In this game, players can choose either X or Zero, but they can still choose either one of the them inside the game. The only difference is that if the player chooses X, he will be able to use the Force Armor, and with Zero, he will be able to use the Z-Buster in this game. The creator, Keiji Inafune originally intended Mega Man X5 to be the last game, and make way for Mega Man Zero. But then Mega Man X6 was created against his wishes, thus altering his plans.
Plot. Several months have passed after the crushing downfall of the Repliforce army, Earth is at a peaceful state. Space colonization has begun, and it seems to open the curtains for a new age of peace and prosperity. The space colony Eurasia, is the oldest one in the Lagrangian Point. One day, a mysterious Reploid mercenary named Dynamo has occupied the colony, scattering the Maverick Virus, and leading it into collision towards the Earth. If Eurasia crashes in 16 hours, it will cause absolute chaos and destruction to the Earth, on the worst case scenario, destroying all life on the planet. The Maverick Hunters have a plan to stop it, using the Enigma cannon, but if it does not work, their backup plan is a shuttle to crash it into it. The only hope for the world, are X and Zero. Zero continues to find answers about his origin.
Concept. The X series continues it's old tradition of fighting against eight bosses until the final battles. Also, when two bosses are defeated when obtaining parts for either the shuttle or Enigma cannon, they have to face off against Dynamo, who is out there to stop them from achieving their goals. Depending on the time they have, they either completely destroy the colony, or if not, then rubble of the colony falls into the Earth, severely damaging it, and then Zero goes Maverick.
Design. Like it's predecessor Mega Man X4, the game is 2D with 32-bit graphics. The anime sequences do not feature voice acting, but written dialogue and still screens. More like a comic book if you ask me.
Music. Toshihiko Horiyama does not compose the music in this game, and he has been replaced by Naoto Tanaka, Naoya Kamisaka, and Takuya Miyawaki. The themes of the Shadow Devil and Rangda Bangda W have been remixed from the old games of Mega Man and Mega Man X.
Characters. The game introduced new characters in the Maverick Hunter army: Alia, a mission analyst, Signas, the commander of the Maverick Hunters, he bears strong resemblance to Colonel from Mega Man X4, Douglas, an engineer, and the medical officer, Lifesaver..
Past References. The Shadow Devil boss is a new version of the Yellow Devil from the Mega Man series, and much more difficult. Rangda Bangda from Mega Man X returns far more stronger and powerful than ever before.
Rantings. The Sigma Virus tends to be one of the most annoying things in the game. It infects X, but it does not infect Zero. Why? Well, as you may have played X4, then you know what he really was in the past. The Z-Buster is something I did not like, because instead of rapid fire, and charging, it only shot a minor blast. I actually found that disappointing. The boss I truly hated was the Shadow Devil, this guy was a pain in the ass, and after so many years of playing Mega Man and Mega Man X, I still HATE this guy. The first Sigma Stage gave me bad memories of the laser beams that killed you instantly in Mega Man 2, and Mega Man 7
Good Aspects. The game is very well made, and also loved the boss name references after Guns 'N Roses band members. I also really enjoyed the retrospective moments of this game, because it took me back to the days of when I was a kid, and loved playing the games. The music was also very good, and the game has very good replay value.
Overall. Mega Man X5 is a good game, but not as good as it's predecessor. The final score for this game is a 7.9 out of 10