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Before we get to X-Men, Sony Online Entertainment has officially dated DC Universe Online to release January 11 in the U.S. and on the 12th and 14th throughout Europe and the UK, and also announced how much gamers will have to pay to become their own hero or villain within the DCU. The PlayStation 3 version of DCUO is set at $59.99, while the PC version is $49.99. Also there is a $15 monthly subscription fee, though PC players can purchase a life time subscription for $199. No surprise in these price points, and honestly, can you really put a price on being your own superhero?

On the subject of DC games, Rocksteady released a few new screenshots for Batman: Arkham City. Enjoy!

Last week we played X-Men: Legends, and I’ve been on such a mutant kick lately, that this week I wanted to play the original great X-Men game: Konami’s X-Men arcade game, recently released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network!

X-Men

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami (Arcade), Backbone Entertainment (XBLA, PSN)
Released: Feb. 12, 1992 (Originally), Dec. 14, 2010 (PSN), Dec. 15, 2010 (XBLA)
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Arcade
ESRB: E10+

Finally, the X-Men game of my, and so many others’, childhood is back, and is able to be played the way the original Japanese arcade cabinet intended, with six players! It’s a pretty big deal for me, especially since Chuck E. Cheese only had the U.S. arcade cabinet which only supported four players. Unfortunately for Xbox 360 owners, the only way to archive the full six player experience is online, since the 360 only supports four controllers. The multiplayer is the biggest difference between the port and the original, and the transition is pretty smooth.

Multiplayer aside, nothing about X-Men has changed. It’s still the classic beat ’em up you’ll remember, complete with cheesy and poorly translated dialog. And if you’re unfamiliar with X-Men, then, well, either I’m getting old, or you’re just not a grizzled X-Men like the rest of us here at ComicAttack.net.

The story in X-Men isn’t exactly Chris Claremont quality, but suits the simplistic nature of the game just fine. Magneto is reeking havoc on all homo sapiens, and it’s up to you to stop him and his Brotherhood of Mutants. The look and cast of mutants in the game is taken from the 1989 X-Men animated series pilot,”Pryde of the X-Men.” You and up to five friends will choose from Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Storm, Cyclops, Colossus, and Dazzler to take on Pyro, Blob, White Queen, Juggernaut, Mystique, Master Mold, and of course, Magneto, along with endless hordes of Sentinels.

All the X-Men essentially play with the same jump and punch attacks, but all have a unique special attack that has limited use. As with any side-scrolling beat ’em up, you can expect a great deal of repetition, but if you’re playing with your muti-lovin’ friends, then it shouldn’t be much of an issue. And the many different locations and enemies also helps with the illusion of gameplay diversity.

Even though X-Men is basically a straight port of the original arcade game, Konami also added the original Japanese version. This version is actually easier, because, unlike the U.S. version, enemies will drop health and energy for your special attacks.

If you’re a younger fan who never played X-Men in the arcade as a child, you’ll most likely get bored and lose interest quickly. The ideal players for this game are the nostalgia freaks who want to side-scroll down memory lane.

I doubt it could happen, but I’m a little worried Konami might get the idea to remake X-Men with updated graphics like they did with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. In theory, it’s a great idea, but sadly for TMNT fans, the remake lacked execution, and was riddled with bugs and issues. And besides, there’s nothing like the original when it comes to classic games like these.

So what’s next for the X-Men in video games? Activision’s X-Men: Destiny! I wish I could tell you more about what X-Men: Destiny will be, but all we know about the game so far is what this trailer can tell us. It looks great, and it would appear that the X-Men will continue to have great success on modern video game consoles…but I’ve been wrong before.

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Andrew Hurst
andrewhurst@comicattack.net