There's a certain model that Hollywood tends to follow when it comes to franchises. Use the first movie to introduce the main characters and give us an idea what they are about. The first sequel should then hit the ground running with an actual story and maybe add a few more characters along the way. This is pretty much exactly what happens here. I prefer the original X-men movie to this one, and I think the main reason why is I'm not too crazy about the story.
They essentially decided to mash together the X-men graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills with the section of Wolverine's origin related to the Weapon X project. So Reverend Stryker becomes Colonel Stryker. Watching it this time around, I found myself being annoyed by the fact that so much focus is on Wolverine. It made sense in the first film because both he and Rogue were new to the X-men, but I feel like using so much time on his origin in this film is just too much. There are so many other good characters that I would have liked to have seen some of them have stronger roles in the film.
Which isn't to say that we don't get any other character development at all. I think Alan Cummings steals almost every scene he is in as Nightcrawler, and beyond the one "snooping" moment which comes off overly silly, he is a fine tribute to the comic version. As much as I would have liked to see him fuzzy, I think the tattoos fit his character well. I also liked seeing the scene between him and Mystique as a nod to her being his mother.
I also completely and utterly love the slow development of Jean into the Phoenix. It is portrayed in a way that matches the original intention of the comics - that this was a secondary form of her mutation. Notice that, unlike in the stupid stupid sequel (Note to self: save it for the next review!) we actually see flames. The fact that she allows them to escape in the blackbird by using her powers is pretty close to the way she piloted the spaceship down to earth in the comics. I literally jumped to my feet, raised my hands in the air, and said "Yes!" when I first saw that firebird forming at the end. Fortunately, it was just me and my brother in the theater at the time, since I got to see it the night before it premiered.
What may bother me most of all is the Jean/Wolverine relationship. She flat out tells him that she loves Scott and wants to be with him, and then Logan kisses her anyway! That is not cool. Since when do men in the last 30 years or more think no means yes? This isn't a romance novel, and that is not the Wolverine I know and love.
We get a lot more hints and cameos of other mutants this time around. The ones I noticed are Artie, Siryn, Colossus, Beast, Cannonball, Husk, Gambit, Multiple Man, Karma, Quicksilver, Scarlett Witch, Proteus, Danielle Moonstar, Kane, Silver Samurai, Omega Red, Franklin Richards, Kitty, Jubilee, and we also see folders on Stryker's computer mentioning Project Wideawake and Muir Island. I still don't know who that kid changing channels by blinking is though.
I should probably also mention for you non-comics readers that Deathstryke, or Lady Deathstrike as she is normally referred to, is not a mutant at all in the comics. She was the daughter of the man who developed the adamantium bonding process who got herself her own adamantium skeleton and other implants to become a cyborg.
To their credit, there really aren't too many other comic inaccuracies beyond what was already established in the first film. I think they built the world well enough that they didn't have to venture off too far. The only thing I'm uncertain of is Professor Xavier's powers. How does having telepathy make you able to make everyone in a room freeze, and not see what is happening while frozen? I also don't understand why concentrating on people via Cerebro would hurt and even kill them. This stuff only works as long as you don't think about it too hard. I've noticed that it is only this recent viewing, while having my "reviewer cap" on that I've noticed these little nitpicks. I've always really enjoyed the movie before this.
Things were going so well, and we had such a great set up for a fantastic finale, but then Singer left us for an alien in blue and red pajamas. I'll detail what makes me so angry about X3, and the few things about it I actually enjoy, tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
X-men Marathon: X-men (movie)
I don't know if I can properly describe the amount of excitement and anticipation I had when I heard they were making an X-men film. I'm sure there was also a lot of fear as well. Could they possibly get these characters I loved so dearly correct? Or was it going to be a disaster like many of the earlier Marvel films?
I don't think it was very far into the movie before my fears subsided. From the opening scene, I loved it. Sure, there were changes from the comics, but overall it was true to the characters and the spirit of the X-men in general. I have no major complaints about this film.
They really did a great job of making it feel epic in scope, particularly the rivalry between the Professor and Magneto. You can literally feel the history between these two men the moment they face each other on the screen. Of course using two classically trained English actors for these roles was a huge help in that regard.
In terms of casting, I think only three mistakes were made. Halle Berry, Oscar winner or not, lacks any real range as an actress. While I wouldn't call her performance bad, she just doesn't have the demeanor of a woman who was onced worshipped as a goddess for her powers. Similarly, Rebecca Romijn was obviously chosen for her looks rather than acting talent. I realize that, before the movie was a proven success, it probably would have been hard to cast a high quality actress who would be willing to paint her skin blue for a role. I also think the nudity part is unnecessary. I've never seen the comics Mystique as a temptress as much as a woman who is always looking out for herself. And finally, we have Taylor Mane as Sabertooth. Around this time in movies, any time they needed a large character, they would cast a former wrestler. While Sabertooth is certainly a savage character, someone who could actually deliver more lines would have been a big help.
It's really quite extraordinary to me just how much this movie changed everything. These days, not only are the casting issues above a thing of the past, but so are the costume changes. Had this movie shown everyone in their brightly colored uniforms, the vast majority of people would never have set foot in a theater to check it out. But because this movie happened, we've been able to see Iron Man, Thor, and soon Captain America and Green Lantern feature in movies with outfits very close to their classic costumes, and we'll soon see outfits very similar to the original X-men's uniforms in X-men: First Class.
This movie proves that to do an adaptation properly, you don't have to reenact every single established plot device or get the story exactly right - you just have to show respect for the source material and have the characters do things you would expect them to do. Since these are already great, well developed characters, the general public latched on to it as well. I generally don't like to assume that everyone has already seen a movie, no matter how popular it is. So if there are some of you reading this who haven't yet, do yourself a favor and sit down to watch it. Chances are you'll be very happy you did.
I thought I'd list some differences for those of you who haven't really read the comics.
1. In the comics, Rogue is from a fictional town called Caldecott, not Meridian. I also noticed that the boy she kisses in the movie is called David instead of Cody. It's stated in the movie that her powers can kill, when in the comics it's generally just resulted in leaving the person in a catatonic state. She's had that white stripe in her hair from birth, though I do like the way they add it here.
2. As far as I know, Jean has no real medical training in the comics.
3. The Wolverine of the comics has always been stated as between 5'3" and 5'5". Hugh Jackman is well over 6 feet. While as a fellow short person I've always loved that Logan is a shorter guy, the fact is Hugh Jackman is so great in the role that you have to look past it. As you may have noticed in my Fatal Attractions post, Wolverine's claws are seen coming out of holsters in the back of his hands in the comics, whereas here they come about between his fingers. However, since the movie was made after the point of which they'd revealed the bone claws in the comics, I think this actually makes a lot more sense as to how they would work. (Bonus fact: This Wolverine is Australian too! Listen when he and Rogue are in the truck, shortly before they crash. "Look, kid, I don't need advice-" is spoken in Jackman's natural voice.)
