X-Men Legends (GameCube)

Rather than being a simplistic fighting game, X-Men: Legends is actually an action role-playing game cum real-time strategy. The game is viewed from an overhead perspective and you get to take control of a team of four X-Men, chosen from a wider range of the comics best and brightest. You can only control one character at a time though, with the others following along behind and reacting to danger semi-autonomously.

You always have full control of the mood and tactics of all your team members though, being able to set them as passive or aggressive as well as choosing their formation and position in the team. Each level also features multiple "extraction points" so you can quickly swap new team members into your group and generally you're given as much control over strategy and tactics as you could wish.

It's always nice to see a company trying something a bit different with a license and, although both graphics and gameplay do occasionally appear a little simplistic, X-Men and RPG fans alike should find plenty to enjoy here. -- David Jenkins

However....what a game it is!!!! Its hard to believe but this is a brilliant game...such a basic idea, decent storyline and amazing cut scenes to boot...but its simply outstanding. You even get to play as Professor X at one point. It really is brilliant to play. The best way to describe it is by saying it is a cross between Diablo (in that you level up your character and pick up objects to advance your characters abilities ie DNA regenerator, elemental deflectors etc which you give to forge so that he can use them for scrap metal in order to make stronger pieces for you) and the 2nd NES teenage mutant turtles game where you slashed your way to the end.

Each of the 15 characters have 4 special moves in the arsenal in addition to the basic punches and kicks. Basic attack, advanced attack, advanced defence...and once you reach a certain level, you unlock their x-ability which in wolverines case means when you use it, he will dash around at warp speed attacking every opponent before they can blink.

Awesome game.


X-Men fun all the way   January 10, 2005
Without a doubt, the best X-men game that there is. Possibly the best superhero game (although I haven't played the new spiderman one) of all. The game is so easy to play and so much fun. You get to play all the comic favourites, and although there are a few places where a specific mutant is required, you can pretty much do each mission with whatever mutant you like (although you could almost complete every non-mutant-specific mission with Wolverine on his own). Zap, fry, freeze, slash and bash each and every thing that moves, then break or throw anything that doesn't. Hardly what I would usually describe as a RPG game, but I guess it gets put in the category due to the way you level up. And the leveling up is incredibly fun. Although it isn't completely up to you where your can put your power points(due to level restrictions) you will be eagerly anticipating the point when you can max out Storm's chain lightning so you can electricute entire legions of bad guys at the touch of a button. Sick of killing bad guys? Well just get the white queen to control them so they can kill eachother (or hide in a corner, quivering). This only really missed out on 5 stars because the graphics aren't amazing and the camera angle can annoy at times. Definitely worth the money.


Puts the "Super" in "Superhero!"   October 26, 2004
Gary Hilton (Lancashire)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

The best thing about being a superhero is being, well, super. You know, X ray vision, leaping tall buildings in a single bound, that sort of thing. But another important factor often overlooked is the teamwork - after all, we've all heard of Dynamic Duo's & Fantastic Fours, so it is great that X-Men Legends captures this so well !!

Legends captures the camaraderie largely in the gameplay. It plays like Diablo, in which you trawl through an area beating up bad guys and earning experience to spend on new skills, but unlike Diablo and its subsequent clones, this is all about teamwork rather than a lone adventurer trawling the dungeons. At preset points in Legends, you can arrange a team of four X-Men of your choice. But as you play, you control one X-Man at a time while the computer runs the other three (and it does so surprisingly well). The result is a fluid brawling system. For example, you can charge in using one of Wolverines' powerful swipe attacks to take out the first enemy, then change over to Storm to fire off a lightning strike that weakens everyone, then swap to Nightcrawler for a series of precise teleportation strikes to pick up the stragglers. Or you can just hang back as Cyclops, picking off enemies at your leisure while the other X-Men rush ahead. To encourage the group dynamic, simultaneous attacks result in combos that do extra damage and earn more experience. Many of the enemies also have resistances to certain types of attacks, which encourages you not to rely too heavily on one X-Man's powers.

