So I can't help but share this fact whenever I have the chance. My dad was the project lead for this game... I LOVED going in and seeing the development of this game. John Dimaggio made a voicemail for my dad and made announcements through the studio; best childhood. Edit: Oh my god you're talking about my dad!! Hahahaha I get to say this on a TH-cam thread and not in school, it's pronounced like the letter G.
@@alwaysnerdyretros Don't worry man, you and literally every other human being too. Awesome review! If you're ever interested in checking out other Raven games I'd highly suggest their Star Wars games (Outcast and Academy), and even their Wolverine Origins game; one of the few times a game was better than a movie (not that it's hard to do with that movie...) I can't speak for my dad or other members, but it's possible I could connect people if there's certain information you're looking for that hasn't been covered in an interview. Really happy to see these "old" Raven games getting the recognition they have always deserved!! GREAT REVIEW
This was the game was that made me go "I think I wanna make a X-Men videogame." and I still have that thought process to this day, in the early 2000's, I was such a MASSIVE X-MEN, this helped make me a expert. The deep dive I went into the game was nuts, like I have the soundtrack in my music library, I learned costume design from characters, the map layout of the mansion, and even the X-Jet Blackbird (Which is a type of B-2 Stealth Bomber Jet). One big problem I had was with my 1st PS2 copy, it kept freezing at the X-Mansion sub-basement the first time, had to get a new one aft that. Another was no huge replayabiltiy moments, like, you wanna replay the game with higher stats... nope, sorry. So, I made several save points, one in the Astral Plane, and on near the end with Master Mold, unfortunately, Master Mold was so freakin' hard, he killed every member of my team, except Wolverine (cause healing factor), fortunately, I got him down to ONE HIT POINT, and save scummed it to a point where if I do one single attack, I win the game lol (Still have my copy, PS2, and memory card, quite proud of that.)
@@alwaysnerdyretros For a time, I was going in that direction, but I ended up doing TH-cam instead. I have this knowledge about costumes i've cultivated over time since and I haven't used it, but one day I will lol
Omg you should make another c men game. I still have this game on my ps2. Lol just last week I was playing it with my cousins with the multi tap so all four could play. Idk why they won make another x men game like this with great graphics. Marvel hero’s came close to me because I could pick all of my dream x men. This game had a impact on me liking the x men mainly jean because I could not not have her in my team. Haha I even got mad that one level I couldn’t pick her lmao but, storm comes second then rouge. And omg Emma is fun to use too with her mind control ability ( I love my psychics as you can see lol) I love the ultimate x men costumes I think these are my favorite and this game had the best music in ever the astral plane and Danger room and when you fight marrow god gives me goose bumps talking about it. sighh I could talk about this game forever not gonna go on a rant haha.
@@alwaysnerdyretros i just found your channel and after seeing your indepth retrospectives on Ultimate Alliance 1 and 2 and being blown away that another human being had even heard of Marvel Nemesis. There was just one more I needed. Hulk Ultimate Destruction. I will wait patiently for it. 😅
Things I hated about this game: - Not being able to use unlockables in a new game - Only 2 offence powers and 1 defence Shield - No 90s costumes Other than those, I loved this one and the 2nd game and it really sucks that the 3rd installment where Mr. Sinister was teased was scrapped
Yeah it's weird that it took until MUA3 (for Cyclops especially) to get the iconic Jim Lee outfits. Lack of new game plus was also a shame tho I don't remember how common it was as a feature back then.
both are equally BEAUTIFUL! both X-L2 added so much more and way more satisfying combat and mechanics only flaw of X-L2 is that it did not had Psylocke in it :((((
This game is one of the reasons my PS2 is still in my living room. It's such a shame how poorly Activision has treated Raven, and wish they were still able to make great games like this.
Omgggg how have I not come across this video sooner? I was OBSESSED with this game back in the day and still am today. Such a classic. It’s a wonderful and fun love letter to X-Men fans!
THE SHIP. This level was a major problem because with the save system, you could somewhat easily hardlock your entire game by saving when not realizing you didn’t have enough time to finish the entire level.
I was nervous about that while I was playing! If I recall, I might have even done that to myself as a kid back in 2004. I was getting some very anxious sense memories and I wasn’t sure why until I saw your comment 😆
As a kid me and my bro actually had that happen on our first save file of the game. I remember being soooo salty about it too 😂 started a new game after that and got gud af and beat it on the second go. I remember Ice-Man being my fucking dude in this game!
Or a remake from the ground up like Destroy All Humans got but give us as many X-Men characters as possible and have them all unlocked as soon as you first get to the mansion and also like in Legends 2 having the game acknowledge when you create a team from the comics
For an extra challenge. Try solo. I suggest using Storm as she only needs assistance in one area that only Night Crawler can access. She is the most powerful char in the game in my opinion. Jean is the next best option for a solo run.