4. Toad was completely reinvented for the movie. He had an ugly but mostly normal appearance and could jump very high. However the changes here make so much sense that they were eventually added into the comics as well.
5. The Professor says he met Magneto at 17, which sounds a bit too early to me. I wonder if this is proof that X-men: First Class will already have a continuity error, as they are obviously not that young. Xavier also says that they built Cerebro together which didn't happen in the comics.
There's also a lot of cameos and mentions of other mutants from the comics. The ones I was able to recognize/name are: Kitty Pryde, Quicksilver(or at least a kid with his powers), Pyro, Jubilee, Henry Gyrich, and I spotted a kid who may or may not be Blob.
Watching the movie again, I felt like they didn't really expect to be given the opportunity to make a sequel. While there are certainly hints at what is to come, it also wraps up very neatly. Fortunately, the movie was a huge success and we did in fact get one.
I don't think it was very far into the movie before my fears subsided. From the opening scene, I loved it. Sure, there were changes from the comics, but overall it was true to the characters and the spirit of the X-men in general. I have no major complaints about this film.
They really did a great job of making it feel epic in scope, particularly the rivalry between the Professor and Magneto. You can literally feel the history between these two men the moment they face each other on the screen. Of course using two classically trained English actors for these roles was a huge help in that regard.
In terms of casting, I think only three mistakes were made. Halle Berry, Oscar winner or not, lacks any real range as an actress. While I wouldn't call her performance bad, she just doesn't have the demeanor of a woman who was onced worshipped as a goddess for her powers. Similarly, Rebecca Romijn was obviously chosen for her looks rather than acting talent. I realize that, before the movie was a proven success, it probably would have been hard to cast a high quality actress who would be willing to paint her skin blue for a role. I also think the nudity part is unnecessary. I've never seen the comics Mystique as a temptress as much as a woman who is always looking out for herself. And finally, we have Taylor Mane as Sabertooth. Around this time in movies, any time they needed a large character, they would cast a former wrestler. While Sabertooth is certainly a savage character, someone who could actually deliver more lines would have been a big help.
It's really quite extraordinary to me just how much this movie changed everything. These days, not only are the casting issues above a thing of the past, but so are the costume changes. Had this movie shown everyone in their brightly colored uniforms, the vast majority of people would never have set foot in a theater to check it out. But because this movie happened, we've been able to see Iron Man, Thor, and soon Captain America and Green Lantern feature in movies with outfits very close to their classic costumes, and we'll soon see outfits very similar to the original X-men's uniforms in X-men: First Class.
This movie proves that to do an adaptation properly, you don't have to reenact every single established plot device or get the story exactly right - you just have to show respect for the source material and have the characters do things you would expect them to do. Since these are already great, well developed characters, the general public latched on to it as well. I generally don't like to assume that everyone has already seen a movie, no matter how popular it is. So if there are some of you reading this who haven't yet, do yourself a favor and sit down to watch it. Chances are you'll be very happy you did.
I thought I'd list some differences for those of you who haven't really read the comics.
1. In the comics, Rogue is from a fictional town called Caldecott, not Meridian. I also noticed that the boy she kisses in the movie is called David instead of Cody. It's stated in the movie that her powers can kill, when in the comics it's generally just resulted in leaving the person in a catatonic state. She's had that white stripe in her hair from birth, though I do like the way they add it here.
2. As far as I know, Jean has no real medical training in the comics.
3. The Wolverine of the comics has always been stated as between 5'3" and 5'5". Hugh Jackman is well over 6 feet. While as a fellow short person I've always loved that Logan is a shorter guy, the fact is Hugh Jackman is so great in the role that you have to look past it. As you may have noticed in my Fatal Attractions post, Wolverine's claws are seen coming out of holsters in the back of his hands in the comics, whereas here they come about between his fingers. However, since the movie was made after the point of which they'd revealed the bone claws in the comics, I think this actually makes a lot more sense as to how they would work. (Bonus fact: This Wolverine is Australian too! Listen when he and Rogue are in the truck, shortly before they crash. "Look, kid, I don't need advice-" is spoken in Jackman's natural voice.)
4. Toad was completely reinvented for the movie. He had an ugly but mostly normal appearance and could jump very high. However the changes here make so much sense that they were eventually added into the comics as well.
5. The Professor says he met Magneto at 17, which sounds a bit too early to me. I wonder if this is proof that X-men: First Class will already have a continuity error, as they are obviously not that young. Xavier also says that they built Cerebro together which didn't happen in the comics.
There's also a lot of cameos and mentions of other mutants from the comics. The ones I was able to recognize/name are: Kitty Pryde, Quicksilver(or at least a kid with his powers), Pyro, Jubilee, Henry Gyrich, and I spotted a kid who may or may not be Blob.
Watching the movie again, I felt like they didn't really expect to be given the opportunity to make a sequel. While there are certainly hints at what is to come, it also wraps up very neatly. Fortunately, the movie was a huge success and we did in fact get one.
Friday, May 27, 2011
X-men Marathon: Generation X (the movie)
While the X-men cartoon achieved a decent amount of success and helped to improve comic book sales in the 90s, the X-men were still far from a household name. However Marvel obviously saw at least some potential in adapting the comics to a live action environment even as early as 1996. They chose to adapt the young X-men team, Generation X into a movie that would have served as a pilot episode for a new TV series if it had been successful.
In the comics, shortly after the Phalanx Covenant, Jubilee was put into a team of young mutants that were taught by Banshee and Emma Frost. This was basically the X-men universe's second attempt at a younger roster after the New Mutants from the 80s had grown up to become X-Force. The series wasn't too bad overall, but I think it got bogged down a bit by some confusing storylines.
This movie doesn't attempt to adapt any of those storylines, mostly just taking some of its characters and putting them into a new situation. Since this was television, a lot of changes had to be made for budget reasons. Chamber, a mutant who literally had a gaping hole in his chest, was replaced with Refrax, a sort of Cyclops-like character who also had X-ray vision. Husk, who could pull off her skin to reveal a new one made of some other form of matter, was replaced with Buff, a girl with super strength. In the comics, Skin was a mutant who had way too much skin and as such always had a saggy appearance to his face and limbs. He is in the movie, but his powers work more like Mr. Fantastic or Stretch Armstrong instead.
