Xbox

X-Men: Legends II - Rise of Apocalypse

With the superb The Incredible Hulk, the fun Ultimate Spider-Man and even surprisingly accessible The Fantastic Four, 2005 has been a great year for Marvel superhero games. But X-Men Legends II gets the crown.

If you loved the previous one, X-Men Legends II is a fine step up and well worth your money. Raven has addressed a lot of the complaints from the first game without taking away from what made the game work so well. With tons of items to collect, including unlockable characters, and some excellent co-op play, this game may be the best the X-Men have to offer this generation.

There's quite a bit of replay value involved, primarily when trying to get the three hidden characters unlocked. One of which you'll unlock only by obtaining and completing all the danger room exercises. Along with that, the game contains quite a few comic covers and concept art that can be found throughout all the levels. Combine that with co-op play either online or off, and X-Men Legends 2 will have a pretty long life inside your system of choice. I definitely suggest picking it up, primarily if you were a fan of the first one, or a fan of the X-Men in general.

Overall, I offer the identical recommendation I did last year - this is pure fun that increases exponentially as you add more friends to the mix.

Despite its shortcomings, X-Men Legends is a great game. It's even better with friends. The game can be completed rather quickly (in less than 20 hours), but there are tons of unlockables to keep you playing well past 40 hours, such as secret characters, a Hard Mode, and the option to start a new game with your cleared save data. If you're looking for a fun game to play whenever your friends come over, this is it. It is without a doubt, the best X-Men game ever made.

X-Men Legends II is an excellent gaming experience from start to finish that every gamer can truly appreciate. When you have a formula that works, all you have to do is tweak it to make it better. That's exactly what RavenSoft did, and the results will not disappoint fans of the series and will not hesitate to invite new fans into the fray.

There have been roughly a billion different X-Man games over the years and most of them have disappointed. Last year's X-Men Legends was an exception. It captured the essence of the wide range of characters and of the whole X-Men concept and distilled it into a well-received game. This time around, Raven Software beefed up things in just about every department and the result is a game that will wow fans of the first game and probably earn some converts to the series. Things just keep getting better for the Marvel Universe. Excelsior!

Still, minor (and understandable) technical complaints aside, this is a gem of an Xbox game. Just like X-Men Legends, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is a must-own for any X-Men fan, hell, for any Marvel fan. With nearly every aspect improved, Xbox Live play, and so much to unlock and enjoy, Raven succeeded in bringing true believers everything they could have asked for in a sequel. Excelsior!

You don’t have to be a fan of the comic book to enjoy this unique and wonderfully addictive game that manages to cram in all the things you could ask for in an action RPG. For fans of the X-Men or role-playing games in general, this one is destined to become a fan favorite so do not hesitate to buy this one right away.

The online multiplayer cooperative play is a blast and something Raven wasn’t about to deny us a second time. If you are still wondering if there is any life left in the Xbox before the launch of the Xbox 360, I invite you to pick up a copy of X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse and sit back and enjoy the mutant superpowers that are at your fingertips.

X-Men Legends II isn’t a drastic improvement over the first game, but it is definitely an improvement and ultimately a fun game. In addition to the lengthy single-player mode, the cooperative mode adds many hours to the game. This isn’t even mentioning that the single-player mode has a high replay value since you can easily go through to the game with another set and enjoy yourself. Overall, X-Men Legends II is definitely recommended.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is one of the most amazing action-RPG’s of the holiday season. Whether you are a hardcore X-Men fan, an RPG-lover, a single-player, or a multiplayer, this game has something to offer everyone, and with more than 70 branching levels and over 100 potential hours of gameplay, there is a whole lot of X-Men and Brotherhood action just waiting for you to explore.

I still miss some of my favorite X-men that appeared in the original such as Emma Frost, Psylocke and Beast. Though their loss isn’t one that is sorely missed, I’d love to have seen Raven round out the roster with at least an even twenty mutants and have a few more unlockable rather then give the gamers everything right off the bat. Gameplay pretty much remains the same but the presentation is ten times better. Not a dramatic improvement overall though, but if you are a fan of the series (X-men that is), RPGs, or just need a new game for the Xbox (not too many currently releasing that are ‘AAA’), I suggest you pick up X-Men Legends II.

