I’m disappointed that the makers of this game didn’t at least try to offer up some variety even with the limited number of characters.
I literally just got done beating “X-Men 3: The Official Game” and my first reaction to the conclusion of the game is “that’s it?”. It’s not that the game is bad, but you’re sort of just left with “so what” feeling that can probably only be satisfied by playing a game like “X-Men Legends” (at least it worked for me). “X-Men 3: The Official Game” serves as a loose prequel to the upcoming film. When this game was being developed it was stated that players would be able to assume the roles of Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Iceman and THAT’S IT. Another aspect of the game that attracted people was that throughout the course of playing the game we would come to understand why Nightcrawler doesn’t make an appearance in the latest installment of the X-Men franchise.
Well having just learned why he’s not in the film I can safely say....it’s pretty easy to guess if you really think about it. I mean there’s no Earth-shattering revelation as to why our favorite blue skinned teleporter doesn’t rejoin his fellow X-Men for “X3”. In fact to be completely honest with you I was rather let down by the way they handeled the “revelation”. It obviously comes at the end of the game, but it’s over with so fast you can’t help but wonder “that’s it??”.
Let me give you a quick break down of the game. Players automatically start off as Wolverine (duh) in his first mission in an attempt to get accquainted with the game’s controls. After a brief level the mechanics of the game are pretty much explained to you. You can play levels on 3 different settings: Novice, Hero, and Superhero. The harder level you play on, the more “X genes” you’re rewarded. Once completing the level you can now use your newly won “X gene” to upgrade your characters attributes such as strength, healing, blocking...etc.
Each character is sent off on their own missions, sometimes accompanied by either Storm or Colossus (who is now no longer Russian and sounds more like a character from “The OC"). While playing as Wolverine you’re almost always going up against a group of Hydra soldies armed with electric weapons, just waiting to build up your rage meter so you can unleash some particularly brutal moves. As Nightcrawler your job usually is to teleport around certain areas and repair specific machinery (I had no idea Nightcrawler was a technician). In combat however Nightcrawler proves to be a formidible opponent combining acrobatics with his teleportation powers. Lastly, playing as Iceman is more like playing an old fashion rail shooter since you’re always on the move via his classic “Ice slide” shooting down certain things and putting out fires.
The game itself, while not bad does suffer from some SERIOUS repetition issues and the lack of combos for characters like Wolverine and Nightcrawler only adds to the problems. Wolverine is supposed to be the most dangerous mutant alive (I said most DANGEROUS not most POWERFUL) however in the game he is bogged down by slow movements and basic 3-hit-attacks that don’t really do anything until you’ve upgraded him to nearly his full extent.
While the game does have it’s problems, it is enjoyable to continue the X-Men storylines from the film, and hear SOME (why they couldn’t get them all is beyond me) of the original actors return to lend their voices for their respective characters. Hugh Jackman, Alan Cumming, Patrick Stewart and Shawn Ashmore all do a great job and lend some credibility to the game when it seemed like it was just another excuse to cash in on the popularity of the upcoming movie.
My biggest problem with the game comes with the lack of characters from “X3”. As much as I can’t stand his look in the film, it would’ve been nice to see The Juggernaut show up and do battle with our heroes. Also with the addition of Beast and Angel to the cast, it’s a shame we don’t get to play as either of them for even one or two missions (Beast does show up in cutscenes but is voiced HORRIBLY). I understand that this is supposed to be a prequel, but come on...we’re probably not going to see another X-Men game based on the films for a very long time (if ever) and we’re not even given the chance to play as ALL of the mutants from the film.
In my opinion only hardcore fans of the source material will go and dish out the $39.99 (or $59.99 on XBOX 360) for the game...I did. Other people will probably just pick it up at their local Blockbuster and get their fill within the one-week-rental time period.