X-Men: Next Dimension

Armchair Empire (7.8 out of 10) (78%)

Blemishes aside, X-Men: Next Dimension is a good fighting game, made even better by the story mode that actually tells a story and does something different. X-Men and comic book fans won’t be disappointed, and if you’re into the fighting genre, it’s worth at least a rental.

Dec 14th, 2002 · GameCube · read review

Game Informer Magazine (7.75 out of 10) (78%)

Activision has brought this title a long way since its first incarnation, refining Next Dimension to the point of being a fighter that holds its own. The combat system makes the most significant leap forward. It now feels much less random and hectic, and is fairly precise. Performing air combos, regular combos, chains, and super moves is easy with a little training. Although the combat is relatively more open-ended, ND still cannot touch the depth and precision of Capcom’s Marvel titles.

Dec 2002 · PlayStation 2 · read review

Game Informer Magazine (7.75 out of 10) (78%)

X-Men fans have plenty to get excited about with this title. Not only is it the best in the series, by far, but it actually supports a decent combat system with a fairly balanced cast. Unfortunately, the graphics and animation aren’t much better than in the previous PS2 version, and the controller will take time to get used to. If Activision can improve the superficial aspects and make the combat deeper and more precise, this series can be a serious contender.

Jan 2003 · GameCube · read review

Game Shark (B) (75%)

If you love the X-Men, fighting and tight fitting clothes on women, this game is for you. Then again, if you love the X-Men, fighting and tight fitting clothes on men, this game is also for you. I guess this game is for everyone thirteen or older. Enjoy it and remember, Juggernaut may be slow, but he will tear you up if you can not move fast and jump a lot.

Aug 8th, 2004 · GameCube · read review

GameZone (7.3 out of 10) (73%)

One of the biggest problems with this version is the controller. It will cause much frustration when you are in the heat of battle, if it wasn't for the shrunken d-pad and awkward placement of the buttons, this would have been much more enjoyable game. If players are a fan of X-men games they will still get a kick out of this game. One thing that increases the replay value is the ability to unlock extra costume, and hidden characters, which will be a pleasant surprise to gamers. I highly suggest that you rent this game before you purchase it, to see if you like the fight style and playing it with the GameCube controller.

Oct 27th, 2002 · GameCube · read review

IGN (7.2 out of 10) (72%)

One of the least popular fighting games around the office in quite a long time, X-Men: Next Dimension is certainly not for everybody. Ribbed on as it may be by the other guys in the desks around me, nobody spent as much time with it as I did either. And nobody besides me was privileged enough to discover just how decent this one can actually be.

Oct 21st, 2002 · PlayStation 2 · read review

Playzone (71 out of 100) (71%)

X-Men: Next Dimension hat was! Zwar kommt es aufgrund diverser Mängel nicht an die Topspiele des Prügel-Genres heran, aber Spaß macht es allemal. Viele Moves gehen nach kurzer Zeit gut von der Hand und auch der Einsatz von Kontern ist nach ein paar Übungseinheiten kein großes Problem. Fans der X-Men sollten schon allein wegen der Charaktervielfalt unbedingt einen Blick riskieren.

Jan 2nd, 2003 · PlayStation 2 · read review

GameZone (7 out of 10) (70%)

This game could have been so much more. Even the Spider-man title, though heavy on action and combat, managed to thread together enough of a story to keep it evolving and entertaining. The storyline in this game is supposedly the reason for all the combat. Well, the very nature of X-men tales was good enough for that ­ not only do they have to contend with the Sentinels, but the Brotherhood as well.

Oct 29th, 2002 · PlayStation 2 · read review

GameZone (7 out of 10) (70%)

X-Men: Next Dimension is a superhero fighting game that shows a lot of promise but comes up short in so many ways. And while the fighting mechanics are decent at best, the game fails to capture the raw excitement of playing as a favorite superhero or villain. Next Dimension is definitely a good rental for fans of the comics and movies.

