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.

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.

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.

Accessing Your Inner Mutant

But who wants to talk about nonlinear plot mechanics when we haven't even discussed mutant powers yet? Legends II is significantly upping the ante when it comes to the X-Men's mutant abilities. Heroes in Legends II will possess anywhere from eight to 12 powers in the game, and (even better) thanks to some effective tweaks in the user interface, all those powers will be accessible in-game. You'll still have powers assigned to each of the face buttons on your controller, but by bringing up a secondary menu, you can access any ability in your repertoire with just the press of a button. The reason for this design choice was twofold. First, it lets you have your entire arsenal available to you when going up against foes that require different powers to defeat. Second, and perhaps more importantly, it lets you make changes on the fly without having to pause the game to access tedious menu screens.

That same philosophy applies to the game's autoleveling system, which will let you set certain characters to automatically level according to their unique characteristics. Set a bruiser like Colussus on autolevel, and each time he gains a level, his strength-based powers and stats will go up, leaving you to both selectively focus on your favorite character (It's Wolverine, right? Figures.) and design his or her powers exactly as you see fit. It's a pretty good idea, and it's one that should take you out of the menu screens and put you in the action as much as possible. Of course, for those of you who like getting down into the nitty-gritty of allocating power points and other RPG geekery, you'll still have that option as well. That fine balance between RPG number crunching and hack-and-slash action is one of the things that made the first game a success. And with more flexibility this time around, that trend is likely to continue with Legends II.

Online play is new for Legends II, and, here again, the Raven staff is going big. The game's producers promised online co-op gameplay for the entire Legends II storyline, for up to four players (along with a save system for the online game). This is in addition to Danger Room and scrimmage-style matches. Some of the aforementioned streamlining features (such as the autoleveling system and the power-switching feature) were specifically designed with the online game in mind, as watching your teammates scroll through menu screens would certainly hinder the flow of the game.

While the game promises an approachable yet deep action RPG experience, the developers aren't ignoring the hardcore fan base that's kept the comic series thriving for so many years. Legends II will feature plenty of unlockable content, including numerous skins for every playable character in the game. Recognizable non-player characters, such as Angel and Alpha Flight's Heather Hudson, will also make appearances. And judging by the appearance of Archangel later in the game, these characters will have certain effects on the plot as well.

Because the game is being released on all three major consoles, along with the PSP and PC, the development team is making sure that each version of the game has content all its own. The PSP, for example, will feature four unique characters and a handful of flashback missions, while the PC game will include two characters that are exclusive to that platform. As we edge closer to the game's fall release, we're looking forward to getting our hands on a playable build so we can put all these characters and badass powers to good use. Expect to see a report of our heroic antics as soon as we get the chance.