The port itself is as faithful as can be, with everything the original game offered, including local co-op play, only now social network support, a Game Center leaderboard and achievements have been thrown into the mix. This seems more like a port of the HD remake that hit the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network last year.
The game lets you play as five of your favorite X-men characters, plus Dazzler. With six characters to choose from, you set off on a quest to save the world from Magneto and his Evil Brotherhood of Mutants, since this is back in the day when evil people actually proclaimed themselves evil. The combat holds up pretty well, but it doesn’t take long for the nostalgia to wear off, and you’ll soon realize that this is one of the most repetitive and difficult arcade games out there. All the difficulty is eliminated with the addition of unlimited continues though, so anyone can beat the game without much effort at all. The combat is simplistic, with only an attack button, jump button, and a special attack button, which depletes your health if you haven’t built up enough energy or something. This game is definitely meant to be played cooperatively, though. The virtual control pad and buttons work great, and it’s easy to do whatever you need to, despite how repetitive it will be.
The retro graphics look fantastic in this up-scaled version of the game. Using your mutant powers to blow half a dozen sentinels into pieces is just awesome and definitely makes you feel powerful. Something that has not aged as well is the ridiculous story and dialogue. It’s absolutely horrible, but in the most enjoyable kind of way. Let’s just hope the script of the new movie was written with a little more effort and proof reading.
Overall, this game will definitely be enjoyed by people who enjoyed the original from back in the day. If you are an X-men fan, or just a fan of classic arcade beat-em-ups like this, give it a download. It will only cost you three dollars, and it’s iOS universal. Now it’s time to go see the new movie. It couldn’t possibly be worse than Origins: Wolverine, could it?
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