X-Men Arcade review.

I remember shoving pound after pound in this game when I was younger. At that time Konami were kings of the multiplayer games in the arcades, Turtles, the Simpsons etc. But being my comic-loving geeky self it was Sega's Spiderman multiplayer game and this one that got my cash. Now Konami has decided to release the game on both XBLA and the Playstation network, so let's see if it still has the minerals.

The plot:

Magneto, the "master" of magnetism, has created a huge army of killer robots, the Sentinals, to destroy everything and everyone. Professor X send you, the heroic X-Men, to go and defeat Magneto and his army, and once this is done you can all settle down and eat a nice slap up meal. The last bit there isn't really correct, but it's what i'd do.

What I liked:

Well, firstly it's the X-Men. Who doesn't like them?? (well, who doesn't like Wolverine at least?). There are a few options, but they are sparse. You can play in either the US or Jap modes, the Japanese game being ever so slightly easier than the US one. You can also change the settings from 4 player to 6 players, the latter extends the screen into a more widescreen mode to cope with the added carnage. The game itself is your standard side scrolling fair, move along, smash buttons repeatedly to kill whatever is in front of you, do a jump attack, use your special power move etc. Nothing new at all. You fight a bunch of staple bad guys, from Juggernaut to Pyro, until you reach the end and obviously, Magneto himself. Graphics are pretty cool for a side scroller, and some of the dialogue is unintentionally hilarious (Magneto in particular has some cracking lines), and considering the game is getting on for being 20 years old it's an enjoyable romp.

What I loathed:

Firstly I think it's a missed opportunity to have done a HD port. It would have been nice to see it tarted up somewhat, but hey, its scruffy looks are a part of the charm I guess. It's great fun to play the game with other people, especially in the same room, but with a bunch of you playing expect to see the credits in around 30 minutes. There is some slight replay value to gain with playing online and mopping up some of the achievements, but once you have done a few complete playthroughs you will be moving swiftly on.

The verdict?

X-Men arcade is a shout back to the games we all loved to play in arcades in the 90's. Short and shallow, it still manages to play a great game, and with the cheesy dialogue, explosive sounds and a few friends, you'll have a great time kicking sentinal and mutant arse! I know I did.

More please Konami.

Rating: 7/10

(XBLA version reviewed 800mspts)

Also avaiable on PSN for $9.99