X-Men: Children of the Atom

"An evolution in fighting games but with lots of flaws..."

X-Men: Children of the Atom introduced a very innovative fighting system which gave birth to a new age in fighting games but... the game itself wasn't that good... so on to the review.

Graphics- 9/10
Capcom did a good job in the graphics department. The animation was smooth, the backgrounds were very interactive and the movements were also responsive. The only problem is that the game slows down because of the arcade-like frame rate which Capcom was forcing the PlayStation to do. We all know that the game was done on a CPS arcade board, and yet, they still tried to force it into the PSX... but overall, the graphics are really cool... and worth the look.

Sound- 5/10
The music, sound effects and voices suck... The tunes aren't that exciting... it's the usual Street Fighter type fare... and I even think that the Street Fighter 2 tunes are better. Sound Effects? Talk about lifeless jabs, slashes, and lousy voice acting. I hate Storm's annoying screams, the Sentinel's pathetic robo-voice etc... I wish Capcom made more effort in the sound department... even for the PSX version only... but overall, the sound may just be enough for the average player.

Story- 4/10
Ok, Magneto plans to enslave humanity (as usual) and you, as the X-Men team must stop him. There's nothing really much different from the usual X-Men story.

Replay Value- 9/10
I really like the game alot... I just love to pummel up opponents with superb, 20-30 hit combos... The new features like the 'Super Jump' and new 'X-Power' moves really boost the game's overall replay value... And yeah, did I forget to mention the new combo system?

Gameplay/Controls- 10/10
The controls are very responsive, and fast. As always, that has been a Capcom trademark in the Fighting Game genre. Also, you can now link all of your moves for amazing, high-hitting combos by just simply tapping the attack buttons in sequence... talk about precise and accurate control!

Innovation- 10/10
Well, this game is what basically set the standard for the other popular quarter-crunchers like X-Men vs. Street Fighter, to the immerse Mavel vs. Capcom and its grand sequel; Marvel vs. Capcom 2. The game offers the player to do easy, multi-hit combos, mid-air moves and other cool stuff... stuff which began a series of great fighting games.

Is it worth it?
Yes, it is. Even with all of the bad voice acting and stuff, X-Men: Children of the Atom is a great fighting game with many action-packed elements which will sure challenge even the best Street Fighter player out there.

Cress' Overall Rating- 6
Well, even if the game presents the player with 'new' elements which would boost the gameplay value, X-Men doesn't really have lot's more to boast of... It's the average fighting game, with new and better gameplay elements.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/01, Updated 10/14/01