X-Men (arcade game)

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X-Men

Screenshot of X-Men
Developer(s) Konami
Publisher(s) Konami
Release date(s) 1992
Genre(s) Beat 'em up
Mode(s) Up to 6 simultaneously (4 and 2 player version were also made)
Platform(s) Arcade
Input 8-way joystick, 3 buttons
Arcade cabinet Standard
Arcade system(s) Custom hardware
Arcade CPU(s) 68000 (@ 16 Mhz)
Arcade sound system(s) Sound CPU: Z80 (@ 8 Mhz)
Sound Chips: YM2151 (@ 4 Mhz), K054539 (@ 48 Khz)
Arcade display Raster, 288 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 2048 colors

X-Men is an arcade game produced by Konami in 1992. It is a side-scrolling fighting game based on the characters of the same name under license from Marvel Comics. The animation of the X-Men and the supervillains is based on the 1989 X-Men pilot episode titled Pryde of the X-Men.

The player chooses one of six X-Men: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, or Dazzler. Their objective is to stop the villain Magneto from wreaking havoc on human civilization. They must fight through an army of hundreds of Sentinels and supervillains such as Pyro, Blob, Wendigo, Nimrod, The White Queen, Living Monolith, Juggernaut--who strangely wields a bazooka in his boss fight-- and Mystique, who was also a boss enemy in the game, although she simply took the form of Magneto and attacked players with punches and kicks. Later, Magneto kidnaps Professor X and Kitty Pryde, prompting the heroes to go on a rescue mission.

Although Final Fight set the standard for scrolling fighters, X-Men contained several 'improvements' including the ability to hit fallen opponents to prevent them from getting back up (as first seen in the arcade game Crime Fighters by Konami (1989) and its sequels), as well as a character-specialized "mutant power," which could clear most of the screen of enemies (like the 'crowd control' attack in Final Fight achieved by hitting both the jump & attack buttons together). Those mutant powers can be stored like items (similar to Golden Axe's magic powers), but if there are none stored the mutant power can still be used, but it slightly reduced the player's health. The game is fondly remembered by those who played it for its fun, addictive gameplay and colorful graphics. However, it is also sometimes criticized for its wooden voice acting and often ungrammatical script, particularly from Magneto ("I am Magneto, Master of Magnet" and "Welcome to Die!"). The Japanese version of the game featured enemies that would drop health and Mutant Power refills upon their defeat. These enemies were absent from the American release of the game.

Depending on the machine, the maximum number of simultaneous players varies from two to six. The six-player version used a multiple screen set up, similar to The Ninja Warriors. [1]

Note that this game is not to be confused with a later X-Men game, X-Men: Children of the Atom, which was released in arcades, on video game consoles, and on the PC.

[edit] Quotes

X-Men in-game screenshot
X-Men in-game screenshot
  • "Go and save the city!"
  • "Pyro will turn you to toast!"
  • "Nothing moves the Blob!"
  • "Wendigo!"
  • "The White Queen welcomes you to die!"
  • "Juggernaut will flatten you!"
  • "You must rescue the professor!"
  • "X-men! Welcome... to die!"
  • "I am Magneto, you are nothing!"
  • "I am Magneto, Master of Magnet!"
  • "Thank you X-Men! But Magneto is in another place." (a reference to Super Mario Bros.)
  • "Magneto is over there!"
  • "You are helpless against my power, X-Men!"
  • "X-Chicken!"
  • "I have a tiny man"
  • "Kill you!"
  • "You are dead!"
  • "Welcome...to die!"
  • "Ballistic BARRAGE!"
  • [Colossus' crescendoing guttural roar as his mutant power is used]
  • [After Professor X leaps out of a cave] "X-MUN!"

[edit] External links