| X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Raven Software[a] |
| Publisher | Activision |
| Director | Dan Vondrak |
| Producer | Matthew Paul |
| Designer | Keith Fuller |
| Programmers |
|
| Artist | Dan Hay |
| Writer | Robert Love |
| Composer | Gregor Narholz |
| Engine | Vicarious Visions Alchemy |
| Platforms | |
| Release | |
| Genre | Action role-playing |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is anaction role-playing game developed byRaven Software and published byActivision. It is the follow-up to 2004'sX-Men Legends. It was released in September 2005 for theGameCube,Windows,N-Gage,PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable andXbox. It is set after the events ofX-Men Legends and features the mutant supervillainApocalypse as the primary antagonist.
The developers intended the game to have a greater sense of scale than its predecessor, with a story where the villains known as theBrotherhood of Mutants would need to ally themselves with theX-Men to defeat a greater threat.Blur Studio created the cinematics. Online multiplayer was also added. Multiplayer onXbox Live was available to players until April 15, 2010.X-Men Legends II is now playable online again on the replacement Xbox Live servers calledInsignia.[2]
The game was well received by gaming critics on all platforms. They felt that the inclusion of online play, additional mutant powers, and a larger cast made the game an improvement over its predecessor. Some reviewers were critical of the game's voice acting and felt that the gameplay was repetitive. It sold enough copies to be added to the budget line known as PlayStation 2'sGreatest Hits.
X-Men Legends II is anaction role-playing game. It unites twoMarvel Comics superhero teams, the heroicX-Men and the villainousBrotherhood of Mutants as they together face the mutant supervillainApocalypse and his minions.[3] Players can choose up to four characters to use at once from a larger roster. Players unlock additional characters as they proceed through the game. Four players can play on one machinecooperatively, and players can join or leave at any time. The game also features online play for up to four players, a first for the series.[3] Anew game plus mode is included that allows players to play through the game a second time while retaining all character stats.[4]
As characters gainexperience points, their mutant superpowers and unique abilities can be upgraded. Items found during gameplay can also be equipped to further enhance a character's abilities. Characters can combine attacks to create acombo, in which two or more players punch or kick a single enemy at the same time.[5] The character's special abilities can also be used in the same manner to create a Super Combo which inflicts massive damage on enemies. Each character has several mutant powers that players can assign to controller buttons. The game also features askirmish mode, which allows players to fight against each other or waves of computer-controlled enemies.[5]
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse features a central hub that players return to between missions. It is a designated area free from enemies, and its setting changes to coincide with the current act of the game. Here players can viewloading screen art, cinematics, and comic book covers acquired during gameplay. Biographies of the X-Men and their enemies can be accessed here. Players can also participate in an X-Men trivia game which awards experience points for correct answers. Additionally, players can access a virtual combat environment known as theDanger Room to play additional missions unlocked during gameplay.[6]
The mobile phone version of the game is primarily abeat 'em up with role-playing elements. Unlike the console versions, the game plays as aside-scroller in the same vein as the 1992X-Men arcade game.[7] There are five selectable characters, and players upgrade each through experience points earned. Players control one character at a time, and can switch to another at the press of a button.[8]
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse takes place some time after the events ofX-Men Legends. The mutant supervillainApocalypse, having witnessed the X-Men's defeat of Magneto remotely, declares that theAge of Apocalypse is nigh. Prior to the game's campaign, he kidnapsProfessor X andPolaris for unknown purposes. Locations include a military prison inGreenland, the mutant sanctuary ofGenosha, theSavage Land, andEgypt.[9]
The game begins with members of the X-Men (Cyclops,Storm, andWolverine) meeting up with members of the Brotherhood (Magneto,Mystique, andSabretooth) at a military prison outpost in Greenland to freeProfessor X, who was captured alongsidePolaris. Magneto reveals that his son,Quicksilver, was also captured by Apocalypse.
Upon freeing Xavier, the teams relocate to the mutant haven ofGenosha. They find that the island was ravaged by Apocalypse's forces during an intense battle with Magneto's airships. The teams set out to free the island from Apocalypse's control. They briefly encounterMister Sinister, who was experimenting on Genoshan mutants, and fightGrizzly,Lady Deathstrike, andZealot as they free captive citizens and collect information. To free the island completely, they defeatAbyss, the first of Apocalypse'sHorsemen. Assuming that the need for cooperation has ended, the teams decide to go their separate ways. However, Apocalypse kidnapsBeast from theX-Mansion and destroys it.
