rockman not believing it was Blues so if you wanna call me out for just not seeing it in the manual then go right ahead.
There is barely anything to add in terms of controls or new mechanics. All that’s been added for this one is the new Super Rock Buster. Yes already they’re doing another new Buster. It’s a more powerful charge size and power wise compared to 4’s New Rock Buster but it has the side effect of losing the charge when you get hit. It should be noted it was Dr. Cossack who developed this new Buster so that’s nice of him.
Let’s just discuss this now, Rockman 5 is easy. Like it is a very easy game that even the PS1 release I’ll go over in the future called it the Easy Rockman game. While it’s not Rockman World 2 easy, it can feel like it at times. That said however, stage design still follows a lot of what made Rockman 4 very good. You got the likes of the interesting yet deceptive gravity of Gravity Man’s stage, the falling crystals of Crystal Man’s stage, and then just Vietnam from Napalm Man’s stage. That said however not every stage is all that great. You got stuff like Charge Man and Gyro Man’s stages being just alright but nothing outstanding. Then you have Wave Man’s which has a cool pipe leak hazard, bubble platforming, and even riding a water jetski to shoot enemies down but the level feels kind of unfinished. It only has one very easy bubble section and there’s like almost no enemies until the jetski section. Stone Man’s stage is also just really boring but it is one of two stages to have the new M-Tank. It refills all of your weapon energy and health. Though you can only carry one with you. If for some reason if you want more lives which idk why you would, try using the M-Tank when everything is full. It will turn every enemy into a 1-up. For the order of Robot Masters I did, this time it was Gravity -> Gyro -> Crystal -> Napalm -> Stone -> Charge -> Wave -> Star. You know what I also realize? There’s only one mini boss in this game and it’s Octoper OA in Wave Man’s stage. I wonder why there’s none in this title? I really can’t describe well what makes the level design less fun in this one. Maybe it’s the challenge but I personally think it’s because some levels aren’t as fun as they could be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still in ways very solid but nothing about it feels all that exciting anymore outside of some notable setpieces like I mentioned earlier. I’m not saying it should be like 100% new innovative gameplay but I think me preferring 4’s level design more is hurting my perception of this title’s stage design.
Well unlike Rockman 4, you won’t struggle too hard on these Robot Masters. Stone Man is pretty easy as he just jumps around most of the time. Just don’t bother shooting him when he’s crumbled apart. He also uses Power Stone but trust me you’ll be fine. Gravity Man is on the opposite side of you so try to shoot him as you’re switching sides and he won’t be too bad. Just remember he does try to get under you and occasionally shoot at you. Crystal Man starts off with 4 Crystal Eyes but that’s the only part you’ll have a hard time dodging because he then likes to shoot just one Crystal Eye at you making it a relatively easy fight. I hate fighting Charge Man, I’ve never had a Robot Master fight where it’s so 50/50 if I win. He likes to charge at you and also shoot out 3 pieces of coal in a random location. The problem is he is invulnerable during the attacks making it feel more tedious. Napalm Man likes to shoot out missiles and lob out Napalm Bombs. He’s surprisingly easy to dodge so once you learn his two moves then you’ll be golden! Wave Man will spout out a Water Wave that will bounce off your Buster shots. He will also shoot a small trident at you so watch out. Star Man will have his Star Crash protecting him and will throw it at you but he’s so easy to dodge that you’ll have him beat in no time. Gyro Man will throw his Gyro Attack at you so be ready to slide and when he goes up in the clouds, be ready for him to land on you. So they’re not all bad fights but nothing too memorable either. Don’t really have much else to say.
