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[Hell S]

I dunno, its no worse than Streets of Rage 2, TMNT 2/4, or Final Fight.

Of course...if we got Guardian Heroes HD handled directly by Treasure, then that would be a no brainer.

No it is worse. In Final Fight, at least there's some flexibility for combos. And Haggar fights very differently than Guy, for example. In X-Men, it's basically just quick punches for everyone.

Also the 'supers' in FF do not clear half the screen like X-Men.

 

[Sharkington]

Final Fight is definitely superior to X-Men mechanically, but Final Fight doesn't mean anything to me, so I have no desire to play it in 2010.

If we're strictly talking about what's best, the recent Scott Pilgrim game blows all of this stuff away. But even though I have Scott Pilgrim and have played through it a couple dozen times, I'm still looking forward to playing a six-player online X-Men match with my friends from the comics board I post on. That's an experience with value beyond mechanics.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Oh great it's this shit again.

 

[Princess Skittles]

Now that you mention it...I think beat em ups built for consoles are better in that they arent designed to eat quarters.

Some of Capcom's later games, even though they are still arcade releases, are REALLY good.

Both Dungeons and Dragons games and Battle Circuit feel a little less "quarter munchy" than the early 90's camp.

 

[demosthenes]

Final Fight is definitely superior to X-Men mechanically, but Final Fight doesn't mean anything to me, so I have no desire to play it in 2010.

If we're strictly talking about what's best, the recent Scott Pilgrim game blows all of this stuff away. But even though I have Scott Pilgrim and have played through it a couple dozen times, I'm still looking forward to playing a six-player online X-Men match with my friends from the comics board I post on. That's an experience with value beyond mechanics.

I really need to get Scott Pilgrim. 4 player off/online?

 

[Sharkington]

I really need to get Scott Pilgrim. 4 player off/online?

Offline only, unfortunately. But yes, four players.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Oh great it's this shit again.

I say you get on that BEU thread you mentioned before. Would be a good place to focus comparisons and in-depth discussions about them.

 

[Teknoman]

Some of Capcom's later games, even though they are still arcade releases, are REALLY good.

Both Dungeons and Dragons games and Battle Circuit feel a little less "quarter munchy" than the early 90's camp.

One thing I do like about all Capcom's beat em ups and some of the other 16- 32 bit era beat em ups, is that controlling each character seems smooth. In Scott Pilgrim (and maybe we just need to level up), the character controls feel kinda...stiff? Dont know how else to describe it.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Final Fight is definitely superior to X-Men mechanically, but Final Fight doesn't mean anything to me, so I have no desire to play it in 2010.

If we're strictly talking about what's best, the recent Scott Pilgrim game blows all of this stuff away. But even though I have Scott Pilgrim and have played through it a couple dozen times, I'm still looking forward to playing a six-player online X-Men match with my friends from the comics board I post on. That's an experience with value beyond mechanics.

Scott Pilgrim really didn't do anything for me. Once my bros powered up to a certain level, nothing was a challenge. The game felt really long for a beat-em-up too. I was also unfortunate to have the game lock up on me often as well.

 

[demosthenes]

Offline only, unfortunately. But yes, four players.

I prefer offline!

 

[Princess Skittles]

Scott Pilgrim really didn't do anything for me. Once my bros powered up to a certain level, nothing was a challenge. The game felt really long for a beat-em-up too. I was also unfortunate to have the game lock up on me often as well.

Scott Pilgrim has a lot of issues, before you power up, it's too hard.. once you power up it's too easy. And yes, it's WAY too long either way. The leveling system should have been toned down a lot.. but then people would have complained it was too short.

Castle Crashers was also probably longer than it should have been, but at least the leveling more naturally progressed with you stage to stage and there wasn't such a need to keep going back to previous stages to level up.

 

[akilshohen]

Streets of Rage 2 is where it's at. Part 3 had TOO much going on.
I kind of can't wait to go back and play this game now. I read a FAQ about all the moves in SOR 2 and was surprised to find a way to escape throw damage, so I hope there's something like that in here.

 

[Lance Bone Path]

Even back in the arcades, X-men arcade wasn't that bad as a quarter-muncher if you knew what you were doing. Any lives you had remaining at the end of the game would be carried over to a new game.

Back when I was still in school, there was an arcade where lots of regulars played the game. I would take over a character when someone had to leave for class and if there was a good group playing, I could keep playing without spending any money. A lot of times that person would return and I would let that person have the character back.