This game still holds up really well. I just booted it up for the first time a few days ago and enjoyed my time so much, I decided to do another play through.
Magneto has some great lines in this game. "Let madness be the mother of change" like c'mon that's a bar 😂 he definitely should have been the last boss
Love these retrospectives. The length is perfect. I grew up playing X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse in elementary school and absolutely loved it. Would love to see a retrospective mash-up for it and it’s spiritual successor Marvel Superheroes: War of the Gems. Maybe a miniseries for the 16-bit era games?
Those would be fun and I’ve been thinking about them too. I’d really like to get to those at some point, I’m mostly figuring out when. I think a series is a good idea too. Those would probably be shorter videos so I could hopefully put more out at a quicker pace. I know I’m so slow right now lol.
I can’t even begin to imagine how long a video like this takes to make and edit, Jesus man you’re a power house, videos are beautiful, entertaining and informative! A+ my friend!
You’re not getting the recognition you deserve for your hard work but it doesn’t matter because I can tell you’re doing what you heart desires and it truly is a inspiration. Keep doing what you love bro. I will see you at a million subscribers, I’m calling it! 💥
When you mentioned you were going to do a Retrospective, I started playing this game on my PS2 again since I haven't played it since it came out. I am almost done, but it is so fun! Thanks for bringing back my childhood. Looking forward to playing XL2 and your Retrospective on that as well.
That’s awesome to hear!!! I’m glad someone else is enjoying revisiting these games as much as I am! You’ll have to let me know what you think when you beat XML1. I’d love to hear another perspective
I love that Magneto is played by the same voice actor as Claude Frollo in Hunchback of Notre Dame. Such a great voice actor. RIP Tony Jay, a huge part of my childhood.
It’s been two decades since the X-Men were considered a flagship property. Even longer since they’ve had a classic run (Krakoa was the nail in the coffin). Marvel over here trying to make sure they’re never popular again
@@kjfinch8866 definitely one I’m desperate to do! I’m having trouble getting it to capture onto my computer though. Keep getting weird audio bugs, so once I figure that out, that’ll be next!
My top four characters I played as were Wolverine, Cyclops, Rogue, and Storm. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing as all of the X-men! But I got those four really high up there! Iceman was another favorite of mine
Hey man, I just want to say thank you for doing what you do. Your vids are so entertaining. Marvel's Avengers breakdowns, review, retrospectives, it's all so entertaining. And I love it, so thanks.
They even threw the fastball special in the game. I remember being so surprised they had that kind of attention to the characters when I first played this as a kid.
I found these games as a kid and played both of them and loved them. X men were and still are my favorite marvel comics and the firdt 2 x men movies were really good
The gladiator armor in the astral plane is a reference to the psi-armor most psychics wear when they battle each other there. See Uncanny X-Men #117, where Xavier and the Shadow King have a battle in very similar armor to what they wear in this game
I’ve been binging your other retrospectives for the past week and have been eagerly anticipating the release of this one! Needless to say, it did not disappoint. Can’t wait till XML2! These games, along with Ultimate Alliance, were a huge part of my childhood and my introduction to Marvel, but I was always partial to the X-Men, and thusly, X-Men Legends 1 and 2. I got stuck on the second level as a kid, but went back and finally finished the game last year and was suprised at just how much I enjoyed the combat and levelling, as well as crafting my teams tactically, rather than based purely on who I like or who was only playable in this game. I’m tempted to return to this game again, but I’m still in the middle of re-playing like... all the others, so it may be a while before I get back to it.
That’s awesome! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying them 😃 I’m eager to jump into XML2 now. Everyone keeps telling me it’s even better than XML1. Are you replaying other retro marvel games besides legends?
@@alwaysnerdyretros I’d agree with that assessment. It takes you to more obscure x-men locations and introduces more small-time characters, much in the way the first MUA does. Plus, the gameplay gets updated to be more like the first MUA with more selectable powers and a 5-act structure with different hub worlds per act. I think my only area where XML2 is a downgrade is the roster, because while it’s nice to play as the brotherhood, there are some notable omissions from the first game like Beast and Psylocke. I’m currently just going through the Legends/MUA games, but I’ve been thinking of revisiting Imperfects as well.
Tony jay was probably one of the finest voice actors of his time. Still feels weird hearing him as magneto though. I just permanently associate him with the elder god from legacy of kain.
Wow.. i didn't know that Steven Seagal is not just a martial arts expert, a movie star and a musician, but also a writer as part of Man of Action?!!.. he truly is the perfect human being😳
Omg, you’re talking about X-Men legends!!!! Thank you so much, no one talks about this game at all and I’m so glad I can hear someone acknowledging it’s genius and existence. 🙏🏾
Ohhh man, I remember seeing this game in magazines when I was younger, and I wanted it so bad, but I never ended up getting it. I like how thorough you are in this retrospective, basically answering most the questions I had about this game when I was younger, and showing a lot of gameplay stuff I never knew about. Great video, just subscribed and looking forward to checking out your other vids.
