X-Men Legends (PlayStation 2/Xbox)

By JON MINIFIE

(Herald rating: * * * * )

The X-Men are nothing short of a phenomenon.
The incredibly popular comic has spawned several animated TV spin-offs and a pair of Hollywood blockbusters, but oddly, the game industry has been rather slow to cash in on this twisted bunch of super heroes.

Raven Software and Activision have taken the uncanny X-Men and placed them in a top-down Baldur's Gate-style action RPG with excellent results.

Players have access to as many as 15 different X-Men, including favourites Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Storm, Rogue, and so on. Most will be unlocked as you progress through the game. Each has special mutant powers and can perform unique combos, which you can strengthen as you gain experience and level up.

You can have a team of four heroes at once, selecting between each of them as you play is as easy as tapping a direction on the D-Pad. You can also switch members by finding an extraction point and swapping them out: extraction points also allow you to save your game.

The graphics are great, featuring a pseudo cel-shaded look that brings to mind the aesthetic of the comic books. The characters each sport a unique feel to them, keeping with their individual attitudes from the comics. The environments are great, especially the X-Mansion.

The multiplayer aspects are far and away one of the coolest features in the game. There is support for up to four players to go through the story mode co-operatively. Players can switch in and out of the game whenever they want simply by plugging in a new controller. Once you get out of the game, the computer AI will kick in and take over control.

With great action-RPG elements, awesome multiplayer and an accurate faithfulness to the comics, this is the best X-Men game yet.

* $99.95

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