X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse is a solid sequel to a solid debut...it makes smart, incremental changes to the gameplay without messing with what made it work so well. The storyline is great, the variety of characters is excellent, and the inclusion of Xbox Live co-op is just what fans were clamouring for. There's been quite a lot of fine-tuning done to the game, but nothing has really changed dramatically, and if you didn't like the first game, there's probably nothing here that'll change your mind. Nevertheless, Rise of Apocalypse is an outstanding hack'n'slash action-RPG, so if you're looking for a fix, you could do a lot worse than this x-cellent game!

Raven doesn't lose sight of its fans, either. This game is hopping with cool Marvel characters, NPCs cameos, and the ability to change outfits, strap on hundreds of gear types, and more. It's a giant treasure chest of X-Men goodness including unlockable comic book covers, art, screens, movies, and more. It's easily one of the top ranking comic books games of the year.

X-Men Legends II is definitely a title worth players’ time, even with the minor annoyances. There is a great deal of fun to be had controlling the X-Men in such detail with your best bud, and configuring your parties with different characters really adds to the “longer lasting” flavor of the game as a whole. If Raven and Activision decide to continue the franchise, they should be able to iron out some of the game’s minor problems and really deliver a repulser-ray power blast of a game on the next-gen hardware. In the meantime, however, X-Men Legends II more than pays for its fifty-dollar price tag by delivering hours of mutant melee mania.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is a great single player game or when played with your mutant friends. Xbox Live adds to the replay value and your social skills. The soundtrack adds to the environment, as well as the slight cell shaded graphics. The only beef is some weird camera angles at times. If you like the X-Men or were into Dark Alliances, you will really enjoy this game.

Overall X-Men Legends II is quite enjoyable. There’s a lot of enjoyable gameplay for action-RPG fans here, and X-Men fans will really appreciate the game’s close ties to the X-Men universe. The game’s few shortcomings don’t really get in the way of a good time, but it will take a little more tweaking before the game would achieve “legendary” status. On the downside, the game can suffer from the same repetitive feeling inherent in games of this nature. In short, if you liked X-Men Legends you’ll love X-Men Legends II and if you missed that game then Legends II is well worth a look.

In the end, if you're into action/RPGs or the X-Men, X-Mem Legends II: Rise of the Apocalypse should be on your wish list for Christmas. It's just about everything a fan could want even if it's more popcorn than a "serious" RPG.

If you weren't a fan of the first X-Men Legends despite how many people told you that you should have been (don't worry, I feel your pain), if you were, or even if you missed the first one, fear not, because this new installment is solid. Fetch-quests and sometimes tedious level-grinding aside, Raven Software has refined and polished their product to a shiny sheen, and you should reward them for it with your money.

Overall, X-Men Legends II is a definite step up from its predecessor. It doesn't do anything new or groundbreaking in terms of gameplay mechanics, but the cast of characters and the story are more than enough to make it worth playing. The game takes about 25 hours to finish, but when you do, you can play again on a different difficulty setting. Better yet, you can try playing through with a new combination of characters to see which combos work best. Even if you're only a passing fan of the comic book series, and even if you've already played the first game to death, you'll have a lot of fun with X-Men Legends II.

All that being said, Rise of Apocalypse is a good game that will give gamers roughly twenty hours of offline entertainment and countless more online with friends. My biggest beef remains the fact that the game feels more like an expansion of last year's title as opposed to a new experience—however, I can't fault the game for that since it's becoming something of an industry standard. I will say this, though— those who'veplayed last year's X-Men Legends have essentially played this year's game as well. The addition of online play is excellent, but everything else is just as it was last year—which makes it hard to justify spending $50 on it. If you missed last year's game though, or are just a hardcore comic fan with a hankering to kick butt with people online, then Rise of Apocalypse is definitely something to put on your holiday wishlist.

While the special attacks, diverse settings and guest-star appearances by other notable comic book heroes and villains such as Iron Man, Kazar and Lady Deathstrike will thrill any Marvel Comics fan, it is the intriguing storyline that will compel players to press on with this title. Apocalypse's master plan is doled out in small doses with every reveal generating more and more questions about what the heck old prune face could be up to. There is an assortment of plot twists too that provide surprise after surprise as you continue forth. If nothing else, 'X-Men Legends 2' is a well-crafted and executed storyline that gets progressively intriguing the more time you spend playing it.