Jubilee, who anyone who loved the cartoon might be anxious to see, is not Asian here at all but Caucasian. Skin is appropriately hispanic, but its ruined by the fact that we also get references to him being a gang member at one point in his life. Banshee also has the thickest Irish accent I've ever heard, but in all fairness that's pretty true to the comics. Emma sounds Australian, I guess because there's no Wolverine here.
The villain for the movie is completely made up and not a mutant but a mad scientist. He is played by Matt Frewer, who I generally love because of his appearances in Max Headroom, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and The Stand miniseries. He is over the top and completely ridiculous here. Over the top is probably what he plays best, but it just can't save this horrible movie.
He and Emma used to work together, but he wanted to cut open mutant's brains for his research, so they had a falling out. Emma has developed a machine that lets anyone, not just telepaths, gain access to people's dreams. Frewer finds one of the machines, and Jubilee and Skin find another one hidden in the Xavier Institute.
You know, I'm searching my brain really hard to try to figure out what the villain's motivations are and why he wants the kids, but honestly, I don't know if they ever explained it. Just suffice to say that Skin doesn't realize he's a bad guy because he helps him invade the dream of a girl he has a crush on. Yup, because this is a teen movie, there's a horrible subplot about how the human teenagers don't like the mutant teenagers, but one girl kind of likes Skin and he invades her dreams in order to ask her out. Frewer asks Skin to return the favor by releasing him from prison. Skin somehow gets stuck and the other members of Gen X have to come rescue him.
If there's anything this movie gets right, it is the dynamic between Banshee and Emma Frost. The two of them have very different ideas on how to teach the students, and the conflict between them is well defined and accurate to their comic counterparts. They even mention, without much explanation, the fact that the Hellions, Emma's former students, died while under her care. So someone was at least partially trying to pay tributes to the comics here, even if it mostly fails in other areas.
The worst of it all is the low brow humor. In order to prove that he can access people's dreams and control them, Matt Frewer makes everyone in the board room of the company he works for fart at the same time. 'Nuff said.
I recommend staying as far away from this movie as you possibly can, unless you really like to watch bad films for the fun of it. It's up on Youtube if you're feeling up to it. I usually can appreciate a bad movie, but this was painful for me to watch. I can't remember what my exact impressions were when I originally saw it, but I'm sure there had to be some level of disappointment. I think I've kept the VHS copy I taped off TV simply as a kind of collector's item and not as something to watch over again.
Fortunately, there were much better X-men films than this, but I probably don't have to tell you that.
In the comics, shortly after the Phalanx Covenant, Jubilee was put into a team of young mutants that were taught by Banshee and Emma Frost. This was basically the X-men universe's second attempt at a younger roster after the New Mutants from the 80s had grown up to become X-Force. The series wasn't too bad overall, but I think it got bogged down a bit by some confusing storylines.
This movie doesn't attempt to adapt any of those storylines, mostly just taking some of its characters and putting them into a new situation. Since this was television, a lot of changes had to be made for budget reasons. Chamber, a mutant who literally had a gaping hole in his chest, was replaced with Refrax, a sort of Cyclops-like character who also had X-ray vision. Husk, who could pull off her skin to reveal a new one made of some other form of matter, was replaced with Buff, a girl with super strength. In the comics, Skin was a mutant who had way too much skin and as such always had a saggy appearance to his face and limbs. He is in the movie, but his powers work more like Mr. Fantastic or Stretch Armstrong instead.
Jubilee, who anyone who loved the cartoon might be anxious to see, is not Asian here at all but Caucasian. Skin is appropriately hispanic, but its ruined by the fact that we also get references to him being a gang member at one point in his life. Banshee also has the thickest Irish accent I've ever heard, but in all fairness that's pretty true to the comics. Emma sounds Australian, I guess because there's no Wolverine here.
The villain for the movie is completely made up and not a mutant but a mad scientist. He is played by Matt Frewer, who I generally love because of his appearances in Max Headroom, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and The Stand miniseries. He is over the top and completely ridiculous here. Over the top is probably what he plays best, but it just can't save this horrible movie.
He and Emma used to work together, but he wanted to cut open mutant's brains for his research, so they had a falling out. Emma has developed a machine that lets anyone, not just telepaths, gain access to people's dreams. Frewer finds one of the machines, and Jubilee and Skin find another one hidden in the Xavier Institute.
You know, I'm searching my brain really hard to try to figure out what the villain's motivations are and why he wants the kids, but honestly, I don't know if they ever explained it. Just suffice to say that Skin doesn't realize he's a bad guy because he helps him invade the dream of a girl he has a crush on. Yup, because this is a teen movie, there's a horrible subplot about how the human teenagers don't like the mutant teenagers, but one girl kind of likes Skin and he invades her dreams in order to ask her out. Frewer asks Skin to return the favor by releasing him from prison. Skin somehow gets stuck and the other members of Gen X have to come rescue him.
If there's anything this movie gets right, it is the dynamic between Banshee and Emma Frost. The two of them have very different ideas on how to teach the students, and the conflict between them is well defined and accurate to their comic counterparts. They even mention, without much explanation, the fact that the Hellions, Emma's former students, died while under her care. So someone was at least partially trying to pay tributes to the comics here, even if it mostly fails in other areas.
The worst of it all is the low brow humor. In order to prove that he can access people's dreams and control them, Matt Frewer makes everyone in the board room of the company he works for fart at the same time. 'Nuff said.
I recommend staying as far away from this movie as you possibly can, unless you really like to watch bad films for the fun of it. It's up on Youtube if you're feeling up to it. I usually can appreciate a bad movie, but this was painful for me to watch. I can't remember what my exact impressions were when I originally saw it, but I'm sure there had to be some level of disappointment. I think I've kept the VHS copy I taped off TV simply as a kind of collector's item and not as something to watch over again.
Fortunately, there were much better X-men films than this, but I probably don't have to tell you that.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
X-men Marathon: Fatal Attractions crossover
I'm just guessing here, but I think the average person probably knows more about the end result of the Fatal Attractions storyline than they do the name of the crossover or what actually happened within. It certainly had ramifications for the X-men's world for years afterward. If you're aware that at one point and time Wolverine lost his adamantium, it happened during this storyline. While that is certainly noteworthy, that's only half of what makes this arc my absolute favorite X-men crossover. The other half is all about Professor X and Magneto.
Much like my Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book review, this multi-issue review will be long and full of pictures. Get comfy!
Much like my Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book review, this multi-issue review will be long and full of pictures. Get comfy!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
X-men Marathon: Uncanny X-men #303
I don't know that this comic is one many people think of very often when it comes to some of the best issues of X-men out there. However, it does stress its own importance right on the cover.
