X-Men Legends (Xbox) review "That’s the best thing about X-Men Legends; it totally discards any of that overbearing crap. There is a story, there are plot twists, but, ultimately, it’s about Magneto trying to dominate the world and the X-Men trying to stop him. The game establishes that and reminds you with the occasional cutscene, but it’s all business beyond that. "

I like the X-Men, but I hate X-Men comics. I like most of the characters, I like the setting, I like the concept of a team fighting to save a world that hates them, but I can’t stand the superhero soap opera melodrama that the series is so prone to.

-Nightcrawler is actually the son of a demon! A mutant demon...
-X-23 may be (one of) Wolverine’s long lost daughter(s)! No, wait, she’s just a clone.
-Magneto’s dead! Now he’s back. Now he’s dead again. Now everyone thinks he’s back, but it’s just a clone. Now he’s really back. Dead again. Back again, but with no explanation given. Damn writers.

And I can’t even remember the last time I picked up an issue that could be understood without three pages of backstory. That’s why X-Men Legends succeeds; it totally discards any of that overbearing crap. There is a story, there are plot twists, but, ultimately, it’s about Magneto trying to dominate the world and the X-Men trying to stop him. The game establishes that and reminds you with the occasional cutscene, but it’s all business beyond that.

Combat seems simplistic at first, like it’s nothing more than a glorified beat-em-up. You control one character and the AI handles your three partners. You fight your way through dungeons and take on hordes of robots, soldiers and mutant freaks who’d like nothing more than to rip your face off. Confront the dungeon’s uberboss, engage in some witty banter, beat said uberboss into oblivion and call it a day. No puzzles. No pointless treasure hunts. Straightforward.

Things aren’t as simple as they initially seem, though. Your team gains experience with every enemy killed, but leveling up is much more involved than your typical RPG. Each level attained gives you new points to work with, points to increase stats, points to unlock new moves or strengthen old ones. Trouble keeping Cyclops in the not-dead category? Increase his defense. Rogue’s punches aren’t landing often enough? Increase her speed. Characters can learn to fly, can learn to teleport farther, can become stronger in any area you wish, and while each character’s abilities are tailored to fit certain statistics, the game never forces you to follow the plan. You can make the lumbering Colossus faster than Nightcrawler; you can make the agile Nightcrawler stronger than Colossus.

But the best thing is that all this fine-tuning hardly slows the game. When a character gets a new level, you’re automatically informed. Press start, make the necessary adjustments and get back into the fight without a beat missed.

Enjoying Legends is easier if you’re a comic fan, but it’s by no means necessary; there’s enough playable characters that, even if you’re only vaguely familiar with the mythos, you’ll find a familiar four to make a party with. Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm all make appearances, and, of course, Marvel can’t do anything X-Men related without tossing Wolverine in. You know those faces. But what about the prim, prompt and posh Psylocke? The sub-zero shenanigans of Bobby Drake, the Iceman? Colossus, the raging Russian with a punch that could stagger the Hulk? Maybe you don’t know much about them, and you don’t have to. But if you want to, it’s as simple as walking up to them and asking a few questions.

You can get through the game and never switch around your party, finish it with the same four you started with, but that’s not recommended; Legends rewards you for experimenting. Nightcrawler can teleport through walls, hitting switches and unlocking otherwise unlockable doors. Iceman can make ice bridges over bottomless chasms, instant shortcuts. Storm can even use lightning to weld the holes of a sinking ship, doubling the time you have to rescue the scientists within. It rarely requires you to have a certain hero in your party, but having the right X-Man at the right time can make for a much smoother ride.

In the end, though, these details are nothing if they’re not well-wrapped, and Legends accomplishes that. The AI doesn’t randomly throw blows; they conserve energy, watch your back, follow orders and call for help when their health hits the red. Doesn’t matter if you’re facing the wimpy Toad, the unstoppable Juggernaut or even the master of magnetism himself, they’ll put up just as much a fight as any human would. Combining attacks, healing each other, using their unique talents to overcome obstacles; it all makes your team actually feel like a team.

The X-Men comics could learn a lot from this game. Legends doesn’t force gushing emotions on you; it doesn’t introduce Wolverine’s Jilted Lover of the Month and expect you to cry over her. Instead, it focuses on teamwork, character development and, most importantly, kicking ass at every opportunity. If you’re a comic fan, chances are you own this already and I’m preaching to the choir. But if you’re an RPG fan or an action fan or just a fan of quality games in general, X-Men Legends has a place on your shelf, if for only one reason: It’s damn fun.

Staff review by Zack Little (August 16, 2006) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.