Mega Man V

Mega Man V, known in Japan as Rockman World 5 (ロックマンワールド５), is the last game from the original Mega Man series for Game Boy, released in 1994. The game has Super Game Boy support. At one time it was considered to be rereleased in 2000, but unlike Mega Man II, the project was abandoned. Unlike previous Game Boy titles, the game did not reuse levels or bosses from the NES titles, but is a completely new game with its own storyline, new assets and a full series of new bosses and weapons. This game marked the introduction of the Stardroids. This game is currently available for download on the 3DS Nintendo eShop.

Story
From the game's opening scene:

''In the year 20XX AD, the world is at peace thanks to Mega Man. Dr. Wily's fourth attempt at world domination has failed and his name has once again faded from the minds of the citizens of the world. A few months later...''

(Rock and Roll are walking through a field and suddenly a mysterious robot appears in front of them.)

Terra: "So, you are the famous Mega Man! I am Terra - and you will soon be my slave!"

(Roll retreats and Rock turns into Mega Man to fight against Terra, but even the charged shot doesn't work on him, and is defeated.)

Mega Man: "What?! My Mega Buster has no effect on him..."

A few hours later, the world was attacked by warrior robots from space.

Mega Man (awakening): "Where am I?"

Dr. Light found Mega Man and equipped him with the new "Mega Arm". The most powerful weapon ever devised.

Why have the Stardroids come here!?

Dr. Light: "Mega Man, our world is once again in chaos. The alien robots call themselves "Stardroids" and have conquered most of our major cities. They are constructed of alien material which render our weapons useless. But, I have done some analysis and constructed a new weapon for you. It will replace your Super Mega Buster. It is called the "Mega Arm" and it allows you to charge energy in your fist before you fire it. I have also created a new assistant for you. His name is "Tango". I'll enhance this item replicator to make powerful items for you. Collect as many P Chips as possible and return to my lab to exchange them for power-up items. Good luck, Mega Man."

Bosses
Instead of using eight bosses from two NES games like the previous Game Boy games, all eight main bosses from Mega Man V are new and unique.

Final Stages
* The weapons from the Mega Man Killers and Quint cannot be obtained in Mega Man V.

†The Skull Blazer is fought between Terra and Enker.

Reception
Overall critical reception for Mega Man V has been average to positive. While many aspects of the game were commended, critics found very little change from previous installments in the series. VideoGames summarized, "If you don't have a Mega Man game for your Game Boy, this one is a good as any. It's entertaining...it's Mega Man. If you're thinking 'rehash', you might be right and it's still a pretty fun game, though." Nintendo Power was impressed by its gameplay and graphics, but felt that the game is too short, "especially when you sit down with the Super Game Boy and cruise". GamePro was contrastingly unimpressed with the controls on the SNES, considering the use of Game Boy much simpler.

In 2008, Nintendo Power listed Mega Man V as the 14th best Game Boy or Game Boy Color video game, praising it as the best of a quality series of portable Mega Man games. Game Informer's Ben Reeves called it the 11th best Game Boy game due to its relative ambition compared to its Game Boy predecessors. Mega Man V was available for the similarly named Nintendo Power cartridge service in Japan on April 13, 2001 alongside its four Game Boy Mega Man predecessors. Outside of Japan, the game is considered to be quite rare. All five games on the Game Boy were to be released as part of a Game Boy Advance compilation in 2004 titled Mega Man Anniversary Collection, but it was delayed indefinitely, renamed Mega Mania, and eventually cancelled. In 2011, IGN listed the game among titles they wished to see downloadable from the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS. On July 18, 2013, it was confirmed that Mega Man V is planned for release on the 3DS Virtual Console; it came out November 6, 2013 in Japan and on May 22, 2014 in North America.

Mega Man Gigamix
The characters and plotline for Mega Man V were incorporated into the Mega Man Gigamix comic books by Hitoshi Ariga, with the battle against the Stardroids acting as a finale.

Archie Comics
They were also present in the Mega Man series from Archie Comics, with a full adaptation of Mega Man V being foreshadowed in various stories but not coming to pass before the series went on indefinite hiatus. The comic storyline takes unique action of linking the Stardroids with Shadow Man and Ra Moon, the primary antagonist of Super Adventure Rockman, as well as giving them a history with the alien robot Duo and Trio, his unnamed antagonist from Mega Man 8. Ra Moon's intent during Super Adventure Rockman to prepare the Earth for the arrival of its Stardroid creations; when its defeat at Mega Man's hands made this impossible, it sent a signal to the Stardroids aboard their craft, the future Wily Star. Terra appeared briefly in Mega Man #20 of the series while Mega Man was caught up in a time travel adventure, and later during a flashback in which he sent Ra Moon to Earth under the protection of the Kuiper Droids, a group of bodyguard robots of whom Shadow Man is the last surviving member. Dr. Light later witnessed the Stardroids' future invasion in a vision experienced during Mega Man #55, the last issue before the series went on hiatus.

Trivia

 * Mega Man V was programmed to have Super Game Boy support, which resulted in a multitude of colors featured in the game when used with the adapter on the Super Nintendo. If used on a Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advanced, Game Boy Player or any e-shop release, the game features only a minimal 4-pallette color scheme that does not change, leaving the Super Game Boy as the only option to play the game with its full color capability.
 * Unlike most games, several of the Robot Masters (Mercury and Neptune) can't be fought against using their weakness (Black Hole and Spark Chaser) before their rematch.
 * Like Sunstar, the Stardroids are robots from an alien civilization that Dr. Wily found in some ancient ruins. Dr. Wily then reprogrammed these robots to use them for his world domination scheme.
 * The names for the Stardroids are taken from the names for the Planets of our Solar System.
 * Though Pluto has long since been said to not be a planet, but rather a dwarf planet.
 * The weakness sequence from Mars to Mercury (Mars -> Venus -> Jupiter -> Saturn -> Mercury) is a reference to Wu Xing, a five-element theory of Chinese philosophy. The element names in their corresponding planets' Chinese names (Mars: Fire(火); Venus: Metal(金); Jupiter: Wood(木); Saturn: Earth(土); Mercury: Water(水)) form an order of "mutual overcoming" law, "Fire -> Metal -> Wood -> Earth -> Water". Additionaly, Mars' weakness, Salt Water from Neptune, can be considered as "Water element" which overcomes Fire element in the same law.