  'X-Men 2' brings "de-bugging" to a whole new level.
|
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse for Playstation 2 is the eagerly awaited follow-up to the smash hit X-Men Legends released earlier this year. The sequel has managed to improve upon its predecessor in a number of ways that greatly enhances the gamplay experience, while still retaining all the elements the made the first title such a success.
The game itself is a top-down, hack-and-slash dungeon crawler, yet clad in slick superhero threads and with the spirit of old-school Gauntlet style mayhem beating in its mutant heart. As with the previous incarnation and indicated by the title of the game itself, the player controls a wide selection of characters from the X-Men comics. But new to the sequel, The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (one of the X-Men’s main opponents) are also available as playable characters, thus increasing the overall pool of mutants, heroes, villains, misfits and super powered anomalies to pick from and the reason for this seemingly incongruous team up? Apocalypse. Not the event, but one of Marvel’s most infamous and evil villains; a blue clad behemoth of a man, who may possibly be the first mutant ever. Born in Egypt at the time of the Pharos, he is effectively immortal, really, really mean and hell bent on dominating the human race. There is of course much more to the story than just this initial premise, but it is slowly revealed through various cut scenes and dialogue as one progresses through the game and actually proves to be pretty engaging.
As with the first game, the player controls one of four characters, selected at the beginning of the missions and interchangeable at various check-points located throughout the levels. Using the directional pad, one can switch between the four characters at any time, thus allowing for some interesting gameplay mechanics, as different scenarios and opponents are better suited to different characters. Each superhero is given an arsenal of punches, kicks and throws, but the real draw here are their unique powers, each faithfully accurate to their comic book origins. Magneto throws metal things around, Storm calls down lightning bolts, Wolverine regenerates health and Juggernaut, well, smashes things real good. All of these abilities are used to full effect upon multitudes of soldiers, evil henchmen, crazed savages and finally in a fair number of boss battles peppered throughout the game. These battles prove to be a highlight, as they require a bit more strategy and skill to overcome than the standard opponents, and offer the player a chance to go toe-to-toe with some of the lesser known, but still entertaining Marvel villains (Omega Red anyone?).
Like its predecessor, there is a substantial RPG type element to X-Men Legends II, involving character attributes, equipment, and power upgrades. But unlike the original, the character development of the sequel is much more fluid and intrudes less upon the flow of the game. Rather than stopping in the middle of the action and going to the character statistics page to incrementally increase a power or two, the player is given the option of automatically leveling up and distributing equipment. This keeps the action going and shows that the developers really did listen to the suggestions of the gaming community, who where particularly vocal about this issue in the original title.
 |
Click here for the official 'X-men Legends 2' trailer. (Quick Time: 5.09 Meg) |
Graphically, X-Men Legends II is up to the task of creating an exciting, action packed world. The environments are well rendered and with the exception of a few levels, are not excessively repetitive- a problem with other games of this nature. Meanwhile, the characters are presented using a cell shading technique that definitely suits the comic book origins of the game and still allows for a fair level of detail. Plus, in another excellent improvement over the first game, multiple costumes for each character have been included, thus allowing you to clad your favorite X-Men in some of their earlier, retro threads (blue and yellow tights were so in back in the day).
The audio component is also handled well. Sound effects are full and clear, but what really stand out are the multiple voice samples for each character. It’s great to hear their trademark quips and comments as you bash your opponents to pieces- enhancing the simulation of playing through an actual comic book.
X-Men Legends II is a solid gaming experience all around. Utilizing elements that made the first game successful, such as a simple but fun combat system, robust RPG aspects, good presentation of the source material, and coupled with a number of enhancements that improve the flow and pace of the game- make this sequel an easy recommendation. Granted, the game does become a little repetitive after a while, but that’s due to the fact that it’s meant to be a pick-up-and-go sort of affair where the emphasis is on kicking ass with your favorite X-Men heroes and villains rather than exacting, detailed gameplay. For fans of the X-Men and those new to this particular chapter of the Marvel universe, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse offers everything you need to get your mutant mayhem on – minus the blue and yellow tights. You’ll have to get those on your own.
WHAM! Rating: |
8.5 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
T (Teen) |
Official Web Site: |
|
|