@@alwaysnerdyretros Man, any game with Gambit playable is a game I want to play haha :D It's a matter of accessability though, if it comes to eshop to moderne consoles I'd get it immediately, but I don't have old consoles as readily available, so if I have to go back to the PS2 era and hunt down a physical copy of this, it could get a bit more difficult.
@@JoeyShadowKorn yeah that’s understandable, especially if you don’t have an old console. Hopefully with the x-men getting a movie in the future, we’ll see some of these older games get remasters 🤞
Thank you so much for this review. X-Men Legends is by far ma favorite game since the beggining ! I remenber when I was a kid, I just saw it in a store and beg my mum to buy it. So many memories when playing this game with my sister and my friends. I remember how hard it was when I was a kid, but now this is too easy :P 12 years later, this game is still a huge reference to me and I still play it sometimes.
This my favorite game of all time! I have played this game since it came out before I could even read lol. I have beaten it countless times over the past 15 to 16 years and still play it over and over till this day.
I think more people are saying this game was their childhood than mua, which I was pleasantly surprised at. I’m glad the x-men have that much support! Makes me more hopeful for a future XML3 or another x-men focused AAA game 🤞
@@alwaysnerdyretros The only thing about this game that I remember struggling with greatly was the difficulty. It really kept me out of the later story because I couldn't get past the second level for so long lol. Great game though. I remember Apocalypse fondly too, it was a big improvement and evolution of the story.
44:10 the astral plane's combat theme is one of my all time favorite video games tracks, and for me it made me enjoy the stral plane stages so much more
Great video nerdy! Love the length and the detailed breakdowns! I’d like to see a retro perspective review on the game Wolverines Revenge. Wolverine is voice by Mark Hamill while Patrick Stewart plays Professor X, you also have a slew of cameos from different X-Men characters and even a deleted scene cameo from Spiderman! The story is great the gameplay is intuitive, and the VO is top notch IMO. Also I love the marvel stories from audible! My personal favorite is secret wars. It captures the marvel spirit. Anyways good stuff!
Thank you! I’d love to do one on Wolverines Revenge! I remember playing it as a kid and being scared of sabretooth but that’s about all lol. Didn’t know Mark Hamill was the voice, that’ll be interesting in itself. I’m definitely going to look up that Spider-Man cameo too! Yessss the Secret Wars audiobook is probably my favorite so far! I enjoyed that one a lot! That’s strange about your comment. I know TH-cam has an automated feature that deletes comments that it thinks are spam, so maybe it saw a link and auto deleted it? 🤷♂️
Interesting fact about this game’s releases: the Xbox version of this and X-Men legends 2 are actually two out of a handful of original xbox games that run in native 720p widescreen. Ps2 and GCN versions were 480p. Xbox also had higher resolution textures. Very few original xbox games could run in HD, but these were two of them. Note that you had to have component cables for your xbox to run games in HD. It didn’t even give you the menu option in the dashboard to set resolutions if you used composite cables. Also the Ngage version was sprite based, being that it was an early 2000s Nokia phone. Despite that, it was actually also very good and well received, being considered a killer app for the short lived portable console. Ngage also got Legends 2 in the same sprite based form. Oh, the xbox version of Ultimate Alliance also ran 720p, but was still inferior to the 360 version. It lacked the shiny mapping and lighting effects of the later console.
I figured out early on you could always get enemy drops including health/energy packs in Danger Room missions you haven't completed. Saves a ton of credits & helped a lot when I was new to the game. Still one of my faves
Yep , the first call allies mission that's 2 minutes long. Just don't call allies and take out enemies for the 2 minutes. And the final freshman mission , just don't destroy all the terminals and keep fighting until your inventory is full. End the scenario and sell the equipment to Forge , repeat until your little heart's content. Use Grad Exam 400 to level grind your characters into the low to mid 30s range. Use the last DR mission , to level grind to and beyond level 40.
@@robertmurdock1848 That's actually pretty cool. I always assumed 40 was the max level because Prof X is that level in the Astral missions (thought the leader would be max level). I'm always high 30s when i finish the game.
I clicked on this video super fast!!! I’m gonna have to rebuy a ps2 for this game bc it was my childhood!!!! I’m subbing and liking too. Love u for this video Lmaooo
The little conversation between Emma and Charles must be inspired by ultimate comics Emma Frost because they had a little fling when she went to his school (as a student), but other than that Frost doesn't have a relationship with anyone but Cyclops.
Excellent video, Nerdy! Is so impressive to revisit and see how strong this XML/MUA series started. Looking forward to the next one. Keep up the good work!
The only thing that hurts the game is that it's the first of its kind and it shows. Brutally difficult and unforgiving because of how limited you are with healing items.
