GameCube NintendoSpin.com / Previews / X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

Posted on September 7th, 2005 - 3602 Reads

Rated Teen X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse GameCube Preview

-- Written by Justin Joseph



 So obviously last year developer Raven Software and publisher Activision answered the prayers of all X-Men fans alike. X-Men Legends is indeed the most compelling and entertaining X-Men videogame created to date, and because of it's impressive success, they chose to announce the working of a sequel virtually right AFTER the first one hit store shelves!

With X-Men Legends II (referred to as RoA for Rise of Apocalypse), Raven Software has ambitioned to improve upon the predecessor in every which way possible. New characters, MANY more new powers and more diverse environments! Now this title will actually go online on the PS2, XBox and PC, but GameCube owners will still be treated to the four player cooperative mayhem that the first one offered!

Following the story and events of X-Men Legends, the members of both teams, the X-Men and Brotherhood, are now weakened. It is at some point during this time that Apocalypse, a near god-like mutant bent on the ideal of "survival of the fittest", comes out of hiding and decides to make large-scale attacks on both teams! The attacks are so devastating that it leaves the entire world vulnerable to a takeover by this madman. There is only one hope for both human and mutant-kind's survival. The X-Men and Brotherhood are forced to team together in order to take out this threat of global security!

As was the main feature of Legends, you will be able to take control of four players at once that will come from a nice, healthy roster of numerous mutants. The difference this time, however, is that half the team is comprised of members of the X-Men, and the other half of the Brotherhood of Mutants. So yes, finally, instead of seeing Magneto and Wolverine trying to tear each other apart all the time, you will witness them actually working together! What's even better about this game is that EVERY single character is available from the very beginning! Plus each level will support four player play throughout the entire thing so you won't have any friends sitting around just watching you look pretty.

It is known to be certain that you will be able to control a whopping number of mutants such as Magneto, Colossus, Wolverine, Juggernaut, Cyclops, Bishop, Ice Man, Storm, Jubilee, Nightcrawler, Rogue and more! To make things even more tantalizing for those waiting eagerly for this game, Raven has promised a few "surprise" playable characters and no one will know who they are until the final product is actually released! Mutant powers will also be far more unique and interesting to use this time around. So those of you who weren't too keen on using the likes of Jubilee, Rogue and Ice Man will have something to look forward to this time!
.
RoA also takes a much broader look on the X-Men world than Legends did, with a more expansive story, more diverse areas, and more than 100 different enemies to do battle with! In RoA, the X-Men and Brotherhood are scattered, battered, disoriented, and constantly on the run. This forces the group to take refuge in five separate locations throughout the game. This will encompass the all well-known X-Mansion to even the downtrodden and abandoned Weapon X facility!

Just like with Legends, RoA takes you throughout the X-Men universe. You will be able to explore many diverse regions, such as the temples of Madripoor, the primitive jungle of the Savage Lands, the island of Genosha and even Egypt! Each location will feature much more environmental interaction (including enemy traps), more secrets and more enemies. So while missions may indeed be longer in RoA, the diversification of the level design should help in keeping things fresh throughout the duration of your play.

For example, the Madripoor Temples are infested with Madripoor Priests and H*llhounds, while the locale of Egypt features such baddies as stone scarabs that will actually emerge from the grounds when they are walked over! RoA also promises many more outdoor environments that will reduce the feeling of claustrophobia that some may have experienced in Legends. We can expect wider combat areas and levels three times of the size of the ones presented in Legends!

Raven Software has also indeed listened to concerns brought to their attention by fans and critics of Legends in regards to what could be done to improve on them in RoA! One of the biggest things they've addressed for this game is the more distressing feature of Legends' gameplay. Each playable character in this game will now feature more than DOUBLE the original active powers and each one will be accessible using the D-Pad and face buttons in the game! Mutant powers will also be a lot "deeper" this time around. Instead of feeling like you might be looking at exact copies of various mutants' powers since some of the X-Men can be similar to each other, each member has their own unique stuff! One of the most noticeable transformations is with X-Men member Nightcrawler who now wields two swords and a plethora of new "teleportation" maneuvers!

