But still their appearances resemble those of the cartoon series, but it is mostly true to the comic book superheroes. This game has it's ups and downs at times, but still it is very enjoyable to play. This game can be played solo or for two if you want to play with a friend or family member. This game was successful on the Sega Genesis that it spawned a sequel in 1995, titled "X-Men 2: Clone Wars".
The game was originally released on the Sega Genesis in 1993, and yet I still remember playing it with my cousins when I was 9 years old back in 1995 during a summer vacation in New York, while I was still living in DR.
Plot. The game begins with Magneto at Asteroid M, where he shoots a lethal computer virus via satellite at the X-Mansion's Danger Room computer system, disabling all control and safety limits. The X-Men must now survive the instability of the Danger Room, and find out what went wrong and to eliminate the computer virus that has infected the training area of the X-Men. Magneto quotes at the beginning: Sometimes, you have to crush your enemies where they live.
Gambit's melee attack is with his bo staff, while his superpower is hurling his charged cards at enemies. Nightcrawler's superpower is teleportation, where he can move in eight different directions. Wolverine uses retractable claws which enhance the strength of his punches and allowing him to perform special moves in mid-air. And finally, Cyclops uses his rebounding optic blasts, which can be shot in eight different directions.
Also, players can call other X-Men for support such as: Archangel, Storm, Iceman, and Rogue. When players fall down a precipice, Jean Grey lifts them up back to a platform with her telekinetic abilities. The bosses in the game come in this order: Juggernaut, Zaladane, Deathbird, Sabertooth, Apocalypse, Ahab, Mojo, and finally Magneto himself.
Concept. The purpose of the game is to survive throughout five stages in the Danger Room, where the X-Men must find the source of the computer virus. After they get to the end of Mojo's world, they must "reset the computer" to eliminate the virus, meaning to reset the console manually. If done correctly, numerical digits will appear on the screen, and the stage will be beaten. After the Danger Room, the player will head to the final stage, Asteroid M, and face off against Magneto.
Design. For a Sega Genesis game, the graphics were really well made. Most stages and character design resemble the authentic and unique universe of X-Men. The best designed stages in my opinion are: The Savage Land, The Shiar Empire, The Lighthouse, and Asteroid M. But Asteroid M happens to be the hardest stage in the game. Pretty logical because it is the final stage of the game.
Music and Sound. All of the music in the game was composed by Fletcher Beasley using the G.E.M.S. system (Genesis Emulation Music Software), which could communicate with the Yamaha 2612 FM synthesizer chip on the Sega Genesis and could be used to directly play back the sounds through the Genesis. (Wikipedia.org)
Memories. I remember in 1995 when I played this game with my cousins on the Sega Genesis. My older cousin wanted to play more Street Fighter than X-Men, much to the annoyance of my younger cousin, which I find hilarious all the time. Sometimes instead of playing X-Men, we would play Sonic 2 and 1, Street Fighter, and even 3 Ninjas Kick Back, oh memories.
Rantings. The jump mechanics are a major joke in this game, I mean, they can't jump high enough in the air, which bothered me of course. My cousin would get pissed off at me for saying this but, the worst character to play with is Cyclops. Why Cyclops? Because his melee attacks are stupid, and in almost every stage, he is the one to die very quickly. But don't get me wrong, his optic blasts pack a punch. Also, I hated the Asteroid M, despite it's awesome designs, because the soldiers would shoot you with a laser that freezes you and drains your energy.
Good Aspects. The storyline, graphics, and gameplay were really cool. The music was fitting in every stage, which I liked of course. Also the game has good replay value, and I wish it was on the Wii Virtual Console, but the good thing is you can download and play an X-Men game different to this one on the PlayStation 3.
Overall. This is a really good game based on the Marvel Comic superheroes. This game gets a 7 out of 10.