X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse Preview

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!
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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!