Mega Man X5
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| Mega Man X5 | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom Production Studio 3 |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Release date(s) |  November 30, 2000 February 1, 2001 August 3rd, 2001  2002 (PC) |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, PC |
| Media | 1 × CD-ROM |
Mega Man X5 is the fifth main game in the Mega Man X series by Capcom. It was released in 2000 for the PlayStation, three years after Mega Man X4, and in 2002 for PC. This was re-released on January 10, 2006 as part of the Mega Man X Collection for the GameCube and PlayStation 2.
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[edit] Story
An indeterminate amount of time after the events of Mega Man X4, a new plot to destroy the Maverick Hunters is hatched by Sigma, who has been revived again (as in X4, it is unknown who revived him or how). Sigma, after conducting research on the origin and design of Zero, decides to discover how to unlock Zero's true power, hopefully destroying X in the process. Sigma attacks the Maverick Hunters directly, intending to lose. When he does, he spreads a Maverick virus across the Earth, throwing it into chaos. Meanwhile, a Reploid mercenary named Dynamo is hired by Sigma to make the Space Colony Eurasia collide with Earth. The Hunters have only 16 hours to avoid collision.
In order to prevent Eurasia from striking the planet, the Hunters pursue two options of attack. The first option is to fire a powerful cannon called Enigma at Eurasia, hopefully vaporizing it. If the Enigma shot fails, the second option is to launch a space shuttle and pilot it into the colony, destroying it. To maximize their chances, X and Zero are dispatched to collect parts for the two devices. The necessary parts to upgrade the Enigma and shuttle are held by eight Reploids, but because of the virus Sigma has spread, they have become Mavericks and X and Zero must defeat them to claim the parts. Further complicating matters, Dynamo repeatedly attacks the Hunters' base during the course of the game, forcing X and Zero to waste valuable time fighting him off.
Whether the Enigma and shuttle succeed or fail is randomly determined by the game, although the Enigma's chances of working successfully are abysmally low even with all its parts, while the shuttle has a much higher probability of succeeding assuming all its parts are collected. If the Enigma succeeds, the Hunters can proceed to hunt for the cause of the virus without fighting the remaining Mavericks (though it is still recommended to do so). If the shuttle (piloted by Zero) succeeds, the hunt for the cause of the virus begins as well. If the shuttle fails or if the time limit expires, the colony crashes, nearly destroying the planet; Zero then is infected by the virus and goes Maverick, removing him from the game as a playable character.
In either case, once the location of the virus' origin is discovered, the Hunters must investigate it. X (and Zero if he's still playable) penetrate a bizarre underground fortress featuring enemies from the distant past. Finally in the third stage of the fortress, X and Zero cross paths, and mutual suspicion and mistrust leads to a duel between the heroes (which had been foreshadowed ever since the end of Mega Man X2).
After the duel, the story diverges slightly. If Zero went Maverick, then he sacrifices himself to save X from Sigma, and X continues on alone to get revenge on Sigma in the final stage. If Zero did not go Maverick, he saves X and himself from Sigma, and both heroes have a chance to confront Sigma in the final battle. There are three possible endings for the game; X has two and Zero has one.
If Zero went Maverick, X defeats Sigma, but is badly damaged. He recovers, but all his memories of Zero are deliberately erased by a mysterious person. This is considered the "bad" ending.
If Zero did not go Maverick, Sigma decides to make the Hunters' victory for naught by taking them down with him. X tries to save Zero but is ambushed by Sigma and both Hunters are critically damaged. Zero manages to finish Sigma off, then the endings diverge again. If Zero defeated Sigma, he reflects on his origin and life before dying. If X defeated Sigma, he inherits Zero's beam saber and continues to fight as a Maverick Hunter. This is considered the "true" ending and is the one used to form the basis for Mega Man X6.
[edit] Characters
[edit] New characters
[edit] Returning characters
[edit] Gameplay
X5 was developed by a different team than X4, and this is very evident in the style of gameplay. The most prominent difference in this iteration is the time limit of 16 hours, until the space station Eurasia crashes into Earth. If the crash is not prevented, this does not end the game - it merely changes the course of the story. Every time the player enters a stage, one hour is expended. Due to the nature of the storyline, there are multiple endings to the game. Which ending is seen depends on such factors as whether or not the crash of Eurasia is prevented, and whether X or Zero is used to defeat the last boss. The appearance of multiple endings for X5 has confused many fans; however, there is only one ending that carries through to the next game, X6, in which Zero "dies" to protect X and destroy Sigma, the main antagonist of the MMX series. Though Eurasia is mostly destroyed, fragments crash to Earth and cause massive destruction to the planet. In Mega Man Zero 4, the site of the space station's crash, Area Zero, plays a major part in the plot; however, multiple crash sites are never mentioned.
According to some, Mega Man X5 was intended to be the final game in the X series. The ending that contained the death of Zero and X inheriting the Beam Saber is considered the "true" ending and the one used to form the storyline for Mega Man X6. However, in X6, it can be discovered that Zero is still alive and puts himself in stasis for an extended length of time. The Mega Man Zero series continues the storyline at this point with the reactivation of Zero. Debate exists on when this scene occurs, with some stating it could easily happen hundreds of years after the last X series game.