The Jubilee of the 90s cartoon was mostly a whiny brat. Jubilee of the comics also had her annoying moments, but she also had some really strong moments where she got to shine. Much like Uncanny X-men #297, #303 showed us this teenager slowly becoming an adult, and that is a large part of the reason I like it a lot.
The Jubilee of the 90s cartoon was mostly a whiny brat. Jubilee of the comics also had her annoying moments, but she also had some really strong moments where she got to shine. Much like Uncanny X-men #297, #303 showed us this teenager slowly becoming an adult, and that is a large part of the reason I like it a lot.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
X-men Marathon: Uncanny X-men #297
Today I'm going to talk about the first X-men comic that I ever read. It may not be exactly what you are expecting, but it is largely related to what I love about the X-men. Uncanny X-men #297 was the epilogue to the crossover "X-Cutioner's Song." Not the most loved or notable of crossovers, it was the one in which the Cable/Stryfe relationship was explained. As someone who has never particularly cared for Cable, I can't say I care for it too much either. About the only thing worth mentioning is that at the very end of the crossover, the legacy virus is released into the world. I'll talk more about that in tomorrow's post.
It was really just luck of the draw that I stumbled upon this issue. My brother and I looked for X-men comics while at the grocery store, and this was the one available. I'm extremely glad we did.
The cover is extremely misleading, but I like it.
It was really just luck of the draw that I stumbled upon this issue. My brother and I looked for X-men comics while at the grocery store, and this was the one available. I'm extremely glad we did.
The cover is extremely misleading, but I like it.
Monday, May 23, 2011
X-men Marathon: Character Spotlight - Rogue
It's hard to talk about a character that so many people already know so much about. What could I tell you that you don't already know? I've decided to simply list some of the things I enjoy about her and tell you what they mean to me.
1. Rogue is southern
From the moment you hear her talk or read that "Ah" instead of "I" in the comics, you know Rogue is from the south. Mississippi, to be exact. While there's a bit of rivalry at times between Louisiana and Mississippi when we fight for that 49th spot in education or obesity (I kid! Well, I wish I was kidding), the fact is there are a lot of people who have lived on either side of the state line at various points in our lives. While never to be confused with one another, the two are definitely linked.
2. Rogue has superhuman strength and is invulnerable to harm
Some of the adaptations skip this, and she's occasionally lost these powers in the comics, but the Rogue I'm most familiar with has them. Being someone who is small in stature and not really good at sports, seeing someone who could dish out and take harm with little effort appealed to me as a kid.
3. At one time, Rogue had another person's personality inside her head
When she permanently absorbed those Ms. Marvel powers mentioned above, she took her personality along with it, and the two struggled for control of Rogue's body. While it's certainly not an exact issue I'm familiar with, I think we all know what it's like to be conflicted at times. In those confusing adolescent years, it was especially the case for me.
4. Rogue cannot make physical contact with another person without absorbing their powers and memories
Recently in the comics, Rogue has gained control over her powers and can now touch people without hurting them if she so chooses. I cannot help but think sooner or later this will be reversed somehow. They've occasionally allowed her to touch others in the past but it never lasts very long. It's pretty central to her character, after all, and I dare say what makes her most appealing. It's the tragedy of not being able to be close to another person that we all sympathize with and understand. As someone with a wide personal bubble who literally isn't comfortable getting close to people, I really understand it.
5. For a long time, no one knew Rogue's real name
The movie is basically what started them finally revealing Rogue's name, and I guess that makes sense. Since we see her right as her powers emerged, I can understand bringing it up. But honestly, I don't care what her real name is. No one ever pronounces or spells my first name right, even when it's right in front of their face, so the idea of someone going only by a codename really appealed to me when I was young. Given that I largely give people a nickname these days, I guess it still does.
6. Rogue has a white stripe in her hair
I used to think this was so cool back then, and thought about getting a stripe dyed into my hair. I've since outgrown the urge, but guess where my first grey hair is? I'm secretly hoping that the others will continue to show right next to it.
If you love Rogue as much as I do, or want to understand a little more why she is so awesome, I suggest checking out the excellent feature Jetwolf has been doing on her blog, which highlights some of the awesome moments of Rogue from the comics.(The title is technically NSFW, but the content is mostly ok.)
1. Rogue is southern
From the moment you hear her talk or read that "Ah" instead of "I" in the comics, you know Rogue is from the south. Mississippi, to be exact. While there's a bit of rivalry at times between Louisiana and Mississippi when we fight for that 49th spot in education or obesity (I kid! Well, I wish I was kidding), the fact is there are a lot of people who have lived on either side of the state line at various points in our lives. While never to be confused with one another, the two are definitely linked.
2. Rogue has superhuman strength and is invulnerable to harm
Some of the adaptations skip this, and she's occasionally lost these powers in the comics, but the Rogue I'm most familiar with has them. Being someone who is small in stature and not really good at sports, seeing someone who could dish out and take harm with little effort appealed to me as a kid.
3. At one time, Rogue had another person's personality inside her head
When she permanently absorbed those Ms. Marvel powers mentioned above, she took her personality along with it, and the two struggled for control of Rogue's body. While it's certainly not an exact issue I'm familiar with, I think we all know what it's like to be conflicted at times. In those confusing adolescent years, it was especially the case for me.
4. Rogue cannot make physical contact with another person without absorbing their powers and memories
Recently in the comics, Rogue has gained control over her powers and can now touch people without hurting them if she so chooses. I cannot help but think sooner or later this will be reversed somehow. They've occasionally allowed her to touch others in the past but it never lasts very long. It's pretty central to her character, after all, and I dare say what makes her most appealing. It's the tragedy of not being able to be close to another person that we all sympathize with and understand. As someone with a wide personal bubble who literally isn't comfortable getting close to people, I really understand it.
5. For a long time, no one knew Rogue's real name
The movie is basically what started them finally revealing Rogue's name, and I guess that makes sense. Since we see her right as her powers emerged, I can understand bringing it up. But honestly, I don't care what her real name is. No one ever pronounces or spells my first name right, even when it's right in front of their face, so the idea of someone going only by a codename really appealed to me when I was young. Given that I largely give people a nickname these days, I guess it still does.
6. Rogue has a white stripe in her hair
I used to think this was so cool back then, and thought about getting a stripe dyed into my hair. I've since outgrown the urge, but guess where my first grey hair is? I'm secretly hoping that the others will continue to show right next to it.
