X-Men

X-Men
a game by Western Technologies, LJN, and Sega
Genres: Action, Adventure/RPG, Arcade Classics, Platformer
Platforms: Sega GenesisGenesis, NESNES, GameGear
Editor Rating: 7.7/10, based on 10 reviews, 11 reviews are shown
User Rating: 7.0/10 - 8 votes
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See also: Comics Games, Marvel Games, X-Men Games, Superman Games
X-Men Poster
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Whether pressed between the colorful pages of a comic book or brought to life in a cartoon, superheroes are fascinating figures. Now Sega is introducing the greatest lineup of heroes and villains since the Iran/Contra hearings, and they're being brought to you in all their glory.

X, Lies, and Video Games

If someone had told you that Sega could bring all the excitement of the Genesis X-Men to the Game Gear, you'd have thought they were lying. Well, the truth is that X-Men Game Gear squeezes all the action and graphics it can into four megs of Marvel-ous comic book mayhem.

You start the game by choosing either Wolverine or Cyclops, and you can pick from the other X-Men once you've rescued them. You travel through six villainpounding levels as you search for your mutant mates, who were kidnapped by Magneto.

This arch-villain has locked Storm, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Psylocke in different strongholds, and to find them you must travel through such stages as the Savage Land, Brood Cave, and the Hellfire Club.

Each stage ends with a friend of Magneto's trying to pull the plug on the party. Foes like Callisto, Sebastian Shaw, and Sauron engage you in immortal combat, but the forces of good are on your side. You also have those razor-sharp claws and the patented X-Men abilities, like Storm's power over nature, Cyclops' concussive eye-beams, and Nightcrawler's Teleport.

You Look Marvel-ous

The graphics in X-Men are sharp and clean, but you'll need super-powered vision to see the tiny details on the small sprites. The colorful backgrounds have the comic-connoisseur's touch. The sound in X-Men is good, with changes in the unobtrusive music at each level and each boss.

The Joy of X

Fans of the X-Men will love this cart, with its formidable array of superheroes and super villains. The long levels are complex enough to keep your battery bill high, and the challenge is strong enough to keep you busy in the back seat for that long drive to Grandma's house.

If you're not a fan of the X-Men, but you like portable side-scrollers with solid graphics and involving game play, then you'll love this game, too. Put all your X in one basket, and check out X-Men.

ProTips:

  • How do you fight Sebastian Shaw? You don't. He gets stronger with each hit, so knock him off by leading him into his own traps.
  • Walk Into waterfalls In the Savage Lands and you'll find power-ups.
  • In the Hellfire Club, Jump over these pillars with your Spin Jump.
  • When you play as Wolverine, turn off your Mutant Powers when you're not using them or they'll drain away.

Download X-Men

Genesis

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Game modes: Single game mode

Player controls:

  • Up, Down, Left, Right - Arrow keys
  • Start - Enter (Pause, Menu select, Skip intro, Inventory)
  • "A" Gamepad button - Ctrl (usually Jump or Change weapon)
  • "B" button - Space (Jump, Fire, Menu select)
  • "C" button - Left Shift (Item select)

Use the F12 key to toggle mouse capture / release when using the mouse as a controller.

NES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • P-200, 32 MB RAM
GameGear

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

Marvel's mightiest mutants are coming to the Genesis' in style. X-cellent graphics, X-plosive action, and X-treme challenges make this one of the truest comic-to-video game translations ever. In fact, Marvel Comics had better watch out! This game is so authentic; it may become even more popular than their comic books!

Message from Magneto

The X-Men's archenemy, Magneto, is back at it with a new plan to X-act revenge on our heroes. He's created a deadly computer virus and is beaming it towards Earth from his asteroid command center. Its target is the Danger Room -- the state-of-the-art holographic training center of the X-Men. The asteroid disrupts the Danger Room's programming to create lethal scenarios for the X-Men. Unaware of the danger, the X-Men have entered the Danger Room for what they think is a routine training exercise. Whether they survive is up to you!

Mutant Mania

X-Men is six massive levels of side-scrolling X-travagance. Game play involves four key X-Men. You can play as Wolverine, with his unbreakable, admantium claws; Cyclops, with his powerful eye blasts; Gambit, with his staff and energized tarot cards; or Night-crawler, the furry, blue teleporter. You can change characters a specific number of times during each level. Each X-Man is best suited to certain situations, and as team leader it's up to you to choose.

ProTip: Study each hero's stats to fully utilize their powers and abilities.

Each X-Man has a health bar and a mutant power bar. Every time an X-Man hit by an enemy or uses his mutant powers, the corresponding bar decreases. The mutant power bar slowly regenerates between uses, but you lose your power altogether if you zero it out completely. Only Wolverine has the ability to regenerate his health, thanks to his mutant healing abilities. Lose all your health, and you return to the Danger Room to call on another X-Man to start the level all over again! Lose all four X-Men, and it's Game Over! No continues -- no X-cuses!

