This interesting Paragon Software game from the late eighties is reflective of the Marvel comic books of the same name, which has recently spawned a series of hit movies. The X-Men have to locate other X-Men, the lovely Storm and the mighty Forge. However, if there were no bad guys, it just wouldn’t be any fun, so enter the Freedom Force. Freedom Force has been charged with the difficult task of capturing the other X-men.
This game has nearly unlimited play value because the choice of available characters is so huge.
This interesting Paragon Software game from the late eighties is reflective of the Marvel comic books of the same name, which has recently spawned a series of hit movies. The X-Men have to locate other X-Men, the lovely Storm and the mighty Forge. However, if there were no bad guys, it just wouldn’t be any fun, so enter the Freedom Force. Freedom Force has been charged with the difficult task of capturing the other X-men.
This game has nearly unlimited play value because the choice of available characters is so huge. Gamers create a team of their five favorite heroes, creating a lot of mix-and-match options. X-men heroes to pick from include: Cyclops, Rogue, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Beast, Archangel, Wolverine and Marvel Girl (Jane Grey) from movie fame. There are also
some lesser known characters that can join the quest, among them: Dazzler, Phoenix, Shadowcat, Havoc, Colossus, Longshot and others. Each character has skills similar to their standard skills from the comic book. For example, Wolverine bears the famous slashing adamantine claws and the Iceman’s power is fairly self-explanatory. Some characters can fly; others are more like infantry. Mix and match the X-Men to create an unstoppable party of power.
The game has two distinct views and interfaces. As the party navigates the map, the game displays a bird’s eye view of the terrain. Heroes can collect health power ups from crates, negotiate traps and look for enemies in this format. As soon as the party encounters an enemy, however, the game switches to a close-up of both the X-Men and the enemy party. This side-by-side view provides a different interface dedicated strictly to battle. There are two Freedom Force members to defeat on each level. By locating and defeating the appropriate villain, play advances to the next level. As the game nears its close, the threat of Freedom Force becomes minimal next to the danger posed by the Adversary.
Similar to a true RPG, the secret to X-Men II: FotM is putting together the right combination in the initial party. The group will need to be able to scout, disarm traps and fight, both close-up and in ranged warfare. The graphics of the game are not super on the overhead map, but they do improve once the battle sequence starts, and that is the most interesting part of the game anyway. Overall, it is a good play, but difficult if no strategy is employed when building a party.