Oh boy, the special weapons in this game. I have a lot of things to say about these. Power Stone from Stone Man is bad.It shoots out three stones in this circle like pattern and it’s not only hard to aim it most of the time but the power is lacking on this one making it not worth using outside of very very niche scenarios. Gravity Hold from Gravity Man is just Rain Flush but worse. That means it’s still good but what kept it from being my favorite one is that enemies won’t drop items if you defeat them this way so be thoughtful of that when doing the fortress levels. Crystal Eye from Crystal Man is okay but could be a lot better. It shoots one big crystal but if it hits a wall, it’ll release three small crystals that bounce around. It’s just hard to set up this one well because again, the power isn’t amazing on it. Charge Kick from Charge Man is really really bad! It gives your slide an attack like you’re playing Valis III but it not only does this mean it works on ground enemies only but you can’t even use your Super Rock Buster for this special weapon. Even worse, only one enemy is weak to it which is Suzy G. It’s not even good for Wave Man since you’ll get hurt trying to use it most of the time. In fact the only enemy I ever felt confident using it on was Twin Cannon which isn’t even a hard enemy! Napalm Bomb from Napalm Man is the best move in the game but that’s not saying much. It shoots out a bomb that moves forward that is mostly useful for stuff on the ground. A lot of enemies are actually weak to this move so it’s not bad to have out at times but its weaknesses do bring it down sadly. Water Wave from Wave Man is also bad. It shoots out water that moves on the ground but like why would you even want this when we already have a good move for ground enemies? I never found a use for it. Star Crash from Star Man is just another shield weapon and it’s the worst one so far. It’s weak and you don’t need it in a game like this to begin with. The only reason it’s not even worse is because it can help for Crystal Man’s stage.Gyro Attack is good but that’s mostly because a lot of enemies are weak to it. It lets you shoot it and let it move up or down depending on the direction you press. Great for Apache Joe and Power Muscler. My advice is to just stick with Gravity Hold, Napalm Bomb and Gyro Attack. Ignore the rest because I think I played worse trying to use them. The Super Rock Buster is better than every special weapon in most scenarios. I think Gyro Attack is the only one you really need if you don’t care to use them but Napalm Bomb can be helpful in scenarios.
What does Rush have for us this time? Well Rush Coil was changed so now he bounces with you letting you jump at the apex of it. Though the height is identical to the original Coil. I still will hate it because one time I used it and Rockman went through him and I fell on spikes, fun. Rush Jet is back but it’s been nerfed again! Get hit while riding him and it knocks you off so be careful when using him over deadly hazards. Rush was done dirty in this game. Eddie is still in levels so if you remember what I said about him in 4, well he’s the same here. If you beat Star Man you can unlock the Super Arrow. It’s an arrow that can help you reach higher areas if it lands on a wall. It uses energy the more distance it goes so be thoughtful about how you use it. It can also be used as an attack but I wouldn’t recommend doing that. Finally there is Beat which you can unlock by finding the item that spells out ROCKMAN5. There’s one in each stage. Beat will target enemies and it’s quite strong but each hit will take energy from him so be thoughtful about his use. He’s also great for the bosses of the fortress.
As per usual we get the stages done and now it’s time for Blues’ fortress where goddamn he must be a huge narcissist because his fortress has his whole helmet on it. I’m not gonna lie with you all, these stages just keep becoming more mind numbing to talk about as these parts roll by. Like yeah the levels don’t suck but I just don’t have much to say. They don’t feel any more challenging to beat. Even the bosses aren’t fun as they’re all Dark Man bosses that are fairly easy to beat. The 4th stage has an interesting gimmick where you have to destroy blocks to push the top area down more for you to traverse but it’s such a short section. You finally reach Blues and it turns out he’s another Dark Man and goes down easily thanks to Beat. Yep big shocker, Dr. Wily was the villain the whole time. I don’t even care anymore to try to fake my reaction.
So you now have to do a couple of Wily stages for his fortress. I really love the section where if you land on the right side, the screen scrolls you right on spikes and you’re dead. How fun. I really like the part where they completely reuse the crusher segment from Dust Man’s stage from Rockman 4. Were they really that out of ideas by this point? This fortress also has the one water section in the game so that’s neat I guess. At least the first boss is neat being the Big Pets where you shoot the sections to platform on them to shoot Crystal Eye at his head. Fun boss idea! The Circring Q9 though is pretty standard but damn he hurts like hell so make sure you still have Gyro Attack left on you. There’s also the Robot Master rematches but it’s so easy in this one because the game is easy. Have I said that too many times? I'm sorry. Then you fight the Wily Press and this fight is such a joke that I swear Wily isn’t even trying like I didn’t even get hit once. I didn’t even know he was weak to Star Crash. Wily Machine 5 is also easy like you just shoot Super Arrows and then boom boom it down. Then there’s Wily Capsule II and as long as you have Beat and an E-Tank or two, you’ll win 100%. It’s very similar to the final boss in Rockman 4. Wait why are the machines normal numbers but the capsule is a roman numeral that makes no sense. Well you beat him and you reach Dr. Right’s cell and he’s saved! Problem is the building is collapsing and-holy shit since when could Rockman hold a ceiling? Sadly Wily escapes leaving the two in peril but Blues saves them in time as all three watch the fortress crumble. Blues leaves as the other two continue to watch Wily fly away. What a nothing kind of ending. We didn’t even learn anything about Blues! Plus this once again shows Wily will probably be the villain next game once again, sigh.