If you love Rogue as much as I do, or want to understand a little more why she is so awesome, I suggest checking out the excellent feature Jetwolf has been doing on her blog, which highlights some of the awesome moments of Rogue from the comics.(The title is technically NSFW, but the content is mostly ok.)
Friday, May 20, 2011
X-men Marathon: Character Spotlight - Rachel Summers
My original intention for this marathon was to go through the comics and talk about some of the important issues and storylines. Unfortunately, April and May have become insanely busy for me both at work and home, so I was forced to scale it down a bit. But while I don't have the time to re-read and scan in pictures from as many issues as I would like, I can still talk about what I know and love.
Shortly after I moved from just watching the cartoon to reading comics, a friend of my mother's came and brought me and my brother a handful of old comic books he owned. This was not a gesture from the goodness of his heart. They were mostly issues that were far too beat up for him to sell. An issue of Superman that looked like it had been left out in the sun. A comic which had been detached from its cover completely. Another which looked like it had been chewed on one corner by an animal. That last one was an issue of Uncanny X-men - #184 to be exact.
The issue was just about a perfect one for me to read. Set shortly after the Days of Future Past storyline, Rachel Summers goes back to the present day timeline, but soon discovers that she has ended up in an alternate reality from her own. Since I was used to the 90s X-men, the way Rachel was so confused about the X-men she was seeing being so different from the ones she knew was pretty much exactly what I was going through. Professor X walking? Storm with a mohawk? Illyana not a little kid? Yeah, it didn't make much sense to me either!
Even beyond that, I liked her right away. She was very powerful, but she was also emotionally vulnerable. And despite that vulnerability, she had the ability to stand up for herself and take care of herself at the same time. I was lucky in that the Classic X-men comic series was reprinting issues from right around the same time as #184 which helped me learn more about that era of X-men. I also started collecting Excalibur in order to see what she was up to now. She and Nightcrawler were pretty much the main reason I loved that series.
For those of you who are not aware, Rachel is the daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey from a timeline in which the Mutant Registration Act was put into effect and Sentinels were used to hunt down and capture or kill mutants. Rachel herself was captured and turned into a mutant hound - essentially a slave used to help capture and kill other mutants. Her face was tattooed with dark lines to mark her for what she was.
This is a gorgeous drawing of her in the hound costume that I'm currently using as my iphone wallpaper.
When she managed to break free from her slavery, she was placed within a mutant concentration camp. While there, she meets a number of mutants including an adult Kitty Pryde, and they scheme to send Kitty back and try to stop the events that caused their horrible world - this is the Days of Future Past storyline.
Once here, she became a member of the X-men and took on the Phoenix codename. Now here's the part that never makes much sense to me. Rachel was introduced at a time when Jean and the Phoenix were one and the same. The phoenix was just a sort of secondary mutation for Jean, not a separate cosmic entity. Therefore, it made perfect sense for Rachel to also have the phoenix powers. Once the retcon occurred, they changed it so that the Phoenix Force just happened to consider Rachel a suitable host because of her similarity to Jean. But since Rachel is from an alternate timeline in which Jean did not die at the end of the Phoenix storyline, I see it as a much more obvious answer - Rachel is the daughter of the phoenix force itself. This is actually pretty much established in What If? #32, What if Phoenix had not died? when Phoenix gives birth to a baby named Rachel.
Rachel's original Phoenix costume was ridiculously ugly. Fortunately later she adopted the same costume her mother had worn and it looked much better on her. I'm not particularly opposed to the hound costume either obviously, though there is something very 80s about it.
I'm not too crazy about some of her more recent developments, though I'm honest enough to admit I haven't read all the issues. The idea that she would change her name to Rachel Grey just because of Scott dating Emma seems a bit excessive. I totally get her being pissed about it, it's just a little too much to disown your father over. I also don't think anyone in their right mind would choose the code name Marvel Girl in this day and age either.
Not to mention wearing this ugly thing in public.
When it comes to Rachel in general, I feel like Claremont had a lot of ideas for her that never really came to fruition. That's a large part of the problem with having Rachel as one of my favorite characters - she's largely pushed aside by most writers. She seems to be mostly a pet passion for him more than anyone else. She's never appeared in the movies and I've already mentioned how badly they treated her in the cartoon. I'm also still waiting for a decent looking action figure of her. I suppose some people could see her history as one of the examples of why X-men storylines are so convoluted, but that complexity is part of what I love about her. She is the real reason I love the Phoenix, far more so than Jean.
Shortly after I moved from just watching the cartoon to reading comics, a friend of my mother's came and brought me and my brother a handful of old comic books he owned. This was not a gesture from the goodness of his heart. They were mostly issues that were far too beat up for him to sell. An issue of Superman that looked like it had been left out in the sun. A comic which had been detached from its cover completely. Another which looked like it had been chewed on one corner by an animal. That last one was an issue of Uncanny X-men - #184 to be exact.
The issue was just about a perfect one for me to read. Set shortly after the Days of Future Past storyline, Rachel Summers goes back to the present day timeline, but soon discovers that she has ended up in an alternate reality from her own. Since I was used to the 90s X-men, the way Rachel was so confused about the X-men she was seeing being so different from the ones she knew was pretty much exactly what I was going through. Professor X walking? Storm with a mohawk? Illyana not a little kid? Yeah, it didn't make much sense to me either!
Even beyond that, I liked her right away. She was very powerful, but she was also emotionally vulnerable. And despite that vulnerability, she had the ability to stand up for herself and take care of herself at the same time. I was lucky in that the Classic X-men comic series was reprinting issues from right around the same time as #184 which helped me learn more about that era of X-men. I also started collecting Excalibur in order to see what she was up to now. She and Nightcrawler were pretty much the main reason I loved that series.
For those of you who are not aware, Rachel is the daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey from a timeline in which the Mutant Registration Act was put into effect and Sentinels were used to hunt down and capture or kill mutants. Rachel herself was captured and turned into a mutant hound - essentially a slave used to help capture and kill other mutants. Her face was tattooed with dark lines to mark her for what she was.
This is a gorgeous drawing of her in the hound costume that I'm currently using as my iphone wallpaper.
When she managed to break free from her slavery, she was placed within a mutant concentration camp. While there, she meets a number of mutants including an adult Kitty Pryde, and they scheme to send Kitty back and try to stop the events that caused their horrible world - this is the Days of Future Past storyline.
