Straight out of the comics

At some point since the creation of the comic book, every kid who has explored the Marvel world of the X-Men has had fantasies of becoming part of this mutant faction. The closest thing I got as a kid to looking like an X-Man was dressing in pajamas and wearing a painted-over blue shirt and sunglasses and pretending I was Cyclops. Nowadays, things are a little more advanced and a little less embarrassing. With the emergence of video games, it has become a lot easier (and a lot more fun) to play as your favorite hero. The most recent and perhaps the best example of this is X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, a platform game sequel available on multiple gaming consoles that allows you to control your favorite X-Men characters on a quest to save the world from the menacing super-villain Apocalypse.

The most apparent twist in this game from its predecessors that I’m sure many fans of the comic book series will enjoy is that X-Men Legends II allows you to choose from 15 characters comprised of both the X-Men and their longtime rival, The Brotherhood, led by Magneto. You’ll find lots of familiar faces like Wolverine, Storm, Juggernaut, Magneto and Cyclops and some lesser known ones like Sunfire and Scarlet Witch. There are also three hidden characters in the game that you can unlock by completing various tasks. For example, the hidden character Deadpool may be unlocked by finishing the game.

The reason why the X-Men and the Brotherhood are fighting alongside as opposed to against each other is that Professor Xavier, leader of the X-Men, and Magneto have agreed to set aside their quarrels and join forces to defeat a common enemy and a far greater evil in Apocalypse, who has aspirations of world domination.

The quest to find and defeat Apocalypse is divided into five acts, with a Horseman of Apocalypse waiting for you at the end of each of the first four and Big Daddy Evil waiting for you at the end. The storyline makes fantastic use of classic X-Men lore by incorporating several characters and subplots. Some of the non-playable characters you’ll encounter in the game are Beast, Forge, Angel, Sabertooth and Mystique.

X-Men Legends II plays like a combination of a role-playing game and a standard platform adventure game in the sense that, although each of the characters have their own predefined characteristics, the game allows you to choose which attributes and skills you want to improve or acquire as the game progresses. All the characters have their own unique traits and powers in the game which is enough incentive for one to try and test each one and see which group will be the most fun to play. There are also certain points in the game where you need a particular character to get through an obstacle. For example, you might need Iceman to put out a fire or build a bridge, or Magneto to pull a lever out of your reach, or someone like Colossus or Juggernaut to push a heavy block out of the way. The necessity to find the right combination of characters to play alongside each other makes the game a lot more interesting and less repetitive.

The game’s graphics have a certain comic book feel that creates the right atmosphere for all the mutant-blasting fun. Although it might not be the best looking approach, it’s probably the most appropriate. X-Men Legends II also features excellent voice acting for each of the characters, similar to those of the cartoon series. There are a lot of familiar X-Men environments in the game, including New York City, the island of Genosha, the Weapon X Facility and Egypt, where Apocalypse was born.

Overall, the game is pretty solid. Although it doesn’t stand out with its visual rendering or its sound, X-Men Legends II is still a whole lot of fun to play. If you’re even the slightest fan of the Marvel universe, this game is a great buy. With all your favorite X-Men in town, it’s going to be hard to stay away from that controller and TV screen.

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For questions, comments or corrections, please e-mail me at emailcarlramirez@yahoo.com.