|
 |
|
| | Title:
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
..............................................
System:
Xbox
..............................................
Genre:
Action/RPG
..............................................
Publisher:
Activision
..............................................
Developer:
Raven Software
..............................................
Release:
9/20/2005
..............................................
Online:
Yes
..............................................
ESRB:
Teen (T)
..............................................
 |
Following up to the successful release of X-Men Legends, Activision and Raven are looking to score it big again with X-Men Legends II. The first game succeeded in doing quite well on the market and proves to be the best-selling X-men game to-date. Raven took a risk with the original by making it an Action-RPG hybrid. Allowing players to pick from a pre-defined selection of X-men and venturing out to do battle in ways that other X-Men games have foiled to commend in previous games: Intense Co-op action. Yes, there was the arcade X-Men game that featured up to four-players in cooperative battles against their arch-foes. But lets face it, that game was about as fun as a tour through a business spread-sheet convention.
Running with the mutant ones
Console gamers haven’t had much in variety of playable-mutants from this generation. So it was almost deemable an instant success once the original X-Men Legends hit shelves, even if it hit those shelves to quite a few mixed reviews. Raven is hoping to sway the verdict of the impending reviews of their upcoming game more-so to the side of receiving just the high marks. X-Men II is being revamped with additional characters, abilities and features that is sure to be a tasteful delight for all the mutant loving gamers out there.
Speaking of mutants, the variety of character selection has taken on quite an expansion, mainly because the story has grown in proportion of consequence. If the title doesn’t say it all, a little bit of a story background would simply be that Apocalypse is nearly unimaginably dangerous. His antics require more than just the powerful, but simple in comparison, X-men. Activision and Raven are working on bringing in a new story element to X-Men Legends II, and with the permission of Marvel, have integrated aspects of the comic Age of Apocalypse into this continuing video game saga of the X-men.
This game actually has, (with great reservations between the groups) Professor Xavier’s X-Men and Magneto’s Brotherhood joining forces to stop Apocalypse and his henchmen. And for the non-comic buffs out there, Xavier and Magneto haven’t always (more than usually) seen eye-to-eye. Hence, embedded within the journey to stopping Apocalypse, players will find that rivals of the opposite groups will have a few things to say to one another. From the looks of it thus far, none of the bitter exchange of words seem to have an actual effect on the outcome of character attributes or item obtainment. But much like in Knights of the Old Republic or many of Black Isle’s RPGs, some characters may take a (dis)liking to some characters more or less than others. Which makes it quite interesting to have different team members from different factions.
But enough about the small stuff, I’m quite sure more people are probably interested in who some of the new additions to the game are; well there’s Bishop, Nightcrawler, Colossus and even Magneto to name just a few out of the total of sixteen playable characters. Each coming with new and devastating attacks, and as for the veterans returning from the original X-Men Legends, they have been given more abilities, techniques, and mutant powers to utilize. Some using 8 and others getting a max of 12.
Tag-team like never before
One of the features Raven really wanted to enhance upon, despite being adequately sufficient from the first, was the co-op play. Opposite of the hundreds of death-match games out there, this game’s primal focus of multiplayer mayhem is dealt with on a more team-oriented platform. Whether on the same system or via X-Box Live, players will be given more versatility in how they perform certain attacks, tasks and special abilities with other players. Focusing more on the fast-paced think-as-you-go type challenges.
For instance, Raven has integrated more hidden and alternate routes throughout some stages, so players are given more options or choices as to how they approach and finish a stage. Environmental interactivity has taken a surge in player involvement. So now backgrounds aren’t just backgrounds, but may actually affect certain aspects of what might happen next.
These sort of modifications didn’t just extend and stop with the level designs, but branched on over into the vendor machines. Now vendors have much larger selections of items and such. Some vendors are even randomized with items, a feature some newer (or mildly older) RPGs have ventured to include into their market places. Which means items that might be rare and hard to find elsewhere could be right at the start of the game, or may not appear till near the end of the game, or might change vendors if you start the game over. In this way, replay value is given a bit of a stretch in a good-way.
You don’t have to be big to be bad
Activision and Raven also announced a new and improved design for the Boss fighting system. If you didn’t already know, Archangel has been included in the game as a boss. But unlike other boss fights in other or previous games, these boss fights boasts elements of strategic involvements from the players and their character’s abilities in order to successfully defeat relentless foes. Some boss fights even include environmental effects taking place that may change the outcome of the fight itself. Such as the teleportations of any character within the teleportation beam during the Archangel fight, that streams a beam of light out in random directions if the actual teleportation machine gets badly damaged or destroyed. This way, the developers are ensuring that each battle will be highly intense and quite varied in the effects and tactics (including the surroundings) required of players to defeat each Boss, .
Easier, faster, and more magnetized than ever
In order to make it convenient for players to make decisions in tough battles, the interface has been made easier for players to pick and equip items and powers than in the previous game. Raven felt it would benefit the players for more quick-and-pick type control scheming so there are far less moments of stop and go gameplay. Ensuring --with the addition of new characters, moves, and stages-- loads of replay value, and versatility of play modes. Hence, with the added characters, powers, story-mode enhancements, visual upgrades and Live support, anyone looking for a good co-op mutant battle to save Earth, should definitely look for this when it hits shelves September 20, 2005.
|
More Reviews for this game: (displayed by authors name)
L3e
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
 |
