The mutant powers are not just for attacking, they also come in handy in other ways during the game’s missions. For example, you may come across a chasm that can be crossed once Iceman lays down a bridge of ice or a debris blocking your path the can be cleared away by Cyclops’ beam. You don’t need to worry about bringing the wrong X-Men with you on a mission as the game provides numerous “Extraction Points” which can be used to both save your game and to swap X-Men between your team and those back at the base.

Storm can dish out a little hurt too.

X-Men Legends also includes RPG elements that add more depth to the game. Defeating enemies will earn you experience points – the tougher the enemy the more points you earn. There are also bonus experience points given for putting down enemies using the various combos available. When enough points have been earned your X-Men will level up, giving you points to spend to increase their health, power, attack, and defense stats. A separate point pool can be spent to purchase new mutant powers or make existing ones more powerful. Another RPG touch is the availability of enhancements. These are either dropped by enemies or purchased using the game’s equivalent of currency. When equipped they provide a character with some form of stat boost such as an enhanced defensive rating.

In between missions you can spend some time exploring the X Mansion which is a real treat for X-Men fans. You can check out the X-Men’s bedrooms and the personal touches each has added to his or her room, view comic book art, or talk to some of the X-Men walking around the mansion. This last feature is particularly interesting because the X-Men are happy to relate their thoughts on being a mutant and the story of their origin. Some of these stories are actually bonus missions in which you get to play the mutant in an episode from his or her past. The mansion also features a trivia game that will earn you experience points for correct answers as well as the Danger Room for training exercises. Not only will the training let you try out various attacks and powers, you’ll earn experience in the process.

The game has a good look to it, featuring cel-shaded characters in realistic environments. It succeeds quite well in conveying a comic-book look to the game without getting too cartoon-like. The one area in which this breaks down though is in the cutscenes. The character models just don’t hold up in the close-ups used in the game’s in-engine cutscenes. The faces look blocky and the hands become giant club-like appendages. A small complaint – but it does take you out of your X-Men immersion when playing the game.

If you are an X-Men fan, then you finally have a game worthy of your attention and devotion. The story stays true to the X-Men universe, beginning with the rescue of Magma from the Brotherhood soon after she discovers her powers and soon involving the X-Men in an effort to thwart the latest Brotherhood plot. On a smaller scale, the attention to details from the X-Men universe means that the game does deserve its Legends subtitle. If you’re just a fan of the X-Men movies or are even completely new to the X-Men, there’s still an enjoyable action-RPG here so you should still check the game out if you enjoy games of this type.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 88%.  X-Men fans rejoice! There’s finally a game worthy of your devotion.

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