Man, this is where the arguments tend to get heated with the X series. People apparently don't like this game, but I gotta be completely honest; this game stands right next to the first MMX as my most played entry on the series.
I don't have much to tell ya'll, I just really, really enjoy this one probably out of nostalgia. It's a great step down from X4 and it shares some of X3's problems of adding a lot of new features without properly figuring out how they'd actually work. In terms of level design, it's not great either. All things considered, X5 is more mediocre than outright bad, but it carries the stigma of being the game that began to lead the X series down a bad path.
My biggest reason for liking X5 is its story. Again, no Megaman X plot is gonna bring you to tears or anything, but credit where credit is due, this game does manage to feel like the conclusion of the X series, as it should have been. The stakes are higher than ever before, all thanks to Sigma altering the course of the Eurasia space colony to set up a collision with Earth. I’ve already said I don’t like the Sigma virus as a plot device, since it over simplifies the plight of the Reploid race, but X5 sets it up in such a catastrophic scenario that it kinda works somehow. The virus is spreading like crazy; Maverick fights usually went without question in earlier games, but now it’s turned quite bleak, as most mavericks here are innocent, but X and Zero have to retire them regardless due to their virus infection.
On a side note, I’m thankful they didn’t make an effort to hide Sigma as the main antagonist like every game after X1; it was poorly handled every time and now it just gets straight to the point (it’s not like X5 doesn’t have other mysteries to unravel).
So far, that may sound like nothing special. However, it all clicks with the relation between the Sigma virus and Zero, as it’s only an evolution of the Zero virus. NOW we have a real conflict on our hands, as Zero has been revealed to be the root cause of all problems, and that puts X and Zero’s relationship on a whole other level. A confrontation between the two had been set up ever since X2, and X5 turns it into the climax of the entire series (X6, 7 and 8 are mere afterthoughts story-wise). It’s surprisingly emotional and extremely rewarding for any Mega Man veteran, as it is also the final battle between Light and Willy through X and Zero.
Throughout the entire Mega Man canon, I don’t think there’s anything more special than the relationship between these two, both challenging their destiny to destroy one another. Their bromance is the most emotional throughline of the series, the Romeo and Juliet of 21XX lol. Likewise, the X vs. Zero is very impactful; it nails the theming required for their battle. The strength of their relationship ultimately leads to the Zero series, as X5 was originally conceived as the ending that would propel us to 22XX. I have to admit, that’s what makes the plot of X5 work, because, by itself, it’s not very well executed. I know it’s a cop-out to justify it through another series entirely, but X5 is simply that important of a cornerstone in Mega Man lore.
Above all, X5 shouldn’t get as much flag for one reason: it’s not X6.
I don't have much to tell ya'll, I just really, really enjoy this one probably out of nostalgia. It's a great step down from X4 and it shares some of X3's problems of adding a lot of new features without properly figuring out how they'd actually work. In terms of level design, it's not great either. All things considered, X5 is more mediocre than outright bad, but it carries the stigma of being the game that began to lead the X series down a bad path.
My biggest reason for liking X5 is its story. Again, no Megaman X plot is gonna bring you to tears or anything, but credit where credit is due, this game does manage to feel like the conclusion of the X series, as it should have been. The stakes are higher than ever before, all thanks to Sigma altering the course of the Eurasia space colony to set up a collision with Earth. I’ve already said I don’t like the Sigma virus as a plot device, since it over simplifies the plight of the Reploid race, but X5 sets it up in such a catastrophic scenario that it kinda works somehow. The virus is spreading like crazy; Maverick fights usually went without question in earlier games, but now it’s turned quite bleak, as most mavericks here are innocent, but X and Zero have to retire them regardless due to their virus infection.
On a side note, I’m thankful they didn’t make an effort to hide Sigma as the main antagonist like every game after X1; it was poorly handled every time and now it just gets straight to the point (it’s not like X5 doesn’t have other mysteries to unravel).
So far, that may sound like nothing special. However, it all clicks with the relation between the Sigma virus and Zero, as it’s only an evolution of the Zero virus. NOW we have a real conflict on our hands, as Zero has been revealed to be the root cause of all problems, and that puts X and Zero’s relationship on a whole other level. A confrontation between the two had been set up ever since X2, and X5 turns it into the climax of the entire series (X6, 7 and 8 are mere afterthoughts story-wise). It’s surprisingly emotional and extremely rewarding for any Mega Man veteran, as it is also the final battle between Light and Willy through X and Zero.
Throughout the entire Mega Man canon, I don’t think there’s anything more special than the relationship between these two, both challenging their destiny to destroy one another. Their bromance is the most emotional throughline of the series, the Romeo and Juliet of 21XX lol. Likewise, the X vs. Zero is very impactful; it nails the theming required for their battle. The strength of their relationship ultimately leads to the Zero series, as X5 was originally conceived as the ending that would propel us to 22XX. I have to admit, that’s what makes the plot of X5 work, because, by itself, it’s not very well executed. I know it’s a cop-out to justify it through another series entirely, but X5 is simply that important of a cornerstone in Mega Man lore.
Above all, X5 shouldn’t get as much flag for one reason: it’s not X6.