Genre: Platformer
Year: 1992
Developed by: Capcom
Published by: Capcom
Platforms: NES, PSX, iOS, Android
#95
Feeling Like: Beat it
This is the twelfth Mega Man entry on the 500 so far. It’s obvious I don’t prescribe to the “one entry per franchise” rule, and for very good reason: it’s a dumb rule.
However, I will admit there are only so many ways you can describe the blue bomber’s exploits. While there are some incremental changes, the fundamentals remain virtually untouched from Mega Man to Mega Man 6. You play as the friendly robot Mega Man on his quest to defeat the unfriendly robots and their nefarious creator, Dr. Wily. The hook is that you can choose which order you tackle the eight stages, and part of the fun is discovering which weapon is effective against other bosses. These are not easy games; you will die a lot, or at least I did. There are traps of every conceivable nature, from spikes, to bottomless pits, to things that will crush you. Enemy robots will appear in any form you can think of and they’re always on the hunt to wipe you out.
I have to admire Capcom’s consistency in this series. Six years, six Mega Man games on the NES, from 1987 to 1993. You can easily beat any one of them within a few hours. They’re tough, but not insurmountable. Hardcore players can clear Mega Man 5 in well under an hour, though I would never claim to be in that company.
This one was always one of my favorites. While the powers themselves are probably among the weakest, the level design is among the strongest. I always started with Gravity Man’s stage, not necessarily because his ability was something I had to have, but because it’s just so darned fun to play. Going completely upside down, including in mid-air to avoid traps, felt like something an early Mega Man game couldn’t pull off. It was so satisfying to take a leap of faith towards the depths, knowing the reverse gravity would catch me and I could land on the nearby ceiling.
I mentioned Capcom’s consistency earlier on and if there’s one constant variable among the NES Mega Mans, it’s the soundtracks. They’re filled with incredible beats, and memorable themes. Mega Man 5 has some of my favorites in the entire series.
Intro is great, learning of Proto Man’s apparent turn to the dark side.
Wave Man’s stage, complete with a mechanical jet ski section, feels melancholy and something you’d listen to while gazing out at the ocean.
Unsurprisingly, a Wily Stage has a killer sound to it.
Proto Man’s Fortress is just as good.
The End Theme has the usual sense of calm and victory.
Credit Mari Yamaguchi for this absolutely terrific collection of music.
I think I just felt comfortable with Mega Man 5. There weren’t a lot of innovations, and the level of challenge wasn’t near Mega Man 3, but the improved Mega Buster meant I wasn’t at the mercy of only using boss weapons against other bosses. It packed quite a punch, possibly too much. There’s a reason Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 removed it entirely, although I was miffed when they removed the slide. You gotta have the slide! Once I’d beaten the game a few times, I was shocked to find I still watched to run through it again. It was always available at Spotlight Video – maybe I should’ve seen that as a hint that it wasn’t one of the more revered Mega Man games. Didn’t bother me – I’d take what I could get.
My gaming habits nowadays lead me to rarely replaying games. Unless you’re StarCraft 2 or Kingdom Rush Vengeance, once I finish the campaign it’s very likely I’m uninstalling it, or trading it in. I’ll try out a DLC once in a blue moon, but my MO is to beat as many as possible for both my own entertainment and to ensure I have a good sample to choose upon for my annual Top 10 list. When I was younger, however, things were different. There weren’t nearly as many games released, and my resources to obtain them were even fewer. Christmas and birthdays were usually the only time I would get a game outright, but Fridays usually meant a rental was on the table. I could try something new, but why risk it? I must have rented Mega Man 5 at least a dozen times. It was like saying hi to and old, blue friend.
The final reason why Mega Man 5 is so high up is because of my boy, the attack bird BEAT. Hell yeah, love Beat. By collecting a hidden letter in each of the eight stages, you could spell MEGAMANV which would unlock a robot bird who will follow you around and AUTOMATICALLY ATTACK ENEMIES. At the point you get him, he’s probably not totally necessary but in the final fight against Wily, Beat just totally owns the white haired jerk. Teleport all you want in your silly UFO, Beat will find you and take you down.
Do Mega Man fans like Beat? Is he in other games? No idea, but I had never seen a power like this in a Mega Man game before and I’m always a fan of summoning minions who will do my work for me. Beat alone vaulted Mega Man 5 at least a dozen spots on the 500 by himself.
There are only two more Mega Man games on the 500 to come, but I’m not sure either have the relaxing nature of Mega Man 5. It’s just one of those games I honed in on early and played it well beyond what Capcom expected the average gamer to do. But with the beautiful stage backgrounds, catchy tunes, an updated Mega Buster and Beat, I just couldn’t help myself.
The 500 