Thank you for watching! I just finished playing the sequel it was so good!!! I’m excited to start writing the next video and get it uploaded. I’m slow at getting these out so maybe like early-mid June
Thank you for making this retrospective makes me feel nastolgic for 2000s marvel games and comics especially the ultimate universe. Can't wait for you to do a marvel nemesis review.
Turn based rpg combat will always have it's charm. One day there will be Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Marvel, DC, and One Piece turn turn based games but I can only hope that they will come in my life time.
12:18 As a kid, I used to pick whoever I wanted (and Wolverine is a must-have to this day whenever I play this game), but I started using an Energy character, a Physical character, and a Psychic character, with the 4th character being whoever I needed for whichever mission I'm doing. I always made sure to have Iceman on my team when I was a kid for bridges and fire, but since I always ran Storm, who has the ability to weld and extinguish fire, I started using Jean Grey instead due to her abilities actually being very powerful against most enemies and having the ability to weld and make bridges.
To my understanding, the astral plane is typically depicted as Greco Roman aesthetic. Psychic powers don't really work there so they manifest their powers as armor and weapons. This isn't seen too much in comics as it is seen in various cartoons
For Raven’s first attempt at a game like this, it came out amazingly and led to an even better sequel and a great spinoff. Wish we could get remasters of these games, these are classics that are stuck on old gen consoles.
The Shadow King is a recurring villain that's a seemingly unfairly OP psychic and Jean or Xavier always struggle or need aid to fend him off psychically. It almost felt like Byrne and Claremont made him too strong and never knew how to properly vanquish him. So it's fair that Charles got embarassed
Loved the video! you really do your research and I love that. I had no idea that Patrick Stewart voiced Professor X in this game. Also, it’s been so long that I completely forgot the story of this one. In the next one, I think you should mention some of your favorite characters since it’s such a huge roster with both Xmen and Brotherhood characters playable.
Patrick Stewart also voices Xavier in the video games X-Men: Next Dimension, X2: Wolverine's Revenge, X-Men Legends 2, X-Men: and The Official Game (the prequel game to the movie X-Men: The Last Stand). Throughout this time, he was also voicing Captain Picard in various Star Trek video games. Personally, I'm glad that he enjoyed the character so much that he was willing to keep returning to the role! It definitely made all of this appearances that much more special. Especially for this life-long Trekkie and X-Fan!
I wish xmen legends would get a remaster. Its an awesome game. Also the missions are super easy with mental charters like jean, because if you upgrand her attacks with her powers she does mental damage not energy or physical
I was so young when I had this game on my ps2 that I couldn't even beat the first level. So I just played the beginning of it over and over again. That opening cutscene will foreve be ingrained in my brain.
you might be too young for this but, I remember playing this when I was a kid and as soon as I heard Magnetos voice actor I couldn't stop thinking about him yelling at Quasimodo. lol
@Draliseth my dude! 🤜🤛 Tony was bad guy voice before bad guys voices were a thing....Mighty Max? Reboot??????..... or one of my later favorites...treasure planet....thats a gooood voice as a narrator....keeps things kinda "eerie". Great depth and rasp.
Dang... Tony Jay makes a great Magneto. I was a little late to the party, starting with Legends 2, but I loved this and the UA series. I'm sorry Raven got condemned to the CoD mines, they were a great developer.
That game informer interview with the former devs is really interesting. It sounds like most of the staff wanted to continue on with games like these, but CoD was generating so much money that they didn’t really have a choice.
@@alwaysnerdyretros It seems Activision does that to a lot of its strong studios even today. Yeah I know it's where the money is, but it's damn depressing.
You should have used Jean Grey. Literally the strongest character in the game and does mental damage. I definitely remember how hard the ice tunnels was but Jean makes it a bit easier with her radial mental attack that lowers enemy damage and slows them
Also the best team when fight the sentinels level is Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, and Colossus. Storm Lightning attack should be able to chain at this point. Wolverine slash and Rogue/Colossus are tanks plus both have super strong punches
I remember learning in the Ice Tunnel / Alaska level that if you let Iceman die and don’t have the credits to resurrect him, you’re just shit out of luck. Iceman is needed to make bridges in certain parts to progress
So I can't help but share this fact whenever I have the chance. My dad was the project lead for this game... I LOVED going in and seeing the development of this game. John Dimaggio made a voicemail for my dad and made announcements through the studio; best childhood.
Edit: Oh my god you're talking about my dad!! Hahahaha I get to say this on a TH-cam thread and not in school, it's pronounced like the letter G.
What that’s so awesome!!! I’m jealous! Sorry I botched the last name. I was so confident I had it right too lol 😅
@@alwaysnerdyretros Don't worry man, you and literally every other human being too. Awesome review! If you're ever interested in checking out other Raven games I'd highly suggest their Star Wars games (Outcast and Academy), and even their Wolverine Origins game; one of the few times a game was better than a movie (not that it's hard to do with that movie...)
