X-Men Legends II Hands-On

Uncanny Action

The X-Men form up to take on the menace of Apocalypse in Legends II.

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We've been fiending for the chance to play Raven's upcoming follow-up to X-Men Legends ever since we caught wind of all the good stuff that's going to be packed into the sequel. Given that the original game, a winning blend of action and RPG elements, did so many things right, we've been excited to see how the sequel is going to turn out. It's been a long wait for a game that did the popular character right, and the fledgling franchise's debut was arguably the best video game to star the merry mutants outside of the classic Konami arcade game. We're pleased to say that, after a bit of hands-on time with the work-in-progress versions of the PC, PS2, and Xbox games, X-Men Legends II is shaping up to be the sequel fans are hoping for.

As with the first game, the action in X-Men Legends II will revolve around a story that draws on the rich lore that's been established in the books. For this second outing, the X-Men are forced to team up with Magneto when Apocalypse, having watched both groups exhaust themselves fighting each other, thinks it would be a good time to try to take over the world. The resulting drama makes for a great premise and offers plenty of butt-kicking opportunities.

We tried a sampling of levels in the game with assorted team members, which showed off a number of new elements. The game's roster is still a pretty closely guarded secret, so the characters we could play as were limited. We did manage to play as Bishop, a personal fave from the books, and were pleased to see that one of the many skins you can open up in the game lets him sport his once-trademark dreadlocks. The first level we tried was set in Apocalypse's digs in Egypt and it showed off some of the new puzzles you'll have to deal with, such as booby traps and spawning enemies. To progress through one of the areas, you'll have to take the team to collect various keys that are guarded by mobs of foes.

Besides giving us a chance to try out Bishop's unique abilities, which are a smart game-centric interpretation of his energy-absorption powers, the play time let us check out the new item system, as well as the improved leveling mechanic. Having clocked in many an hour in the original game, we're very pleased with the greater number of unique items that randomly appear here. Better still is the improved leveling mechanic, which used to bring the action to a halt while you or a friend went into the character menu to distribute skill and stat points. This time out, while you'll still have the option to manually shift points, the game features a KOTOR-style auto-level function that will let you automatically assign points to keep the action going.

Expect to see an expanded roster this time around--though Activision is keeping the list quiet for now.

Among the new features are the boss battles, which have become much more intricate than those in the last game. A battle against Archangel wound up turning into a complex bit of multitasking that required us to use the environment to both defend ourselves and leave him vulnerable. The fight offered a different kind of challenge than the fights we were used to in the first game, where they were of the plain "fricking hard" variety. XMLII offers the same level of difficulty, but then drags your brain into the mix, as you'll have to figure out the best way to deal with your foes as they pummel you to within an inch of your life.