On This Day 20 Years Ago, We Got the Last Good X-Men Game

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The X-Men are considered one of the greatest superhero teams, boasting a huge roster of characters and incredibly diverse powers. That’s why it makes sense to see so many X-Men included in *Marvel Rivals*. However, it’s been a long time since a truly excellent X-Men game was released – in fact, it’s been exactly 20 years since fans last enjoyed a really strong one.

I’m talking about *X-Men Legends 2: Apocalypse*, released back in 2005. While *X-Men Origins: Wolverine* offered a decent tie-in game in 2009, it focused more on Wolverine himself than on the X-Men as a team. It’s been a long time since a game truly captured what X-Men fans are looking for. Let’s revisit what made *X-Men Legends 2: Apocalypse* so great, and perhaps remind developers what we’d like to see in a future X-Men game.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse Was a Solid Sequel and a Great Game

The original *X-Men Legends* came out when the PlayStation 2 and GameCube were popular, offering fans a brand new role-playing game centered around the mutant team. A key feature was the ability to play as a team, capturing the essence of the X-Men, and even team up with friends in co-op mode. Critics loved its comic book-like art style and enjoyed its engaging combat and RPG mechanics. It was successful enough to get a sequel, but as gamers often find, the follow-up didn’t quite live up to the original.

Okay, so I was really hoping *X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse* would be good, and honestly, it totally delivered! It was a big step up from the first game, and people seemed to really love it. They took everything that was good about the original and added even more – way more characters you could play as, a bigger story, and you could even play online with friends! Now, the gameplay wasn’t perfect. It felt a little unbalanced sometimes, with some really powerful moves that made fights less fun than they could have been. But overall, it was a really solid X-Men game where you got to build a team and actually *be* the X-Men, and we haven’t had a lot of games like that since.

While not flawless, *X-Men Legends 2* is generally remembered as the last really good X-Men video game. The game tied to the movie, *X-Men: The Official Game*, wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t stand out either. It moved away from the enjoyable team-based role-playing style of the *Legends* games, switching to a simpler beat ’em up format with a new story intended to connect the movies. It was just okay, and unfortunately, things haven’t improved since. *X-Men: Destiny* (2011) didn’t live up to expectations, and the following game was a mobile app that’s no longer available. Overall, we haven’t seen a return to the quality of the *X-Men Legends* series since *Rise of Apocalypse* concluded the series.

We’re Past Due for Another Great X-Men Game

It’s a shame we never received a third *X-Men Legends* game. The developers moved on to *Marvel: Ultimate Alliance*, which includes a broader range of Marvel heroes. While X-Men characters do appear in *Ultimate Alliance* and other Marvel games, many fans still wish for another dedicated RPG focused on the mutant team. If you enjoyed playing *X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse*, the *Marvel: Ultimate Alliance* series offers similar gameplay, but it’s not quite the same as a true X-Men adventure.

Similar to *X-Men Origins: Wolverine*, the new *Marvel’s Wolverine* game will primarily center around a single character, even though it’s technically part of the X-Men universe. Fans are hoping *Marvel’s Wolverine* will be a strong, focused game from Insomniac, but they’re really looking forward to a full-fledged X-Men game in the future. If *Marvel’s Wolverine* and other projects are successful, rumors suggest Insomniac plans to deliver that eventually.

While Insomniac Games might eventually make an X-Men game, it’s likely several years away. For now, X-Men characters are appearing in fighting games like *Marvel Rivals* and the soon-to-release *Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls*. But fans who want a full role-playing game where they can play *as* the X-Men and experience a story focused on the core team have been waiting for two decades, and it looks like that wait will continue for some time.

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2025-09-20 20:42