Are you
set for this? Probably the first ever RPG game based on a
comic book is in development by Activision. The obvious
choice for this first foray into the unknown? Forget all
those dreams of a Killraven reunion or Luke Cage,
Power Man in virtual space, and think “safe bet”. Who
will they choose? Hold your breath for the big shock… no,
it’s not Brother Power, the Geek, or even Prez,
it’s (oh, the shock!) X-Men: Legends, slated for
release late next year for all three systems: Xbox, GameCube
and Playstation 2. Until now, comic book licensed games have
exclusively been the province of fighters or old school 2D
platformers. An RPG should be a welcome change for those of
us who like a little thinking with our action.
Once
again, if you’re expecting something out of your fanboy
fantasies, don’t hold your breath: screen shots appear to
indicate that X-Men: Legends will be based on the
Ultimate X-Men (i.e., younger, more uniformly dressed),
rather than their more distinctive, colorful traditional
counterparts. Hell, I miss Mark Millar already, but
visually speaking, Ultimate X-Men’s bland,
Matrix-inspired uniform leather outfits leave more than a bit
to be desired.
X-Men: Legends
will let you guide your favorite characters (if in their
nigh-indistinguishable “ultimate” counterpart versions)
through various team-based missions. Using certain characters
allows you to develop their skills and “level up” as is
standard for the base RPG paradigm. Like most games out
there, there are certain advantages to using one specific
character over another, both in general and in a given
situation.
It
seems that Magneto never learns (sigh). Which, of course,
doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense. His real world
analogue Malcolm did, that’s why they shot the man. But,
anyway, getting back to the strict denotation of this
nonsense, our pal Eric is still trying to get mutants to
obtain their “rightful place in the hierarchy”, at the expense
of everyone else, naturally (gotta love social Darwinism).
The X-Men have no choice but to stop our misguided pal from
taking down all us “mongrel races” (could the analogy be any
more ham-fisted? Is anybody out there listening?).
There
are 15 playable characters in the game, including Wolverine,
Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman, Angel, Storm, Colossus,
Psylocke, Nightcrawler, Gambit, and Forge. Most will have to
be unlocked as you progress in the game. You have the option
to play the game RPG standard (i.e., all by your lonesome) or
its more “modern, enhanced” version (i.e., with two three of
your bestest buddies in a “cooperative multiplayer mode”, for
so long as ye both (or all, if you’re a fan of Joe
Smith and his pal ‘Moroni’) may care).
Playable stages in the game include Xavier Mansion, the Danger
Room, Department H, and the Muir Island Research Complex (gee,
I hope Proteus doesn’t escape…).
Raven
Software is developing X-Men: Legends for Activision
for release sometime next winter.
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