X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse – MB – Review

When
X-Men Legends II hit consoles last year, it represented a compelling quest that
did its predecessor well. The game offered deep action RPG gameplay across all
systems, and stayed very loyal to its subject matter, representing many members
of the coveted X-Men well. The game is also available for mobile phones,
courtesy of Mforma. While the game has definitely been scaled down (you can only
switch between two fighters at most), it is still as compelling and deep an
experience as you’ll find on a mobile phone.

X-Men
Legends II follows the exploits of the famous team as they band with an unlikely
ally, Magneto and his nefarious Brotherhood of Mutants, to take on a new
dangerous threat that compromises the fate of the entire planet, the evil
Apocalypse.

Gameplay-wise,
X-Men Legends II has some basic RPG elements, like the ability to beef up your
characters with new special abilities, to facilitate the damage dealing against
your foes. The gives you different planes to fight on, meaning that you don’t
just walk left and right to fight, but up and down as well.

The game
controls simply enough, using the 2, 4, 6, and 8 buttons for movement around the
screen and the 5 button for your simple attack. You can perform combos and
special moves as well, which get more complex as you progress and upgrade your
character.

As you
progress through the game, you’ll gain the ability to team up two
X-Men/Brotherhood members as you fight, switching them out when you need to.
You’ll end up with five mutants total in your stable (Magneto, Wolverine, Storm,
Juggernaut, and Cyclops).   

Graphically, the game is pretty good for a mobile game, as the characters are
brightly colored and distinguishable. They are fairly well animated, as well.
The environments start out a little rudimentary, but get more detail as you move
on to bigger and brighter locales.

The
sound is also pretty good, with a rich score present on the title screen.
However, the battle noises are pretty simplistic, but then again, you really
don’t what to be making too much noise on a cell phone anyway.

X-Men
Legends II is a solid mobile phone game that takes the best elements of his
console brethren and applies them well to its platform. Cell phone owners with a
capable phone would do well to give this title a whirl.

Review Scoring Details for X-Men Legends II

Gameplay: 8.5
X-Men Legends II
does a fine job of emulating the console style of its big brothers, taking the
action-RPG elements, but not allowing things to get too convoluted for its
platform.

Graphics: 8.5

Rich, colorful
sprites do their job and make for a decent amount of detail, and shouldn’t be
too taxing on your eyeballs.

Sound: 7.5
The score is
pretty nice, but the standard “slaps” during the combat get tiresome.

Difficulty:  Medium

Concept: 8.0
X-Men Legends II
does a fine job of applying the better elements from the console versions and
keeping them relevant to mobile gaming.

Overall: 8.5                                       



X-Men Legends II is a solid brawler with some nice RPG elements that any gamer
with a cell phone would do well to check out.