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Review: X-Men: Mutant Academy

GameProWorld
  GALLERY

 

(IDG) -- After years of awful solo titles and endless crossovers with Capcom fighters, the X-Men finally strike out on their own in a fighting game that dishes out some mad mutant mayhem.

Guarding the World That Hates Them

The X-Men are a team of mutants (people with a genetic condition that gives them special powers) who've come together to study under the tutelage of Professor Xavier, one of the most powerful mutants of all time. Together they must combat the evil Brotherhood of Mutants, an organization led by Magneto, who believes that mutants are the rightful rulers of mankind. Mankind hates and fears the mutants, but the X-Men still protect them from the evil Magneto. Got it so far?

In X-Men: Mutant Academy, things are a little different. To advance as one of the X-Men, you have to take on and beat everyone, friend or foe. There's no real reasoning as to why you have to smack your mutant buddies around, but there doesn't need to be. As a fighting game, Mutant Academy offers lots of wild moves, crazy characters, and tons of unlockable hidden goodies, from the X-Men movie trailer to extra costumes and production art. In a fighting game, you don't need story. You just need to get in there and kick some butt.

Xavier's School of Muatant Combat

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X-Men's control scheme is more or less exactly that of Street Fighter, with a three punches, three kicks button layout and fireball- or charge-motions to pull off the moves. Paradox has done a good job of making the controls forgiving without being too loose, and even gamers who aren't SF masters can pick this one up and play it. Gameplay centers around smart use of powers and supers, rather than tricky combos, and every character has moves that make sense within the X-Men universe. It's definitely a good thing that they include the Academy Mode, in which Prof. X and Cerebro guide through learning your moves and controlling the rather complex super meters.

A lot of love was put into the graphics, that much is obvious. With the exception of a few lame backgrounds, Mutant Academy looks better than most PS fighting games out there. The crisp, detailed polygonal fighters move quickly and smoothly, and some look so awesome that you'd swear they were sprites. Comic and movie fans alike will not be disappointed, as both the original and the black leather costumes are included. If only those backgrounds were more detailed or higher-res.

X-Men's major fault is its sound. Voices, while typically good, are so muffled that you'll be riding your volume control if you want to hear them. The sounds of combat work very well, from the shrill blast of Cyclops' optic beams to the pulsing whoop of Magneto's magnetic fields, but it's all placed over the (again) muffled Saturday-morning soundtrack, featuring garish guitars and outdated grooves.

It's X-cellent!

X-Men Academy is a genuine treat for fans of the mutant menace, but it's also good enough to stand on its own. Hardcore fighting fans will find depth within these hallowed halls, and casual brawlers will find the controls forgiving and fun. Do yourself a favor and enroll in Mutant Academy.

TIPS

      • Success comes from knowing your character. Spend time in Academy Training so you know what your character can do, what attacks he has, and where his weaknesses are.

      • Some characters have cheap moves that you can use to foil the computer opponent. Storm's lightning attack is one (charge back, forward + any kick). If timed right, the computer will rarely be able to recover, making it an easy win.

      •  Not everyone needs a full third super meter. Beast, for example, has awesome lower-level combos. For others, like Cyclops, the third super does huge damage. Know when to transfer power from the second meter to the third, and when to hold on to what you have. Wolverine, Toad and Beast need to get inside to do their damage. Luckily, they all have moves to let them close into short range. Learn these moves, and use them whenever the long-range characters (Cyclops, Storm, Mystique, etc.) try to keep you away.

      •  Sabretooth relies on throws to do his damage. If you can master his dirt-throwing move up close, you can follow with his awesome throws, since throwing dirt staggers the enemy for a short time and allows you time to do whatever you want.

Summary

      • Publisher: Activision
      • Developer: Paradox
      • Street Price: $ 39.99
      • Available: Now
      • Genre: FIGHTING
      • ESRB Rating: TEEN
      • Graphics: 4.0
    Exceptional for PlayStation, the graphics would rate higher if not for the horribly low-res backgrounds.
      • Sound: 3.5
    Muffled voices and generic Saturday-morning guitar anthems chain X-Men's Sound score to the ground.
      • Control: 4.5
    All the moves are fairly simple to do; it just takes practice. The PSX controller keeps the controls from being perfect, as it does in most PlayStation fighting games
      • Fun Factor: 4.5
    If you're an X-Men fan, this game will rock your world. If you're not, it's still an intelligent fighter that should keep you busy for quite a while.



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RELATED SITES:
X-Men Mutant Academy - Activision Official Page

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