X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, and the rest of the mutated gang will soon return to action on consoles with the release of X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. The folks at Activision dropped by today to give us a first look at the game, as well as to show us exactly what fans of the first superhero action role-playing game can expect once the sequel ships later on in the year.

So many characters, so many powers...so many enemies to trash.

As almost any comic book geek will tell you, superhero games can live and die by their lineups. The X-Men Legends II development team at Raven Software understands this phenomenon, and it's aiming to please with its lineup in the game. In addition to many a returning favorite from the first game--including the aforementioned Wolvie, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler--players will also be able to take on the cel-shaded personas of fan favorites, like Colussus, Bishop, and Magneto. Wait! Magneto? That's right. The master of magnetism is a playable character in the game, a twist that reveals a bit of the plot to be played through in the game. Instead of trading blows with Magneto's evil Brotherhood, the X-Men will be unwitting teammates with the evil cadre, as both groups battle against the maniacal Apocalypse in his bid to... Well, we're not exactly sure yet. The producers at Activision are staying mostly mum on Legends II's storyline. We're certain, however, that in whichever direction the plot moves, gamers won't want for things to do.

To that end, the developers have done everything they can to make sure that once the action begins, it doesn't let up. Not only are the level maps much bigger this time around, but they're also loaded with tons of enemy-triggering traps that will keep your X-Men punching, kicking, and powering their ways through each level. In addition to the standard drone enemies to wade through, your squad of merry mutants will encounter baddies that are apt to put up much tougher fights. One example includes the newly introduced leadership enemies, so called because they give boosts to their surrounding minions. You'll be able to easily pick out the leaders onscreen, as they'll be color-coded. Defeating them will require the use of a particular combo. Leadership enemies are randomly generated throughout a mission, so you'll never know when to expect them. Meanwhile, the combo required to defeat them will be random as well, which is a bid to always keep you on your toes.

No, your eyes don't deceive you. That's Magneto you're looking at. The nefarious master of magnetism will be a playable character in Legends II.

Bosses will, of course, find their way into Legends II, as the game will include a number of minibosses, such as Grizzly (who looks like a 10-foot-tall Sasquatch-type), that will require teamwork and combos galore to defeat. When it comes to the main boss battles, you can expect long, complex affairs that will require you to wisely choose the character you control at any given moment. Using an extremely mobile X-Man, like Nightcrawler, to avoid a nasty teleportation beam during one boss battle against Archangel, for instance, is just one example we noticed of using the right mutant for the job.

Any time a sequel comes around, be it a movie or a video game, fans want one thing: more. Legends II looks to deliver on the promise of more with a game that will feature locales from all over the X-Men universe, from the Egyptian tombs where Apocalypse resides, to the Weapon X facility in the northern reaches of Canada. In fact, the Weapon X base is one of five "hub" points in the game from which the action of the plot can branch off into multiple directions (since the Raven team has experimented with some nonlinear elements in Legends II's plot). Furthermore, players will be able to easily travel between missions and your home-base point, from where you can load up on gear.