MegaMan X5 was supposed to end the series as a whole. It did a pretty good job at doing so if not for Meg
THE GOOD (+)
+ Switch between X and Zero after clearing a level
In X4, once you picked X or Zero you were stuck with them. You couldn't switch between the 2 after beating a level nor did they interact with one another with the exception of X's ending. Now that you can swap between the 2 and beat the game in one go with either character on the same save file makes things less time consuming.
+ New armors for X
With one armor per game for X, Capcom increased the flow with adding 2 new armors to the mix. One of them allows X to soar through the air and the controls are tight enough for this to work almost perfectly while the 2nd one is mostly for breaking blocks that cannot be broken with a normal X-Buster shot. Also X starts the game with the X4 armor which in a way makes tracking through the game as X a bit easier.
+ New characters added to the mix
Coming along the road are 3 new characters that would make even more characters to the mix such as Reploid Hunter navigator Alia among others. More characters other than X and Zero get a thumbs-up from me.
+ No anime cutscenes (if you played X4, you'd be glad for this)
Face it, the English cutscenes from X4 were beyond horrible. X sounding like a girl, Zero sounding like a teenage surfer, Sigma was a Funimation DBZ villain and etc. Cutscenes were replaced with hand-drawn slides with dialogue at the bottom which play along the story of the game well enough.
THE BAD (-)
- Not a lot of depth into the story and endings
Even after beating the game, the endings of the game don't really make a lot of sense. And they feel more like cliffhangers if anything else.
- X cannot use the armor pieces he collects on the go
Unlike all the other X-games, you cannot use the armor pieces that you collect on the fly. Even when you go through the game without any armor and obtain a part, it still cannot be used.
- The final boss can be a bit too challenging for everyone
Sigma's final form in X5 has to be the hardest final boss in the series as a whole. X could handle him once you know what you're doing, but Zero on the other hand would have a rather harder time fighting him. Do not get frustrated with this boss, cause as hard as he is, Sigma is still beatable....after a few game-over screens.
- Led to the creation of the inferior MegaMan X6
X5 was suppose to end the series, yet it led to the inevitable release of the worst game of the franchise in my opinion, MegaMan X6.
THE NOT THAT GOOD WHILE NOT SO BAD (+ -)
+ - Gameplay mechanics remain the same
While the gameplay engine has not changed over the years, almost anyone can get into these games easily with its tight and easy-to-learn control scheme. If you are accustomed to 2D platformers these should bode no problem at all.
While MegaMan X5 may not be the best game of the franchise, it is still a really good game for those who enjoy a 2D platformer, though the final portion of it would be a bit too challenging for others.