Once here, she became a member of the X-men and took on the Phoenix codename. Now here's the part that never makes much sense to me. Rachel was introduced at a time when Jean and the Phoenix were one and the same. The phoenix was just a sort of secondary mutation for Jean, not a separate cosmic entity. Therefore, it made perfect sense for Rachel to also have the phoenix powers. Once the retcon occurred, they changed it so that the Phoenix Force just happened to consider Rachel a suitable host because of her similarity to Jean. But since Rachel is from an alternate timeline in which Jean did not die at the end of the Phoenix storyline, I see it as a much more obvious answer - Rachel is the daughter of the phoenix force itself. This is actually pretty much established in What If? #32, What if Phoenix had not died? when Phoenix gives birth to a baby named Rachel.
Rachel's original Phoenix costume was ridiculously ugly. Fortunately later she adopted the same costume her mother had worn and it looked much better on her. I'm not particularly opposed to the hound costume either obviously, though there is something very 80s about it.
I'm not too crazy about some of her more recent developments, though I'm honest enough to admit I haven't read all the issues. The idea that she would change her name to Rachel Grey just because of Scott dating Emma seems a bit excessive. I totally get her being pissed about it, it's just a little too much to disown your father over. I also don't think anyone in their right mind would choose the code name Marvel Girl in this day and age either.
Not to mention wearing this ugly thing in public.
When it comes to Rachel in general, I feel like Claremont had a lot of ideas for her that never really came to fruition. That's a large part of the problem with having Rachel as one of my favorite characters - she's largely pushed aside by most writers. She seems to be mostly a pet passion for him more than anyone else. She's never appeared in the movies and I've already mentioned how badly they treated her in the cartoon. I'm also still waiting for a decent looking action figure of her. I suppose some people could see her history as one of the examples of why X-men storylines are so convoluted, but that complexity is part of what I love about her. She is the real reason I love the Phoenix, far more so than Jean.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
X-men Marathon: X-men Legends
This game was released for the Gamecube, Playstation 2, and X-box consoles. Since I was still being a Nintendo fangirl around this point and time, I purchased the Gamecube version. I'm not sure if there is any difference between the various versions or not.
The game is an action RPG. What that means is that you are once again punching, kicking, and using your mutant special powers, but while doing so you're also gaining experience and leveling up. When you level, you get to choose how to update your stats and upgrade your mutant powers. I generally prefer RPGs that do this stat modification for you because I always worry that I'm making the wrong choice. You also equip armor, some of which gives you special bonuses.
The game suffers from one problem that a lot of games of this era suffered from. Game designers got excited about the extra space and better technology available to them, and therefore added things that were unnecessary and annoying. For instance, you fight a lot of random henchmen. Each type of henchmen has two phrases like "You're dead, mutie!" or "You'll never win, X-men!" and every single one of them feels the need to shout at you the moment they see you. It didn't take long for me to start shouting "Shut up!" at the screen. A lot of the cut scenes are made with the best CGI available to them at the time, which means that they look pretty bad now. They looked really horrible on my 42" HDTV. Other scenes use cel shading to help recreate the comic book style, and these look a lot better.
You can play with a max of four X-men at a time, with a total of fifteen X-men eventually being available to you. They provide a good balance of ranged attackers who use projectile attacks, tanks who can take a lot of damage, and balanced fighters who can do a little of both. Wolverine has his healing factor, which makes him an almost necessary part of the team. The others will need your help to heal. It reminded me a lot of Gauntlet, except instead of hearing "Wizard needs food badly!" you will hear one of the X-men call out to you in their own distinctive way. Pretty much every character fits their personality from the comics. You can switch between the four characters you are using at any time while on screen, and when you reach a save point, you can switch team members or pay money to revive any who may have died. You can also buy items from Forge here.
There are comics and videos to pick up throughout the game, and you can view them once inside the X-mansion. There's also a computer terminal in there that lets you play a trivia game for extra experience points. I got every answer right on the first try, but that's only because I knew a lot of the comic history. If you're not so well versed, you can learn a lot of the answers by talking to people around the mansion between missions. If you go upstairs in the mansion, you'll see the various X-men's private rooms. These are great because they contain details that aren't necessary to the game, but show love and appreciation for the characters. Storm has plants in her room and Colossus is halfway through a painting, for instance. Downstairs in the mansion is the Danger Room. It resembles the lower levels of the mansion from the movies. Cerebro's room is an exact copy from the one in the film. The Danger Room has training levels that will also give you extra experience. These are a huge help when you get stuck in the missions and can't get any further.
Somehow, they convinced Patrick Stewart to provide the voice of Professor Xavier for the game. None of the other characters feature their movie counterparts, though it is interesting that Steven Blum, who voiced Wolverine, would later do so in Wolverine and the X-men.
The story follows Alison Crestmere, a somewhat obscure mutant who was originally a member of the New Mutants and has a lava related power. In the beginning the X-men rescue her from the Brotherhood, and we follow the game through her as she trains at the mansion and gets to know the X-men and what they are all about. If you knew nothing about the X-men going in to this game, I think it would teach you enough to get you interested in reading the comics. The various missions in the game all relate to rescuing various team members (in order to have the opportunity to add them to your party later) or fighting classic X-men villains like Magneto, the Shadow King, and the Sentinels.
Beyond the few little mechanical hiccups, this game is just as enjoyable to play today as it was when it came out. It took me a little bit to get used to controlling my team members, but it never became annoying. Their AI is not too great, and they will happily put themselves in the middle of too many enemies and die quickly if you let them. Fortunately, with one push of a button you can call them to wherever you are. You can also set it so that they will automatically use a health potion once they get to a certain percentage of life - which is of course useful up until the point that you run out of them. I found the idea of purchasing armor largely useless, as you usually find the basic armor as well as special items scattered throughout the levels. Overall I really enjoyed playing it and while I didn't get to finish it before doing this review, I plan to keep going until I do because it's just that good.
There was also a sequel that came out for all the same systems which is largely more of the same with a few different characters and powers and a different story. It also added the ability to play multiplayer online. The success of this series also led to the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series of games, which is basically the same thing but featuring characters from all over the Marvel universe.
And so ends my experience with X-men video games. There are a lot more out there, from games based on the movies to fighting games to X-men appearances in various Marvel games. X-men: Destiny is planned for release later this year. They haven't released many details in terms of gameplay yet, but apparently it will require you to make choices to help decide where the story goes. It sounds like a great concept, so I hope they execute it well.
Next up I'm going to change direction a little and talk about a couple of my favorite X-men characters.
The game is an action RPG. What that means is that you are once again punching, kicking, and using your mutant special powers, but while doing so you're also gaining experience and leveling up. When you level, you get to choose how to update your stats and upgrade your mutant powers. I generally prefer RPGs that do this stat modification for you because I always worry that I'm making the wrong choice. You also equip armor, some of which gives you special bonuses.
