Pow! Bam! Zort! uh... Green-light-constructed-thingy!
The storyline is written by an actual DC Comics scribe, so you’ll be getting a better story with more twists and turns in this X-Men Legends clone than you would with the Marvel Universe counterparts, but it still feels short. You could essentially breeze through this game in one long sitting (10 hours), but there are reasons to keep you coming back. For one, unlockable characters, such as the legendary Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Batman’s buddy the Huntress, social commentary leader Green Arrow, and Sir Surprisingly-not-as-sucky-as-his-comic, Aquaman. Each character also has unlockable costumes that boost their stats. However, the problem with unlockable characters is that you’re only allowed to use them on certain levels, instead of whenever you want.
Most of your characters start out with their trademark powers out of the box, and you can fly (if your character can) as much as you friggin’ want, which is much better than XML (where you have to waste energy to do so). Health Packs and potions are gone, replaced with a “second wind” system that works moderately well; just run from battle for a while or put up a defensive barrier with Green Lantern, and after about 5 seconds, your health and energy will completely refill. Sweet, right? But it also has a flaw: you won’t know you (or your partner) is getting low on health if you don’t watch it like a hawk.
Graphically, I can find no flaw in this game. The characters all look like they should, and you’ll find a tear come to your eye when you watch Superman’s cape flap in the wind while you’re flying. It’s also accurate when it comes to the characters; Batman should not be stronger than Wonder Woman, and he’s not. Unfortunately, even second-stringer Zatanna is much more useful than Bats is in this game, unless you beef him up quickly.
That brings me to another problem: the level-up system. While you can add on to your powers to make them as strong as you want, thanks to items called “boosts”, for a new gamer or those weaned on the XML series, this proves to be confusing and can result in some unnecessary deaths, as they’ll forget to boost their health or defense every once in a while.
Overall, this game is still very good, and an enjoyable – albeit short – ride. If you’re a fan of the characters, get it. If not, rent it first.