Platform: PlayStation 2, GameCube, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC CD-ROM

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1

Activision has been doing an extraordinary job over the past few years with the super hero games, often times released to tie in directly with the release of one of the numerous theatrical releases. It’s been big business, and the likes of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and of course The X-Men have brining more and more fans to the theater and to their video game consoles. The X-Men was a film that fans had waited a decade or more to see, and the original movie left a lasting impression, though some die-hard fans of the comic weren’t as enthusiastic as others (I fall into that category.) The second movie on the other hand was nothing short of awe-inspiring, and with the cliff hanger ending, everyone has been waiting for the third installment of Marvel’s money-making mutants.

Unlike some of the other film to game translations that have been seen, something a little bit different has been done in the case of X-Men: The Official Game. While the Spider-Man games (the ones based on the films) and the Fantastic Four game all followed the films storyline, more or less, with some creative liberty thrown for more gameplay. The bad thing however is that often, this can ruin the film if you’ve never seen it, but X-Men: The Official Game isn’t necessarily like that. The game actually begins before the film, adding in some background to what you’ll experience in the theater.

Set shortly after the events of the second film and just shortly before the beginning of the third, the series of missions in X-Men: The Official Game attempts to fill in the blanks as you take control of three of the franchise personalities. As Wolverine you will investigate secret operations by the elite group HYDRA eventually leading him to reencounter Deathstrike as well as the deadly Silver Samurai. Nightcrawler in the meantime is piecing together a number of events that has him literally seeing the dead as he investigates the Sentinels (yes, those giant, mutant hunting robots that fans known and hate) while Iceman must contend with the hot headed Pyro.

As you now know, X-Men: The Official Game puts you in control of three of The X-Men’s many mutant persona’s. Wolverine is included just as any fan would expect (though I still think he’s highly overrated) as well as Nightcrawler (who is sadly missing from the movie) and unexpectedly, Iceman. Three different mutants means different powers, and while the controls for each more or less remain the same, what you can do is the real icing on the cake so to speak.

As Wolverine, you’ll be attacking with those deadly adamantium claws. You’ll have light and heavy attacks as well as the option to block, push foes back, and unleash deadly combos, but Wolverine is more than just slicing and dicing enemies. Any fan knows that he can heal, and slowly your wounds will begin to heal, but if you’ve taken heavy damage, holding the L2 button will let you pause and recover those grievous wounds. The more you fight, the closer you grow to rage, and once that meter has filled, Wolverine can become an even deadlier force, for a limited time of course, and there are also team attacks that can be used when the going gets really tough.

Nightcrawler is without a doubt my favorite character in the game. He can teleport virtually anywhere, just look for a glowing blue areas, but it just gets better. Nightcrawler is incredibly acrobatic, so swinging and balancing are all part of the arsenal of skills that he has at his disposal. The ability to teleport right behind your opponent is and pummel him with a barrage of punches and kicks is probably one of his greatest assets. Nightcrawler can also heal much like Wolverine can, though you’ll need to build up your gage in order to do so.

Having Iceman as a playable character actually was a bit of a surprise, and I would have assumed having Storm as a playable character would have been the path to take, but Bobby Drake isn’t necessarily a bad selection. True to his name, Iceman has the ability to generate ice in various forms. Primarily you will be moving on your ice slide, seen in the comic quite a bit, and the 180 reversal looks extremely cool in the game. But, just sliding around isn’t the only skill here. Bobby has an ice beam and his deadly hailstorm to punish enemies with, and an ice shield to protect himself with.

The gameplay itself is comprised of mission based stages where you will control one of the three main characters. There is no option to select who this will be however, but what you will notice is that the beginning of each stage has a difficulty rating which will reward you for finishing the stage with mutations. These can then be used to power up the skills of each character. At times levels may only reward you with one mutation vial while others will range depending on the difficulty you’ve selected. The stages also have hidden files, Sentinel Tech and Weapon X Files, to collect which unlock other bonus features for the game. Also, completing the chapters in the game will make other features available.

Most of the time, the missions are fairly easy to play through, though there are a few times when they aren’t as easy as you would think at first no matter what the difficulty. Once you’ve taken on a mission, you are locked into that path, so if you’ve decided that you’re going to play through Nightcrawler’s missions, you’ll need to complete his stages before being allowed to play as another mutant. The good thing however is that once you’ve earned upgrades and assigned them, they are there to say, so you can replay previously completed stages with all upgrades still available. This can also make collecting some of the more elusive files easier.

The game visual has some good and bad spots in it. The character designs are very good, but there’s not much chance of messing that up too badly. Seeing things like Lady Deathstrikes claws grow and retract is quite a nice addition into the game. Okay, I know you thought she was dead, but come on, this is the Marvel Universe and no one stays dead for long. The stages however often feel uninspired and at times, quite repetitive in the overall look. They do often times have some interactive portions, though there are some arguments that I have with this as well. For example, let’s say I’m Wolverine, but I can’t use my claws to cut through any wall; only those that have been designed for that. I can’t slice down metal fences? What’s with that? As Nightcrawler, you can’t instantly teleport back to an area that you’ve already been to? That’s just not right.

The cut scenes are done in an interesting approach. Instead of animations, they are done as stills with very minimal movement. It reminds me a great deal of some of the Marvel graphic novels that have been released in the past where the artists went for more of a realistic look, but you will also find that at the beginning of chapters, there will be an intro that is just like a comic, complete with word balloons. It’s not all text however, and wherever possible the cast for the film has been utilized to reprise their original roles.

While I really can appreciate X-Men: The Official Game not using the standard film to game translation that contains far too many spoilers, is isn’t anything out of the ordinary and Activision has quite honestly released some better titles based on various Marvel franchises (The Fantastic Four is still probably one of my favorite games in this category.) Fans of course aren’t going to be swayed away from this one, and those who want some tie in information are going to want to play a game of fill in the blanks. It’s not that X-Men: The Official Game is a horrible title, not in any way, but it’s also not anything that is groundbreaking or has lasting appeal (though I did like it better than the third X film.)

-mike-