X-Men Legends

"Finally a notable X-Men game"

We've all heard of them and many of us grew up reading their comic books and watching the cartoons on Fox in the 90's. What could I possibly be talking about? The legendary Marvel superheroes known as the X-Men. The comics are bar none one of the best ever, and the movies are great movies in their own rights, but what about video games? I am sad to say that I have not played a good X-Men game yet, until now. The X-Men have had a long line of bad video games and it is such a shame considering how special the X-Men universe has been. With the rich backgrounds of the X-Men you would expect someone to come up with an X-Men rpg earlier, but Raven Software is the first to do it. And without a doubt they did a very good job. Not only do they produce a enjoyable rpg, but they also produce a good X-Men game and that is a big plus.

The graphics engine in X-Men Legends is cell shaded. For the most part the environments are solid and look nice. A big plus is most of the surrounding environments are destructable also. The game runs smoothly with no drops in the frame rate. The cut scenes are beautiful and look really awesome. It feels like I am watching a cartoon. I really like the cell shaded look that they went with in this game. One complaint is the character models aren't very detailed. Especially from the point of view that the camera portrays them. The camera is usually far back and it makes the character models look dull. However for the most part the graphics are good and the cut scenes are great. There are a few minor complaints, but nothing serious. And for the most part the animation is also rock solid.

Hmm...The X-Men have a great lineup of characters that are loved by many Marvel fans and they have a rich universe with some of the best storylines you can ever read about, so my question is why has no one ever decided to make a rpg? Well now that we finally get one I am quite happy with the results. X-Men Legends plays like a beat-em-up, but it has rpg elements and a deep story. It plays differently then most rpgs that I have played. I felt like I was playing Final Fight or Streets of Rage, but with X-Men characters and rpg elements. As you progress through the game you will level up, gain new powers and customize your characters.

In the game you have two attack buttons, one weak and one strong, You can build up combos by utilizing these two buttons. You can also jump and fly(depending on who your character is) The game allows you to perform special attacks that you see the X-Men characters perform in the comics. For example Cyclops will use his optic blast. The game allows you to choose between a variety of characters, some come sooner then others. You can switch between them and try out other characters and see their strengths and weaknesses. You start out in the game as Wolverine who is later joined by other X-Men. As you progress more and more X-Men will be at your disposable. You will need them too if you plan to fend off the baddies. The game has a variety of enemies ranging from soldiers to sentinals. The combat as described earlier is a beat-em-up, while it is definitely fun to play in real time, the combat does get a bit repetitive. After a while it feels like a button masher. In certain areas of the game it will also require certain X-Men members to continue forward. You can switch up your teams at an extraction point, you can also save your game here.

As you progress through the game you will earn points as you level up. These points will allow you to customize your character. You can add points to different categories like strength. You can also equip your character with items that will help you out. With your points that you earn you can learn new powers or improve your existing powers. The camera in the game for the most part is reliable, but their are times where you can't see the enemy to well. X-Men Legends offers a bit of a challenge, while it isn't very hard, it is quite difficult in some instances. This is a good thing especially considering the ease of video games nowadays. The game also offers multi-player, but i have yet to try it out. So that will add a little more incentive to play the game again. The game offers a great story and I really digged it. I am a big fan of the X-Men and Marvel in general and I must say this story line was great. Overall the game offers a solid combat system, a great story and solid customization of your X-Men.

X-Men Legends offers some great voice acting and some not so great. Patrick Steward (the one that plays Proffessor X int he movies) offers a hand in the cast. Characters like Rogue, Wolverine and Gambit are very nicely done. In fact I was quite impressed by their voice acting. However, others while decent are not up to par. Take for example Beast, his voice was solid, but it pales in comparison to others. I realy wonder why some characters have near flawless voice acting while others have decent voice acting at best. Anyways, the music in X-Men Legends is solid, but for the most part you will be busy fighting as opposed to taking your time and listening to the music.

X-Men Legends offers incentive to play again due to its multi-player. The game also takes close to 25 hours to finish, which is solid for an rpg. The value of this game would be worthless if the game was boring for 25 hours, but luckily with the solid combat system and engrossing story you will be more then satisfied. There are also numerous collectibles such as Art work and comic book covers. Being a big fan of the X-Men, I naturally took the time to get most of them and I plan to play it again to get all of them.

The nice amount of characters will satisfy any X-Men fan. The storyline is solid and the combat for the most part is quite solid. The cell shaded graphics look quite good. Any X-Men fan will be completely satisfy with the content regarding the X-Men. While their are some areas of the game that could of been better what is there is more then enough for anyone to enjoy this game. Overall X-Men Legends is what a X-Men game should be and it presents itself very well.

In conclusion X-Men Legends offers great fun and a great story. X-Men Legends is however, not without flaws, but it is forgiveable considering the years I have waited for a good X-Men game. And that is what X-Men Legends is, a good game. At last X-Men fans can rejoice because we finally get a good X-Men game and not some cheap imitation that demeans the Legendary X-Men. So if your a big X-Men fan like me then you must get this game, either on the Xbox or on other systems. If your not a fan of the X-Men I would recommend you rent it and try it out,

Pros
+ Beautiful cut scenes
+ Great story
+ Cool mutant powers
+ Collectible art work for fans
+ Solid combat system
+ A great lineup of X-Men characters
+ Some of the voice acting was great
+ Pretty good in terms of length

Cons
- While the combat is solid, it does get a bit repetitive
- The in game graphics look so so
- Some of the voice acting was decent at best
- Might only appeal to fans of the X-Men

Graphics - 8/10
Gameplay - 8/10
Sound - 8/10
Value 9/10
Presentation - 8/10
Overall - 8.4/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/12/04, Updated 11/28/05