Four Fat Chicks -- X-Men: Legends Review

X-Men: Legends

Review by Old Rooster
March 2005

"Alone, You Are Mighty. Together, You Are Legends" —Professor Charles Xavier

X-Men: Legends is an action/RPG (with a strong emphasis on "action"), set in the X-Men comic universe, that offers an entertaining, if not compelling, game experience. Although not a particular fan of the comics, I found this outing of Xavier's gang a good deal of varied fun. Devotees of the series and films will absolutely have to have this very well-produced game.

Legends comes to us from Raven Software, a developer that rarely, if ever, misses with its products. They first came to my attention with the outstanding Heretic II, one of the very best third-person PC action games, and one that demonstrated how to employ successfully a following, over-the-shoulder camera—a skill that had been largely fumbled by developers until that time. In succeeding years, Raven has given us the Star Trek: Elite Force series, Jedi Outcast and Academy, and the Soldier of Fortune shooters. So it's not surprising that this talented group from Wisconsin used their long, cold winters so inventively and with such a sense of high regard for the subject matter. Clearly, they enjoyed not only creating but also playing Legends!

"The Growing Mutant Menace" —News Release

Something bad is happening in the City. It may involve the government and clearly involves the dreaded Brotherhood. The opening cinematic dramatically and colorfully offers the almost abduction of an "innocent" young girl—Alison (later to be known as Magma)—by the Sentinels. This is interrupted by Mystique and the Blob, with Wolverine trying to get in on the act, but unsuccessfully. The first part of the game, largely a tutorial level, consists of Wolverine tracking the Blob and Alison through the streets of the City.

X-Men: Legends starts simply, with you in control of one character, but very soon introduces Cyclops as your associate. Indeed, during the course of the game, you can play 15 different disciples of Xavier, each with distinctive skills and "talents." The adventure will take you through 25 levels—from City streets to sewers, forests, the Xavier Institute, even an asteroid.

The game plays in much the same vein as Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. In many respects, it's a beat-'em-up, with dozens of enemies; yet it also offers leveling and the ability to increase the skills of your heroes through experience. Interestingly, your entire entourage benefits from, for example, the success of Wolverine, reflecting increases in health, defensive skills, attack level.

"Hurry, I Need Help over Here" —Wolverine

The "hook," or primary distinction, of Legends is the ability to employ a team of up to four heroes. This can be done by a single player, who manages one at a time, with the A.I. controlling the other three (sometimes not too effectively). Just hit the "call allies" button, and they'll come running (maybe). Or at any point after Wolverine's friends come into the game, my son can plug his controller into the Cube, and we each can manage a character of our choice. Well, it wouldn't have to be my son; it could be yours, or a friend, spouse or neighbor mutant.

Once a selection of Super Heroes has been unlocked (not far into the game), you can create your distinctive team at any Xtraction Point, which also doubles as a save point. Thankfully, these are sprinkled fairly liberally throughout the game. Once you're well into the adventure, you can visit Xavier's Mansion for training, sparring and skirmishing; talk to fellow X-Men, tour the grounds. There are some unlockables, including classic comic covers and flashbacks, which may bring a tear to the eye of dedicated fans.

If you can manage to hold down two buttons at a time, and your Super Heroes have leveled up a bit (not too hard to manage), the fighting fun really excels, with three ranges of Mutant Power capped off by Xtreme Power. To give examples: Wolverine begins with a Brutal Slash, moves through the skills of Eviscerate and Claw Frenzy, all the way to Unstoppable Rage at level 25. Iceman starts with Freeze Blast, then moves on to Ice Spikes and the ultimate Ice Forge. Rogue, a delightful Mississippi belle, begins with Southern Strike, then on to Bullet Proof and Invulnerability. You get the idea: each of the 15 has a distinctive "quality" with increases that are fitting for his or her peculiar orientation. You'll also enjoy the Propeller Lash of Beast, the Taunt of Jubilee, the Kinetic Mastery of Gambit, and, of course, the Optic Rage of Cyclops.

Although it is likely possible to complete the missions with only two Super Heroes, especially if they are Wolverine plus Iceman or Cyclops, the real entertainment comes with mixing and matching, even replaying.

A fine heads-up display (HUD) is presented, with clear indicators of health, energy, and experience, the level indicator of your currently selected Hero, location(s) of enemies, even an invaluable automap.

"Mind If I Cut In?" —Wolverine

As you might imagine, coming at the bad guys with multiple forms of attack is typically very effective and always fun to watch. Once your team is selected and in operation, it's easy to switch among them, directing Iceman, for example, to do a little freezing, thereby allowing time for Wolverine to do his thing. This works even better, of course, with two or more players.

All is not perfect with gameplay mechanics. Primary problems lie, ironically, given the developer's heritage, with the camera. Put simply, you can sometimes get locked in a corner, sometimes have problems proceeding in narrow places, sometimes not see what's coming at you. This is only occasional, and a minor, not major concern. Another difficulty comes with teammate A.I. They're not always fully reliable, will not always come when called, will not always target what they're supposed to, will sometimes wander off. Again, this is only an occasional glitch.

For the most part, even the scenery is destructible, and you'll find some bonuses in trash cans, as well as having fun knocking down walls. Which brings us to the graphics. They're terrific. Cel shading of the characters is used against very colorful backgrounds presented in a three-quarters, top-down view. I always amazed at how well the Cube can do, and this is certainly an example of the Cube at its best. Further, the display of powers is beautifully done, with no discernable slowdown in gameplay, even during the most hectic of melee fighting.

And, of course, I can't leave out Patrick Stewart. Not only does he provide his distinctive voice to Xavier, but also the script is very well done, in classic comic book fashion, with many of the kind of comments Wolverine made just above.

Teaming Up

X-Men: Legends is a varied and entertaining romp through an involving storyline in the X-Men universe. Fans of the comics and films will find this well-done game a must-have. For others, like me, it's still a good deal of shallow fun if you enjoy fighting with multiple kinds of weapons.

The game is more action than RPG, but it does offer RPG-like skill building. Graphics are outstanding, as are voice acting, the script and the variety present in level design. The primary appeal of Legends comes with the creation and implementation of Super Hero teams, managed through either A.I. or a fellow player. This mix-and-match feature, with up to 15 Mutants, offers multiple paths to problem solving, creative ways to freeze, burn, cut and otherwise foil your foes, and a good deal of potential replayability.

Finally, there are a number of extras and unlockables within the game that X-Men fans, particularly, will find meaningful. In that regard, and partly because I got stuck a couple of times early on, I purchased and would strongly suggest the Brady Games strategy guide. It not only goes well beyond the manual with Hero descriptions, but also provides a detailed walkthrough and locations of extras you might have missed your first time through.

All in all, this is a highly recommendable game, and Raven is to be commended for yet another work of gaming art.

What I Liked Most About X-Men: Legends