Nov 14th, 2002 · Xbox · read review

Armchair Empire (7 out of 10) (70%)

While not as impressive as other Xbox fighters, the Marvel Universe comic book heroes and villains certainly look the best they ever have in videogame form in XND. The AI challenge pushes even the best gamers too. But the game’s good looks and taxing challenge level cannot help overcome the difficult fighting controls that made playing not very much fun at all. In fact, the controls absolutely ruin the XND experience. Even fighting game veterans will be reduced to button mashing mayhem. If this game’s controls could have came anywhere near the responsive wonderfulness of DOA3, this could have been a a great addition to the Xbox fighting game genre. As it is, only the most rabid of X-Men fans might want to consider picking up.

Jan 2nd, 2003 · Xbox · read review

IGN (7 out of 10) (70%)

Back at the 1998 Electronic Entertainment Expo, a little known Activision project called X-Men appeared as a somewhat basic fighter reminiscent of Tekken. Of course, X-Men eventually became Mutant Academy, and ended up being a product that was not much better than the demo on display at E3 '98. A graphically impressive but limited fighting experience in a myriad of ways (can you say hyper-AI and corner traps boys and girls?), the PlayStation One effort was a sub par attempt at 3D mutant action.

Oct 23rd, 2002 · GameCube · read review

IGN (6.7 out of 10) (67%)

One of the least popular fighting games around the office in quite a long time, X-Men: Next Dimension is certainly not for everybody. Ribbed on as it may be by the other guys in the desks around me, nobody spent as much time with it as I did either. And nobody besides me was privileged enough to discover just how decent this one can actually be.

Nov 1st, 2002 · Xbox · read review

4Players.de (67 out of 100) (67%)

Schade, an der Playstation hatte ich damals mit den X-Men eine Zeit lang wirklich Spaß. Die nächste Generation artet aber viel zu sehr in Arbeit und Ärger aus, als dass sich eine nähere Betrachtung für den Tekken 4-verwöhnten PS2-Prügler wirklich lohnen würde: mistige Grafik und langweilige Levels schrecken schon beim Hinkucken ab, die unsaubere Kollisionsabfrage und der unausgewogene Schwierigkeitsgrad erledigen den Rest. Zu dumm, denn abwechslungsreiche Helden, eine brauchbare Steuerung sowie vielerlei Extras böten eigentlich genug Motivation für ein längeres Verweilen. Comic-Fans mögen einen Blick riskieren, Prügelfans im Allgemeinen sollten besser gleich mit Tekken´s Heihachi und Konsorten weitermachen, ohne die flügellahmen X-Men einer näheren Betrachtung zu unterziehen - es lohnt sich nicht wirklich.

Dec 30th, 2002 · PlayStation 2 · read review

GameSpot (6.4 out of 10) (64%)

A number of X-Men: Next Dimension's characters require unlocking, and various other extras--mostly alternate outfits for characters--can also be obtained from repeated play. Still, the problems with the fighting system will probably keep you from playing X-Men: Next Dimension extensively. It can be a fine game to play with casual gamer friends who are fans of the source material, but since a number of better fighting games starring the X-Men already exist, it's hard to get too excited about this one. In the end, even the most ardent X-Men fans should probably just rent Next Dimension rather than buy it.

Oct 25th, 2002 · GameCube · read review

GameSpot (6.4 out of 10) (64%)

A number of X-Men: Next Dimension's characters require unlocking, and various other extras--mostly alternate outfits for characters--can also be obtained from repeated play. Still, the problems with the fighting system will probably keep you from playing X-Men: Next Dimension extensively. It can be a fine game to play with casual gamer friends who are fans of the source material, but since a number of better fighting games starring the X-Men already exist, it's hard to get too excited about this one. In the end, even the most ardent X-Men fans should probably just rent Next Dimension rather than buy it.

Nov 6th, 2002 · Xbox · read review

GameSpot (6.4 out of 10) (64%)

A number of X-Men: Next Dimension's characters require unlocking, and various other extras--mostly alternate outfits for characters--can also be obtained from repeated play. Still, the problems with the fighting system will probably keep you from playing X-Men: Next Dimension extensively. It can be a fine game to play with casual gamer friends who are fans of the source material, but since a number of better fighting games starring the X-Men already exist, it's hard to get too excited about this one. In the end, even the most ardent X-Men fans should probably just rent Next Dimension rather than buy it.