I can't speak for my dad or other members, but it's possible I could connect people if there's certain information you're looking for that hasn't been covered in an interview. Really happy to see these "old" Raven games getting the recognition they have always deserved!! GREAT REVIEW
We need more games like this!
Also a REMASTER!!!
@F Last name I'm sure he'll get right on that, Donnie Downer.
omg, i LOVED THIS GAME, but Wolverine Origins was my jam!
Takes me back to much simpler days.
This was the game was that made me go "I think I wanna make a X-Men videogame." and I still have that thought process to this day, in the early 2000's, I was such a MASSIVE X-MEN, this helped make me a expert. The deep dive I went into the game was nuts, like I have the soundtrack in my music library, I learned costume design from characters, the map layout of the mansion, and even the X-Jet Blackbird (Which is a type of B-2 Stealth Bomber Jet).
One big problem I had was with my 1st PS2 copy, it kept freezing at the X-Mansion sub-basement the first time, had to get a new one aft that. Another was no huge replayabiltiy moments, like, you wanna replay the game with higher stats... nope, sorry. So, I made several save points, one in the Astral Plane, and on near the end with Master Mold, unfortunately, Master Mold was so freakin' hard, he killed every member of my team, except Wolverine (cause healing factor), fortunately, I got him down to ONE HIT POINT, and save scummed it to a point where if I do one single attack, I win the game lol
(Still have my copy, PS2, and memory card, quite proud of that.)
Hahaha that’s crazy! That’s so awesome that it was such an inspirational game for you. Are you in game development now or do you do it as a hobby?
@@alwaysnerdyretros For a time, I was going in that direction, but I ended up doing TH-cam instead. I have this knowledge about costumes i've cultivated over time since and I haven't used it, but one day I will lol
@@GenerationWest If you enjoy it you totally should! I respect the TH-cam choice though 💪
Omg you should make another c men game. I still have this game on my ps2. Lol just last week I was playing it with my cousins with the multi tap so all four could play. Idk why they won make another x men game like this with great graphics. Marvel hero’s came close to me because I could pick all of my dream x men. This game had a impact on me liking the x men mainly jean because I could not not have her in my team. Haha I even got mad that one level I couldn’t pick her lmao but, storm comes second then rouge. And omg Emma is fun to use too with her mind control ability ( I love my psychics as you can see lol) I love the ultimate x men costumes I think these are my favorite and this game had the best music in ever the astral plane and Danger room and when you fight marrow god gives me goose bumps talking about it. sighh I could talk about this game forever not gonna go on a rant haha.
We need a XML3
35:40 The gladiator duel between Xavier and Shadow King is reference to their first battle in the comics, in Uncanny X-men 117.
Thank you! That makes a lot of sense now
@@alwaysnerdyretros You're welcome. I just love finding comic book references.
Impressive
They also have a similar battle on Astral plane in the x men 90s animated series
@@enigmatic247 great series 👏🏻
The Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction is another game that I would love to see a retrospective of
Awesome! I actually just found that one at a used game shop. So I’ll definitely get there too!
@@alwaysnerdyretros i just found your channel and after seeing your indepth retrospectives on Ultimate Alliance 1 and 2 and being blown away that another human being had even heard of Marvel Nemesis. There was just one more I needed. Hulk Ultimate Destruction. I will wait patiently for it. 😅
Ultimate Spider-Man please
The ghost rider movie turned video game is pretty underrated
@@Infamousknight123 Only cause it bit off of Devil May Cry.
Things I hated about this game:
- Not being able to use unlockables in a new game
- Only 2 offence powers and 1 defence Shield
- No 90s costumes
Other than those, I loved this one and the 2nd game and it really sucks that the 3rd installment where Mr. Sinister was teased was scrapped
Yeah it's weird that it took until MUA3 (for Cyclops especially) to get the iconic Jim Lee outfits. Lack of new game plus was also a shame tho I don't remember how common it was as a feature back then.
I love how they made a sequel that kept all the good and got rid of all the bad stuff
If you put in the cheat codes then you can play through with all the unlockables and costumes
While I didn't care too much back then. Nowadays it frustrates me that this game and ultimate alliance used primarily ultimate universe costumes.
Not enough belts.
Omg my youth lol, I played this game to death back in the day. A real classic along with Legends 2
both are equally BEAUTIFUL! both X-L2 added so much more and way more satisfying combat and mechanics
only flaw of X-L2 is that it did not had Psylocke in it :((((
@@GothicXlightningThis is where PC mods come into play.
This game is one of the reasons my PS2 is still in my living room. It's such a shame how poorly Activision has treated Raven, and wish they were still able to make great games like this.
The cool thing about having a PS2 and X-Men Legends is having Codebreaker to start the game on level 99!
I play this on the GameCube once in a while, perfect for me since I’m a comic book enthusiast.