Beast manages to point the team in the direction of theSavage Land, a prehistoric preserve in Antarctica. The teams work their way through the Savage Land, defeatingGarokk,Sauron, andOmega Red, as well as the second Horseman,Mikhail Rasputin. They learn that Apocalypse has gained information from the ancient alien technology to use toward a machine of unknown power.
Apocalypse sets his plans in motion by conquering New York City. The teams work to sabotage Apocalypse's resources by destroying his army's cloning facility and disabling his main power plant while defeatingSugar Man. However,Emma Frost is captured before the teams battle theStepford Cuckoos and the third Horseman,Holocaust.Angel is captured shortly after and is transformed into Archangel, the final Horseman of Apocalypse.
With Apocalypse's army weakened, the teams begin liberating New York City. They helpNick Fury regain control of theSentinels fromBastion. Within the city, they defeat Apocalypse's armies, along withStryfe and a mind-controlledDeadpool. The teams defeat Archangel at Apocalypse's tower, where they find Beast, now under the control of Mister Sinister; he kidnaps Sabretooth and escapes with Apocalypse and Mister Sinister to Egypt.
They learn that Apocalypse's plan is to use Polaris, Quicksilver, Frost, and Sabretooth as part of a machine to fuel an experiment to grant him massive amounts of power. The teams then follow Apocalypse to Egypt where they defeat Mister Sinister while freeing Beast from Sinister's control. After besting the final guard, theLiving Monolith, the teams battle Apocalypse and defeat him by stealing the powers from his machine.
In the final cutscene, Magneto and Professor X part once again as adversaries, noting that Apocalypse was defeated but not destroyed. Beast ponders why the machine did not work properly, wondering if sabotage was a factor. As the X-Jet flies away, Sinister is seen on top of the pyramid, laughing, hinting that he sabotaged the machine.
X-Men Legends II features 18 playable characters, limited to only six in the mobile version. Several playable characters return fromX-Men Legends, and select members of the Brotherhood of Mutants are also playable. Some non-playable X-Men and Brotherhood characters appear during levels. In some instances dialogue throughout the game can be character-to-character specific, depending on the player character's alignment and relationship with thenon-player character. The Windows version features two additional playable characters, while the PlayStation Portable features four exclusive characters.[6]
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse was announced on October 21, 2004, exactly one month after the release ofX-Men Legends.[10] It was shown atElectronic Entertainment Expo (E3) andSan Diego Comic-Con in 2005.[11][12] It was first released for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Windows in North America on September 20, 2005,[13] Australia on October 12, 2005,[14] and in Europe on October 14, 2005.[15] The PlayStation Portable version was released approximately one month later in North America on October 19,[16] Australia on November 23,[17] and in Europe on November 25. Developed byBarking Lizards Technologies, a distinct version of the game was released on the first-generationN-Gage handheld platform in Europe on October 28, and in North America on October 31.[18][19][20] A mobile phone version developed byMforma was launched on December 19.[21][22] A playable demo was released for the Windows version of the game on November 3.[23]
DeveloperRaven Software sought to expand on the preceding game's scale. As such, characters were given additional powers to choose from. Locations were also made more diverse. "With the environments we tried to create [something] more exotic and organic" stated Dan Vondrak, Project Lead onX-Men Legends II.[5] Locations span from the mutant haven ofGenosha, to theSavage Land, to ancient temples inEgypt.[9] Raven Software collaborated directly with Marvel to write the game's story.Man of Action, a group of former Marvel writers who were responsible for the previous game's story, were not involved.[5] The music was composed by Gregor Narholz.[24] Gameplay and story aspects were adjusted to ensure that four players can play continuously, whereas in the previous game certain missions were limited to one player. TheCGI cinematics were created byBlur Studio, who would go on to create cinematics for games such asMarvel: Ultimate Alliance andStar Wars: The Force Unleashed II.[25]
