Great beat-em-ups were a dime a dozen in the ‘90s, with titles like “Double Dragon,†“Final Fight†and “Turtles in Time†running strong on both console systems and in arcades. During that time, even the Marvel Comics’ X-Men managed to secure a place in arcades across the world, with a challenging and graphically pleasing title.
At the time, it might have been one of the best uses of a license in gaming.
Nearly 20 years later however, “X-Men: Arcade†on the 360 Live Arcade is anything but the trendsetter it was when it was originally released. Sure, it’s fun to relive the memories you originally experienced while playing the game and co-op gameplay has its moments, but with a lack of replay-value, smaller character models and cheap A.I., there’s only so much fun to be had.
In spite of the smaller character models [anyone who has played the game in the arcade will tell you the console version doesn’t look nearly as solid], the game still has a good look. Corny cinemas in-between the action will put a smile on your face, as the voice-acting is easily some of the worst to ever appear in a video game. The fact that Magneto and Professor X have essentially the same voice is something that would never fly in today’s era, but one that gives the ultimately simplistic beat-em-up the kind of silly appeal that many retro gamers cherish.
While these blemishes hurt the game’s overall appeal, the way the game plays does it in more than anything else. With unlimited continues, the game is a piece of cake. While the annoying enemies, with their repetitive movements and cheap antics will annoy serious gamers, in the end, the game poses no threat at all. By simply using your mutant powers a few times and then allowing yourself to get hit a few times, your character will die, but you’ll eventually be the one getting the better of your enemies. Going through this process over and over, even the game’s final boss is a joke, making this title more a one-night diversion than anything to beat yourself up over.
A classic arcade title, “X-Men: Arcade,†with a bit of polish and new age flair, could have been a great game on the 360 Live Arcade. But by bringing nothing new to the table and allowing its more than noticeable rust to go unattended, even retro gamers and hardcore fans of Professor Xavier’s students will find themselves unsatisfied.
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