Your
mutant-loving mutant abilities will be put to the
test. by Colin
Thames
May
24, 2006 - X-Men:
The Official Game won't spoil the plot of the upcoming
movie. Events in the game take place between the last
X-Men movie and this new sequel, X-Men: The Last Stand.
However, it might spoil your appetite for superhero
gaming for a while.
In
my space, nobody can hear me scream. However, in a
crowded theater I'm sure everyone would get a good
earful before security was called. And if the movie
is anything like this game, scream I will. To tell
you the truth, X-Men: The Official Game did not make
me scream. Nor will it make you scream. It doesn't
evoke enough passion or frustration to elicit such
an explosive reaction. Like me, you might be more
inclined to groan and whine with bitter disappointment
- but at least not until the end of the game when
you realize that the end is nigh it's not going to
get any better. There are aspects of the game that
are genuinely fun and challenging, but not enough
to make the game memorable. They are sandwiched between
epic episodes of mediocrity.

There
is a story here but it seems more like a documentary
than a classic action-packed, superhero fantasy. It's
not that the character treatment is steeped in reality,
that's what makes the X-Men so appealing, it's more
that the game focuses on the back history of the three
principal characters as opposed to creating a new,
memorable adventure for all of them. The three playable
characters include Wolverine, Iceman and Nightcrawler.
The story explains why Nightcrawler won't be in the
upcoming movie. You'll learn more about Wolverine's
past, as well as witness Iceman's coming-of-age as
he becomes inducted into the X-Men organization.
Nightcrawler
is easily the most fun of all three characters to
play. He's reminiscent of the Prince, from the Prince
of Persia, in that he's a very flexible acrobat and
skilled combatant. He also has the mutant power of
teleportation which allows you to make him appear
in some very inaccessible areas as well as reappear
behind as enemy to launch a surprise attack. Wolverine
is like a tank, and he's about as diverse as one.
He's the most powerful of the bunch but he's a lot
less flexible. In this game he's less maneuverable.
He's more like The Thing from the Fantastic Four than
the Wolverine of old. He has his claws to tear the
enemy to shreds and a handful of repetitious combos.
Wolverine is just not as much fun as he used to be.

Iceman
comes in second place on the fun factor. He too is
limited with his skills but he's got the vehicle which
adds a little more to his coolness factor. He gets
around on a sheet of ice which he uses as a flying
surfboard (Silver Surfer anyone)? His attacks are
relegated to ice beams and ice particles in the form
of hail which he shoots as projectiles. An ice shield
is his main defense from enemy attacks, which are
limited thanks to the less-than-aggressive AI. They
just don't put up much of a fight. They really have
to be shaken up before they get riled. Even at that
they perform the same basic attack moves which are
incredibly easy to counter after you've experienced
a few of them. Not to mention that the average enemy
is the same character model in slightly different
uniforms.
There
are some self-imposed, arbitrary, time limits to some
of the missions. This is typically an ill-conceived
way to add some extra frustration to the gameplay
by attempting to make things more challenging. This
is the difference between a great game and an average
game. A great game would have better AI programming
comprise a larger portion of the challenge. Turing
portions of the gameplay into an obstacle course or
a race against time shows a lack of imagination by
reverting to dated formulas.
Having
said that, I must give credit where credit is due.
The boss fights, featuring such favorite evil villains
as Magneto, Pyro and Sabretooth are incredibly well
done. It's too bad that all the combat wasn't this
engaging. The boss battles are so good that they serve
to illustrate just how much filler combat there is
in the game. The bosses are very powerful and devious
but they also have their vulnerabilities which you
must exploit. I'm reminded of the battles between
Spider-Man and the Green Goblin in the first Spider-Man
game of the new series. The bosses don't have unfair
advantages. While challenging, you actually feel as
though you do have a change against them. You can
try to use different techniques against them as opposed
to just waiting for them to raise a hand and shoot
them in the chest, or some other patterned moment
of opportunity.

