When Activision announced that it was making an X-Men role-playing game I embraced the idea like any fan of the comic book would seeing as the majority of the games featuring these mutants were mainly all awful fighting games.  Then X-Men Legends was released on all consoles and boy did it live up to all the expectations to the point that fans couldn’t wait for a sequel.  X-Men Legends II: Rise of the Apocalypse sees a return of our favorite mutant team but this time it unites its rivals to fight against the mysterious evil that is Apocalypse.  Somebody get me a bib, I’m drooling again.

Rise of the Apocalypse begins with the most unlikely of rescues lead by the mutant you’d least expect would raise a hand to help, Professor Charles Xavier.  You see Magneto is the leader of an extreme terrorist-like group calling themselves the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and he doesn’t quite see eye-to-eye with the pacifist pro-human views of Professor Xavier and his group of X-Men.  Yet, much like the movie X2: X-Men United, these two rivals have joined forces to put a stop to an evil entity calling itself Apocalypse.  It seems that Apocalypse has sparked a war by attacking a Mutant Awareness convention the Professor and X-Men Polaris were attending and captured them.  He didn’t stop there and managed to take Quicksilver, Magneto’s only son.  From the looks of things, it seems that Apocalypse is collecting powerful mutants but why? 

This is a question both members of the X-Men and Brotherhood must find out and it is a quest that takes them across the globe and into dangerous territories true to the X-Men lore.  Deep in a secret temple in Egypt you discover the start of something unnatural but the story will take you through various locales such as the Weapon X facility and even the Savage Land.  Unlike the first game, though, you will be visiting them with the Brotherhood in tow. 

You’ll still play returning favorite X-Men like Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey and Colossus.   There’s even the addition of Bishop to the lineup as well as a few other surprises but it’s the ability to play Magneto, Juggernaut, Toad and the Scarlet Witch that makes this a real treat.  Sadly the GameCube doesn’t recognize your memory card’s save game so you’ll have to level up your character from the very beginning.  It’s not bad, though, but because the higher your character’s stats and abilities are the more fun you’ll get out of your characters.  Even Toad, who was a weak annoyance in the first game, is a worthy fighter in this game.  Sadly, main protagonist Magma doesn’t make a return in the sequel.  Not only was she powerful but seeing the X-Men through her eyes was something of a treat.

Nothing has changed from the first Legends in the gameplay department.  The game controls the same way and the team is still comprised of four characters you can pick from the lineup of characters available.  You can still find an extraction point and replace characters according to any situation that requires a certain handy mutant ability and you can still equip a useful item.  The best part here is the two-man combos that now have an X-Men character performing it with a Brotherhood character.  Sure you can still have Colossus toss Wolverine into a crowd (called a Fastball Special) but isn’t it cooler to have Juggernaut and Colossus perform a bulldozing combo for extra smash time?

While the GameCube looks and plays like the other console versions, it is the GameCube that takes a backseat due to the fact that this year the game can be played online.  Still you can play this game with up to four friends in Story mode and there’s Skirmish modes like Brawl, King of the Hill, Last Man Standing and Last Man Standing Ladder.  All of these things add up to a fun multiplayer game.

The game’s graphics haven’t changed either but that’s not necessarily a bad thing considering the series is trying to give the game its comic book feel.  Then again cell-shading isn’t my cup of tea but it does give the game its own look and the characters and environments are wonderfully detailed.  The effects are also flashy and the opening cut scene is a great way of kicking off the game.  On the GameCube the graphics are just as spectacular as the PS2 and Xbox, although you will encounter just a tad few slowdowns and long load times.

It’s the game’s sound that is, once again, a highlight.  With a great voice over cast that does justice to each character, the great dialogue just sounds all the more better.  I love Patrick Stewart reprising his role (since he does play Xavier in the movies) but Magneto sounds like a real cornball in this game.  Other than that the sound effects are more than decent (albeit just a tad repetitive) and the score is just brilliant.

If anything X-Men II: Rise of the Apocalypse delivers a much bigger and more action-packed RPG than last year’s game and if you’re not already a fan you will be.  Sure the gameplay mechanics are the same but with a solid cast of characters that include the Brotherhood, you can’t go wrong with this GameCube game worth owning. 

Gameplay: 8.5
It plays the same way the last game plays and that’s good if you thought the controls were just right for an RPG with a lot of action elements.  Battles are fun with mutant powers and the more you level up the more characters like Magneto will do the most damage.  You can switch characters at different points so you can pair them up for each given situation that arises.

Graphics: 7.5
The same cell-shaded characters might be a turn off or turn on depending if you like cell-shaded characters.  They work well within the context of a game based on the popular comic book series and the characters are detailed to the point that you can tell your Nightcrawler from Mystique or Wolverine from Sabretooth.  The effects are dazzling and the animated cut scenes are a lot better this time around.

Sound: 8.8
The game’s score is marvelous and, much like the first Legends is cinematic and changes whenever a new situation arises.   The voice acting is stellar again as well and listening to Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier as well as Lou Diamond Phillips as Forge is a big plus in my book.  The sound effects can get a bit repetitive but they’re not bad at all.

Difficulty: Medium
Like the first game, you’ll have to face multiple enemies and there are boss battles as well.  The most challenging battles, and the ones Marvel comics fans will appreciate, is between recognizable X-Men villains.  I won’t ruin the surprises this game throws at you but you will be pleasantly surprised and pleasantly challenged.

Concept: 8.5
The X-Men working alongside The Brotherhood?  It’s a match made in comic book heaven and it just makes this sequel all the more interesting.  There are the usual Legends unlockable goodies like comics, artwork and Danger Room scenarios you can replay to your hearts content.  You can also switch between costumes for even more comic book goodness.  No Magma, though, what’s up with that?

Multiplayer: 8.0
The painful realization that everyone else is enjoying online multiplayer will make you feel like you’re missing out on something really good, which us GameCube owners are, but that doesn’t keep this from being an excellent multiplayer game for up to four players.  Share this one with a group of mutant loving friends, they’ll love it.

Overall: 8.5
Rise of the Apocalypse is not any different from the first game but it is, by far, the most engrossing X-Men game a fan could ever ask for.  With a story that puts rival teams together for a climatic battle, there’s much to love about a game that packs as much familiar X-Men and Marvel lore as possible.  GameCube owners, this is a real Must Have.