  • To avoid returning to the Danger Room, switch to a fresh hero before the current one zeroes out
  • Cyclops's eye blasts can bounce off ledges and walls.
  • In two-player games, your characters can share their remaining health units by standing close together.

Play solo or team up with a friend as you take on the Danger Room's various scenarios, including The Savage Land, Shi'ar Empire, Excalibur's Lighthouse, Ahab's Future World, Mojo's Crunch, and the final showdown with Magneto on Asteroid M. Hordes of Neanderthals, robots, thugs, and monsters await, plus such supervillain bosses as Juggernaut, Sabretooth, Mojo, Deathbird, and Apocalypse.

When the situation seems hopeless, call on your reserve squad of X-Men. You can't control them, but they give you a much-needed, one-time super-hand. Choose from Rogue and her super punches; Archangel, who shoots razor- sharp blades from his wings; Storm with her violent, tornado-force whirlwinds; Jean Grey (Marvel Girl), for a lift when I off a ledge; and Iceman, for an ice bridge to safety.

Save the backup X-Men to fight the supervillain bosses for you!

Scattered throughout each level are such valuable power-ups as health and mutant energy units, backup X-Men icons to replace those you've already used, and keys that open doors and turn off devices. You have to search every nook and cranny to find these well-hid- den treasures.

  • Punch opens the wall in the Shi'ar Empire scenario to find hidden power-ups.
  • Check seemingly dead ends for secret levers and passages.

"X" Marks the Spot

X-Men is incredibly faithful to its comic book roots. This game features major heroes, villains, and locales from throughout the comic's 15-year history. The large, smooth-moving sprites look exactly like animated versions of their comic book counterparts, including the most up-to-date costumes and bios. Each level is lavishly illustrated with detailed, multi-scrolling backgrounds that have to be seen to be believed. The adequate music and sound effects are somewhat subdued, but this shortfall doesn't detract from the overall excellence of the game.

The game play is straightforward. You don't have to read the manual to dive in and start kickin' butt. Three difficulty settings ensure that players of any caliber can enjoy X-Men. At its highest setting, X-Men is one of the most challenging action/adventure games ever. A lack of continues makes the challenge even more daunting.

Do you have what it takes to play a hero?! X-amine X-Men today!

Magneto, the Master of Magnetism, and his band of sinister henchmen are on the rampage! Their goal: world domination! This time the supervillain commands an evil army of malicious creatures. Only the uncanny X-Men can stop this arch-enemy and save the human race.

You play Professor Xavier, leader and mentor of the marvelous mutants. Pick and choose X-Men teams to battle through five hazardous missions and defeat Magneto's menacing minions. One or two people can play, but you'd better be ready for some serious finger poppin' -- this game is a monster shoot-em-up.

LJN's X-Men is based on the popular Marvel Comics publication of the same name. Longtime fans know that the X-Men's lineup has gone through several through the years; the LJN game is based on the current team roster.

Calling All Mutants

The "X" in X-Men stands for "eXtraordinary", as in "extraordinary powers." Cyclops, the leader of the group and the only remaining original X-Man, projects laser-like optic blasts from his eyes. Wolverine's bones and his sharp, retractable claws are reinforced with adamantium (a super strong metal). Iceman projects ice beams from his hands and glides through the air on a sheet of ice. Storm flies on wind currents and hurls lightning bolts at her enemies. The incredibly strong Colossus transforms his flesh into organic steel. Night- crawler is a super athlete, who can teleport through walls and barriers.

ProTip: Each X-Man has a life meter and some meters are shorter than others. Nightcrawler is the weakest X-Man, followed by Storm, Iceman, Cyclops, Wolverine and Colossus. It you play Nightcrawler or Storm, come out lighting when the game begins.

Five Games in One

Your quest takes you to five deadly arenas. In the first four, you must find a computer disk and the pieces to a secret code. When you have all four disks and decipher the code, you can break into Megneto's stronghold for the final battle.

Each computer disk lies in a secret room at the end of a menacing multi-level adventure. In each adventure you must combat a relentless army of ghastly creatures. Ferret out two keys to unlock the portal to a secret room and defeat a supervillain to claim a disk.

You can tackle the first four adventures in any order you want. In the Future City, you'll face robot tanks, gun emplacements, and loathsome centipedes. In the Subterranean Confrontation, you'll run up against zombie soldiers, bat monsters, spider creatures, energy bubbles, and voracious centipedes. In the RoboFactory you'll meet killer robots, mechanical rats, flying robots, and more centipedes. The Living Starship is actually the inside of a gigantic space being where you confront deadly cells and still more centipedes.

