X-Men: The Official Game

Last updated

X-Men: The Official Game
X-Men - The Official Game Coverart.png
North American PlayStation 2 cover art
Developer(s) Z-Axis (PS2 / Xbox / X360)
Hypnos Entertainment (GameCube)
Beenox (PC)
WayForward Technologies (GBA)
Amaze Entertainment (DS)
Publisher(s) Activision
Director(s) Jens Hartvig Andersen
Producer(s) Trevor Jalowitz
Designer(s) Jason VandenBerghe
Artist(s) Michael Kawas
Composer(s)
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS
Release
  • NA: May 16, 2006
  • EU: May 19, 2006
Genre(s) Action, beat 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player

X-Men: The Official Game (also known as X3: The Official Game) is the name of Activision's three tie-in video games to the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand . The game covers the events between the films X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, specifically following the characters of Logan, Iceman, and Nightcrawler. It also bridges the gap between the two films, explaining why Nightcrawler is not present for The Last Stand, and also introduces new foes for the game, such as HYDRA. The game uses several voice actors from the X-Men film series including Hugh Jackman, Alan Cumming, Shawn Ashmore, Patrick Stewart, Tyler Mane, and Eric Dane.

Contents

X-Men: The Official Game received mixed reviews from critics. The game, along with most other games published by Activision that had used the Marvel licence, was de-listed and removed from all digital storefronts on January 1, 2014. [1] [2]

Gameplay

Players control the actions of several X-Men-related characters, most notably Logan, Nightcrawler and Iceman, as they uncover a plot to eradicate mutants. Sometimes, another X-Man will help the player's character battle. The Nintendo DS game features Magneto as a playable character, while the Game Boy Advance version features Colossus as a playable character as well as the ability to switch between three characters.

Consoles

Plot

During a session in the Xavier institute's Danger Room, Logan / Wolverine battles Victor Creed / Sabretooth, and ultimately ends up losing the session, though he had been saved by the timely arrival of Iceman, who was there so that Cyclops could train him, but is too crippled with grief to do so due to Jean Grey's apparent death [N 1] . After Logan trains Iceman in the Danger Room, Professor X warns Logan against trying the Danger Room on "Danger Level 7" again, before asking the X-Men to return to Alkali Lake to retrieve irreplaceable parts to Cerebro. Nightcrawler infiltrates the remnants of William Stryker's base with his teleportation ability, since the weapons systems were somehow operational. Once inside, the X-Men discover a group of agents called HYDRA looting the base. Nightcrawler and Colossus go to find the Cerebro parts while Logan and Storm investigate HYDRA's presence. Logan and Storm discover that Stryker had been building giant robots called Sentinels as another plan to eradicate mutantkind.

Storm is abducted by Lady Deathstrike and Logan pursues her, eventually rescuing Storm. Nightcrawler is plagued by visions of Jason Stryker, who reminds Kurt he left him to die. Nightcrawler retrieves the Cerebro parts, battling a Sentinel in the process. A massive Sentinel - the Master Mold is activated and rises from Alkali Lake. The X-Men and Lady Deathstrike escape; Logan attaches himself to Deathstrike's helicopter to follow her while the other X-Men return to the institute.

Iceman stops Pyro from triggering a meltdown at a nuclear power plant while Storm and Nightcrawler stop Multiple Man from blowing up a bridge [N 2] . Meanwhile, Logan follows Deathstrike and her HYDRA agents to Japan. Logan learns that Deathstrike and HYDRA are working for the Silver Samurai. After battling though legions of HYDRA forces and "killing" Deathstrike again, Logan confronts Silver Samurai. Samurai reveals that HYDRA helped Stryker build the Sentinels, not realizing he planned to turn them against mutants. Silver Samurai himself is a mutant, and the Master Mold's activation was a mistake. After defeating Silver Samurai, Logan learns that HYDRA has a device in Hong Kong that can stop the Master Mold, where the Master Mold is currently heading. Logan informs Professor Xavier, who contacts Magneto - fearing the X-Men cannot stop the Sentinels alone. Magneto and Sabretooth travel to Hong Kong to help the X-Men. Xavier also reveals that Jason Stryker is still alive; his psyche now fractured into two halves: a good half who has been appearing to Nightcrawler and an evil half that is controlling the Master Mold. He states that another of his students had a similar problem (referring to Jean Grey/Phoenix).

