There are many video games created
based on comic books out there today. Most of them are complete ass.
But there are a few that slip through that are at least decent and
sometimes good and fun to play. X-Men Legends is one of those games.
Obviously, it's not the greatest comic book game, but it was the
beginning of a gameplay system that spawned off into good games like
Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I remember the first time I played X-Men
Legends around when it first came out. Me and two friends played it
damn near non-stop through the night and into the morning; we felt
the gameplay was that addicting. Diablo + X-Men = this game.
Seriously, this game is very Diablolike, which is awesome because I
fucking love Diablo. From the level ups with stat and skill building
to the random items that enemies drop, X-Men Legends creates a fun
dungeon crawling system. Now, like I said before, this isn't greatest
game; it has flaws. But at that time when it came out, it was like
God reached down from the heavens and said, “LET THERE BE AWESOME!”
Now, I have this game on the PS2, so my review will reflect that
version of the game.
Basically the game plays like this: You
choose a member of the X-Men, you hack and slash while using special
attacks that drains an Energy meter. Naturally, you reach 0 HP, you
die. By defeating enemies and completing mission objectives, you gain
XP which raises your level. When a level is raised, you acquire 1
stat point and 1 skill point. Stat points boost damage, HP, EP; the
usual. Skill Points can increase the effectiveness of your special
abilities and buffs to your character like increased Heath
Regeneration or Attack Power. Pretty much standard RPG shit. You
could be telling yourself, “So? Da fuck is da big deal?” Well,
imagine doing all this but using DA MUTHA FUCKIN X-MEN! The cast of
playable characters I think gives this game the appeal. Your choice
of characters are as follows: Beast, Colossus, Cyclops, Emma Frost,
Gambit, Iceman, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Magma, Nightcrawler, Psylocke,
Rogue, Storm, and Wolverine. Back in the day, this was fucking jaw
dropping. When I first played, I chose Gambit while my friends played
as Rogue and Cyclops. All I did was spam charged cards and loved
every second of it.
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| Menu Screen |
Combat is simple. Two buttons control
light and heavy attacks so you can do knockdown combos or pop up
combos, etc. Clicking the right trigger brings up a menu for your
special abilities. By hitting the coordinated button would unleash
them(EX: R2+X = Wolverine's Feral Claw attack). Basically, you mash
the shit out of the buttons until your opponents are dead. Some
enemies have resistances to abilities like electric damage or
physical damage, so you change your attack plan accordingly. To
recover HP and EP, you collect Heather and Energy items that
replenish them by using L1 for health and R1 for Energy. It's really
simple. Just mash and don't die. If your character does die, you can
revive them by spending money. You get credits in this game from
smashing objects and beating enemies that can spent on equipment to
boost your characters stats.
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| Combat is not difficult |
The environments are giant dungeons,
pretty much. You can explore vast areas, find hidden items(once
again, basic RPG shit), all the way until you complete the mission
objectives and/or get to the location you need to. Most events end
with a boss fight. There are also discs you can collect in the game
which unlock trials, character specific missions, etc. which you can
participate in using the famous “Danger Room” at the X-Mansion.
Completing these trials and missions grants you more XP and some
items you can only get from these missions. A grinding, dungeon
exploring buffet is in store for you in this game. Also, some
environmental areas can be changed based on what character is in your
party. Iceman can put out random fires that could lead to secrets as
well as form ice bridges across ditches. Another example, is Storm
can use lightning on metal to fuse it shut. Ok, personally, if you
are going to make a party in this game and you don't want to have to
change it every time something like this pops up(some times, you have
to form a bridge to continue a mission), just fucking have Iceman in
your party. Seriously, putting out fires and forming bridges occurs a
lot in this game and if you already have Iceman in your party, you're
golden. Locations in the game include New York City, Asteroid M and
other famous X-Men/Marvel locales.
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| Everyone also has a "Super" move they can use |
So the basics have been covered, before
I talk about how much I love this game, lets point out the one
terrible thing about it first. The fucking story. I know what you're
thinking, “how da fuck could an X-Men game have a bad story?”
Unfortunately, it's complete shit. The “main character” of the
story is Allison Crestmere, aka, Magma from the New X-Men series.
