X-Men Legends

"Possibly the Best X-Game Ever"

Comic book sensations the X-Men have been around since 1963, and in that time there have been more than 500 issues of their ongoing series, two feature movies, and a number of cartoons and video games. The one game that stood out from the pack was the classic arcade game from Konami, where players chose one of six X-people to beat up robots and evil mutants. Thankfully, a few years later, the technology has advanced, but the primal fun is still there in Activision's "X-Men Legends."

The gameplay in this latest X-Men game is a twist on the tactical RPG format seen in games like "Command and Conquer" and "Starcraft." Players choose a team of four characters and go on missions, like saving young mutants and fighting giant robots. The actual fighting is done in an action style closer to the "Double Dragon" style of games. Instead of the traditional RPG way of choosing a character and telling them to perform an action, players choose one on the fly and control them, switching as the situation calls. Different attacks are triggered by different button combinations, and big super power moves are used with special combinations. The tactical strategy part comes from choosing what characters would be best for a team, depending on the level, and finding a solution to puzzles that arise. Varying tasks in each level require a different character; for instance, if a bridge is out, Jean Grey or Iceman will have to make a bridge for the rest of the team to cross. This keeps the action from getting boring.

If players are tired of the thinking aspect, they can choose the "Danger Room" mode and just run around beating people up. Other players can join in, up to three more, so invite your friends and geek out for an evening.

A large cast of characters and a detail story is a huge plus for this game. A great number of X-Men are either playable or make cameos, and the number of classic villains is impressive. The creators certaintly did their homework with this one.

Graphically, most detail gets blurred out by the high number of characters and environment on screen. The X-Men and enemies are cel-shaded, giving an animated look when the camera zooms close enough to see fine details. CGI cutscenes break the relative monotony between levels, but there are a few problems with body proportions, especially when a few figures have chins bigger than the rest of their heads. Considering they're only seen between levels though, it's a small complaint rather than a fault.

One drawback is long loading times. Bringing up the Character screen to equip characters with different items and attributes takes about 30 seconds away from playing, and load times between levels and level sections is close to a minute. It's a good idea to have a way to fill up free time when waiting.

All things considered, it's quite possible that X-Men Legends is the best X-Men game ever. The amount of detail and overall fun in the game outweighs some of the drawbacks. X-Men Legends would be a welcome addition to any serious X-fan's collection.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/08/05