X-Men: The Arcade Game Review




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Developer: Backbone Entertainment Publisher: Konami
Release Date: December 14, 2010 Available On: PS3 and Xbox 360

Many retro arcade games are not as great as fans remember them. But some have so much nostalgic value that it doesn’t really matter. Konami’s X-Men, now available for download on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, is just such a game.

Those who visited arcades in the 1990s have likely played this classic beat ‘em up at one point and fans will be glad to know that X-Men is a direct port that takes no pains to mess with the original formula. In the same vain as other classic beat ‘em ups like Final Fight, Streets of Rage and Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, the objective of this game is to punch, kick, blast, claw and throw hordes of enemies until they die and/or explode. The gameplay is repetitive and the plot is negligible but if you have fond memories of the original, there are worse things you can spend your money on.

For those familiar with the comic (and technically, the ‘80s television cartoon pilot) that inspired it, Marvel’s titular mutant heroes need no introduction. The plot is simple: the villainous Magneto and his evil Brotherhood of Mutants are up to no good, having captured X-Men founder Charles Xavier and team newcomer Kitty Pryde. As the optic-blasting Cyclops, weather-summoning Storm, steel-skinned Colossus, acrobatic Nightcrawler, energy-hurling Dazzler or Marvel’s adamantium-laden cash cow, Wolverine, you get to save them.

For the most part, X-Men’s gameplay is typical of most beat ‘em up games of its era and features traditional stage environments like city streets, factory, jungle, cave, etc. However, X-Men differentiates itself from other games in the genre by having two key features. First, each character has the use of their own specialized mutant power such as Storm’s whirling tornadoes or Nightcrawler’s teleportation attacks. While some are more effective than others at clearing the screen of enemies, they help each character feel distinct beyond their varied spandex styles and provide some amusing animations and sound effects. Using powers expends health so players will want to strategize accordingly. The game’s other key feature is that, via online multi-player, you and up to five other players can romp through the game’s handful of stages simultaneously; other beat ‘em ups capped player counts at 2 to 4.

For an early 90’s arcade title, X-Men contains a hefty amount of voice-acting. Although they may not be listening to all of the original recordings, players will be treated to some entertainingly bad dialogue including Magneto’s infamous “I am the Master of Magnet” and “Welcome…to die!” quips. While it’s not the complex and catchy composition of its Streets of Rage brethren, X-Men’s soundtrack is certainly decent. Its fast tempos, liberal use of voice cuts and tribal drum beats complement the action adequately. The sound effects are equally fitting and with the on-screen chaos, the wealth of explosions and mutant power blasts are provided with excellent audio treatment.



Visually, X-Men has aged about as well as can be expected. Jagged edges have been touched up slightly and the comic book style vibrancy remains faithfully preserved. Otherwise, the game handles hordes of enemies and mutant power mayhem quite admirably. Some noticeable lag occurs when playing with six players online but it’s fairly minor and hardly affects gameplay.

Unfortunately, X-Men’s biggest fault is its lack of any additional content to keep players coming back. As a straight port, the home version of X-Men is devoid of any new modes, characters or stages beyond what the original offered. The Japanese version is also included in this release but as an easier and somewhat scaled-down (read: even shorter) experience, it doesn’t add much to the overall package. As it is, the entire game takes less than a half hour to complete and all of the achievements/trophies are exceedingly easy to unlock. Also, there’s no limit to the number of continues you’re given so it won’t take long to see everything the game has to offer. Perhaps a system where you begin with few continues and accrue more with each play-through would have made completing the game a more involved and rewarding experience.

A lack of replay value notwithstanding, X-Men is still a very fun game, particularly in multiplayer. Fighting waves of multi-colored Sentinel robots and other generic enemies is accompanied by varied animations in characters’ fighting styles, which help assuage the fact that that’s all there is to do. Boss battles with classic X-villains like Juggernaut, Mystique, the Blob, and the White Queen also help to mix up the action, if only aesthetically. Fighting them alongside other players is when X-Men is the most enjoyable. Combining mutant powers to clear screens of enemies while vying to rack up the highest kill count and to be the lucky player to score the final hit on a boss will define the experience for players now as much as it did nearly two decades ago.

Those playing X-Men for the first time may find it to be a shallow, repetitive and an all-together unspectacular beat ‘em up experience. For them, getting their money’s worth out of this game will be quite a stretch. For nostalgic gamers, the ability to play as their favorite circa-1980s X-Men and blast through hordes of enemies with up to five other players, this game is not only $10 well spent, but may very well be the reason that services like Xbox Live Arcade and PSN exist in the first place.

Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8
Creativity: 5
Replay Value/Game Length: 2
Final: 6.6 out of 10
Written by Brian Vines Write a User Review

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