Oct 25th, 2002 · PlayStation 2 · read review

Gaming Target (6 out of 10) (60%)

In the end, X-Men: Next Generation is just one big could-of-been. The fighting system could-of-been great if things were executed better, but they weren’t. The game’s story could-of-been great had developer Paradox simply used an old X-Men plot, but they didn’t. Finally, had Paradox tried some new things and built their game around the X-Men license, X-Men: Next Generation could-of-been great. Skip this one, you can thank me later.

Feb 11th, 2003 · PlayStation 2 · read review

Gamereactor (Sweden) (6 out of 10) (60%)

Efter mina första intryck låg motorsågen och puttrade, men efter lite mer tid och möda visade spelet sig vara helt okej spelmässigt. Det går att åstadkomma rätt snygga kombinationer och förutom några pinsamma buggar så håller motorn hög klass. Det måste också påpekas att Playstation2-versionen laddar ohemult mycket. Du får räkna med minst en halv minut från det att du lämnar valskärmen tills striden drar igång. Spelet är alltså ett typiskt medelmåttigt spel. Problemet är väl att det finns minst fem bättre fightingspel till maskinen så motivationen att ägna sig åt det här är inte den högsta. I de flesta fall är dessutom Marvel vs Capcom 2 ett bättre val för Marvel-fans. Men om du känner till samtliga namn jag har hävt ur mig i den här recensionen finns det nog en chans att du kommer att gilla det här. Pröva åtminstone.

May 7th, 2003 · PlayStation 2 · read review

Adrenaline Vault, The (AVault) ( ) (60%)

Novices will have a hard time with X-Men Next Dimension, while experts will begin to spot its weak points almost instantly. Slightly sluggish controls hurt the faster characters, leaving some of the mid-speed characters’ blend of movement and power overbalanced in the grand scheme of things. Despite these issues, X-Men Next Dimension is a fun game that manages to capture the fighting styles, if not the personalities, of the comic characters, making it a solid choice for rookies who are fans of the franchise. Hardcore grapplers would be best to run this release through at least a rental test, where it’s easy to see some potential, but equally easy to see its quirks.

Nov 18th, 2002 · PlayStation 2 · read review

Game Revolution (C+) (58%)

Next Dimension features interactive environments, objects that can be used as projectiles by some characters, and opportunities to knock characters off buildings, into cars, etc. However, most of this only serves to enhance the drama; identifying usable projectiles isn't very intuitive, and the damage inflicted by knocking someone off a building is surprisingly negligible.

Nov 2002 · GameCube · read review

64 Power / big.N / N Games (58 out of 100) (58%)

(PAL version)
Die schlechte Nachricht zuerst: Das Spiel wurde leider nicht auf wundersame Weise besser. Nun die Gute: Es wurde auch nicht wirklich schlechter. Die PAL-Anpassung hat der Titel gut verkraftet. Weit und breit sind keine schwarzen Balken zu sehen und auch ein Geschwindigkeitsverlust ist nicht festzustellen. Auf deutsche Texte musst du allerdings verzichten, was bei einem Beat‘em-Up nicht sonderlich tragisch sein sollte. Ansonsten krankt das Spiel an den bekannten Symptomen: schwammige Steuerung, schlecht ausbalancierte Charaktere und ein ärgerlich niedriger Polygoncount, der auf aktueller Hardware nichts zu suchen hat.