Some
light RPG elements have been included. Characters
can earn upgrades by performing most of the tasks
associated with clearing each level. You don't have
to complete all of the tasks but the more that you
do accomplish the more mutant upgrades you will receive.
New move lists and abilities aren't part of the upgrades,
they are more like power-ups. You can increase things
such as the power of your attacks, health, your ability
to heal faster and in the case of Iceman, better balance.
Not to say these aren't useful but being stuck with
the same skills and moves makes the gameplay drag
through sheer repetition.
Graphically
speaking, you'll pay an extra $20 for the Xbox 360
HD version, which honestly doesn't look that much
more impressive than the Xbox version which doesn't
look that much better than the PS2 version - so tread
wisely.
Hugh
Jackman delivers the voice of Wolverine once again
(Alan Cummings voices Nightcrawler), and Patrick Stewart
lends his dulcet tones to the professor. The actors'
performances are stellar but it's just bad that they
don't have very interesting things to say. I know
this is based on a comic book movie but the dialog
could be a lot more natural. It all seems forced,
even the lighthearted moments.

Everything
considered, the gameplay, the graphics, the dialog,
the music, make X-Men: The Official Game an officially
average game. It could have been so much more and
I'm not saying that because my expectations were high.
I'm not an X-Men fanatic, I'm a videogame fanatic,
and as such I just can't seem to get my claws into
it.
Features:
- ·Become
three legendary heroes - Players will immerse themselves
in the signature powers of their favorite X-Men
heroes -- hack and slash with Wolverine's brute
strength to decimate foes; as Nightcrawler, players
will scale walls, spin and BAMF through environments
to stay one step ahead of enemies; and experience
incredible speed on Iceman's ice slide while shooting
ice beams and creating hailstorms to freeze the
opposition. For even more power, players can utilize
fury and adrenaline modes to launch devastating
attacks.
- Experience
events leading up to the X-Men: The Last Stand feature
film and play beyond - Players will experience epic
Super Hero action as the game explains Nightcrawler's
mysterious absence from the movie, and in-game events
foreshadow the roles of the X-Men and Brotherhood
in the film. The game's climactic ending sets the
stage for the movie with intersecting characters
and storylines intersecting.
- Become
a part of the X-Men movie universe - Embark on aglobe-spanning
conflict that delivers every element of the X-men
universe-from costumes and enemies to the voice
of Patrick Stewart. Explore Alkali Lake, the Statue
of Liberty, Dark Cerebro and more.
- Battle
fierce enemies, join forces with X-Men comrades
- Face off against villains from both the movie
and beyond as favorite X-Men allies join forces
with the player in gameplay that includes melee
fighting, stealth-style action and time-based missions.
- Experience
gameplay environments specifically designed to showcase
each character's Super Hero abilities - Uniquely
engineered environments empower players to use different
gameplay strategies as they harness their Super
Hero powers and defeat enemies. Players will have
ultimate control over their heroes as they improve
their superpowers over time through the Mutant Evolution
System.
By
Colin Thames
CCC
Freelance Writer
|
Mutants
are we....born to be free....just like the fish in
the sea... by
Vaughn Smith
February
8, 2006 - Either
showing a surprising amount of restraint or perhaps
a lapse in judgement, Activision has not published
a game based on the popular X-Men movies. Until now,
that is. X-Men: The Official Movie Game (working title)
is set for a May release to coincide with the X-Men
movie threequel entitled: X-Men: The Last Stand.
Penned
by X-Men comic book writer extraordinaire Chris Claremont
and Zak Penn (screenwriter for all three X-Men movies)
X-Men: TOMG will act as a back-story for the upcoming
feature film. Unlike the X-Men Legends RPG series
in which players are given control over a multitude
of merry mutants, X-Men: TOMG will feature three heroes:
Nightcrawler, Ice-Man and....and....what's that other
guys name...you know....the real popular one...Wolf-Man....no....Chuck
Woolery....no....oh wait...Wolverine! Yeah, that guy.
Bet you didn't see that one coming.