The X-Jet is shot down by Sentinels upon its arrival in Hong Kong. Iceman battles Sentinels and recovers HYDRA's device. Magneto arrives and uses the device to incapacitate the Master Mold, which crashes to the ground, but his helmet is knocked off of his head and Magneto is subdued by Jason's telepathic powers.

Nightcrawler disables the Master Mold's control center, guided by Jason's good half, who helps point the way through the maze of the Mold's body. Nightcrawler disables the Master Mold's neural net, changed by Jason to look like a demonic realm. Meanwhile, Iceman destroys the core of the Master Mold and Logan - in another of Jason's hallucinations - fights several feral clones of himself, emerging victorious. Nightcrawler attempts to save Jason as the Master Mold begins to collapse, but Sabretooth abducts Jason and attempts to make his escape. Logan tracks Sabretooth's scent and confronts him while Kurt escapes with Jason. The two have a vicious battle, ending with Logan throwing Sabretooth from a great height to be impaled below. Jason dies, thanking Nightcrawler for saving him. Magneto leaves, vowing that his next encounter with the X-Men will be as an enemy.

Back at Xavier's mansion, Nightcrawler tells Xavier he does not want to be an X-Man, for their lives are too violent and he is a peaceful man. Xavier tells him he is always welcome in the Mansion, and Kurt leaves [N 3] . Meanwhile, Cyclops goes to Jean Grey's house and sees her, apparently still alive, with her power spiraling out of control, resulting in her shutting the door on him. The game ends with Cyclops begging to be let inside [N 4] .

Development

Zak Penn and Chris Claremont co-wrote the story for the game. Penn is the co-writer of X-Men: The Last Stand, and Claremont was a longtime writer of the X-Men comic books, establishing the personas for many of the "new" X-Men team, which featured then new members Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Banshee, and Wolverine. Claremont is best known for the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Reception

X-Men: The Official Game received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

On the consoles and PC, some of the problems cited were repetitive gameplay, poor enemy AI [29] and the fact that the Xbox 360 version looked similar to the other console versions despite the better hardware. [15] Detroit Free Press gave the Xbox 360 version three stars out of four and said, "I'd be happier if Cyclops were at my fingertips, too. But all in all, the variety these three X-Men provide is adequate for one little video game". [38] The Times gave the game a mixed review and stated that "nice graphics and smooth gameplay are no substitute for imagination". [39] However, The A.V. Club gave it a D and stated that "almost everything about this movie cash-in is cheap and incompetent, from the short, forgettable levels to the poor control system to the hand-crampingly repetitive action". [37]

As for the handhelds, the DS version was considered repetitive and hard to control, [28] and the GBA version as a by-the-book platformer.

Notes

  1. ↑ as depicted in X2: X-Men United
  2. ↑ this storyline is somewhat picked up in X-Men: The Last Stand , when Magneto and his new Brotherhood free Multiple Man from the Prison Convoy
  3. ↑ which explains his absence in X-Men: The Last Stand
  4. ↑ this occurrence foreshadows the events of X-Men: The Last Stand. Later in the film continuity, the Silver Samurai, Trask Industries and the Sentinels made appearances in The Wolverine and X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystique (character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Mystique is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, the character first appeared in Ms. Marvel #16. A member of a subspecies of humanity known as mutants who are born with superhuman abilities, Mystique is a shapeshifter who can mimic the appearance and voice of any person with exquisite precision. Her natural appearance includes blue skin, red hair and yellow eyes.

<i>X2</i> (film) 2003 film by Bryan Singer

X2 is a 2003 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and David Hayter, from a story by Singer, Hayter and Zak Penn. The film is based on the X-Men superhero team appearing in Marvel Comics. It is the sequel to X-Men (2000), as well as the second installment in the X-Men film series, and features an ensemble cast including Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davison, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Kelly Hu, and Anna Paquin. The plot, inspired by the graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills, concerns the genocidal Colonel William Stryker leading an assault on Professor Xavier's school to build his own version of Xavier's mutant-tracking computer, Cerebro, in order to destroy every mutant on Earth and to save the human race from them, forcing the X-Men to team up with the Brotherhood of Mutants to stop Stryker and save the mutant race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brotherhood of Mutants</span> Fictional team by Marvel Comics