You're basically playing the role of a new mutant being exposed to
the world. You find out what the X-Men are, how to deal with your
powers, blah, blah, blah, boring ass stupid shit. If you are really
into X-Men, then you will not giving a flying fuck about what anyone
is talking about because you already know everything. Hmm, I guess
saying that, if you don't know anything about the X-Men, then maybe
you will find it interesting...well, fuck. Let me rephrase. I THINK
the story is ass, but it could be good for newcomers. Here it is in a
nutshell: STOP MAGNETO. That's it. Magneto and the Brotherhood are
the bad guys and you stop them. They hate non-mutants and they want
to rule/destroy the world so the mutants will be the only ones left
because Mag-fuckin-neto thinks mutants are superior. Basic X-Men
story. What's annoying about this is the fact that Magma is the lead
character, a character that knows nothing about the X-Men and their
history, so in a way, this character is the player. First off, you
won't want to use her AT ALL. I mean, would who would you choose to
play as, Wolverine or some fire bitch that you didn't grow up reading
about? No brainer. Second, if Magma is supposed to be the player,
then why not make it where you can customize your own character?
Look, I know this game came out forever ago, but seriously, a quick
skin and a choice of what type of mutant you are would have been
better. I just found myself mashing the X button through all
dialogue. Yes, there is voice acting in this game and yes, Sir
Patrick Stewart graces us with the voice of Professor Xavier, and
YES, once again, Steven Blum plays a voice acting role in this
game(seriously, this guys is in fucking EVERYTHING). But I still just
mashed through dialogue eagerly awaiting the next chance to crush
some fools.
Now, this is just me, but another thing
I hate about this game is that a lot of the character design and
ideas are based of the Ultimate Marvel series. Which I hate with a
fucking passion. The Ultimate Marvel series is just a different
version of Marvel comics where different shit happens. It's bullshit.
Once again, this comes down to my personal taste. For example, I hate
that I have to wear Colossus' stupid Ultimate costume instead of his
classic red. It's just bullshit.
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| Some of the art in the game isn't that great either |
As for the graphics in this game, I
have two opinions based on when I played it first to when I played it
recently. X-Men Legends sports the cel shaded look. When I first
played it, I thought it was pretty cool. Kind of gave it a comic feel
to it. But then after playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance where they
went with 3D models, I look back on the cel shaded graphics and they
annoy the fuck out of me. It looks ugly. But it's playable, I don't
want to get that mistaken. But after being spoiled with updated
graphics and having experienced WAY TOO MANY FUCKING CEL SHADED
GAMES, I can't really appreciate these graphics now. Which sucks,
because I don't want this point to shy people away, but it urks me.
And the fact that video game creation has potentially ruined some
games for me graphically, really pisses me off. But I digress. It's
not the best but it could have been worse.
So, what are the good points? Let me be
blunt, YOU'RE PLAYING AS THE FUCKING X-MEN. This gives automatic cool
points. Second, the dungeon crawling/Diablo experience I mentioned
earlier. I really like RPGs so when you combine it with comics I
love, I am pretty much sucked in right away. Another reason is that
it is really fun to play with friends and form awesome X-Men teams.
You can play this with one player, but the AI likes to do stupid shit
like fall off cliffs and crap like that. I also like grinding in RPGs
and believe me, if you want levels, you'll be grinding. The fun
factor for this game is off the charts. Fighting X-Men villains,
going through their locations; it's a blast. A good blend of RPG and
comics if you ask me. Some can say that game gets kind of tedious,
but it doesn't for me. It was one of those games that got me hooked
just from reading the back of the case in the game store. Though it
is an older game, I suggest giving it a try, especially if you've
played Marvel Ultimate Alliance. You will get to see what started
those games.
Before I close, I just want to give
some tips for this game that I have experienced. Which ever character
you choose to control, make it one of the tank characters, like
Colossus or Rogue. I find the game much easier just smashing shit
about instead of using an energy focused character that has to rely
on special abilities. The EP meter goes FAST so playing a character
like Storm or Jean Grey can be kind of difficult. I like using Rogue
because she has the ability of Flight, which is just fun as hell to
use. Just fly all over the stage. You can even pick up allies and
chuck them at opponents. But a good team should be this: 2
Tanks(Colossus, Rogue, Wolverine), 1 Energy focused for
support(Storm/Jean Grey) and Iceman. Personally, my team for this
game is Rogue, Colossus, Storm, and Iceman. Characters that are
balanced like Cyclops don't really pan out that well because you're
trying to balance physical fighting ability with energy attacks. As
the game goes on, you'll notice that you're damage output isn't all
that effective. So, basically make a decision with your character:
Tank or Energy attacks.
Plenty of exploration, RPG elements and
X-Men to choose from. This game is a must play for comic fans.