The game suffers from one problem that a lot of games of this era suffered from. Game designers got excited about the extra space and better technology available to them, and therefore added things that were unnecessary and annoying. For instance, you fight a lot of random henchmen. Each type of henchmen has two phrases like "You're dead, mutie!" or "You'll never win, X-men!" and every single one of them feels the need to shout at you the moment they see you. It didn't take long for me to start shouting "Shut up!" at the screen. A lot of the cut scenes are made with the best CGI available to them at the time, which means that they look pretty bad now. They looked really horrible on my 42" HDTV. Other scenes use cel shading to help recreate the comic book style, and these look a lot better.
You can play with a max of four X-men at a time, with a total of fifteen X-men eventually being available to you. They provide a good balance of ranged attackers who use projectile attacks, tanks who can take a lot of damage, and balanced fighters who can do a little of both. Wolverine has his healing factor, which makes him an almost necessary part of the team. The others will need your help to heal. It reminded me a lot of Gauntlet, except instead of hearing "Wizard needs food badly!" you will hear one of the X-men call out to you in their own distinctive way. Pretty much every character fits their personality from the comics. You can switch between the four characters you are using at any time while on screen, and when you reach a save point, you can switch team members or pay money to revive any who may have died. You can also buy items from Forge here.
There are comics and videos to pick up throughout the game, and you can view them once inside the X-mansion. There's also a computer terminal in there that lets you play a trivia game for extra experience points. I got every answer right on the first try, but that's only because I knew a lot of the comic history. If you're not so well versed, you can learn a lot of the answers by talking to people around the mansion between missions. If you go upstairs in the mansion, you'll see the various X-men's private rooms. These are great because they contain details that aren't necessary to the game, but show love and appreciation for the characters. Storm has plants in her room and Colossus is halfway through a painting, for instance. Downstairs in the mansion is the Danger Room. It resembles the lower levels of the mansion from the movies. Cerebro's room is an exact copy from the one in the film. The Danger Room has training levels that will also give you extra experience. These are a huge help when you get stuck in the missions and can't get any further.
Somehow, they convinced Patrick Stewart to provide the voice of Professor Xavier for the game. None of the other characters feature their movie counterparts, though it is interesting that Steven Blum, who voiced Wolverine, would later do so in Wolverine and the X-men.
The story follows Alison Crestmere, a somewhat obscure mutant who was originally a member of the New Mutants and has a lava related power. In the beginning the X-men rescue her from the Brotherhood, and we follow the game through her as she trains at the mansion and gets to know the X-men and what they are all about. If you knew nothing about the X-men going in to this game, I think it would teach you enough to get you interested in reading the comics. The various missions in the game all relate to rescuing various team members (in order to have the opportunity to add them to your party later) or fighting classic X-men villains like Magneto, the Shadow King, and the Sentinels.
Beyond the few little mechanical hiccups, this game is just as enjoyable to play today as it was when it came out. It took me a little bit to get used to controlling my team members, but it never became annoying. Their AI is not too great, and they will happily put themselves in the middle of too many enemies and die quickly if you let them. Fortunately, with one push of a button you can call them to wherever you are. You can also set it so that they will automatically use a health potion once they get to a certain percentage of life - which is of course useful up until the point that you run out of them. I found the idea of purchasing armor largely useless, as you usually find the basic armor as well as special items scattered throughout the levels. Overall I really enjoyed playing it and while I didn't get to finish it before doing this review, I plan to keep going until I do because it's just that good.
There was also a sequel that came out for all the same systems which is largely more of the same with a few different characters and powers and a different story. It also added the ability to play multiplayer online. The success of this series also led to the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series of games, which is basically the same thing but featuring characters from all over the Marvel universe.
And so ends my experience with X-men video games. There are a lot more out there, from games based on the movies to fighting games to X-men appearances in various Marvel games. X-men: Destiny is planned for release later this year. They haven't released many details in terms of gameplay yet, but apparently it will require you to make choices to help decide where the story goes. It sounds like a great concept, so I hope they execute it well.
Next up I'm going to change direction a little and talk about a couple of my favorite X-men characters.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
X-men Marathon: X-men: Mutant Apocalypse (SNES)
This is the second of the two X-men games that were made for the SNES. It was made by Capcom rather than LJN, but don't let that fool you into thinking that means this one will be much better. The opening titles look promising, as they give us a quick, accurate introduction into who the X-men are before explaining that there is an island called Genosha on which mutants are enslaved. They also hint that Apocalypse has some secret plans for the mutants enslaved there.
While we rented this game a few times as a kid, I have very few memories of it. So playing this game again for this review I may as well be going into it blind.
There are two modes to choose from - Mission Mode and Training Mode. Mission Mode contains the story, and each character is given two lives each. For training mode the story is omitted, but each character now has three lives. Now, you might think these multiple lives mean you get to try at least twice with each character before game over. You would be wrong. Once any character runs out of lives, you face the game over screen.
The characters in this game are Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit, Beast and Psylocke. They are each given missions that are logical for their talents - Wolverine is sent to destroy sentinels, Beast is hacking into the island's computer systems, Gambit is sneaking into a military base, etc. I chose Wolverine's level first, since it was the first the Professor mentioned. Despite the fact that I'm supposed to be destroying robots, I was faced with a large number of human henchmen that I began to tear through with my claws (without any blood being visible). His claws are not retractable in this game. From what I can tell of the controls, there is an attack button and a jump button, and if you use the L or R buttons you can climb walls. The controls are very sensitive and the stage is essentially a really unfair beat em up with occasional wall scaling.
Next up I tried Gambit. It starts off pretty neat, as we see a charged card float to the ground and knock out two soldiers before Gambit arrives on the scene. After that, it's very similar to Wolverine's stage. Gambit mostly fights with his bo staff, though he did occasionally throw out a card as I mashed the buttons. The strangest thing about Gambit is that when he is at rest, he stands facing the camera looking off to the right, and his chest literally heaves.
I remember from back when we used to rent this game that I dubbed Psylocke "thunder thighs." That's not entirely fair. but she is built like a very muscular man with boobs. She fights using her ninja skills apparently, as I never saw any evidence of a psychic knife.
You would think Cyclops would definitely get to use his optic blasts, but no, once again, I was punch and kicking. This time it seemed exceptionally bad, as he's a bit taller than the others (except for maybe Gambit) and has virtually no reach at all. Beast has the ability to walk on the ceiling. Otherwise, it's basically the same old thing. So despite their claims that each X-man has a unique mission, it's all just side scrolling beat em up action. The platforming here is really weak and the AI of the enemies is just unfair.