ProTip: The action is almost too fast and furious. When you need a break (and you will), press Start. If you have one or two X-Men, the game stops so you can check your X-Men's power level. If you have two X-Men left, press Select to freeze the onscreen action.

Special Weapons

The X-Men don't have to rely on their super powers alone to survive. Destroying your opponents sometimes releases special items that activate as soon as you touch them. Smartbombs wipe out all the bad guys on the screen. Force shields provide temporary invincibility. Stasis Bombs immobilize all onscreen enemies. And Energy Cells completely recharge your X-Man's life meter. The one surprise you should avoid is the Magnetic Mine, which freezes you for 10 seconds.

Find a force shield icon before you attempt to maneuver your X-Man through any of the pulsating force fields or trap doors. These deadly barriers are difficult to time. However, Nightcrawler can teleport safely through these hazards and Colossus will make it if his life meter has sufficient power.

Bad to the Bone

Make it to a secret room and you face one of Magneto's supervillains. Juggernaut is a huge powerhouse who's nearly unstoppable as he tries to ram you. Sabertooth will viciously rip you to shreds. True to his name, Boomerang attacks with an arsenal of flying weapons. The White Queen is the most devious foe; she uses telepathic powers to turn into your X-Man's double and use his own powers against him.

It Takes Teamwork

In the comic, the X-Men perform best when they work as a team. This holds true in the game as well. If you really want to kick some behind, team up with a friend. As a two player cooperative cooperative game, this game excels!

The one-player mode is for hardcore Game Pros since you must play two characters simultaneously. You can only control one at a time; the computer maneuvers the other X-Man. You can switch between the two characters, but you'd better be quick or both of them will bite the dust. Part of them will bite the dust. Part of the fun is figuring out what combinations work best in certain situations.

X-Men game is a fair adaptation of a great comic book. Although it's difficult to play alone, this is an ideal game for you and a friend. Can you resist Magneto's magnetic personality? Teamwork is the key.

The master of magnetism: Magneto has taken control of the Danger Room. The Danger Room is the training ground of the X-Men, a group of people with mutant powers, not to mention the primary adversary, Magneto. Four members of the X-Men were training in the Danger Room when they lost control: Gambit, Wolverine, Cyclops and Night-crawler. Finding themselves thrust in a dangerous world of illusions, they must find Magneto and the band of evil mutants to stop them! It won't be easy, as the illusions are so realistic, they can kill! The X-Men will be in strange places such as the Savage Land and the war-torn future!

X-Men features an optional two-player mode, and has seven levels filled with intense action. Each of the four characters has special moves, and are better at some levels than others. The levels are based on famous comic locales, and are sure to please X-Men fans. Even the enemies are here, like the ferocious Juggernaut! If you like adventure that's packed with action, help out the X-Men in their latest adventure!

THE SAVAGE LAND

The Savage Land has been recreated by the Danger Room's holographic projectors. It is filled to the brim with many dangers, especially the dreaded Juggernaut and the witch Zaladane! The savages are also against you, along with the occasional pterodactyl.

THE SHI'AR EMPIRE

Deathbird has overtaken the Shi'Ar Empire from her sister Lilandra. Throughout this level you will be attacked by armored soldiers. About midway you must hijack a shuttle to get to Deathbird. After she is stopped, Lilandra will help you back to the Danger Room.

Your favorite super heroes return for yet another showdown with their old nemesis Magneto. This game looks like the best X-MEN ever!

You get to pick from among four of the mutant wonders including Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Gambit and of course, Wolverine. Each mutant can utilize special powers which will aid in the battle against Magneto.

Great 16-Bit graphics and game play will make this cart a great addition to your Genesis library! Coming soon from Sega!

  • # of players: 1
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Available: January 1993
  • Theme: Action
  • Number of Levels: 6

The X-Men make their Game Gear debut in this hot Marvel product. Here is a sneak preview of only a fraction of what this game will have to offer by release time. Just to peak your curiosity, you can expect to see some of your favorite X-Men like Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Iceman, Psylocke, Rouge and Night Crawler as well as infamous villains and tons of mutant action!

Professor X receives a call stating that the Juggernaut is at the Hoover Dam. Wolverine and Cyclops are sent to check it out. The rest of the X-Men are on their own missions trying to repeal other threats to the world. But, the dam was just a ruse to lure them away, while the others were captured. Now you must save your friends.

Based on the immensely popular comic and now TV series, this has the typical side-scrolling action theme with the X-Men twist. It's along the same lines as the Genesis version released a while back, but with different X-Men.

  • Theme: Action
  • Available: 1993
  • Levels: 7

Sega brings the X-Men to the Genesis. This translation from comic book to video game preserves all the great action of the X-Men.

