Welcome, to my favorite of the Classic Series (on NES)! Mega Man 5 is the fourth annual sequel in the long-running Mega Man Franchise, and has quickly became my favorite title in the NES line up of Mega Man games despite the majority of the reviews on the Internet call it "just another Mega Man game". What do I love about it? Read on. That's what I'm typing this for, isn't it?

Graphics: Mega Man 5 takes the traditional route of sequels here by simply having minute improvements to graphics. The new enemies, such as the Space-Metools and such, look great despite being physically small. While the backgrounds of the game are a slight step down from Mega Man 4, with Gyro Man's stage being the worst offender of that case, other backgrounds, like Charge Man's stage, are incredibly good looking for 8-bit standards, and even feature the bouncing and clacking of rails like in a real train. The bosses definitely look the best in the titles we have so far, with large, nicely detailed sprites and a few complex actions to sweeten the package. Stone Man's "falling to pieces" was especially pleasing. Finally, the large fortress boss sprites are a pleasant change. MM4's fortress boss sprites, while large and imposing, look a bit flat, and MM2's fortress bosses look like paper. Standouts like "Big Pets" and the Darkman robots (despite their size) look great and really adds to the enjoyment of the game for me, since it is a lot easier to both see your target and to take in how massive it is.

Sound: While the entire soundtrack is great as a whole, and had very few music tracks that I hated (Darkman Fortress Track), it still pales a bit in comparison to the other Mega Man OST selections. The entire soundtrack feels overly happy for some reason, and it was more of a mood changer than anything else. The boss music is once again groovy, but in a strange sense. The music is happy beyond words, and it is simply a strange but creamy experience listening to this stuff. It feels like the movie Saw (not for kids), but with sugary bubblegum music coating it throughout as people are getting slaughtered. A very strange experience indeed. What is also present is the greatest Wily fortress stage theme ever. For the last couple of Wily fortress stages, the music is epic and very underrated. Kiss your Wily Fortress Stage 1-2 theme from MM2 goodbye because this theme is amazing. Not else can be said. It is a decent soundtrack.

IMPROVING OLD GIMMICKS: The Charge Shot doesn't suck anymore! When the opening cut scene said "Dr. Cossack improved the Mega Buster", they weren't kidding. The shot is freaking massive, and easily the size of Mega Man himself. The damage output didn't change, but now, with most enemies needing 3 shots to defeat, the Charge Shot becomes an essential weapon and can wipe out entire screens of enemies with good aim. It is an amazing upgrade, and I'll talk about it a bit more later.

Addictiveness: I'm going to mix this section together with the "Depth" section, as a lot of these 2 sections are similar. The best thing about MM5 are the weapons. Including the Power Stone, the Charge Kick, the everything. People seem to forget that some weapons require a bit of training before handling, and this game will slap you in the face if you don't know how use them. The weapons, while AWFUL in first sight, will become your favorites once you learn how to use them. The key here is to make the enemies HIT the projectiles, instead of shooting it at them. Make them come to their own deaths, instead of you shooting at them. It may sound a bit confusing, but it really isn't. These weapons are very powerful, and unlike MM6, where ammo was sacrificed for this power, here the ability to aim is sacrificed. These weapons are basically moving mines. Only a few of the weapons, like Gyro Attack or Crystal Eye, requires aiming. Weapons like the Power Stone boasts incredible power and plenty of ammo, and work great as a mine. Super Arrow and Charge Kick are both very speed runner friendly weapons, and Napalm Bomb can be used for remote detonation since they bounce forward after landing. I know I'm going on and on, but these weapons are ANYTHING BUT TERRIBLE. They work great, and the need to test and play around with Mega Man's toys are what drives the addictiveness and depth home. This is what makes me want to replay the game: find different ways to use the weapons.

Story: So, apparently, Proto Man went crazy, got 8 of his own Robot Masters, and kidnapped Dr. Light, Mega Man's creator. Now, Mega Man must hunt down his brother to save his "dad". The story is basic, and the conclusion that this Proto Man was an impostor and that Wily was the evildoer in the end really was expected from the start. Blah, there isn't much to say. REALLY.

Difficulty: because you would want to play around with the weapons, Capcom made the gamer hyper easy with the new Charge Shot to back yourself in case your run out of weapon energy. As I've said before, the Charge Shot makes every enemy look like a chump. It is really a neat gimmick, and new players to the franchise should start here, or maybe MM7 (my absolute favorite), but that's a different platform of consoles. 

Overall: as my favorite of the Classic Series on NES, MM5 definitely didn't disappoint. It's great cast of weapons, music, and other improvements make is a must play on this console. I hope you had as much fun as I did playing it.

Good review I enjoyed reading it the Mega Man series is one of my favorite franchise. I am glad you decided to make this review on it. I hope to read more.

Nice review. You also see my point that the robot master weapons actually take a backseat to the Charge Shot in this game. All Mega Man games up to this point required a certain weapon in order to beat the game. Well Mega Man 1 is an exception. Mega Man 2 needed Crash Bombs and Bubble Lead. Mega Man 3 need Top Spin or Search Snake and Hard Knuckle or Shadow Blade. Mega Man 4 needed the Pharaoh Shot. Without those weapons you were screwed with a capital F.