Jan 2003 · GameCube

64 Power / big.N / N Games (58 out of 100) (58%)

X-Men: Next Dimension sucht seinen spielerischen Schwerpunkt in Comboangriffen. Zu dumm, dass die Steuerung dazu kaum zu gebrauchen ist. Ungenauigkeit garniert mit etwas Schwammigkeit sind der Tod einer jeden Schlagkombination. Was bleibt? Genau, wüstes Button-Gekloppe. Dazu kommt dass sieh die Charaktere sehr unausbalanciert geben. Einige der Kämpfer verfügen über Moves, die bei geschicktem Einsatz dem Gegner kaum eine Chance lassen. Zu guter Letzt ärgert die bescheidene Grafikleistung. Ein derart niedriger Polygoncount hat auf Konsolen vom Schlage GameCube, PS2 oder Xbox nichts mehr verloren - erst recht nicht in einen Beat‘em Up!

Nov 2002 · GameCube

Gaming Target (5.4 out of 10) (54%)

X-Men: Next Dimension plays similar in some aspects to a 2D fighter where you basically just have to rush in and pummel the other character into the ground before losing. The core of X-Men, gameplay wise, centers on doing hand to hand combos to deal heavy amounts of damage. The combos themselves are very basic requiring just a couple of button taps to pull off. Most of them can be learned after a couple of two round matches with each of the 24 characters.

Feb 20th, 2003 · GameCube · read review

Jeuxvideo.com (10 out of 20) (50%)

Encore une fois, les X-Men ne parviennent pas à convaincre sur console. Manque de rythme, réalisation trop limite, on les préfère largement lorsqu'ils apparaissent en 2D dans des productions plus musclées.

Nov 19th, 2002 · Xbox · read review

Jeuxvideo.com (10 out of 20) (50%)

Encore une fois, les X-Men ne parviennent pas à convaincre sur console. Manque de rythme, réalisation trop limite, on les préfère largement lorsqu'ils apparaissent en 2D dans des productions plus musclées.

Feb 17th, 2004 · GameCube · read review

Jeuxvideo.com (10 out of 20) (50%)

Encore une fois, les X-Men ne parviennent pas à convaincre sur console. Manque de rythme, réalisation trop limite, on les préfère largement lorsqu'ils apparaissent en 2D dans des productions plus musclées.

Nov 19th, 2002 · PlayStation 2 · read review

GameSpy (41 out of 100) (41%)

X-Men: Next Dimension borrows inspiration from Dead of Alive 3's multiple arenas, but like everything else in the game it is a pale copy of the original. While it is true that you can knock an opponent into the next arena, it is impossible to move back into the prior one, even if it makes logical sense. For example, one level takes place inside the mansion. From the main room you can knock an opponent into Xavier's office. From Xavier's office you can see back out into the main room, yet you cannot run back out there. Very odd, indeed.

Dec 21st, 2002 · GameCube · read review

Nintendo Le Magazine Officiel (4 out of 10) (40%)

Malgré de bonnes idées (système de furie, mode Histoire, aires de combat reliées entre elles), ce titre ne s'adresse qu'aux fans de mutants, ceux qui adhérent à son message de tolérance envers les X-déchets ludiques.

Jan 2003 · GameCube · read review

GameSpy (38 out of 100) (38%)

Compared to the GameCube port, the PlayStation 2 version does have the advantage of using the Dual Shock -- arguably a much better controller for fighting games than the GameCube's stock controller -- but it also has to deal with the dearth of fighting game options available to PlayStation 2 gamers. The limited selection of the GameCube library is enough to make gamers consider giving X-Men: Next Dimension a look.

Dec 21st, 2002 · PlayStation 2 · read review

Eurogamer.net (UK) (3 out of 10) (30%)

Perhaps the most damning thing of all about Next Dimension though is that throughout our time with the game, we never once felt the impact of a blow or watched a character reel in pain - there's virtually no weight to any attack and hit contact is unconvincing. For a game based on a collection of the world's most powerful superheroes, that's as good a reason as any to avoid it.

Jan 13th, 2003 · PlayStation 2 · read review

GameSpy (25 out of 100) (25%)

To its credit, the game does have two separate endings to story mode, however it is too little, too late. X-Men: Next Dimension is a bad game on any platform, but the Xbox version redefines horrid. Don't buy this game, don't rent this game, don't even bother playing this game -- it is more functional as a coaster than a game. Your Xbox will thank you for sparing it.

Dec 21st, 2002 · Xbox · read review