For
X-Men 2: United movie fans whom, much to their disappointment,
already know Nightcrawler won't be appearing in the
third movie, X-Men: TOMG is going to shed light on
why the German-born blue-skinned acrobatic teleporter
won't be involved in the onscreen antics with Angel,
Beast, Storm, Wolvie and company. I thought it was
because of actor Alan Cummings incessant whining in
regards to the 4 hour Nightcrawler make-up process
which resulted in Fox not picking up his option for
the flick, but it turns out the answer is far more
actiony! Cool! Sorry for the run on sentences there,
but my Run-On Sentence Detector 3000 is in the repair
shop....due to overuse.
Since
the 3 characters are fairly diverse in terms of abilities,
players should get a well-rounded taste of mutant
combat. Wolverine will cover the brute strengh category,
eliminating foes with his adamantium butterknives
he's been outfitted with. Bobby Drake (Aka Iceman)
will shoot icebeams and create hailstorms while using
his iceslide as a means of cool transportation. Please
excuse the wickedly lame pun. Nightcrawler will finally
be able to use his wallcrawling ability (ala Spider-Man)
in a video game and will rely on his BAMFing teleportation
and martial arts mastery to decimate foes silly enough
to get in his way.

If
you're a little bummed that you won't be able to play
as some of your other favorite characters, just pull
yourself together and quit boo-hooing. Developer Z-Axis
doesn't want to dillute the game with a plethora of
playable characters which is far too ambitious a concept
given the looming May deadline. The good news is you
will be able to play alongside CPU controlled X-People,
but currently that shortlist is Top Secret info.
As
an X-Men fan from wayback - I was a merry mutant fanclub
cardholder before the world even knew of Logan, Ororo
Munroe and Kurt Wagner...and they were introduced
in 75! (but I still consider them the "new characters")
- I'm always up for another playable X-Men adventure.
I also harbor a healthy respect for Chris Claremont
whom I stuck with through thick and thin during his
tenure on the Uncanny X-Men back in the day. Activision
has delivered some of the best superhero games ever
created and we're hoping that X-Men: The Official
Movie Game continues that tradition.

Features:
- Become
three legendary heroes - Players will immerse themselves
in the signature powers of their favorite X-Men
heroes -- hack and slash with Wolverine's brute
strength to decimate foes; as Nightcrawler, players
will scale walls, spin and BAMF through environments
to stay one step ahead of enemies; and experience
incredible speed on Iceman's ice slide while shooting
ice beams and creating hailstorms to freeze the
opposition. For even more power, players can utilize
fury and adrenaline modes to launch devastating
attacks.
- Experience
events leading up to the X-Men: The Last Stand feature
film and play beyond - Players will experience epic
Super Hero action as the game explains Nightcrawler's
mysterious absence from the movie, and in-game events
foreshadow the roles of the X-Men and Brotherhood
in the film. The game's climactic ending sets the
stage for the movie with intersecting characters
and storylines intersecting.
- Become
a part of the X-Men movie universe - Embark on a
globe-spanning conflict that delivers every element
of the X-men universe-from costumes and enemies
to the voice of Patrick Stewart. Explore Alkali
Lake, the Statue of Liberty, Dark Cerebro and more.
- Battle
fierce enemies, join forces with X-Men comrades
- Face off against villains from both the movie
and beyond as favorite X-Men allies join forces
with the player in gameplay that includes melee
fighting, stealth-style action and time-based missions.
- Experience
gameplay environments specifically designed to showcase
each character's Super Hero abilities - Uniquely
engineered environments empower players to use different
gameplay strategies as they harness their Super
Hero powers and defeat enemies. Players will have
ultimate control over their heroes as they improve
their superpowers over time through the Mutant Evolution
System.
- Game
console features and exclusives - Experience the
X-Men universe in amazing HD on the Xbox® 360
version of the game. The Game Boy® Advance and
the Nintendo DS versions also offer exclusive
X-Men characters to play, and for the first time,
use the Nintendo DS touch screen to control the
X-Men.
By
Vaughn Smith
CCC
Site Director
|