X-Men Legends

"The greatest X-Men game since the arcade's..."

I was pleasantly surprised by this game. Having remembered the classic arcade game, I wasn't sure if the game could live up to my hopes. X-Men Legends is billed as an RPG game. While it is indeed an RPG, if one has friends over, the game becomes an action-adventure beat-'em-up... and a very fun one at that.

Presentation is ok. I don't find the presentation of this (or most games) significant enough to factor it into my score.

Story: 8
Without divulging any spoilers, the game's story draws the comic book fan in quite easily. For the non-initiated, the story may seem confusing. But then of course, what is the demographic that this game's aimed at? But even if you're not an X-Men/comic book fan, give this game a try as you, like me, will probably be pleasantly surprised.

Graphics: 6
Quite plainly, the graphics aren't that great. The game's developers covered their butts (and their low-poly models) by makin' this game cel-shaded. The environments are nice looking, but some look really uninspired. On the other side of the spectrum, the X-Mansion looks great (though I thought it would be bigger) with some very nice features to interact with; I found it really cool that Cerebro looks like it did in the X-Men movies. The graphics don't suck by any means, but still, on the Xbox, I would've hoped that they'd put a little more effort, especially with its processing power.

Sound: 7
The sound effects are great! Every optic blast, every claw slice, every ice blast, every *WHUD* for a connected attack... just great stuff. The voices overall are quite good, but some of the voices, like Rogue's and Storm's kinda put me off. Jean, I must say, sounds very sexy. Cyclops is a wussy, and Wolverine is spot on. And who can dis Patrick Stewart voicing Professor X?
Musically, the game fall short. In the time I've played the game, there isn't a single tune that catches me at all.

Gameplay: 9
Now this is where the game really shines... Melee fighting is done through hitting the A (light) and B(heavy). Different combinations of A and B garner different results. I do with there'd been a block button though.
Each character has their own: (1) stats [melee - fighting ability, agility - defense, body - health, focus - energy use and regeneration rate], (2) abilities/powers, and (3) equipment (which boost stats - much like armor in traditional RPGs). Upon leveling up, characters can put experience points (usually 1 or 2) into their stats and powers.
Powers such as Cyclops optic blasts or Storm's lightning are activated by holding R and then pressing X, Y, A, or B (I wish the developers had used the black and white buttons for more power options too). Power can be upgraded until they're just incredibly powerful.
Combinations of 2 characters' powers bring in some truly badass effects as well as added bonuses. For example, one of Wolverine's special slashes and Cyclops's Optic Wave can create Adamantine Shockwave. Now think of all the possible combinations of characters and all their powers!!
In field combat, it is important to also play characters to their strengths and so strategy does indeed come into play. As an example, my brother and I played as Cyclops, Rogue, Wolverine, and Iceman in an early level and charged into a group of 6 soldier enemies... and got stomped. 2 of the characters died.
We then tried again, with Wolverine and Rogue goin' apesh*t on the soldiers while Iceman and Cyclops blasted from the back... with immensely better results. Coordinating your team's AI (or with your friends if you're playing co-op) is paramount to success.

Replay: ?
That's up to you. Some will like this game. Others will not, regardless of the scores people give it. And if you like it, you're likely to play it for quite a while.

My tilt: 9
This game definitely deserves a shot, unless you're just sooo anti-X-Men. So go try it!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/02/04