I have it on the original Xbox. It looks very nice in 720p on my hdmi converter
I would love to see Raven return to this series. That would be so awesome. It brought crpgs into the mainstream
I think you should've mentioned the twist to the Cyclops and Havok fight. That since they were brothers the powers had no effect on each other
Omgggg how have I not come across this video sooner? I was OBSESSED with this game back in the day and still am today. Such a classic. It’s a wonderful and fun love letter to X-Men fans!
This game never gets old, I've beaten it so many times and everytime I go back to it I always enjoy it, needs a remastered
Yeah but of course Activision or Marvel wouldn’t let it happen cuz it’d embarrass them on how games back then were way better lol
THE SHIP. This level was a major problem because with the save system, you could somewhat easily hardlock your entire game by saving when not realizing you didn’t have enough time to finish the entire level.
I was nervous about that while I was playing! If I recall, I might have even done that to myself as a kid back in 2004. I was getting some very anxious sense memories and I wasn’t sure why until I saw your comment 😆
As kid I would always get stuck on that level
As a kid me and my bro actually had that happen on our first save file of the game. I remember being soooo salty about it too 😂 started a new game after that and got gud af and beat it on the second go. I remember Ice-Man being my fucking dude in this game!
My save specially is doomed since I saved when I was down to literally 4 x men (wolverine died lol) and not enough bits to revive anyone
Yes!! I stopped playing this game as a kid at the ship; never picked it back up again.
The way this game feels is 100x better than any Ultimate Alliance game imo, my favorite by far! Just wish it had more replayability
I was playing this today and this got recommended to me. I have a PS2 and each time I finish the game I restart all over again.
Oh yeah. The animation is more consistent the combat and movement is faster and more intense I miss the screen shaking from powerful hits.
X Men Legends is the best game of this type
MUA was so disappointing to me after revisiting XM:L2 recently. The combat has no weight and you just feel weak in MUA.
Yes xmen legends 1 has the best combat of all marvel dungeon crawlers
Let’s go!!! I’m excited. This is my favorite video game of all time and I’m happy you are giving it love
Let me know what you think!
My absolute favorite too !
Let's go? Where are we going?
I believe Zelda is better N64 and earlier but this is by far the best X-Men game and in my top 20 of best games
This game was revolutionary. The ability to pick your team then constantly cycle between characters was unlike anything else I’d ever seen before.
Turning into gladiators in the astral plane happens a lot actually. I remember Xavier, jean, Rachel, psylocke and Shadow King doing it several times
Love this game and really hope this gets a rerelease at some point. These games to me are superior than the ultimate alliance series.
I’d love a remaster too 🤞
@Alexander Capanov Yes definitely! I really hope there’s an x-men game in development somewhere that we don’t know about yet. It’s long overdue
Or a remake from the ground up like Destroy All Humans got but give us as many X-Men characters as possible and have them all unlocked as soon as you first get to the mansion and also like in Legends 2 having the game acknowledge when you create a team from the comics
@@alwaysnerdyretros are u excited for Mutants and X men introduced in MCU
@@jakeriese4862 Yes it’s going to be crazy! I’m hoping we start hearing about casting soon
These games need to be remaster or just put out as a 2 game set. Loved this game, although it toolkit a while to get gambit
I wish they would remaster these too. It’d be so fun to play them on current hardware
@@alwaysnerdyretros omg yes I have a pc I wonder if a upgrade is on pc
@@alwaysnerdyretros i would guess they can't remaster it for the same reason they can't sell MUA anyway - they don't have the rights
If only it weren't for licensing
Shout out to Cree Summer for voicing Magma. A true character voice over legend
She did not fit AT ALL.
@SpoonyBard88 she really didn't....
@@SpoonyBard88 She did good for a different take on the character.
@@SpoonyBard88well she's Black not Brazilian, unless this is the White Alison Crestmere
For an extra challenge. Try solo. I suggest using Storm as she only needs assistance in one area that only Night Crawler can access. She is the most powerful char in the game in my opinion. Jean is the next best option for a solo run.
Tony Jay as Magneto is one of the best video game castings I've seen in a while
This game still holds up really well. I just booted it up for the first time a few days ago and enjoyed my time so much, I decided to do another play through.
yup just finished another playthrough today. great gameplay, amazing music. all the raven software marvel games are timeless
Magneto has some great lines in this game. "Let madness be the mother of change" like c'mon that's a bar 😂 he definitely should have been the last boss
Love these retrospectives. The length is perfect. I grew up playing X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse in elementary school and absolutely loved it. Would love to see a retrospective mash-up for it and it’s spiritual successor Marvel Superheroes: War of the Gems. Maybe a miniseries for the 16-bit era games?
Those would be fun and I’ve been thinking about them too. I’d really like to get to those at some point, I’m mostly figuring out when. I think a series is a good idea too. Those would probably be shorter videos so I could hopefully put more out at a quicker pace. I know I’m so slow right now lol.
