Konami created one of the best games of the genre with X-men Arcade (1992). Though it wasn't really innovative (using the same engine as The Simpsons and the TMNT beat em ups of the time) it is very addictive, but there are considerable problems. The game is
incredibly simple, repetitive and it suffers from the most ridiculous
dialogue you could possibly imagine. And yet it works.
It's simply a blast to play with friends. As kids my brother and I loved challenging
Magneto's army of Sentinels and the Brotherhood of Mutants with strangers in a packed arcade.
You play as one of six X-Men (bronze age versions of Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, Dazzler and Nightcrawler), punching and kicking your way through
eight or so levels, fighting endless waves of a rainbow battalion of
Sentinels and… odd alligator people. The story is neat, with a lot of depth as it had an animated tv show spun from it (PRYDE OF THE X-MEN). Though the comics stories were a lot more complex. As a quarter-munching arcade game it can be difficult to play because your special move actually uses some of your health.
The dialogue in X-Men Arcade deserves a special mention as it is
amongst the worst (and therefore best) in the industry. No doubt you're
all aware of the "All your base are belong to us" case of terrible
translation from Zero Wing. X-Men carries some of its own gems,
including "I am Magneto, Master of Magnet." And I hope you love
repetitive music, because you're going to get a ton of it – when you can
hear it over the primal shouts of Colossus as well as characters
yelling out their names every time they die and restart in the level.
By any modern production standard, X-Men Arcade is ludicrous. That
was also true back in the '90s of almost any arcade game, but many of us were too young to notice. The bottom line is it is fun and very addictive, especially if you are a comics fan. PLAY THIS GAME NOW!
Konami created one of the best games of the genre with X-men Arcade (1992). Though it wasn't really innovative (using the same engine as The Simpsons and the TMNT beat em ups of the time) it is very addictive, but there are considerable problems. The game is
incredibly simple, repetitive and it suffers from the most ridiculous
dialogue you could possibly imagine. And yet it works.
It's simply a blast to play with friends. As kids my brother and I loved challenging
Magneto's army of Sentinels and the Brotherhood of Mutants with strangers in a packed arcade.
You play as one of six X-Men (bronze age versions of Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, Dazzler and Nightcrawler), punching and kicking your way through
eight or so levels, fighting endless waves of a rainbow battalion of
Sentinels and… odd alligator people. The story is neat, with a lot of depth as it had an animated tv show spun from it (PRYDE OF THE X-MEN). Though the comics stories were a lot more complex. As a quarter-munching arcade game it can be difficult to play because your special move actually uses some of your health.
The dialogue in X-Men Arcade deserves a special mention as it is
amongst the worst (and therefore best) in the industry. No doubt you're
all aware of the "All your base are belong to us" case of terrible
translation from Zero Wing. X-Men carries some of its own gems,
including "I am Magneto, Master of Magnet." And I hope you love
repetitive music, because you're going to get a ton of it – when you can
hear it over the primal shouts of Colossus as well as characters
yelling out their names every time they die and restart in the level.
By any modern production standard, X-Men Arcade is ludicrous. That
was also true back in the '90s of almost any arcade game, but many of us were too young to notice. The bottom line is it is fun and very addictive, especially if you are a comics fan. PLAY THIS GAME NOW!