Trapped by Magneto in the Danger Room, Cyclops, Wolverine, Gambit and Nightcrawler attempt to destroy him and his evil group of mutants. Watch out for Juggernaut!

Fight Magneto yourself, or double team him with a friend. All 7 levels are from the comic! Good luck!

People say:

6

The X-Men is a cool license but this game manages only to capture the powers and skills of the best of the bunch, with little innovation along the way. The interaction is a bit jerky; for a comics-based title there should 've been more emphasis on fluidity. The game play is straightforward stuff replayed with different characters.

7

Sure, the X-Men comic series is still one of the most popular, but this game is not a fantastic effort. I wish there were more characters to choose from. The music and sounds are simply repeated noises from other Sega games. Yes, there is a lot of technique to the game and that's the real strong point.

6

I was not impressed by this cart very much. The graphics are mediocre and animation leaves much to be desired. The sound support is weak at best. The switching of the X-Men characters during the game is cool and the variety of special moves are also welcome. The game is very choppy and the control needs work.

8

This is the type of game I must have. X-Men is loaded with more techniques than your average no-brainer side-scroller. The ability to switch between my favorite comic action heroes during play is a welcome bonus! Each player's abilities closely reflect the comic's descriptions, right down to the walking and jumping!

Follow the adventures of the X-Men as they tackle the forces of evil to search for Professor X!

Take command of Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit, and Colossus. Power them up in their danger room and get set to lead them through seven enchanting stages.

Stay with your selected character or alternate them depending on the enemies that you'll face as you attempt to save your mentor!

The number one selling comic book is now the number one game sensation. You will be awestruck by the immensity of this simultaneous six-player fight game, which spans not one, but two, full-size screens! Choose from six different x-Men. Cyclops fires optic blasts. Colossus s metallic body releases huge energy sparks. Wolverine slices foes with his ultra-sharp claws, which turn into an Admantium laser. Storm unleashes lightning tornadoes. Nightcrawler is super-agile and able to simultaneously teleport around his foe, and Dazzler fires powerful sonic light blasts.

The graphics, story line, and game play are extremely faithful to the X-Men s comics. Animated cinematic sequences in-between levels recount the story of Professor X who sends his X-Men to hunt down Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The X-Men must cross six treacherous levels filled with deadly robot Sentinels, prehistoric monsters, and bizarre mutant henchmen. Popular supervillains, such as Pyro, The Blob, Wendigo, and Juggernaut, guard the end of each level. The struggle culminates in a final showdown against Magneto on Asteroid M.

The X-Men game is the comic book come to life! The beautifully rendered characters, smooth animation, digitized sound effects and voices, and a radical soundtrack, all add to an incredible video game experience. X-Men is X-cellent.

X-Men is a side scrolling beat ‘em up game, featuring many well-known characters from the long-running series of the same name.

Story wise, some may complain about the fact that it is not 100% accurate to the comic books, but it does its job. In essence, the evil Magneto has taken control of the Sentinels and threatens to destroy humanity. Naturally, only the X-Men are powerful enough to stop him and his plan, and the game ends with the fight against the antagonist.

You can choose between six characters: Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Storm and Dazzler, each with their own unique attacks. The gameplay of X-Men is nothing too complicated; you can move in all four directions, jump, perform basic attacks like kicks or punches, and also use your mutant super powers. Using your powers will drain your life, but the game not only lets you continue as many times as you want, but it also refills your life when you respawn, which takes away quite a bit of the game’s challenge.

The most interesting aspect of the game is the option to play in co-op mode with up to 4 players. This can lead to very interesting combos and strategies based on the selection of characters. For example, Storm, who is rather frail compared to others, can knock down enemies from afar while the rest deliver a series of attacks. Teamwork is especially important in boss fights if you do not want to spend most of the battle waiting to reappear after being killed repeatedly.

The graphics of X-Men are nice and crisp, as if taken directly from the comic books, and the animations are very fluid and rather complex considering how old the game is. The enemies, however, are somewhat recycled and you will see many of them time and time again, only sporting a different colour. The addition of voice acting is always nice, although it can really get on your nerves when the boss repeats his one line over and over. The English translation wasn’t very good either (the memorable “welcome to die!” comes to mind).

X-Men is one of those games where simple is the best way to go. Despite being repetitive and rather easy, when played with three other friends, all this seems to go away, making room for a very fun and social gaming session.

X-Men features:

  • 6 different characters with different gameplay
  • 4 player co-op mode for extra fun
  • Characters from the X-Men universe, including Magneto, Mystique and Juggernaut

Snapshots and Media

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Screenshots

NES/Famicom/Dendy Screenshots

GameGear Screenshots

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