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X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is an action role-playing game developed primarily by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the follow up to 2004's X-Men Legends. It was released in September 2005 for the GameCube. It is set after the events of X-Men Legends and features the mutant supervillain Apocalypse as the primary antagonist.
Gameplay
X-Men Legends II is an action role-playing game. It unites two Marvel Comics superhero teams, the heroic X-Men and the villainous Brotherhood of Mutants as they together face the mutant supervillain Apocalypse and his minions. Players can choose up to four characters to use at once from a larger roster. Players unlock additional characters as they proceed through the game. Four players can play on one machine cooperatively, and players can join or leave at any time. A new game plus mode is included that allows players to play through the game a second time while retaining all character stats.
As characters gain experience points their mutant superpowers and unique abilities can be upgraded. Items found during gameplay can also be equipped to further enhance a character's abilities. Characters can combine attacks to create a combo, in which two or more players punch or kick a single enemy at the same time. The character's special abilities can also be used in the same manner to create a Super Combo which inflicts massive damage on enemies. Each character has several mutant powers that players can assign to controller buttons. The game also features a skirmish mode, which allows players to fight against each other or waves of computer-controlled enemies.
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse features a central hub that players return to between missions. It is a designated area free from enemies, and its setting changes to coincide with the current act of the game. Here players can view loading screen art, cinematics, and comic book covers acquired during gameplay. Biographies of the X-Men and their enemies can be accessed here. Players can also participate in an X-Men trivia game which awards experience points for correct answers. Additionally, players can access a virtual combat environment known as the Danger Room to play additional missions unlocked during gameplay
Characters
- Bishop
- Colossus
- Cyclops
- Deadpool
- Gambit
- Iceman
- Iron Man
- Jean Grey
- Juggernaut
- Magneto
- Nightcrawler
- Professor X
- Rogue
- Scarlet Witch
- Storm
- Sunfire
- Toad
- Wolverine
Plot
The game begins with the X-Men and Brotherhood of Mutants uniting forces to save Professor X and Polaris. Cyclops, Storm, and Wolverine meet up with Magneto, Mystique, and Sabretooth at a military prison outpost in Greenland to free Professor X. Upon freeing him, the teams relocate to the fictional mutant haven of Genosha. They find the island ravaged by Apocalypse's forces, and work through the wreckage and find out what he was searching for. They learn that Quicksilver was kidnapped by Apocalypse, who also kidnaps Beast from the X-Mansion. Beast manages to point the team in the direction of the Savage Land, a secret prehistoric preserve in Antarctica.
The teams work their way through the Savage Land, temporarily hindering Apocalypse's plans. Apocalypse then travels to conquer New York. The teams work at sabotaging his army and resources, but Emma Frost and Angel are kidnapped as well. Angel is unwillingly transformed by Apocalypse and Mister Sinister into Archangel, a Horsemen of Apocalypse. He is assigned as a sentry to Apocalypse's tower. The teams defeat Archangel and infiltrate the tower where they find Beast, now under the control of Mister Sinister; he kidnaps Sabretooth and escapes with Apocalypse and Mister Sinister to Egypt.
They learn that Apocalypse's plan is to use Polaris, Quicksilver, Emma Frost, and Sabretooth—four mutants with what he refers to as Harmonic DNA—as part of a machine to fuel an experiment to grant him massive amounts of power. The teams then follow Apocalypse to Egypt where they defeat Mister Sinister, freeing Beast from Sinister's control. After besting the final guard, the Living Monolith, the teams battle Apocalypse and defeat him by stealing the powers from his machine. In the final cutscene, Magneto and Professor X part once again as adversaries, noting that Apocalypse was defeated but not destroyed. Beast ponders why the machine did not work properly, wondering if sabotage was a factor. As the X-Jet flies away, Sinister is seen on top of the pyramid, laughing, hinting that he sabotaged the machine.