PlayStation

X-Men: Mutant Academy 2

Unlike the previous attempt, X-Men Mutant Academy 2 is an excellent one-on-one fighting game rendered in glorious 3D. The game features 18 of the baddest Marvel Comics characters, including such favorites as Cyclops, Wolverine, Havok, and Sabretooth, as well as a few hidden combatants--the most notable of which are Spider-Man and Juggernaut. It's certainly no Tekken 3 or Street Fighter Alpha 3, but for X-Men fans and comic-book lovers, Mutant Academy 2 is a sight for sore eyes.

The original Mutant Academy game got a 7.5 Bottom Line from the Game Informer crew back in August of 2000. This sequel delivers some improvements to the series, but with no major changes. Improved graphics are the most obvious enhancement, but there are also new characters, and an x-panded arsenal of moves (like air combos). The new characters include Havok, Nightcrawler, Forge, Rogue, and the hidden characters Spider-Man and Professor Xavier. Professor Xavier is especially interesting, because he fights in his wheelchair – a fighting game first!

The gameplay finally has depth! The computer opponents won’t fall for your dirty little tricks anymore! Air juggles have been incorporated into the combo system! It’s kind of fun! Praise the Lord!

Overall, X-Men Mutant Academy 2 deserves a long and good look by fighting-games fans that also have an appreciation for the Marvel series. They game stays impressively true to the look, feel, characteristics, and powers of the X-Men series. It’s also challenging enough and offers 16 different characters to play as for an incredible amount of replayability. It is, however, a tough game to finesse and therefore people who aren’t sure if they like the genre itself might do well to give it a rent first.

X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 kan vara ett alternativ för den som gillar beat 'em up av den gamla skolan. Och det är förstås alltid trevligt att få sätta tönten Cyclops på plats. Men något måste är det här inte, särskilt för den som äger det första spelet.

Die hard X-Men fans should enjoy the game, if only because the characters remain faithful to their comic book origins. The catchphrases, body language and power displays seem dead-on. As a fighting game, though, X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 is nothing special, as all the features have been done before and in fact better in other games.

X-Men Mutant Academy 2 aura finalement droit à une note encore plus faible que pour le premier opus, d'une part parce qu'il n'apporte aucun originalité par rapport au titre d'origine et que je doute que les fans soient tentés d'investir une nouvelle fois pour quelques personnages de plus, d'autre part parce que son gameplay tout comme sa réalisation d'ailleurs sont toujours aussi perfectibles. A qui s'adresse ce jeu en fin de compte ? On se le demande.