TheX-Menteam of superheroes are a large part of the Marvel Comics universe, and have been since their debut in 1963. The big draw for fans of this franchise is that the heroes are not revered members of the public like in other media. Instead, the X-Men are mutants, a group of individuals that society fears and persecutes. Over the years, their story has served as an allegory for many real-world events.
The premise is so beloved that theX-Menhave been adapted into many great animated shows, movies, and, of course, video games. While the team does have many great video game titles that fans love, like theLegendsseries and classic arcade games, there are also plenty moreX-Mengames that have been lost to time.
6X-Men Destiny
The Superhero RPG That Promised Too Much
The most recent X-Men game,X-Men Destiny, is one that most fans will remember for what the developers initially promised, rather than the game itself. In the lead up to the release ofX-Men Destiny, Activision and Silicon Knights promised an X-Men game that would allow players to take on a role in the mutant conflict. The idea behind the game was to create an RPG that took place in theX-Menuniverse. Players would be able to create and level up their own mutants, while siding with the X-Men or their enemies in a story that explored the idea of mutant rights.
Unfortunately, a troubled production led to the release of a bland action game. Gamers could only play as one of three predetermined characters instead of creating a unique mutant from scratch. There were still choices and characters from theX-Menfranchise inX-Men Destiny, butthe uninspired combatand lack of freedom meant that many people only played the game once and moved on without thinking about it again.
5X-Men Mutant Academy
A Fighting Game Released At The X-Men’s Peak
The X-Men arguably reached the peak of their popularity in the year 2000. Thebeloved animated showhad wrapped up a few years prior, and the franchise was about to release its first live action movie. As such, Activision decided to release a video game for PS1 and Game Boy Color to tie in with the first film.
Rather than develop a game that followed the events from the movie, though, the studio decided to release a fighting game that featured iconic characters from the movie and comics. These included Cyclops, Magneto, Beast, Wolverine, Rogue, and many others. As a fighting game,X-Men Mutant Academywasn’t bad, and even received a sequel the following year. However, fans wanted something more suited to the recent movie release. The game might have sold better or have been remembered more fondly if they had taken this route instead.
4X2: Wolverine’s Revenge
Trying To Capitalize On The Movie’s Biggest Star
There is no denying that the breakout mutant fromThe X-Menfranchise is Wolverine. This clawed hero was one of the standouts in the 90s animated series, and only got more popular after Hugh Jackman’s portrayal in the firstX-Menmovie. As such, it made sense for Activision to go ahead with a solo Wolverine video game that could be released alongside the movie’s sequel. The result was a tight, third-person action game that borrowed some of the stealth gameplay fromMetal Gear Solid.Players controlled Wolverine on a mission to findthe people that turned him into Weapon X.
The game received positive reviews, but it is rarely mentioned nowadays. Unfortunately, the game comes across as dated by today’s standards, and the combat feels clunky. What’s more, theGod of Warclone based on theX-Men Origins: Wolverinemovie overshadows this game. Many players are shocked at how good that Wolverine video game is, compared to the movie.
3Spider-Man and The X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge
A Spin-Off Of A Classic That People Forget
Everyone remembers theX-Men Arcade gamefrom 1992. This classic title allowed up to four players to join a side-scrolling beat-em-up adventure. This game was so popular and memorable that it is still talked about in high esteem, and several gamers are still trying to get hold of one of the old cabinets. However, it seems strange that few people talk aboutSpider-Man and The X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge.
Surely, teaming up the X-Men in a similar gamewith Marvel’s most popular character, Spider-Man, and releasing it on home consoles would be just as successful. Sadly, this game is hardly mentioned anymore, despite featuring many of the same playable characters as the X-Men game and Spider-Man. Perhaps this game is overshadowed by its counterpart, or the slightly delayed combat in this game means people are less likely to go back and give it a try.
2X-Men: The Official Game
An Important Movie Trilogy Received A Forgettable Tie-In Game
Long before the MCU, the X-Men featured in a live action movie trilogy that finally made audiences take superheroes seriously. The trilogy may have ended with a whimper, but fans were eagerly waiting for the next installment of the franchise in the mid-2000s. As such, many people expected a licensed game to let players go through the events of the movies.
While a licensed video game did come out to coincide with the release of the third movie,X-Men: The Last Stand,X-Men: The Official Gamewas not what fans expected. Instead of allowing players to experience the movies again in a video game, this title allowed them to take control of Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Iceman in a story that takes place between the second and third films. The levels were a mix of grinding combat, stealth, and loose flight simulation depending on what character is played. However, the game doesn’t do any of these mechanics well. Plus, blurry visuals and awkward cutscenes have leftX-Men: The Official Gamelargely forgotten by anyone who plays it.
1X-Men: Next Dimension
An Attempt To Revive The Mutant Academy Series
It goes without saying that the third installment of theMutant Academyseries will also be forgotten. Rather than stick with the naming convention of the previous games, this new fighting game featuring X-Men rebranded itself asX-Men: Next Dimension.This confused many players at a time when X-Men couldn’t have been more popular.
This game came out for consoles in 2002, and so it had a huge boost from the movies and the new generation of home consoles to work with. This fighting game also toyed with the mechanics of the previous games, adding four new super meters for players to fill to diversify the gameplay.X-Men: Next Dimensionalsoincluded many more charactersthan previous entries, and featured a plot that finally surrounded the sentinels. Unfortunately, this fighting game was nowhere near as popular as theX-Men Vs Capcomgames. Players quickly flocked to play theX-Men Legendsgames soon after this video game was released.