The Brotherhood of Mutants is a fictional group of mutants appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Brotherhood are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabretooth (character)</span> Comic book character

Sabretooth is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men, in particular as an enemy of the mutant Wolverine. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, the character made his first appearance in Iron Fist #14. The original portrayal of Sabretooth was that of a non-powered serial killer, but was later written as a mutant possessing bestial superhuman abilities, most notably a rapid healing factor, razor-sharp fangs and claws, and superhuman senses. He is a vicious assassin, who was responsible for numerous deaths throughout history, both as a paid mercenary and for his personal pleasure. Accounts on how his enmity with Wolverine originated differs depending on different writers. One of the most common accounts is that Wolverine and Sabretooth were both participants of the Cold War supersoldier program Weapon X, and that Sabretooth saw Wolverine as competition and therefore antagonized him. While Wolverine is depicted as suppressing his more savage qualities, Sabretooth does the opposite and embraces them, until the events of the 2014 storyline "AXIS".

<i>X-Men: Evolution</i> Television series

X-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series based on the X-Men superhero team appearing in Marvel Comics. The series takes inspiration from the early issues of the source material and follows the X-Men as teenagers rather than adults, as they learn to control their developing mutant powers and face various threats. X-Men: Evolution ran for a total of four seasons comprising 52 episodes from November 4, 2000, to October 25, 2003, on Kids' WB, which made it the third longest-running Marvel Comics animated series at the time, behind Fox Kids' X-Men and Spider-Man. The series was aired on Disney XD from June 15, 2009 to December 30, 2011.

"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comics universe when the original timeline was restored. It was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Deathstrike</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Lady Deathstrike, occasionally spelled Deathstryke, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a foe of the X-Men, especially Wolverine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graydon Creed</span> Comics character

Graydon Creed is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Brandon Peterson and first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #299. He is the "baseline human" son of Sabretooth and Mystique.

<i>Ultimate X-Men</i> Comic book series

Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series, which was published by Marvel Comics, from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The Ultimate X-Men exist alongside other revamped Marvel characters in Ultimate Marvel titles including Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four and The Ultimates.

<i>X-Men: Next Dimension</i> 2002 video game

X-Men: Next Dimension is a fighting game, released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube video game consoles. It is the third installment in the X-Men: Mutant Academy fighting game series, following X-Men: Mutant Academy and X-Men: Mutant Academy 2.

<i>X2: Wolverines Revenge</i> 2003 video game

X2: Wolverine's Revenge is an action beat'em up video game based on Marvel Comics character Wolverine, a member of the mutant team X-Men, developed by British game developer GenePool Software and published by Activision for PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox with the former developed by Warthog Games alongside GenePool and ported to Windows by LTI Gray Matter. It was released on April 15, 2003, to coincide with the release of the film X2, which itself is a sequel to the 2000 film X-Men. The Game Boy Advance version developed by Vicarious Visions was re-released on a Twin Pack cartridge and bundled with Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Stryker</span> Fictional character in Marvel Comics

The Reverend William Stryker is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A minister and former sergeant with a strong hatred for mutants, he is usually depicted as an enemy of the X-Men. He is also the father of Jason Stryker.

<i>Wolverine and the X-Men</i> (TV series) American animated superhero television series

Wolverine and the X-Men is a 2009 American animated series by Marvel Entertainment. It is the fourth animated adaptation of the X-Men characters. In the show, Wolverine attempts to reassemble the X-Men and becomes their new leader, following a devastating incident that led to the disappearances of both Jean Grey and Charles Xavier.

<i>X-Men Origins: Wolverine</i> (video game) 2009 video game

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a hack-and-slash action-adventure video game based on the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The game release coincided with the release of the film on May 1, 2009, for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. A version of the game was also released for mobile phones. The game was developed primarily by Raven Software through the use of Unreal Engine technology. Its ESRB rating has varied widely across platforms, with the non-Nintendo console and PC versions being entitled the Uncaged Edition and receiving a Mature 17+ rating to provide players an opportunity to experience the uncensored graphic violence of the natural use of Wolverine's abilities, the Nintendo DS version receiving an Everyone 10+ rating due to its violence being tamed by reduced resolution and graphics, and the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions receiving a Teen rating by featuring standard superhero violence consistent with what was seen in the PG-13 rated film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-Men in other media</span> Overview of X-Men in other media

The X-Men are a fictional superhero team created by Marvel Comics that appear in comic books and other forms of media.

