By Robert Kuhn (October 28, 2004)

X-Men Legends is the first RPG game in the long line of X-Men featured video games. Featuring the X-Men’s most reviled enemies, Magneto, this game is action packed with just the right mix of story and action. Instead of being centered on the X-Men’s plot to save the world, this game is seen through the eyes of a girl named Allison who is rescued by Wolverine and Cyclops in the beginning of the game. Allison was kidnapped by Magneto and The Brotherhood, for reasons unknown to the X-Men. After her rescue she is taken to Xavior’s school and becomes an X-Man.

In the game, you can play with 15 different X-Men. You only start out as a single X-Man, but as the game progresses you gain characters that become usable. The fighting style is not unlike the rest of the X-Men games, but a little more complicated. The normal fighting style includes a punch, kick, and grapple. You can use these in combos to score extra points and cause higher percentage damage to your enemies. The "Mutant Power" fighting mode, which remains from this game’s predecessor is the best addition to this game. Instead of one option from mutant powers, there is an array of options that you can use for these earth shattering blows.

The RPG element of this game kicks in when the X-Men are sent from Xavior’s school into a mission. You are not able to bring out all 15 X-Men; instead you are limited to four. This is where the strategy kicks in. The different X-Men have different strengths and it is necessary to get the right combinations of these strength’s because the missions are difficult without the right players. It is good to have an X-Man that has strong attack capabilities in his melee section as to not use up all of your mutant power. It is also necessary to have at least one X-Man with an active enough mutant power that you can escape from particularly narrow situations. This game is a nice blend of action and RPG.