Raven know what their fans want, and this time, they've delivered. It's a gaping chasm of Comic Book joy, filled to brimming with great characters, unlockables, collectibles and some top-notch mutant-oriented RPG action. It is, in short, one of the best comic book adaptations in quite some while, and if you are an RPG fan or a Comic Book fan, you'd be remiss not to take this to your heart.

Promising at least 20 hours plus gameplay (not including the multiplayer facets) is nothing to sneeze at. X-Men Legends 2 isn't miles away from the original which will please fans of the first game undoubtedly. Extra costumes and more playable characters as well as three difficulty levels will ensure subsequent playthroughs are equally as entertaining. XL2 is a solid, well put together game that is sure to have mutant-lovers everywhere firing up their favorite system in a bid to save the world.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is solid fun, assuming you loved the first, and the addition of co-op play makes for a lasting value. If you’ve had your fill of action RPG’s, it might taste a little stale, but that’s not enough for us to withhold a recommendation. Play Legends II and enjoy it for what it is: a good action game with enough cool powers and personalities to gratify anyone’s X-Men fix.

X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse keeps up with the original and gives gamers more of the same marvel experience. Teaming up the X-Men with the Brotherhood gives the player lots of choices while wrapping in the game around one of the best X-Men storylines of Apocalypse and his horesemen is awesome. If you haven't played an X-Men Legends game grab this one up you won't be disappointed.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of the Apocalypse could suitably have been named 'X-Men Legends II: More of the Same +', for that's what it offers. If you liked the first game then you're bound to relish the opportunity to do it all again with a fresh group of characters available and a load of new levels. Legends II is yet another example of how superhero games should be done, with over the top special effects, non-stop action and huge bosses. If you don't mind an underwhelming musical score and can put up with the oft confusing layout and loading times of the menu screens then there's nothing to say you won't enjoy the latest in a series that looks to have a bright future ahead of itself.

X-Men Legends 2 is an entertaining title that’ll keep die-hard fans of the X-Men interested to a greater extent than those of us who have merely seen the films. Its simplicity is its strength, and its weakness – while traipsing around looking for annoyingly hidden items and backtracking is almost completely avoided, the limited direction of the game reduces its chances of holding your interest for long enough to play it all the way through. Nevertheless, those hours of fun you’ll get from it before getting bored certainly make it well worth a look.

In the end, if you think comics are for dorks and that a Garokk is something you get on your wang when you don't use adequate protection, well, I suppose you can go back to playing football and making out with girls, or whatever else it is you and your kind do when not administering wedgies or swirlies to people like me. If, though, you really liked the first X-Men Legends and you've always wondered what a battle with Gambit, Sunfire, the Scarlet Witch, and Bishop versus the Living Monolith would look like, this game is everything you could ever dream of in a sequel. And, on a side note, perhaps it's time you went outside and got a little sun.

Being the X-Fan I am, I really, really wanted to rate X-Men Legends II higher, especially considering how the X-Men are used in an original way here. Even though the core experience is enjoyable, there are too many little annoyances and omissions that pile up together to bring it down. Since X-Men Legends II is the second game in the series, such small flaws are all that much more noticeable. While the game is terrific, the X-Men really deserve better than a sequel that only makes small, checklist jumps in quality.

Integrated into this year's instalment is the online play, which allows players to progress through the storyline with friends, and thanks to the relatively non-linear hub structure of the narrative, gamers can continue to progress through the main campaign without restrictions. In other words if two gamers were at a certain point in the game offline and then took the adventure onto online, be that Xbox Live, PC, or PS2's Network Play, they could visit new areas of the adventure that their online friend had been too, and vice versa. It's certainly one way of expanding RPG titles on the current generation of consoles, and in some ways it's surprising that this is only happening on the cusp of a new generation leap. It's rather doubtful that such a gameplay feature will cause many gamers to rush out and buy Legends II just for the online experience, but it's certainly a new way of looking at expanding such titles onto the online world, which is commendable.

X-Men Legends 2 verse dans le "toujours plus" avec davantage de personnages, de pouvoirs et un mode Online mais quid des améliorations concernant la jouabilité ? Eh bien, il n'en est rien vu que tous les problèmes du premier épisode sont à nouveau au rendez-vous. C'est d'autant plus rageant que le concept de X-Men Legends est à la base, excellent. Retrouver tout ce qui a fait la mythologie des X-Men dans un jeu à la BG Dark Alliance est une idée riche de possibilités mais si le gameplay ne suit pas, à quoi bon ?!