Rockman 5 looks great presentation wise. The graphics are superb and even better than 4’s which were already really good. I like the transition effect when you select a stage and go into their introduction. Though I have to dock a point for the awful get weapon screen. Like what happened guys it looked so good in 4. I really like the jetski section in terms of looks and the speed when riding that elevator in Gyro Man’s stage. There’s barely any flicker or slowdown too which is great. The music is also something I find a little underrated. There’s some great tracks like Dark Man Fortress’ theme, Gravity Man’s theme, and even the Wily Fortress’ theme sounds moody and I like it. This game also has my favorite song in the entire series which is Wave Man’s theme. It will forever be my favorite song in the franchise. I just love the feels it gives me. This is one of the things I’ll give the game over 4 even if it’s not anything gameplay related. Also the password theme doesn’t suck this time.
I feel kind of sad realizing Rockman 5 wasn’t going to change my opinion on this replay. I really was hoping to defend it saying my past feelings were wrong! The game isn’t bad but I wouldn’t call it a good game but why? Well I just don’t think I feel much from it. I’m just going through the motions in Rockman 5. I don’t think easy games are bad but this game doesn’t do much to excite me besides a few stages and the difficulty isn’t helping that. I’d argue it is a better game than the first one but for some reason I like playing that one more. I’m just very conflicted but regardless this still isn’t a game you should avoid but for me I’d just rather play most of the other entries we have seen so far. There will be a Rockman 6 but that won’t be for a bit so next time it’s once again back to the Game Boy with Rockman World 3. Very interested to see how I’ll feel about that entry after so many years.
This is the mega man game of all time. It was thought of, produced, published then sold. What a game.
All the fun of Mega Man 2/3, without some of the drawbacks. However, the highs aren't as high, and the story wasn't too interesting this time. Barely even a cutscene. But still, very fun. I'm ready to get out of this era of Mega Man now, though. Ah well, at least by the time I get to X, it's gonna taste so very sweet.
I like this one a lot, finally after 2 games I get to the one that's finally as good as 2. I love the robots, I love the enemies, the designs are great, its fun and doesn't take too long. I love it. Good game, definitely up there for one of the best ones atm.
I think when legitimately all people remember about your Mega Man game is a poor taste Vietnam War joke and the weapons sucking ass compared to the buster, you’ve probably got a mid game on your hands. And you do. It’s so weird that this is between 4 and 6 which I find to be quite good. It’s not hard for the sake of it like 1, 3, or even 9 much as I love it, but it’s also just not memorable like other easier entries. It really is something of a blink and you miss it in the series.
até o momento esse foi o megaomi mais tranquilo! novamente as armas eu achei a maioria muito paia, mas os chefes são divertidos de enfrentar quando você aprende os padrões (que aliás eles são bem mais justos comparados aos dos jogos anteriores)
Mega Man 5 is one of The most Beautiful in Terms of Visuals and Pixel Art.
Most of The Criticism This game has is Because of The Robot Masters,Most Robot Masters You can Defeat using Just The Buster, in My Opinion Darkman 3 and 4 Harder Than Them.
Most of The Criticism This game has is Because of The Robot Masters,Most Robot Masters You can Defeat using Just The Buster, in My Opinion Darkman 3 and 4 Harder Than Them.
My mind was made up on this game from the second I entered Gravity Man's stage. This entire game is what made me kick myself for looking down on Classic Rockman in the past as "those recycled NES platformers that Capcom pumped out yearly". The level design is so creative and interesting, the Charge Shot actually feels useful, the weapons are all amazing, the animation and graphics are gorgeous, and the Robot Masters are all awesome too. If Rockman 5 came out today, its game design wouldn't feel too out of place next to other contemporary releases.
When you reach Blues' Castle Stage 4, they have a cutscene that heavily reminded me of the amazing silent storytelling found in Rocket Knight Adventures and Sonic 3; Rock and Blues start to fight, and then the REAL Blues drops a Life Can for you after exposing the fake Blues as Dark Man. And I love that they had the slightest hint that it's not the real him by playing a messed up version of the whistle when you confront Dark Man, and then playing the RIGHT version of the whistle after.
