X-Men

"X-Men fans won't be disappointed with this decent and detailed title - well worth a look :)"

FOREWORD

I will freely admit that I have always been something of an X-Men nut. Whether it's the comics, the Marvel RPG, the movies, the cartoons, I've just always found the depth and variety of characters involved to be really mentally stimulating. You can tell as even my username is taken from an X-Men character - Mister Sinister.

What did I, an X-Men FREAK, make of X-Men for the Megadrive/Genesis ?? Read on ...

OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME

Magneto has transmitted a virus via a satellite that has infected the X-Men's Danger Room, removing its security protocols, and big-upping the damage and danger settings it uses.

You can choose from four available X-Men (and can chop and change between them a certain number of times per level), being Cyclops, Gambit, Nightcrawler and Wolverine, and have to battle through the Danger Room's various scenarios, to your ultimate battle with the Master of Magnetism himself.

GRAPHICS - 7/10

Whilst the game is well attended to, the graphics are very much Megadrive/Genesis graphics, and are unlikely to leave you open-mouthed. The attention to detail in how the graphics are implemented, however, is noteworthy, insofar as you can readily see the distinction between Wolverine with his claws in, and with his claws out, as well as the little graphical touches when the characters use their powers - Nightcrawler's teleportation power leaves a little puff of smoke, and Gambit's fists glow with energy as he charges up his cards, and so on.

The characters are also very well designed with you consider their profiles in the X-Men world, with a couple of minor exceptions (the Juggernaut could have been a bit bigger I believe). It is also nice to see that a number of X-Men characters (both friends and foes alike) make appearances in this game, when I honestly cannot recall their being in any other video games release, such as Zaladane and Ahab.

The backgrounds are well done, reflecting the surroundings very well, so the Savage Land is green and verdant, whilst Ahab's lair is dark and foreboding. Again, nothing that is going to make you wet yourself, but all well thought-out, and well-considered. There are areas where you have to step into the background on some levels, and these all work well on-screen.

The visual effects (explosions, etc.) are good, and sprite flicker is generally intentional so that's ok. There are a couple of instances, however, where there are graphical glitches, although none of these prove fatal to your enjoyment of the experience.

All told, the graphics are well thought out, and well done, but not mind-blowingly amazing.

SOUND - 7/10

As with the graphics, the sounds are well attended to, but not pants-bustingly brilliant.

The music is generally dark and gritty, but as you face enemies at every turn this is rather appropriate as it happens. I particularly like the introductory music, and the Savage Land tribal tune, both of which I found to be quite memorable.

The sound effects are all fine, from Wolverine's "schick" effect on sheathing or unsheathing his claws, to Cyclops' eye beams and beyond. There is a "whistling wind" sound to accompany punches and kicks giving you the impression of moving at high speed, and whilst there is no digitised speech in the game, those sounds that are present are all decent and clear enough.

CONTROLS - 7/10

Whilst there are improvements that could have been made to the control method in the game, it has been decently put together, and is intuitive enough to get to grips with. You have simple attacks and movements to guide you through the game (jump, punch/kick, use special power), and most switches and levers can be activated by simply punching or kicking them.

You will feel that the characters are responsive, but that it would be difficult to do anything that required microscopic precision with them. Fortunately instances where you must be THAT precise in-game are sparing at best, and so the tools you have at your disposal insofar as the controls are concerned, are perfectly well-suited for the game itself.

PLOT - 7/10

The plot is decent enough to be honest, and better than your average superhero/supervillain plotline. Magneto has decided to assail the X-Men in their own home no less, beaming a virus into the Danger Room to throw all its checks and balances off balance.

This puts the X-Men that are using the Danger Room in considerable peril, and they must work out what the heck is going on, escape it, and then ultimately trace it back to the source of the disturbance, Magneto himself.

The dialogue during the game (as I said, there is no digitised speech so it is all text-driven) is fitting, and the developers have thoughtfully written text for each character individually (Nightcrawler's Germanic twang is quite amusing), which keeps things varied and interesting. Different X-Men can provide you with different information about different areas, for example.

GAMEPLAY - 8/10

In spite of not being amazing in terms of its graphics or sounds, the experience is a positive and enjoyable one for sure. Having not only four X-Men heroes to choose between (and the ability to pick and mix them during levels, so as to overcome specific obstacles and hindrances, AND to give you more chance of completing each level), there are a number of X-Men who give you cameo-style assists.

You can use each one a set number of times, but the combinations that are available to you are refreshing and varied. Iceman can build you an ice-bridge, for example, whereas Jean Grey will save you if you fall off the bottom of the screen, and Rogue will batter some enemies before heading off - that sort of thing.

Since each character has been attended to individually, you do get the feel that the developers have researched the heroes and villains, determined their powers, and sat down and thought about how best to reflect those powers on-screen.

Therefore the experience you get whilst playing is one of "wow - it's nice to see they did that right", rather than "yyyyyyyyyyyeah ... didn't really research THAT too well did we !!", which you do sometimes get in superhero/supervillain video games these days ...

There is one point in the game where you are asked to do something I have never seen on any other Megadrive/Genesis title anywhere, and that is to physically reset the console to continue (and no, it's not joking, and NO, it's not a glitch - you have to reboot the system to reboot the Danger Room - HOW COOL IS THAT !?!?!).

REPLAY VALUE - 7/10

Whilst there are undoubtedly better-looking and bigger X-Men titles out there, there are few which boast this blend of characters in this type of setting (i.e. a side-scrolling platform game) and, as I said above there are NONE which have all of the characters in this title represented in them. Consequently, I have played this game through a number of times just to do battle with that enemy there, or to see that character there.

Consequently the replay value of this title remains at a consistently decent level.

VALUE FOR MONEY - 8/10

Even though it will be difficult for you to find a copy of this title nowadays, if you are able to, I think it should represent great value for money (assuming you're not being seriously ripped-off for it of course). It is one of the earlier X-Men titles, and is chock-full of heroes and villains to keep gameplay varied if you DON'T know anything about the X-Men, and your eyes and ears peeled if you DO know anything about the X-Men.

OVERALL - 8/10 (This is NOT an average)

X-Men for the Megadrive/Genesis is a good, solid title that you should derive a great deal of enjoyment from playing. Boasting decent graphics and sounds, coupled with a plethora of characters (some fully available, some making cameos in this game and not in others) and a host of varied and interesting stages to do battle in. You shouldn't be disappointed with it, although it is NOT going to set your world on fire aesthetically.

MAIN GOOD POINTS

* Decent graphics and sound
* Attention to detail in 98% of the characters
* Varied level design
* Some characters (enemies in particular) that you just won't find in other X-Men titles

MAIN BAD POINTS

* Not the most graphically or acoustically amazing title you will ever play

SO SHOULD YOU GET IT ?

If you can find a copy at a reasonable price and are a fan of the X-Men, then definitely get a copy, yes. If you are just looking for a platform title to play, then you could consider looking to its successor (X-Men 2: Clone Wars) or, let's face it, any one of dozens of other platform releases on the Megadrive/Genesis - perhaps even the Sonic series ??

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/21/07