After my initial attempt to play, I consulted gamefaqs.com, and discovered that apparently each character can do special moves, like a fighting game. As much as I love fighting games, I am pretty terrible at pulling off complex special moves. Most of the moves in this game seem to be variants of the Street Fighter haduken (rolling from down to front or vice versa, then hitting attack) or tapping a direction twice then hitting attack. With this knowledge I was able to beat Gambit's stage since he's of the tap twice variety. I could not get Cyclops to shoot beams at all, and the same goes for Psylocke's psychic knife attack. Both Wolverine and Beast have the same special move as Gambit, but I didn't have the same success with them. Capcom has made quite a few fighting games featuring X-men characters, so they were using a similar idea here in terms of the controls. I imagine it will not shock you to find out I am terrible at those games too.
There are six more stages after these initial five. Now you get to choose between whichever X-man you want to play. In the Genoshan Forest you fight the brood while heading down, down, down until you reach the queen, who is practically impossible. I got pissed off before I managed to beat her. I looked at a walkthrough for the next stage and here's what it said for the final boss: "To beat Tusk, stick to one side of the screen and just use whatever attack you're most comfortable with. You'll end up getting hit a few times and there's not really anything you can do about it, but the elevator in the middle of the screen is frustrating and you don't want to have to constantly worry about it." So basically, even someone who knows how to beat this game thinks it is ridiculously unfair.
The next stage is similar to the Gambit stage in Spider-man and the X-men in that there is lava chasing after you at all times. At the end of it you fight Apocalypse, making you think you've reached the end, but then Magneto decides he wants to get revenge on the Genoshan government for their treatment to mutants. From there, according to the walkthrough, you basically just fight one boss after another until you get to Magneto. The bosses include Omega Red, Juggernaut, and Exodus. Obviously, I did not attempt to play any of this. My tolerance of bad games with horrible controls only lasts so long.
I think after the difficulty of Spider-man and the X-men, I had the sense to not outright purchase this one when it came out. Looking back now, that was a very good decision. This game is pretty terrible. Maybe someone who is very good at side scrolling beat em ups and fighting game special moves could get some enjoyment out of it, but for the rest of us, just let it rest in peace.
Fortunately, not every X-men game ever made is a clunker. Tomorrow I will talk about one of the good ones.
While we rented this game a few times as a kid, I have very few memories of it. So playing this game again for this review I may as well be going into it blind.
There are two modes to choose from - Mission Mode and Training Mode. Mission Mode contains the story, and each character is given two lives each. For training mode the story is omitted, but each character now has three lives. Now, you might think these multiple lives mean you get to try at least twice with each character before game over. You would be wrong. Once any character runs out of lives, you face the game over screen.
The characters in this game are Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit, Beast and Psylocke. They are each given missions that are logical for their talents - Wolverine is sent to destroy sentinels, Beast is hacking into the island's computer systems, Gambit is sneaking into a military base, etc. I chose Wolverine's level first, since it was the first the Professor mentioned. Despite the fact that I'm supposed to be destroying robots, I was faced with a large number of human henchmen that I began to tear through with my claws (without any blood being visible). His claws are not retractable in this game. From what I can tell of the controls, there is an attack button and a jump button, and if you use the L or R buttons you can climb walls. The controls are very sensitive and the stage is essentially a really unfair beat em up with occasional wall scaling.
Next up I tried Gambit. It starts off pretty neat, as we see a charged card float to the ground and knock out two soldiers before Gambit arrives on the scene. After that, it's very similar to Wolverine's stage. Gambit mostly fights with his bo staff, though he did occasionally throw out a card as I mashed the buttons. The strangest thing about Gambit is that when he is at rest, he stands facing the camera looking off to the right, and his chest literally heaves.
I remember from back when we used to rent this game that I dubbed Psylocke "thunder thighs." That's not entirely fair. but she is built like a very muscular man with boobs. She fights using her ninja skills apparently, as I never saw any evidence of a psychic knife.
You would think Cyclops would definitely get to use his optic blasts, but no, once again, I was punch and kicking. This time it seemed exceptionally bad, as he's a bit taller than the others (except for maybe Gambit) and has virtually no reach at all. Beast has the ability to walk on the ceiling. Otherwise, it's basically the same old thing. So despite their claims that each X-man has a unique mission, it's all just side scrolling beat em up action. The platforming here is really weak and the AI of the enemies is just unfair.
After my initial attempt to play, I consulted gamefaqs.com, and discovered that apparently each character can do special moves, like a fighting game. As much as I love fighting games, I am pretty terrible at pulling off complex special moves. Most of the moves in this game seem to be variants of the Street Fighter haduken (rolling from down to front or vice versa, then hitting attack) or tapping a direction twice then hitting attack. With this knowledge I was able to beat Gambit's stage since he's of the tap twice variety. I could not get Cyclops to shoot beams at all, and the same goes for Psylocke's psychic knife attack. Both Wolverine and Beast have the same special move as Gambit, but I didn't have the same success with them. Capcom has made quite a few fighting games featuring X-men characters, so they were using a similar idea here in terms of the controls. I imagine it will not shock you to find out I am terrible at those games too.
There are six more stages after these initial five. Now you get to choose between whichever X-man you want to play. In the Genoshan Forest you fight the brood while heading down, down, down until you reach the queen, who is practically impossible. I got pissed off before I managed to beat her. I looked at a walkthrough for the next stage and here's what it said for the final boss: "To beat Tusk, stick to one side of the screen and just use whatever attack you're most comfortable with. You'll end up getting hit a few times and there's not really anything you can do about it, but the elevator in the middle of the screen is frustrating and you don't want to have to constantly worry about it." So basically, even someone who knows how to beat this game thinks it is ridiculously unfair.
The next stage is similar to the Gambit stage in Spider-man and the X-men in that there is lava chasing after you at all times. At the end of it you fight Apocalypse, making you think you've reached the end, but then Magneto decides he wants to get revenge on the Genoshan government for their treatment to mutants. From there, according to the walkthrough, you basically just fight one boss after another until you get to Magneto. The bosses include Omega Red, Juggernaut, and Exodus. Obviously, I did not attempt to play any of this. My tolerance of bad games with horrible controls only lasts so long.
I think after the difficulty of Spider-man and the X-men, I had the sense to not outright purchase this one when it came out. Looking back now, that was a very good decision. This game is pretty terrible. Maybe someone who is very good at side scrolling beat em ups and fighting game special moves could get some enjoyment out of it, but for the rest of us, just let it rest in peace.
Fortunately, not every X-men game ever made is a clunker. Tomorrow I will talk about one of the good ones.
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