Mechanically the game is simple as hell when everyone has a role that they execute, covers a certain territory, and keep the flow of enemies into the screen tightly controlled ("holding the screen" is a role for one or two people), but it doesn't work unless everyone is committed to playing as a team.

 

[oracrest]

No it is worse. In Final Fight, at least there's some flexibility for combos. And Haggar fights very differently than Guy, for example. In X-Men, it's basically just quick punches for everyone.

Also the 'supers' in FF do not clear half the screen like X-Men.

I find that there is a lot of diversity in the X-Men fighting system. You have standard attacks, but then, the jumping kick, quick jump kick, back attack, and attacking an enemy while they are on the ground. And then there's the supers, which I always hold until I am down to 3 health notches or less (doesn't drain life then.)

Even today, I feel when I play X-men, I am getting better at controlling the system. I can get closer to Pyro without getting hit. Even better at my one hit and retreat method for the bosses, which is a way to defeat them without losing money if your good enough at it.

My nostalgia glasses for this game are coke bottle thick, but it still conveys so much character for me, and is still a blast to romp through.

 

[LocoMrPollock]

Not as fun as playing with my friends back in the day. Gonna take a pass on it.

 

[jetsetfluken]

Backbone has done a sloppy job with the menus in terms of similar feel to the game once again...

 

[oracrest]

__..__._______.__.____.______

__

___.__.___

 

[oracrest]

Downloaded it and played just a bit before having to run out. First thing I noticed is that the narration seems to be different. The intro voice, as well as the power moves sound like a different recording, buy trying to sound just like the original as much as possible.

When the narrator says "X-Men" at the title screen, that still sounds original though.

Good to finally have it again though!

 

[Marvie_3]

Downloaded this before I left for work today. Can't wait to get home and play this.

 

[CartridgeBlower]

Playing TMNT Arcade (the original) the other day, then playing this...wow, X-Men is MUCH more fair. Way less quarter-munchy. Actually feels like there might be a bit of skill in this. At least more than TMNT...

 

[LosDaddie]

I played through this game 2 times last night. Here are my thoughts:

• I hosted, so lag wasn't a problem (for me). Still, the most I was able to get was 4 players in my games.
• Yet again, reality ruins nostalgia. The graphics are not anywhere near as good as I remember them. :lol
• Definitely designed as an arcade game, meant to eat quarters.
• Why the hell are the Sentinels working for Magneto? :lol
• The audio seems about the same as I remember it. Colossus' yell & all.

Overall, I don't regret the purchase one bit. It was worth $10 to me for nostalgic purposes alone.

I'll be going for 200/200 tonight. If anyone wants to join me, send me a FR.

 

[Barkley's Justice]

the audio and music in this game is the shit.

 

[Augemitbutter]

yes, konami had the best OSTs at that time.

 

[oracrest]

 

[AwRy108]

I dunno, its no worse than Streets of Rage 2, TMNT 2/4, Brawl Brothers/Rushing Beat, or Final Fight.

Bite your tongue. Bite it right off.

 

[RyanDG]

[*]Why the hell are the Sentinels working for Magneto? :lol

IIRC, there have been a couple of times in X-Men lore where Magneto controls/reprograms the Sentinels to do his bidding.

 

[Enk]

Bought this last, played through it online once but haven't been compelled to play through it again like I did with TMNT. I think part of the reason is that it gives all the players infinite lives so it really just becomes a game where you're brainlessly tapping a button to the end.

Part of the fun with the way the original TMNT XBLA was handled was that each player was knowingly given a set amount of about 20 lives. You'll finally make all the way to Shredder, 2 of your comrads are dead, and the two remaining have 5 credits a piece. Can you make it? When you finally beat the Shredder it's more of a "Fuck yeah!! Break out the champange!" kind of moment instead of a "yup, killed'em. Time for another pringle". If you lose, you and the group might feel the need to play another round again to see if you can do better.

Wish Konami and Capcom would do this with all their beat'em up releases lately.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Just because this version hands you infinite lives/credits doesn't mean you have to use them.

Why not be like this guy and show a bit of restraint? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8emqbC5f3fI

 

[Lance Bone Path]

Just because this version hands you infinite lives/credits doesn't mean you have to use them.