Jason Stryker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is usually depicted as the mutant son of William Stryker and an enemy of the X-Men.

<i>House of X</i> and <i>Powers of X</i> Comic books

House of X and Powers of X are two 2019 comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics featuring the X-Men by writer Jonathan Hickman and artists Pepe Larraz, R. B. Silva, and Marte Gracia. Both books are part of a crossover storyline within the Marvel Universe that lead to the "Dawn of X" relaunch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan (film character)</span> X-Men film series and Marvel Cinematic Universe character

James "Jimmy" Howlett, also known as Logan or by his codename, Wolverine, is a fictional character originating as the primary protagonist of 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series, and appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise produced by Marvel Studios. He is portrayed by Hugh Jackman and based on the Marvel Comics character Wolverine, created by Roy Thomas, Len Wein and John Romita Sr.

References

  1. ↑ Chieng, Kevin. "Deadpool Currently Delisted From Steam [Update: PSN, XBL too; Includes Activision Marvel Titles]". GameTrailers. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  2. ↑ Futter, Mike (January 1, 2014). "[Update] Deadpool And Other Marvel Games Disappear From Steam, Xbox Live, And PSN". Game Informer . Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "X-Men: The Official Game for DS Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on January 13, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "X-Men: The Official Game for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "X-Men: The Official Game for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "X-Men: The Official Game for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "X-Men: The Official Game for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  8. 1 2 "X-Men: The Official Game for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  9. 1 2 "X-Men: The Official Game for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ EGM Staff (July 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 205. p. 91.
  11. ↑ Reed, Kristan (June 9, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game Review (X360)". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on October 7, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  12. ↑ Reiner, Andrew (July 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game". Game Informer . No. 159. p. 104. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  13. ↑ Hurh, JP (May 31, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  14. ↑ Provo, Frank (May 31, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game Review (GBA)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 20, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  15. 1 2 Navarro, Alex (May 18, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  16. ↑ Navarro, Alex (May 18, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game Review (X360)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  17. ↑ Provo, Frank (May 31, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game Review (DS)". GameSpot . Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ McGarvey, Sterling (May 22, 2006). "GameSpy: X-Men: The Official Game". GameSpy. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  19. ↑ "X-Men: The Official Game Review". GameTrailers. May 24, 2006. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  20. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (May 15, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on May 24, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  21. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (May 15, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game - 360 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  22. ↑ Zacarias, Eduardo (May 16, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  23. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (May 21, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game - GBA - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on April 22, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  24. ↑ Hopper, Steven (May 21, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game - NDS - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  25. ↑ Wrentmore, John (May 30, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  26. ↑ Knutson, Michael (June 12, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  27. ↑ Dunham, Jeremy (May 18, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game". IGN. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  28. 1 2 Harris, Craig (May 18, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game (DS)". IGN . Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  29. 1 2 Dunham, Jeremy (May 25, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game (PC)". IGN. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  30. ↑ DeVries, Jack (July 27, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game (GBA)". IGN. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  31. ↑ "X-Men: The Official Game (DS)". Nintendo Power . Vol. 206. July 2006. p. 95.
  32. ↑ "X-Men: The Official Game (GC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 206. July 2006. p. 91.
  33. ↑ "X-Men: The Official Game (GBA)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 206. July 2006. p. 91.
  34. ↑ Byron, Tom (July 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . p. 76. Archived from the original on February 24, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  35. ↑ "X-Men: The Official Game". Official Xbox Magazine . July 2006. p. 84.
  36. ↑ "X-Men: The Official Game". PC Gamer : 85. August 2006.
  37. 1 2 Dahlen, Chris (May 31, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Game". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  38. 1 2 Schaefer, Jim (May 27, 2006). "MARVELOUS MUTANTS: Wolverine, Iceman and Nightcrawler lead X-Men action". Detroit Free Press . Archived from the original on September 3, 2006. Retrieved April 7, 2014.(subscription required)
  39. ↑ Wells, Dominic (June 3, 2006). "X-Men: The Official Movie Game". The Times . Archived from the original on April 8, 2007. Retrieved April 7, 2014.(subscription required)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.