The North American version of Mega Man X5 also has no voice acting, unlike the Japanese version of the game. This is most likely due to the rather mediocre voice acting in the previous installment. However, the text scrolls much faster. The Japanese version of X5 has a J-Rock song called "Mizu no Naka" (In the Water) for its credits and the song "Monkey" for the opening scene.
The change in gameplay was widely viewed by fans as being non-traditional. There were four armors for X -- his Ultimate Armor, the upgraded armor from Mega Man X4, and two others that had to be assembled from capsules. However, X couldn't wear parts of these armors separately. In previous Mega Man X games, X always upgraded what he had (the helmet, legs, armor, and his buster) and they were changed right on the spot. X could also no longer shoot his buster through walls, and for the first time ever in a Mega Man game, your character had the ability to duck.
Dr. Light's capsule holograms are also depicted as an AI instead of a pre-recorded message. Zero is able to find and use the capsules; in these cases, not only do Zero and Light have conversations, but Dr. Light tells Zero that Alia should be able to use the programs from the capsules to assemble X's armors.
[edit] Items
- Heart Tank - Extends the life meter for whoever finds them. There is one in each stage.
- Sub-Tank - There are two of them in the game, and they can be filled with energy pellets for later consumption. It takes 16 pellets worth of energy to completely fill one tank, with large pellets counting for two and full-life pellets counting for four.
- W-Tank - Can be filled with weapon pellets and used to reload your arsenal.
- EX Tank - Extends the starting amount of lives from three to five when the player continues from a save or game over.
[edit] Armors
- Fourth Armor - Only available if you start the game as X. Grants almost all the same abilities as the X4 armor. Also known as the Force Armor. The armor has no Nova Strike or infinite weapon battery.
- Abilities
- Air Dash
- Hover function
- Damage reduced by 50%
- Plasma extension - A fully charged X-Buster shot will fire a destructive ball of energy; the ball will leave behind trails that continue to damage enemies.
- Ability to charge weapons
- Abilities
- Falcon Armor - Designed for air mobility, this armor allows X to fly. Most likely based on the Rush Jet Armor from Mega Man 6. Special weapons can be used, but can't be charged.
- Abilities
- Flight function - X can fly for limited periods; while flying, he can damage enemies on contact
- Weapon battery - Increases the amount of energy for special weapons, therefore enabling more shots
- Damage reduced by 50%
- Laser shot - A fully charged X-Buster shot will fire a laser that can penetrate walls and shields.
- Giga Attack - Fires a rain of lasers that sweep the screen vertically.
- Abilities
- Gaea Armor - Designed for defense and strength. Most likely based on the Rush Power Armor from Mega Man 6. Special weapons cannot be used.
- Abilities
- Heavy Dash - No faster than X's walking speed, but it gives X enough force to shove certain inanimate objects.
- Spike Guard - While wearing this armor, X is immune to spikes (the standard Mega Man deathtrap).
- Hyper Grip - X can stick on walls without sliding.
- Damage reduced by 75%
- Gaea Buster - Although the standard shot is more powerful than the normal X-Buster, it has horrendously short range. Charging the Buster is almost instantaneous and fires off a destructive blast that can destroy certain inanimate objects.
- Giga Attack - Creates a sphere of energy in front of X, damaging anything that touches it.
- Abilities
- Ultimate Armor - The enhanced version of the X4 armor. Available either through a secret code or by finding a special Light Capsule during the third Sigma fortess stage (The stage with the famous "X vs. Zero" battle). Replaces the Force Armor if activated by code.
- Abilities
- Air Dash
- Hover function
- Damage reduced by 50%
- Plasma extension - A fully charged X-Buster shot will fire a destructive ball of energy. The ball will leave behind trails that continue to damage enemies.
- Ability to charge weapons.
- Nova Strike (renamed as Invincible Dash) - X flies forward in a plasma-powered air dash. Can be used indefinitely.
- Abilities
- Zero's Black Armor - Zero can access the black armor through a code or by finding a capsule in the third stage of the post-Eurasia destruction/crash. This is provided that he can still be used as a playable character after whatever happens to Eurasia. The armor increases Zero's defense, reducing damage by 50% more than his original armor and stopping him from being pushed back when hit, and makes his Saber Sword change from green to purple, which enables him to destroy energy projectiles fired by enemies, do slightly more damage, and destroy Sigma/Zero viruses.