As you play and your characters advance, there's a skill development system for each X-Man. At first glance, it looks like it might offer a lot of choices, but a character's progression is tightly controlled by the level requirements for his powers, not offering as much choice as you might first think.

The levels are mainly straight forward, with a few timed challenges, some missions, and the odd base defense task thrown in for good measure. As with most RPGs, your objectives are usually contrived excuses to drive you from point A to point B. There are various minor puzzles requiring the use of X-Men powers, but these tend to fall into two categories: building ice/lava/telepathy bridges or having Nightcrawler teleport past a barrier to open it. There are plenty of boss battles, but they tend to rely on brute force rather than puzzle solutions.

The gameplay is clearly oriented towards action, sometimes cramming the screen so full of mayhem that it's hard to get your bearings. There are a surprising number of destructible objects. With a strong enough character, you can pretty much pick up or break anything you can see. At first, this gimmick is mainly for treasure hunting; you'll want to bust open crates, barrels, and furniture to look for healing and power potions. But as the game progresses, the destructible objects make the battles even more gratifying.

Battling superheroes can do a lot of damage. As your attacks get more powerful, particularly in the latter part of the game, X-Men Legends captures this wonderfully with shattering windows, crumbling walls, and flying debris accompanying your fights.

Any negatives? Yes. Perhaps the biggest problem is the typical bad camera that plagues many action games. You can swing it around to see what you're doing, but that's not always possible. Sometimes you're fighting things you can't see and at some points, the camera gets trapped behind a wall or outside the level.

Then there are minor issues of consistency. Although there's lots of spirited voice work (there's something incredibly gratifying about having Patrick Stewart announce the names of your X-Men as you select them), there are times when it seems like an actor didn't bother showing up for their recording session; you hear half the conversation and you read the other half. The story also feels somewhat disjointed at times. It would have also been nice touch to have the option of playing as the Bad Guys, but alas, no such option is included.

X-Men Legends has such respect for its license, it manages to accomplish something most superhero games can't do: It makes you actually FEEL for the characters! X-Men Legends is unique for the way it brings out the sense of camaraderie among this band of superpowered outcasts in colorful costumes, celebrating their diversity not just in the way it tells the story, but in the way the game plays. The developers at Raven obviously know their stuff. They've done a phenomenal job of weaving the universe into the gameplay, storyline, cutscenes, and all the little nooks and crannies you can explore if you want. When you can successfully translate the central theme of a comic into a gameplay experience, minor problems like camera control and an inconsistent story fall by the wayside.

Legends is a compelling game even for those who aren't fans of the license, but it's an absolute must-have for X-Men followers.


Not the best game ever, but the best X-Men game ever   October 25, 2004
Peter J. Gasston (London)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

Very much in the same vein as Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (or Diablo, or even, further back, Gauntlet) this is a bash/shoot-em-up with RPG trappings.

It uses all the main and most popular X-Men, as well as introducing a new character in the main story mode.

The enemies you face throughout the game aren't that powerful but come in huge numbers, meaning that battles become extremely frenetic. This is both a strength and a weakness; with destructible environments you really feel like you're in a comic battle with enemies being thrown through walls and blasts of energy exploding crates and soldiers; however, it's all too easy to lose track of your party in amongst the melee.

The graphics are good but not stunning, and there are more than occasional glitches and bugs. Sound is impressive and gameplay solid most of the time, spectacular occasionally.

In summary this is an enjoyable group fighting game, not the best RPG on the market but one of the best on the 'Cube and certainly the best X-Men game to date.


Xmen Legends, Revoutionises the Xmen World Forever. 4.5   August 19, 2004
3 out of 13 found this review helpful

Xmen Legends is going to be the newest and best edition in the Xmen saga to date. Gamplay is completely different as it is not a beat 'em up, it is a 3D four person interchangable RPG game. You can control up to four people from the classic cartoon style xmen comics. You get Gean gray, Cyclops, Wolverene, Storm, Gambit (hurraah),iceman, colossus to name but a few. you can seemlessly change between them at any time.

The graphics are amazing with destroyable back groungs. As your characters progress they gain experience and become more powerful, and as the game progresses you can unlock new powers to utilise.

The Best Xmen Ever!!!!!