This sequel to the jubilant X-Men Legends is to its predecessor what the Mars King Size is to the original candy bar. Indeed, there are the same ingredients, but in increased proportions. If the principle of the game therefore remains the same – a very spectacular action RPG allowing you to lead a group of 4 mutants with overpowering and complementary powers on a game principle established by Diablo and since taken over by Baldur’s Gate : Dark Alliance, among others – many new features have been added. The first and most obvious of these is the unholy alliance between the X-Men and members of the Brotherhood, driven by the emergence of a common threat: the rise of Apocalypse, a entity that seeks to extract the power of mutants to appropriate them. Playing with a team made up of Wolverine, Sabertooth, Diablo and Mystique, for example, is a highlight for any fan of Stan Lee's creatures. This inflation at the level of playable characters (25 + 3 to unlock) is also found in the quantity of new powers associated with them, but also tons of bonuses to find (comics, sketches, videos, etc.). We also find the training phases in your successive bases, intended to improve your characters and teach them new moves. Fans of comics will also be able to spread all their knowledge with the return of the quiz on the universe of the X-Men. Suffice to say that some questions are particularly interesting. All this also ensures a good lifespan for the game, more than twenty hours in single player, but it is in multiplayer that X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse reaches another dimension. If the graphics and music are in the standards of the genre, the variety of missions offered and bosses to fight allows the game to distinguish itself from the cohort of clones of Dark alliance. In addition, the ability to let the game fully manage the development and equipment of your characters is a real plus that will delight all players who want to focus on action.
One for all, all mutants
Apart from the fact that at four, everyone will inevitably fight to embody Wolverine, the multiplayer mode is a total success. Everything has been optimized to make resource sharing and combat as seamless and user-friendly as possible. If the screen zooms out automatically and if the characters move away from each other, this is not done at the expense of visibility and it is still possible to teleport near your allies with a simple touch. With four on a console, we find there, in much more evolved, mutant power obliges, the mythical pleasures provided by a Gauntlet. On the other hand, the online game suffers from some rather annoying recurring lag problems (also on the Xbox version). However, let's not sulk our pleasure, this is one of the rare flaws of this sequel which, without revolutionizing the genre, is quite simply the best hack & slash released this year.
