Growing up during the arcade renaissance of the 1990s, I have a lot of memories of the old beat-em-up genre. Though designed to guzzle quarters, there was something incredibly addicting about these simple, local, and primitive co-op experiences that pitted you and a few fellow arcadegoers against a variable armada of robots, ninjas, drones, and large bosses. Beat-em-ups were created by Japanese teams for several high-profile franchises of the time, including The Simpsons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bucky O’Hare, and X-Men. All of these games were ridiculously unfair – especially to the kids with the fewest quarters to burn – but that was part of their charm. 1992’s X-Men was unique among beat-em-ups for its mechanics as well as its scale (up to six simultaneous players), and now it’s making a long overdue comeback on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.
X-Men is a straightforward classic 2D beat-em-up. Gameplay consists of walking left to right, clobbering anything that gets in the way. Controls consist of a Jump button and Attack button (genre staples) along with a button to unleash a character specific Mutant Power attack (to clear the screen when things get too hectic). Several bosses familiar to fans of the comic book and animated series will make appearances throughout the game’s seven stages, culminating in a climactic fight with “Mr. Curleh Mustache” himself, Magneto.
The game is ported by Backbone Entertainment, and thus you pretty much know what you’re getting for your money. Online play is a given, and most certainly the best part of the game. Also included are multiple difficulty settings, display options, and a sprite smoothing feature. Additionally, an unexpected (but welcome) inclusion is the Japanese ROM, containing difficulty tweaks and power-up items for life energy and Mutant Power stock that are absent from the US version. When playing the game online, there were a few instances where substantial lag occurred, but nothing game-breaking enough to spoil the fun.
X-Men shines in its six-player online mode – it is definitely the most fun I’ve had with an online beat-em-up this generation. The amount of chaos on the screen with dozens of enemies and Mutant Power attacks exploding is a lot of fun to watch, and the game’s simple controls hold up well over time. Admittedly, gamers growing up during the PS2 era may wonder what all the fuss is about with this release. For those who grew up in the twilight of arcades, however, X-Men is a welcome dose of nostalgia and an absolute blast to play online.
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