X-Men: Legends – PS2 – Preview


“This is the first time that players get to
customize a team of X-Men in an epic RPG,” stated Blaine Christine, producer of
the Xbox release by Activision and Raven Software. “It’s a super-heroic epic
adventure.”

 

X-Men: Legends is the name of the title and
the game has tried to take the grandiose themes of the comic books and
introduced it into team-based RPG action with a team of four X-Men taking on the
Brotherhood of Mutants.

 

The Brotherhood is after a girl named Allyson,
a mutant who falls under the care of the X-Men and Professor Xavier (voiced by
Patrick Stewart).  As players progress through the game they will gain new super
powers. There are 15 playable characters and part of the charm of the game is to
use the mission load screen and the extraction points to put together the right
team to battle the villains the game the game throws at you.

 

“The game is all about teamplay,” Christine
said, “so we constantly try to enforce that dynamic.”

 

Each X-Man has four stats – strike, agility,
body and focus) – as well an AI dynamic. You can set them to an aggressive
attacking style and they will auto target and attack nearby enemies, for
example. Each member of the X-Men has four super powers and a variety of other
passive powers. You can upgrade equipment and the game does have a monetary
system in it. The game does have a robust stat system which allows for some
customization of the characters.

 

One of the interesting elements of this title
is that there are multiple paths through the levels. If you encounter a sealed
door, one option may be to have Cyclops try to cut a hole through the wall. Or
you could have Nightcrawler teleport through to the other side, pop around and
dispose of the enemies and then trip the switch to open the door.

 

One nice feature is that the multiplayer
aspect allows another player to join even in the midst of a single-player
adventure. All that is required is for the second player to plug in a joystick
and they are immediately given control of two of the four-member teams. There is
also a four-player skirmish mode.

 

And should you require the talents of a
particular member of the X-Men for a mission, expect Professor X to “strongly”
recommend you take along that member.

 

As for the environments … “You’ll see many,
many locations that fans are familiar with during the course of our adventure.”

 

Not only will you see a wide range of the
X-Men, but key members of the Brotherhood are also involved, including the
ominous Blob, and some surprising bosses.

 

The look of the game is somewhat akin to
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, but the environments, special effects and
characters will thoroughly distinguish this title.

 

For those who are fans of the Marvel comics,
for those who are fans of team-based RPGs, X-Men: Legends is a dynamic
action/adventure title you will want to check out.