Then to make the game a little newer in teams of gameplay and how your team will work together, Activision has recently revealed a new treat! Since RoA will feature a very wide array of characters and costumes, certain combinations of those will actually have an effect on your party! If you happen to select a team of four characters whose outfits from a specific time period are all coordinated, you can look forward to bonuses like 15% health for everyone!

The in-game menus this time around almost seem a bit unnecessary because of the conveniences that Raven Software has implemented into RoA! This time around, the game has an "auto-leveling" system which allows players to actually decide themselves how points are distributed when level-ups actually occur, even in battle! Players also have the option of having their team members automatically dawning the best equipment available to you so that reduces the need of having those annoying miniscule menu changes to your party members!

Also making things even EASIER this time around, players now have the option of returning back to their HQ at ANY time during a particular mission! This eliminates the need for you to run back through the entire level just to find ONE extraction point (remember those?) that would allow you to do the same in the predecessor. Players can now quickly switch out party members as they see fit at any given time! This benefits the feature of having all the characters playable at the very beginning,; you can begin all your experimenting right at the get-go!

With more than double the active powers available to each mutant this time around, that obviously dramatically increases the number of combos that can be executed among team members! Since the Brotherhood makes up half your team, there is a plethora of brand new combos at your disposal now! Magneto and Bishop can team up for the destructive Metallic Devastation or you can do a nice partnership with Magneto and Storm for the devastating Deadly Nova! Would you like to do the "Fastball Special?" Wolverine and Juggernaut are the way to go for that one! Thankfully in this game combos are expected to be able to be executed far easier since there is a larger time frame for teammates to connect with each other in these situations.

Combos will also be truly necessary in RoA. RoA will be a fair bit more challenging than its predecessor and Raven Software wanted to make sure to add a certain element that would make a second play through a bit more desirable than it may have been originally. Enemy group leaders can now carry random power ups with them and mutated enemies now have the ability to split in two, having each half be stronger than the original whole!

Then to spice up things in the actual game, character dialogue has also been given a heavier emphasis! So for example, if you talk to a NPC with Cyclops, the response should generally be friendly and welcoming. But if you talk to someone with a character like Magneto whom not everyone likes, the response will more likely be on the sarcastic and insulting side. That doesn't mean who you use to speak actually affects what happens, it's more or less for laughs and to make the experience seem more realistic. The same applies to battle. Characters will speak a fair bit more often in RoA than they did in Legends, and it's all for a more cosmetic approach. So for instance if you witness an argument between Cyclops and Wolverine in battle over something, you will get a good laugh at what they exchange!

Also to differ from how items were accessible in Legends, vendors will be completely different this time around. If you remember Forge and the Morlock Healer from Legends, you should remember that what they offered didn't have a whole lot of change or variety to it as you progressed through the game. But now the items list has been greatly expanded, and this time around if you see a great item at a particular vendor at a particular time, chances are you should grab it to avoid potentially missing out on getting it in the future!

Finally, while the thought of completely obliterating a group of Hellhounds may be appealing to many, RoA is definitely not without its incredible boss fights! You will end up facing Lady Deathstrike, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Arcangel, Sentinels, Marrow, Holocaust and many others! Since the game also has you head to the South Pole for a portion of the game, it's likely that you'll face the pterodactyl-like Sauron.

When most take a first look at X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, they may think this game really isn't any different than its predecessor. But nevertheless, Raven Software has made some great improvements to what was a great game. If the story does indeed remain true to the spirits of the comics and movies and the in-game dialogue evokes the natural tension between the two teams, RoA may just end up being a better overall experience than Legends! Most important though, is that this game STARTS as a four player battle mayhem. The all new and original powers and locations should make RoA to be a must pick up for all X-Men and RPG enthusiasts! Prepare to face the Apocalypse in just a short couple weeks!

Recent Previews

Page generated in 0.00902 seconds; 6 queries executed. Copyright © 1999 - 2007 Jesse MacVicar - All Rights Reserved.

Partners - Creative Uncut - Codename Revolution - Nintendo Wii News - PlayStation 3 - Nintendo Gamenet