Vicarious Visions's engine powersRise of Apocalypse and its predecessor. They were also responsible for the PlayStation Portable version of the game. Karthik Bala, CEO of Vicarious Visions felt strongly that the PSP version should have the same gameplay as the consoles: "One of our main goals [...] was to really bring the depth and detail of the console game over to portable form on the PSP".[26] Four new exclusive characters were added to the PSP version along with nine new side missions. The control system had to be modified to accommodate the PSP's fewer buttons. Online play is available on the PSP, both in ad-hoc and infrastructure modes. Bala stated that it was a priority for his team.[26]SuperVillain Studios was brought on to the project to focus on the online component of the game.[27]Beenox portedX-Men Legends II to Windows.[1]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | (Xbox) 82.62%[28] (PSP) 82.57%[29] (PC) 81.40%[30] (GC) 80.83%[31] (PS2) 80.71%[32] |
| Metacritic | (Xbox) 84/100[33] (PSP) 82/100[34] (GC) 82/100[35] (PS2) 82/100[36] (PC) 80/100[37] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1Up.com | A[38][39] (PC) B+[40] |
| GameSpy | (Xbox & PS2)  [41] [42][43][44] |
| IGN | 8.5/10[45] (PSP) 8.4/10[46] (GC) 8/10[47] |
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse received generally favorable reviews. All platforms hold aggregate scores in the 80–85% range at aggregate review websitesGameRankings andMetacritic. Reported scores at Metacritic ranged from 59% to 100% approval. According to theNPD Group,Rise of Apocalypse sold over 63,000 units on the Xbox during the month of its release.[48] It sold enough copies to be added to the budget line known as PlayStation 2'sGreatest Hits.[49]PALGN's Jeremy Jastrzab felt thatRise of Apocalypse "caters for X-Men fans and if you can gather three others, you're going to have a great time".[50] Tom Byron of1UP.com praised several aspects of the game, and felt that amidstThe Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction,Ultimate Spider-Man andFantastic Four game releases in 2005X-Men Legends II was the best release from Marvel that year.[51]
Commentary on gameplay was generally positive.G4TV's reviewer lauded the destructible environments, but felt that the gameplay lacked variation.[52] The reviewer from VideoGamer.com noted that the co-operative gameplay was strong, and that the addition of online play "opens the [gameplay] up to a wider range of people".[53]PALGN's Jeremy Jastrzab felt that the game's menus were convoluted and difficult to navigate, and also felt that the game began to drag near the end of the story.[50] The inclusion of additional mutant powers and online gameplay were points of praise.[4]GameSpot's Greg Mueller praised the game's vast cast of characters, destructible environments and unlockable content, but felt that the user interface was awkward. Mueller also felt that the game loaded content far too frequently.[54]GamesRadar's Raymond Padilla had similar complaints about the frequency and length of the game's load times. Padilla praised the addition of online play and the automatic upgrade system.[55]
Reviewers have high marks on the game's cast of characters, but were divided in their opinions of the choice of voice actors.GameTrailers's reviewer disliked that several famous X-Men and Brotherhood characters were not playable, but appeared only as side characters. They also cited issues with voice acting and a convoluted story.[4] Unlike the critic fromGameTrailers, G4's reviewer praised the overall story, and further praised the selection of characters for the cast.[52] Greg Mueller ofGameSpot also praised the game's vast cast of characters.[54]
Critics were split on their assessment of the game's visuals. The reviewer fromGameTrailers noted that the game's visuals had improved greatly, citing the effects, environments and cinematics as some of the largest upgrades.[4] InverselyGamesRadar's Raymond Padilla felt that the game's graphics felt dated.[55] Steve Steinberg ofGameSpy conceded that while the visuals were generally improved over the game's predecessor, it still lacked in quality and variation. Steinberg stated that the characters now felt like "a part of the environments, as opposed to cut-outs floating on top of it".[41] He noted that even with the improvements the players may lose their character amidst the environment, causing confusion.[41]
The success of theX-Men Legends series led Raven Software, Marvel, and Activision to create the video gameMarvel: Ultimate Alliance, which was released on several consoles, handheld devices and Microsoft Windows in 2006.[56][57][58][59][60] Barking Lizards, Vicarious Visions and Beenox handled the ports for different platforms.[61][62][63][64]Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was followed byMarvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, jointly developed by Vicarious Visions,n-Space andSavage Entertainment.Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 was released on several consoles and handhelds in the fall of 2009. Vicarious Visions developed the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions,[65] while n-Space developed theNintendo DS, PSP PS2 andWii versions.[66] Savage Entertainment ported the version developed by n-Space to the PSP.[67]
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