X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse Review

RoA can also be played either by yourself or cooperatively with your friends. The game is definitely a lot more enjoyable if you do play with friends, as it’s much easier to coordinate teamwork and let each other know what it is you want to do. If you play by yourself, you have to make sure your teammates are set with desirable AI parameters that will be the most beneficial to you in all types of battle. This includes when they may use health and/or energy packs, what ability they will use when called upon for help and how aggressive they actually are when fighting. However, if you do have people to play it with, managing those things will virtually be nonexistent since you have the intelligence of human players to work with. Now granted it isn’t always perfect and sometimes they’ll accidentally kill themselves or not use their particular character like how they should be. But in the end, the game is just a blast to play with close friends.

Finally, we have the combos that are available to be executed. These are done the exact same way as they were in XML. If two mutants strike an enemy with one of their powers around the same general time, the damage from each attack will combine into a combo; this increases the total damage and the experience gained from it. So for instance, say Magneto does his ability to encase enemies in metal and Wolverine attacks shortly afterwards with Eviscerate or another claw attack. This will initiate the combo called something like “Metallic Deathtrap” and it is extremely effective. Juggernaut also has the ability to throw his teammates around, especially into enemies. If he does this with Wolverine, you have yourself a nice “Fastball” special.

So really, if you enjoyed playing XML, you should have absolutely no problem having a blast with this experience. Everything was given a very nice revamp in terms of easier use and navigation. Extraction points are still used to switch out team members, visit the Danger Room and now to actually transport to other EPs that you’ve activated throughout the mission. That is actually very convenient for you throughout the duration of the game, as it will allow you to go from point to point in certain missions in the case you are looking for something in particular. The only unfortunate aspect of this whole deal was something Raven initially promised us but somehow managed to forget in the final version. This was being able to switch out party members on the fly without the use of Extraction Points. Myself and my friends never saw this option available, so we’re thinking it never made it. That would’ve put the nail in the coffin in terms of overall quality, but unfortunately it ended up being a nasty disappointment. Still, the whole game is simply nothing but fun to play, and especially if you’re an X-Men fan that has friends to play it with.

When you eventually complete the game for the first time, you will be treated to a fairly well-done cinematic cutscene. It obviously shows the defeat of the final boss, as well as one final encounter between Xavier and a couple X-Men along with Magneto and a couple Brotherhood. The best part about the ending is it shows that common enemies can work together, even when they each hold drastically different ideals. Definitely a life lesson to be had there. But to make it even better, is the fact that it was rather left open during the ending, as who you see begs you to believe that X-Men Legends III is indeed coming if Raven chooses to do so. How you actually defeat the final boss may be just because of the very character you see as your X-Men team take off in their X-Jet, and knowing that can open up a whole new chapter in the Legends saga. Who knows, maybe Raven planned for this to be a trilogy all along, and will bring the franchise into the next generation with a brand new look?

XML II also has some awesome replay value. Nevermind all the features of XML that could easily bring players back to play it, RoA has even more to do just the same. Whether it’s finding all the unlockables to view concept art, comic book covers, character pictures and such to unlocking the three hidden characters and everything else, there’s a lot to do. Plus being able to navigate as easily as you can through all the Acts via the Extraction Points makes playing it through again quite convenient. You’ll never have to worry about getting lost or having to run through unnecessary parts of a level just to get to one specific spot. It’s a very nice concept that Raven implemented to make the game that much more accessible for a second run through. Plus having so many characters to utilize throughout the adventure and experimenting with team combinations is another attraction. If you want a game that you can very easily return to either a day, week or months after playing it, RoA is most definitely a perfect example. Now granted only die-hard X-Men fans will want to unlock everything, but for the most part there is plenty to get done after you finish the main story, and how fun it is to do so can easily motivate anyone.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is most definitely a rise, but certainly not an apocalypse. It’s a rise in quality over X-Men Legends without a doubt. Not drastically, but enough to make the game even more enjoyable than its predecessor. Everything from the first game was taken and put in, just with more polish and a smarter approach. You will hardly have to worry about the tedious features that some parts of XML may have brought, as everything has been simplified for both hardcore and casual players. The graphical appeal is much better this time around, with the comic book universe really making a presence here. The music isn’t exactly memorable in an overall sense, but the voice acting is just as awesome as it was in XML, but probably even better. Experiencing the working relationship between the X-Men and Brotherhood, along with all the tension, is something to be had without a doubt. Plus the gameplay is even more simplified, and therefore just that much more enjoyable that it was originally. Having so many powers available to every character makes the whole superhero atmosphere that much more comparable to the comics and TV. Simply put, if you want a great RPG that features some of the best superheroes of all time, just stop here.