X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

Cincinnati Enquirer

Also new, and welcome for those who don't favor the role-playing aspect, is the ability to ignore the character management with automated leveling up.

Gaming Age

There’s quite a bit of replay value involved, primarily when trying to get the three hidden characters unlocked.

Game Informer

Pure fun that increases exponentially has you add more friends to the mix. [Nov 2005, p.138]

Kombo

When you have a formula that works, all you have to do is tweak it to make it better. That's exactly what RavenSoft did, and the results will not disappoint fans of the series.

1UP

A terrific action-RPG that serves as an example of what a sequel ought to be. It's better than the original, absorbing and well balanced with enough challenge and variety to keep you busy for the 20-plus hours you'll need to get through it.

RPG Fan

The game can be completed rather quickly (in less than 20 hours), but there are tons of unlockables to keep you playing well past 40 hours, such as secret characters, a Hard Mode, and the option to start a new game with your cleared save data.

PGNx Media

X-Men Legends II isn’t a drastic improvement over the first game, but it is definitely an improvement and ultimately a fun game.

N-Insanity

I guarantee that anyone who enjoyed "X-Men Legends" will love Rise of Apocalypse.

Next Level Gaming

One of the big improvements from the original game that we found to be very nice was the open-ended story. You don't have to finish the game in a linear mode.

Gaming Horizon

The result – a fantastic action RPG that fans of the Marvel universe and non-fans alike should enjoy sinking their teeth into for more than a couple of hours.

NintendoWorldReport

A great game. With a great story and polished cinemas and voice-work, it has a lot for fans, and it gives players considerable freedom to approach the game however they like, either as a single-player or multiplayer experience.

Nintendojo

It’s better than its predecessor, better than most licensed games, and perhaps better than the legendary X-Men arcade game.

GameZone

Not any different from the first game but it is, by far, the most engrossing X-Men game a fan could ever ask for.

BonusStage

The story mode alone took me around 25 hours to complete, so it’s not a game for those looking only for a quick experience.

Console Gameworld

A must buy for all serious X-Men fans. It should also be thoroughly enjoyable to anyone who enjoys RPG's and action adventure games.

GamingTrend

A vast improvement over its predecessor. There are limitations to the hardware that really impact this particular platform, but 4-player co-op, even locally, is a great deal of fun.

GameShark

You will find destroying environments very satisfying, as well as the enemies. The storyline is fantastic and true to the Marvel world.

Gamers' Temple

An enjoyable hybrid RPG/action game that is accessible to the novice X-Men fan but pays the bigger dividends to the true fan.

GameSpot

In most respects, the game doesn’t differ much from the first title in the series; but the novelty of teaming up the good guys and bad guys to go after the really bad guys is enough to make this game enjoyable in its own right.

IGN

While the biggest and most obvious addition is the spectacular inclusion of four-player-cooperative online play, the doubled super powers, the playable evil mutants, the streamlined menus and more interactive environments make this sequel a worthy sequel in all respects.

Game Chronicles

Whether you are a hardcore X-Men fan, an RPG-lover, a single-player, or a multiplayer, this game has something to offer everyone, and with more than 70 branching levels and over 100 potential hours of gameplay, there is a whole lot of X-Men and Brotherhood action just waiting for you to explore.

GameSpy

While both the PS2 and Xbox versions do let you hook up with faraway X-Fans, the portability of the Cube console (compared to Microsoft's gargantuan console) and the ease of connecting up to four controllers (no need for a Multi-Tap) makes this the choice for the moveable co-op bash.

Cheat Code Central

Promising at least 20 hours plus gameplay (not including the multiplayer facets) is nothing to sneeze at. X-Men Legends 2 isn't miles away from the original which will please fans of the first game undoubtedly.

Gaming Illustrated

An absolute thrill to play with all the elements of both a top notch action and RPG title.

Worth Playing

While I wouldn't dare touch the single player mode ever again, I will still enjoy multiplayer sessions with friends, and, no matter how easy the game is, we will still have fun.

Ferrago

Rise of the Apocalypse could suitably have been named 'X-Men Legends II: More of the Same +', for that's what it offers.

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Its simplicity is its strength, and its weakness – while traipsing around looking for annoyingly hidden items and backtracking is almost completely avoided, the limited direction of the game reduces its chances of holding your interest for long enough to play it all the way through.

eToychest

In the end, how you receive this game will depend largely on how much weight you put on the X-Men franchise, because without it, Legends would be a very average brawler at best, and an overwrought, slightly clumsy bore at worst.

Gamer 2.0

Solid fun, assuming you loved the first, and the addition of co-op play makes for a lasting value.

Nintendo Power

A deep and satisfyingly lengthy RPG experience. [Dec 2005, p.112]

WHAM! Gaming

It has pretty graphics, plenty of extras and an engaging storyline. I may have taken a whole lot more from it if I was a hardcore fan of the history of X-Men, but it still has enough going for it to keep all types of gamers happy.

Sydney Morning Herald

Navigating the menus and many options can be seriously intimidating for the uninitiated, thanks to some complicated design features.

Total Video Games

Very much in the same vein as last year's effort, Legends II manages to make further improvements especially with the introduction of online functionality though it still fails to offer the level of immersion that perhaps shoudl be expected of an RPG title.

Game Revolution

There's not a great deal here that you haven't played before - like, last year - and we can't help but feel that this particular dungeon-crawl epic needs more updating and fewer characters. A little more, shall we say, mutation?