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Oh, the '90s...that magical decade of grunge, music on CDs, the Internet, awesome cartoons, great comics,
Nintendo vs. Sega and, most nostalgic of all, the American video arcade. For those of you that didn't
live out their teen angst in the '90s as I did, the arcade was a cornucopia of delight and wonderment. You
could make any turn down any isle and find gaming gold. These were the days when a quarter on the cabinet
meant “I got next”, and friendly bouts could quickly turn into fierce competition, complete with crowds and cheering.
Although fighting games like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat dominated '90s arcades, there
was another genre that promoted teamwork rather than head-to-head fisticuffs, and that, fellow gamers, was the side-scrolling
beat 'em up. Alas, arcades have all but fizzled out here in the States, but, thanks to the good folks
over at Konami and Backbone Entertainment, there is hope on the horizon in the form of X-Men.
As soon as I loaded this game on my console, I was instantly taken back to my youth. This is the exact
same game I remember playing all those years ago. All six playable characters were present (Wolverine,
Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Dazzler), and they had all of their own unique Mutant Power special attacks, just
as I remembered. All eight stages were there, as well as a slew of baddies such as The Blob, Juggernaut,
Emma Frost, and, of course, Magneto. I noticed I could also play with my friends just like in the arcade,
either online or on the couch in my living room. Yep, the nostalgia was fantastic, but as I kept playing,
I started to realize something: This is indeed the exact same game I played all those years ago,
and that fact quickly became a double-edged sword. You punch, kick, jump, die and continue until you defeat
Magneto, then you start over. This takes all of 30 minutes, and I die like there is an Achievement to be
gained. I began to wonder what the point was. I had to delve deeper to find out.
When it comes to the design, some options have been added for the home port. There are now 3 levels of
difficulty (Normal, Hard, & Expert), and they basically do little more than take away the number of lives you have before
you have to continue. Also, you have the option to play
either the USA or Japan ROM. The Japan ROM adds energy and power orb pickups, and it uses your power orbs
before it uses your energy gauge whenever you activate your Mutant Power, a super move that can easily clear a screen of Sentinels.
The USA ROM, as it was designed to eat your quarters as fast as possible, is the exact evil opposite. It
uses energy before it uses your power orbs, and pickups of any kind are nonexistent. However, you can keep
playing after you defeat Magneto in the USA ROM. You also have the ability to start at any stage you have
previously completed, which is nice if you have some friends over and you all have a favorite stage, or one someone hasn't
played on before. Now, the kicker: There is no consequence for dying...at least not a tangible consequence
in correlation to the gameplay. You can continue to your heart's content until you beat the game, and
that pissed me off--at first. What the designers have done is make each enemy you defeat a point.
All the while, the number of lives and continues you use, as well as the time it takes you to complete the game are
being taken into account. The goal is now to beat the game as quickly as possible while killing as many
enemies as you can sink your claws into, using as few lives and continues as you can. This, however, is
no easy task. As I mentioned, this is the exact same game from the arcade, and arcade games were to designed
to rob you of your allowance. I'm not pissed anymore...just a little annoyed.
Things get more fun online, though. You have the ability to play with up to 6 players via Xbox Live, and
you are able to drop in and out of any available game at will. Finding a game is really easy, but if there
aren't any available, you can start your own and begin playing without waiting for other players to join.
When creating a game, you get to choose how many players can join, the difficulty, the ROM you wish to play, the stage
on which to begin, and whether the game will be public or private. I have experienced zero lag in online
sessions, making the experience seamless and streamlined. When it comes to gameplay,
you move from left to right on the screen, kicking the hell out of any Sentinels and giant lizard men that happen to cross
your path of destruction. Be prepared to hit the “X” button A LOT,
as it is your only real attack button. “B” jumps, and “A” activates your Mutant
Power. Fortunately, you can change the button configuration to your liking, especially if you are like
me and you like to press “A” to jump out of sheer habit. More often than not, the screen will
be totally filled with bad guys, and no matter how many people are playing, this number remains unchanged, encouraging co-op
play. You will also die quite frequently, but since the only real consequence is statistical, the frustration
is only minor.
The graphics are the same old sprites from the arcade cabinet, and it makes for a very nice retro look and classic feel to
the game. The original music and voice-over work is all in tact, and are true to the arcade of yore.
You can also customize the size of the playable screen and whether or not to have the HUD inside or outside the playing
area. Overall, the presentation is classic, but nothing impressive from a technical standpoint. The Rock Bottom:
X-Men is a fantastic blast from the past; it will fill you with so much nostalgia that
it will proceed to ooze from your pores. The quick pick-up-and-play factor of this game is great for that
night when you and your friends are all having some frosty brews and want to kick a little Brotherhood ass. Plus, the online
features certainly give the game more replay value. However, X-Men is very repetitious
and is over much too quickly. Also, the fact that there is no challenge beyond padding your stats and climbing
the leaderboards makes playing X-Men kind of like going to a strip club. It is
a gas at first, and is a much better experience with friends. However, the longer you stay, the more you
realize that you are kind of just wasting your time because you know in the back of your head you aren't going to really
accomplish anything in the end. The buzz begins to wear off, and you begin to see the flaws in the girls
that your beer goggles once masked. When you finally leave, you know that you had a good time, but you
are a little perturbed that you spent your money for such a short thrill. And, just like a strip club,
you will visit the establishment again, but probably not very often, and only when there is nothing else to do.
Rating Design:
2.5 out of 5 Gameplay: 3.5 out of 5 Presentation: 3.0 out of 5 Overall:
3.0 out of 5
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