"Not as good as the best but one of the best PSP titles of 2005"

I'm a huge fan of X-Men, ever since the cartoon from the 90's. I played the original X-Men legends on PS2 and loved it. It was just a great game. Fun, nice level choices, fairly long, ect. About 8 months later I got an absurd craving to replay it but the sequel was due in just a few months and I didn't want to get burnt out on the game. Then I read it was coming to PSP, exact same game but with extras. I was very excited and bought it right when it came out. Over the past number of months I've been playing the game on and off at work and I have to say, I wish I had gotten the PS2 version but this version does have a lot going on....

Apocalypse has started kidnapping important mutants. He has placed major officials in comas. The Brotherhood has joined with the X-men to bring Apocalypse down. It's a very simple plot. It really doesn't get any deeper but to be honest it does work and it kept me interested at most times. Some of the twists were kind of boring and some sections do feel like they are never going to end. For an action RPG it's a decent story, better than Untold Legends...

The graphics in the game are very impressive. The game has the same cut scenes from the PS2 version and they look amazing. Some great CGI there. In game graphics look nice but a bit pixilated on the tiny LCD screen. But the characters and areas look great. The church level looked freaking amazing. A big problem though is the fact that a lot of areas are dark and it is sometimes hard to tell what exactly is going on. What's neat though is that if you break a lamp, the light decreases so the game does feature nice little touches. Also, wall crumbling in a cool way.

The sound in the game blew me away. Full voice acting 90% of the time. Characters shout things in battle. Almost all text is read in a voice over by the characters. I don't think I've played another handheld title with this much voice acting. The sound effects are nice, things explode and all that. Slashes and grunts, footsteps ect. It's all very nice. I really loved the music in this game as well. The music in the church level was impressive as well.

The control in the game takes a bit to get the hang of. You move with the analog nub but the thing is, it isn't overly sensitive like it is on some of the earlier PSP titles. The D-pad is used for a few different things. Using EP and HP potions, map view changing, ect. Attacking, jumping and that stuff is easy. Holding R and then hitting the button that it shows in the pic that pops up lets you use that skill. It's slightly complex and does take a little while to get the hang of. You can also rotate the camera but I took a few months off and I now can't remember how to move the camera but thankfully you really don't feel the need to switch the camera view that often.

If you've played the original X-Men Legends then you know how this one plays. It is slightly different though. Lets first talk about combat. It has the classic hack & slash feel going but with jumping, light and hard attacks and special powers. Actually, sound like any recent hack & slash title. You gain EXP as you beat up guys. The enemies have a decent variety, based on levels but a lot look the same. When you gain a level you can choose for the game to sort out everything for you or do it yourself. Not sure how well the game does it but I enjoyed doing it by myself. There are four stat settings, life, strength, defense and EP. You get 4 points to use per level. I always used 1 on each area, unless I notice a lack in an area. Also, you have select skills. Some are moves; some enhance your character or team work, ect. You get 1 per level. Some require you to reach a specific level and have specific skills to gain them but you can't add to those until you unlock them.

You get four character total in a level. Not a good way of explaining that but it's all that comes to my mind. You have a list of characters to pick from but only four can enter a level. It's best to pick different types. A melee, a psychic, heavy ep user and long range attacker. You can switch your characters at save points but I tend to stick to the ones I started the game with. Unused characters still gain levels but not as fast as the ones you use. You can switch between character by holding L and hitting the corresponding button on the D-pad (I think so anyway)

The levels all have objects; usually get from point A to point B, or blow up X item in X order. It's very easy to follow the map because a tiny X shows where you need to go. This makes it easier so you don't get lost. Hidden in the levels are items that unlock comic covers, characters, training stages, new levels, costumes ect. In a guideless play through I never found everything in a world. I finished groups but never got everything in every group. Things were nicely hidden.

My biggest problem with this sequel is the levels. See, the original took place a lot in NYC but the levels felt varied and gave a great mix of indoor and outdoor areas. This game feels like it's too much outdoor at times and too much indoor at times. The mix is poorer. Also, the levels are much bigger and complex but don't feel as open as those in the original. It makes me want to go back and play the original.

The replay value in the game is very high. First of all the game took me around 15 hours to beat which is fairly long and much longer than the original. Then throw in multiplayer with friends, everyone needs a disc I believe. There is also online play but like always I don't know how that works. I have heard any complaints on how it plays but I think it's one of the games where people have had trouble finding others to play with. Throw in all of the danger room stuff, extra missions and all of that jazz and you have a lot to do.

So, if you're trying to decide between the PSP version and the console version then think of it this way. Are you able to play online on your console? IS playing this on the go a plus for you. If you prefer on the go gaming and are able to play other games online with your psp then go ahead and get this release. It offers more but doesn't look as good as the console versions but it is close. A great game to the PSP library anyway. One of my favorites of 2005 for the PSP.

Story - 7/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 10/10
Control - 7/10
Game Play - 7/10
Replay value - 10/10

Final Score - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/06