[edit] Maverick bosses
In the English version, each Maverick boss is named after a member of the band Guns N' Roses (this was done because the Capcom of Japan staffers are big Guns N' Roses fans), except for Michael Monroe, from the Finnish band Hanoi Rocks (but with some collaborations with GN'R).
| English name | Name origin | Original name | Form | Copied weapon | Learned technique | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grizzly Slash | Saul "Slash" Hudson | Crescent Grizzly | Grizzly bear | Crescent Shot | Crescent Sword--Mikazukizan (Crescent Moon Slash) | Spike Ball/Twin Dream |
| Squid Adler | Steven Adler | Bolt (or "Volt") Kraken | Squid | Tri-Thunder | Electric Blade--Denjin (Electric Blade) | Goo Shaver/Frost Splasher |
| Dr. Izzy Glow | Izzy Stradlin | Shining Hotarunicus | Firefly | Firefly Laser | Crush Flasher--Messenko (Destruction Flash) | Tri-Thunder/Electric Blade |
| Duff McWhalen | Duff McKagan | Tidal Makkoeen | Humpback whale | Goo Shaver | Frost Splasher--Hisuisho (Flying Water Soar) | Crescent Shot/Crescent Sword |
| The Skiver | Michael "High in the Sky" Monroe | Spiral Pegacion | Pegasus | Wing Spiral | Wing Shredder--Shippuu (Hurricane) | Dark Hold + X-Buster/Crescent Sword |
| Axle the Red | Axl Rose | Spike Rosered | Rose | Spike Ball | Twin Dream--Sogenmu (Twin Phantasm) | Ground Fire/Quake Blazer |
| Dark Dizzy | Dizzy Reed | Dark Necrobat | Vampire bat | Dark Hold | Dark Hold | Firefly Laser/Crush Flasher |
| Mattrex | Matt Sorum | Burn Dinorex | Tyrannosaurus Rex | Ground Fire | Quake Blazer--Danchien (Severing Ground Flame) | Wing Spiral/Wing Shredder |
[edit] Story revision
Word has spread that Keiji Inafune had originally planned to end the Mega Man X series with Mega Man X5. While he was beginning work on the first installment of the Mega Man Zero series, a development team at Capcom threw together Mega Man X6 without Inafune's knowledge. When he learned of the X series' continuance, Inafune tailored the story of Mega Man Zero slightly to accommodate Zero's appearance in X6 (Zero was supposed to have been killed at the end of X5 and revived in Mega Man Zero).
Proof of this lies in the retrospective nature of X5 (from the somewhat vague references to Dr. Wily from the classic Mega Man series, to the remixed stage music from previous Mega Man X games), and the ominous prediction that began in Mega Man X3 finally coming to pass (X and Zero fighting each other, X suffering the loss of his best friend, and Zero losing his life to save the world).
[edit] Trivia
- During the dialog between X and Squid Adler, there is mention of one 'Octopardo'. This is none other than Launch Octopus from the first Mega Man X game, billed to be Squid Adler's brother; "Octopardo" is the phoenetic spelling of his Japanese name, "Launcher Octopuld".
- Aside from the names of the Mavericks, there is another Guns N' Roses reference. In the background of the first screen on the level with Axle the Red, one will notice the roses growing on the fence and the cannons, which happen to look like pistols at a first glance, behind them.
- Axle the Red is the first Maverick to come from the kingdom Plantae. He is the second non-animal Maverick of the X series (Split Mushroom from X4 is the first).
- The Japanese version of the game has voice acting during the cutscenes, although is still limited, compared to the English version. This limitation is occurred in X's shouting and Dynamo's line "Jya na! (See you!)." The English versions have no spoken dialogue at all, most likely due to the poorly received voice acting in Mega Man X4. However, this line is present in Mega Man X6.
- The PC version of the game has a rather odd bug in it. When a stage starts, the game seems to run at an extremely high speed, as if it's running out of control, but returns to normal the instant the character you're playing as teleports in. While the bug has no effect on gameplay, it's a rather unusual thing to see and is rather unexplained as to why it occurs, although it happens mostly when playing this game under Windows XP.
- The Skiver´s attack that he tries to hit X/Zero diagonally down is derived from Storm Eagle´s attack in Mega Man X.
- Duff McWhalen's stage is one of the only Boss Characters in the Megaman series to re-use stage music from a previous game, in this case, Megaman X2's Bubble Crab. He originally had a different, much slower pace of music which was replaced for unknown reasons.
- A boss from the first Mega Man game, known as Yellow Devil, makes an appearance in the first stage of the post-Eurasia destruction/crash. Instead of being yellow, he is black (he is named Shadow Devil in this game).
- All three of the post Eurasia levels have something to do with one of the three viruses mentioned in the X series. The first level represents the Colony Virus, with the Space Colony Eurasia appearing in the background of that level's boss. The second represents the Sigma Virus, with the Sigma symbol "Σ", and the last represents the original Maverick Virus, or Zero Virus, with Dr. Wily's symbol.
- The opening music is a remix of Zero's death song from X1, which is mixed in with the "Get Weapon" theme from Mega Man 3.
- The events of the Eurasia Incident are later referenced in Mega Man Zero 4 as part of the game's main plot.
[edit] References
- ↑ Capcom Music Generation (2004). Megaman X1-X6 OST - Megaman X5 Music Section - "Deep Sea".. Suleputer. Retrieved on 07/07, 2006.
