5 Great X-Men Video Games & 5 That Sucked

Merging X-Men and Quake into one video game? What could possibly go wrong?

Wolverine Sabretooth X-Men Legends
Marvel

With the first X-Men films ushering in a new world of superheroes on the big screen, it can be easy to forget that these mutants have had plenty of outings via video game platforms over the last 30 years.

Believe it or not, there are nearly 30 titles with a primary focus on the X-Men and over a dozen other Marvel video games featuring Professor Xavier's team. Sadly, it's been ages since we've had a AAA X-Men game, but that doesn't mean we can't look back at the ones we do have.

Though not all X-Men games have changed the industry or even entertained gamers enough to increase replayability, there are a number of entries that brought Marvel's mutants to life in spectacular fashion on everything from traditional arcade systems and the Sega Genesis, to the Game Boy Advance and mobile phones.

Imagine ruthlessly ripping through hordes of thugs as Wolverine, pitting X-Men head-to-head in classic versus modes, and even teaming up with three of your friends in a co-op quest to take on the coolest villains in the X-Men's rogues' gallery.

Unfortunately, there are also a few games in this history that don't warrant the phrase "mutant and proud". Poor graphics, clunky mechanics, and downright bad ideas made a handful of these potentially exciting games miserable to play through...

11. Great - X-Men 2: Clone Wars (Sega Genesis, 1995)

Wolverine Sabretooth X-Men Legends
Sega

Ask fans to name the greatest X-Men video game and there's a high probability they'll list X-Men 2: Clone Wars as one of their all-time favorites. A significant improvement in terms of manageable difficulty over its predecessor, X-Men 2: Clone Wars is still a treat to play today.

The game may only have a handful of levels, but they deliver a challenge with awesome boss battles. The escape from the Sentinel factory, the face-off with Apocalypse and a finale in which you have to face clones of your playable characters — it's no surprise why this game is so highly regarded.

Decent graphics, easy controls, and no limits on the mutant power bars made X-Men 2: Clone Wars a memorable game that still offers a more enjoyable playing experience than even subsequent titles released on next-gen systems.

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Nick Dauk hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.