Why not be like this guy and show a bit of restraint? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8emqbC5f3fI

It only takes one person taking advantage of infinite credits to turn the game into shit for anyone else who is interested in something other than "move character, use mutant power repeatedly, suicide, continue" spam.

If there was an option to limit credits allowed for each player, that would be a start. Power spammers could always set the limit to infinity.

 

[d0c_zaius]

awesome thanks!

 

[robot]

I wrote a lengthy blog about my experience with the game last night -you can find em here. Needless to say, I had a blast. Can't wait for Sunset Riders tomorrow (hopefully). Just too bad it won't be online multiplayer.

 

[Lance Bone Path]

I wrote a lengthy blog about my experience with the game last night -you can find em here. Needless to say, I had a blast. Can't wait for Sunset Riders tomorrow (hopefully). Just too bad it won't be online multiplayer.

After reading your blog, all I can say is that it's too bad that beating the game with only one credit isn't an achievement because it would have made your story ten times funnier.

 

[LosDaddie]

I wrote a lengthy blog about my experience with the game last night -you can find em here. Needless to say, I had a blast. Can't wait for Sunset Riders tomorrow (hopefully). Just too bad it won't be online multiplayer.

Nice! Sounds like our experiences were very similar. I also had a great time with this game.

Here's my User Review I posted on GameSpot this morning:

If you grew up in the 1990s, then there's chance X-Men Arcade devoured some of your allowance money. As was common back then, this game was a beat-em-up that you could play with friends. X-men Arcade was unique in that up to 6 people could play at once.

Make no mistake, this release is all about nostalgia. All about re-living an experience you (might have) had over a decade ago. All about finally defeating Magneto in that last, epic battle.

How did X-Men: The Arcade live up to my memories?:

LOVED

Welcome to Die!: The long wait is over. You can finally play X-Men Arcade, legally, in your home. This game is a faithful port of the original arcade cabinet. All the sights & sounds you remember are here. Whether you played the USA or Japanese version, it's all here to experience again.

X-Men, Assemble!: Unlike the laughable entry that was the Scott Pilgrim arcade game, X-Men Arcade supports up to 6-player online gaming. An absolute necessity in this day & age of gaming. Lag depends on your/the host's connection, but most of the online games I played were lag-free.

Easy Cheevos: May not matter to you, but the Achievements/Trophis for this game are all easy to get. Invest about 2hrs worth of gametime and you'll have an extra 200 gamerpoints.

HATED

It's X-Men Arcade: Again, this is a faithful port of the arcade game. Thus, this game was designed for you to keep pumping in quarters. You are meant to die often. You are meant to hold onto your special powers (which can also drain your health) until absolutely necessary. Now that you own the game AND there are unlimited continues, every bit of the challenge is gone. This game was specifically designed as an arcade game and it shows.


CONCLUSION

Did you play X-Men: The Arcade as a kid and have fond memories of it? If so, then this game is for you. Konami has released a perfect port of their arcade hit from 1992. $10 is all you need to re-live some of your arcade memories. If you didn't play this game at the arcades, then you'll be left wondering why this game was ever popular in the first place.

Your purchase decision is as simple as that. X-Men Arcade was designed for the arcade-era of gaming and such will be clear almost immediately. You were meant to die often and hold onto your Mutant Powers as long as possible because Konami wanted you to continually pump in quarters. Now that you own the game and it features unlimited continues, you'll find a shallow game with no challenge at all.

However, like I said above, this is a pure nostalgia release from Konami. They never intended to update the game to today's standards.

SCORE: 8.0 / 10.0

TIME PLAYED: About 4hrs

ACHIEVEMENT DETAIL: 200/200

Maybe I'll break out the game again someday, but I'm pretty much done with it. This release was everything I expected it to be.

EDIT: Formatted my blog quote there to make it easier to read.

 

[Magnus]

After five years, finally a worthy avatar to change to. Fits my name too, thanks man!

Discovered this last night online. Had to indulge. Wow. They really went all out with some nice presentation, preservation of the 6-player cab, option to play the Japanese ROM....like, wow, this could have severely half-assed and just been the 4-player cab with no options, and I still would have enjoyed it. Well done Backbone!

Sucks that there always seems to be half a second of lag or more in online games though.

 

[LQX]

Played X-Men to the end with 5 other players online with hardly a hitch. Fucking fun, so good you get infinite continues as you don't worry about dying, just having fun. Will probably never touch it again but it was so worth those 200 points. Buy it!!