Gotta agree on the length of the video. love extensive deep dives
I can’t even begin to imagine how long a video like this takes to make and edit, Jesus man you’re a power house, videos are beautiful, entertaining and informative! A+ my friend!
Haha about a month for me lol. Thank you for the kind words and for checking out the video! I really appreciate it 😃
You’re not getting the recognition you deserve for your hard work but it doesn’t matter because I can tell you’re doing what you heart desires and it truly is a inspiration. Keep doing what you love bro. I will see you at a million subscribers, I’m calling it! 💥
@@kyfly151 Thanks man, I hope you’re right!!! I’m definitely enjoying it though and comments like these keep me going. Thanks for the support man!
I can confirm this game is awesome to play in local coop. I almost always played it with 4 people, and it was so satisfying.
I wish this game had a remaster. I would carry it everywhere I need to kill time on the switch. I'd probably buy it twice on another platform too.
That’s what I did for the mua remaster. Bought it on Xbox and PlayStation. I’d buy it and legends on switch if I could too lol
i love the long critique style reviews. they are my favourite kind of yt videos, so yeah please gimme more.
Awesome thank you for the feedback! I’ll keep this format going 😃
Hearing a Judge Frollo Magneto yell at a Dr. Drakken Kincaid is surreal.
When you mentioned you were going to do a Retrospective, I started playing this game on my PS2 again since I haven't played it since it came out.
I am almost done, but it is so fun! Thanks for bringing back my childhood. Looking forward to playing XL2 and your Retrospective on that as well.
That’s awesome to hear!!! I’m glad someone else is enjoying revisiting these games as much as I am! You’ll have to let me know what you think when you beat XML1. I’d love to hear another perspective
I love that Magneto is played by the same voice actor as Claude Frollo in Hunchback of Notre Dame. Such a great voice actor. RIP Tony Jay, a huge part of my childhood.
26:45 Wolvie... i glad that Mr X-MEN WELCOME TO DIE' never shuts up
It’s been years since we had an X-men game to play
It’s been two decades since the X-Men were considered a flagship property. Even longer since they’ve had a classic run (Krakoa was the nail in the coffin).
Marvel over here trying to make sure they’re never popular again
These retrospectives are very nicely done! Can't wait for the next one!
Thank you!!! They’re a lot of fun to make 😃 Any games in particular you’d like to see covered?
@@alwaysnerdyretros can u do rise of the imperfects that would be awesome
@@kjfinch8866 definitely one I’m desperate to do! I’m having trouble getting it to capture onto my computer though. Keep getting weird audio bugs, so once I figure that out, that’ll be next!
@@alwaysnerdyretros Cool can't wait!
@@alwaysnerdyretros I agree, nice vid
My top four characters I played as were Wolverine, Cyclops, Rogue, and Storm. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing as all of the X-men! But I got those four really high up there! Iceman was another favorite of mine
Hey man, I just want to say thank you for doing what you do. Your vids are so entertaining. Marvel's Avengers breakdowns, review, retrospectives, it's all so entertaining. And I love it, so thanks.
You just made my day!!! Thank you for such an awesome comment 😃
They even threw the fastball special in the game. I remember being so surprised they had that kind of attention to the characters when I first played this as a kid.
Gladiator battle is from the 90's animated series.
Thank you! I haven’t seen that episode I guess.
I found these games as a kid and played both of them and loved them. X men were and still are my favorite marvel comics and the firdt 2 x men movies were really good
X Men Legends and Apocalpyse were my favorite games as a kid
The gladiator armor in the astral plane is a reference to the psi-armor most psychics wear when they battle each other there. See Uncanny X-Men #117, where Xavier and the Shadow King have a battle in very similar armor to what they wear in this game
Nice. X-Men are doing pretty good.
I’ve been binging your other retrospectives for the past week and have been eagerly anticipating the release of this one! Needless to say, it did not disappoint. Can’t wait till XML2!
These games, along with Ultimate Alliance, were a huge part of my childhood and my introduction to Marvel, but I was always partial to the X-Men, and thusly, X-Men Legends 1 and 2. I got stuck on the second level as a kid, but went back and finally finished the game last year and was suprised at just how much I enjoyed the combat and levelling, as well as crafting my teams tactically, rather than based purely on who I like or who was only playable in this game. I’m tempted to return to this game again, but I’m still in the middle of re-playing like... all the others, so it may be a while before I get back to it.
That’s awesome! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying them 😃 I’m eager to jump into XML2 now. Everyone keeps telling me it’s even better than XML1.
Are you replaying other retro marvel games besides legends?
