X-Men: Next Dimension

"It's fun, but it's got a few flaws."

My cousin recommended this game to me, so I bought it. This game suffers from some very major things, which sometimes, but rarely, ruin the enjoyment of the game.

Gameplay/Controls: 9/10
I always thought 3-D fighting games were a little bit difficult to master, control-wise. The control stick moves you backwards, forwards, up, and down, while the D-pad sidesteps up and down, jumps, and crouches. The A, B, X, and Y buttons each allow you to perform a certain attack, and you can link certain attacks to form combos, some of which look very nice. Most of these combos aren't in the moves section of the pause menu, so thew game lets you figure out these moves. Most can be learned by watching your CPU opponent play, if you're familiar to all the moves. Also, executing attacks and combos fills up your special meter, which allows you to execute over-the-top attacks that, if used strategically, can turn the tables in a fight. There are also air seeks, where you send your opponent flying into the air, follow them up, and pummel and/or throw them back to the ground. Certain characters can also fly, but there is nothing special about that.

Graphics: 7/10
The characters are nicely detailed, but there is very little in the environments that stood out to me. They just looked bland. The moves, however, look very nice. Many characters have projectile attacks, and they all look pretty nice, from Gambit's kinetically charged cards, to Cyclops's optic beam, to Phoenix's fire birds, and so on. The specials also look really cool, usually making you wonder how the opponent can live through that kind of punishment.
The biggest problem with this game is the glitches. Almost every round you're bound to run into a glitch of some kind. These range from your opponent turning invisible to you and/or your opponent going through a wall and being temporarily forced to fight there, or the lone person behind the wall can wuss out and stay there hoping their opponent doesn't find a way to go through the wall. Another one involves Sabretooth's throws (I don't know why it only happens with Sabretooth). You dodge being thrown, yet a second later, your character is writhing on the floor, which is what happens if the throw is successful, when Sabretooth isn't even there holding you down. It's disappointing that the designers of this game didn't work a little harder to get the bugs out.

Replay Value: 10/10
There are lots of things to unlock in this game. There are 6 unlockable alternate costumes for each fighter(making a total of eight), 7 hidden characters, 2 hidden levels, and a short bio of an certain X-men fighter when you beat Arcade mode with that character. This means LOTS of replay value.

Overall: 8/10
Well, it could have been better, but it's not bad. If you're an X-Men and fighting game fan, you should consider buying this game. If you're not, rent it. I just hope you have a high tolerance for glitches in your games.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/03/03, Updated 06/03/03