Man, I love this game.
When you reach Blues' Castle Stage 4, they have a cutscene that heavily reminded me of the amazing silent storytelling found in Rocket Knight Adventures and Sonic 3; Rock and Blues start to fight, and then the REAL Blues drops a Life Can for you after exposing the fake Blues as Dark Man. And I love that they had the slightest hint that it's not the real him by playing a messed up version of the whistle when you confront Dark Man, and then playing the RIGHT version of the whistle after.
Man, I love this game.
Mega Man chegou no seu pico em seu terceiro jogo, sinceramente, não tem muito pra onde ir com a limitação do NES e o quinto jogo da franquia é a prova viva disso, infelizmente, é mais do mesmo, agora, com bosses fraquíssimos e power-ups ridículos, sim, estou falando de vocês, Stone Man, Star Man e Charge Man.
Não deixa de ser divertido, porém, já está defasado.
Não deixa de ser divertido, porém, já está defasado.
Mega Man 5 feels like the point where the series really found its stride in achieving consistently good level and boss design. Some of the stages like Wave Man and Charge Man's stages are really cool. The game is on the easier side, which would be true even if the game didn't completely shower you with 1-ups around every corner, but this is not necessarily a bad thing since it never came across as "too easy" like MM3's wily castle for instance. Unfortunately the last few bosses shit the bed and the weapons kinda suck. Even when I knew the boss weaknesses I just stuck to using the buster most of the time in this one.
This is my favourite NES Mega Man game even though it seems to have a pretty mixed reception. The reason I like it the most is pretty simple... The levels are more interesting. That's really it, otherwise this is just another NES Mega Man game, it doesn't really add much to the series as a whole but it just feels the most balanced and the levels do a great job of being both mechanically interested as well as being a pretty breezy experience. Some say the game is too easy but the levels never felt too basic to me and I appreicate a Mega Man game I can pick up and play at any time.
More like Mega Man 5/10 am I right
Probably the most average of the 6 NES Mega Mans. Prior to this one, I could name at least one major addition to the series. Mega Man 2 has the E-tanks, Mega Man 3 has the slide, Mega Man 4 has the charge shot. Mega Man 5? Uh, it has, um... improved charge shot graphics? Oh yeah, it has Beat, that bird companion you unlock after amassing enough collectibles. The thing is, I... don't ever use Beat, because Mega Man himself is all you need to really get the job done.
Does this mean I don't like it? No, I mean, if you liked Mega Man 4, there's not much reason you won't like this one either. It plays just like the previous entries, and the design of the stages holds up very well. Challenging, but fair, as it should be. But when it comes to Mega Man 5, we're not just talking about lack of innovation, which I can accept as long as the game stays as consistently fun as it was before. What we're talking here is a lack of soul, of identity. The big hook of the plot is completely underutilized and wasted on a predictable fakeout. And that's something you start paying attention more to when there's no new mechanics to distract you away from it. That is to say, 5 apes 4 way too much, and as a result, I wouldn't be surprised if people confused moments from this game as being from 4, like I did.
There are some unique moments though, such as the train level for Charge Man, or the mechanic of changing gravity in Gravity Man's level. So it's not totally devoid of uniqueness, it just may not be enough to offset the parts of the game that feel like a remixed 4. Overall, the game's not a bad time, but it ends up being just alright, and not much else but.
Does this mean I don't like it? No, I mean, if you liked Mega Man 4, there's not much reason you won't like this one either. It plays just like the previous entries, and the design of the stages holds up very well. Challenging, but fair, as it should be. But when it comes to Mega Man 5, we're not just talking about lack of innovation, which I can accept as long as the game stays as consistently fun as it was before. What we're talking here is a lack of soul, of identity. The big hook of the plot is completely underutilized and wasted on a predictable fakeout. And that's something you start paying attention more to when there's no new mechanics to distract you away from it. That is to say, 5 apes 4 way too much, and as a result, I wouldn't be surprised if people confused moments from this game as being from 4, like I did.
There are some unique moments though, such as the train level for Charge Man, or the mechanic of changing gravity in Gravity Man's level. So it's not totally devoid of uniqueness, it just may not be enough to offset the parts of the game that feel like a remixed 4. Overall, the game's not a bad time, but it ends up being just alright, and not much else but.