@@alwaysnerdyretros I’d agree with that assessment. It takes you to more obscure x-men locations and introduces more small-time characters, much in the way the first MUA does. Plus, the gameplay gets updated to be more like the first MUA with more selectable powers and a 5-act structure with different hub worlds per act. I think my only area where XML2 is a downgrade is the roster, because while it’s nice to play as the brotherhood, there are some notable omissions from the first game like Beast and Psylocke.
I’m currently just going through the Legends/MUA games, but I’ve been thinking of revisiting Imperfects as well.
Tony jay was probably one of the finest voice actors of his time. Still feels weird hearing him as magneto though. I just permanently associate him with the elder god from legacy of kain.
I think he also voiced Baron Mordo in Spider-Man. And Galactus in F4. Not gonna lie, I usually impersonate the way he talks lol.
For me, he'll always be the sassy Narrator from The Bards Tale Rpg which is now on Game Pass 👍
Wow.. i didn't know that Steven Seagal is not just a martial arts expert, a movie star and a musician, but also a writer as part of Man of Action?!!.. he truly is the perfect human being😳
When I was younger I used to play this game and ultimate alliance and could never understand why they felt so different yet so similar
I LOVE these X-men Legends games
This game should get a remaster
Omg, you’re talking about X-Men legends!!!! Thank you so much, no one talks about this game at all and I’m so glad I can hear someone acknowledging it’s genius and existence. 🙏🏾
Haha no problem!!! It’s awesome seeing how many people this game has impacted over its lifespan. It’s truly a top tier marvel game!
@@alwaysnerdyretros best of best
I can’t wait to watch this!! My first marvel game I ever played that got me in love with the universe.
Let me know what you think! It was a lot of fun revisiting this game. I don’t think I had played it since 2004
Ass shot of mystique was absolutely necessary. Its important part or story.
These videos put me at ease for some reason. Keep em up dude!
Haha that’s great to hear! Definitely more on the way!
Ohhh man, I remember seeing this game in magazines when I was younger, and I wanted it so bad, but I never ended up getting it. I like how thorough you are in this retrospective, basically answering most the questions I had about this game when I was younger, and showing a lot of gameplay stuff I never knew about. Great video, just subscribed and looking forward to checking out your other vids.
Thank you! I appreciate the support 😃 Do you think you’ll go back and try it out?
@@alwaysnerdyretros Man, any game with Gambit playable is a game I want to play haha :D It's a matter of accessability though, if it comes to eshop to moderne consoles I'd get it immediately, but I don't have old consoles as readily available, so if I have to go back to the PS2 era and hunt down a physical copy of this, it could get a bit more difficult.
@@JoeyShadowKorn yeah that’s understandable, especially if you don’t have an old console. Hopefully with the x-men getting a movie in the future, we’ll see some of these older games get remasters 🤞
Thank you so much for this review.
X-Men Legends is by far ma favorite game since the beggining !
I remenber when I was a kid, I just saw it in a store and beg my mum to buy it.
So many memories when playing this game with my sister and my friends. I remember how hard it was when I was a kid, but now this is too easy :P
12 years later, this game is still a huge reference to me and I still play it sometimes.
Lol I did the same to my parents! Then again with XML2. Then again when I wanted XML2 on PSP too 😆
@@alwaysnerdyretros Ahah ! I didn't have internet at the time, and whe I saw XML2 on store, I instant bought it :D
I recently replayed this game. That line “it is time to set my house in order”. Gave me chills
This my favorite game of all time! I have played this game since it came out before I could even read lol. I have beaten it countless times over the past 15 to 16 years and still play it over and over till this day.
I also Have Beaten the game with using every character multiple times.
I was looking for this video months ago, glad to see more people give this game the attention it deserves :)
I think more people are saying this game was their childhood than mua, which I was pleasantly surprised at. I’m glad the x-men have that much support! Makes me more hopeful for a future XML3 or another x-men focused AAA game 🤞
@@alwaysnerdyretros The only thing about this game that I remember struggling with greatly was the difficulty. It really kept me out of the later story because I couldn't get past the second level for so long lol. Great game though. I remember Apocalypse fondly too, it was a big improvement and evolution of the story.
This game was the one that my older brother and me would play and bond over with. Will always be one of my favorite games
Did you have any issues with the first level starting with just one player?
@@alwaysnerdyretros yeah when I was kid I was annoyed that I wasn't able to play until when Cyclops joins in but after it didn't bother me anymore
44:10 the astral plane's combat theme is one of my all time favorite video games tracks, and for me it made me enjoy the stral plane stages so much more
Great video nerdy! Love the length and the detailed breakdowns! I’d like to see a retro perspective review on the game Wolverines Revenge. Wolverine is voice by Mark Hamill while Patrick Stewart plays Professor X, you also have a slew of cameos from different X-Men characters and even a deleted scene cameo from Spiderman! The story is great the gameplay is intuitive, and the VO is top notch IMO. Also I love the marvel stories from audible! My personal favorite is secret wars. It captures the marvel spirit. Anyways good stuff!
Also sorry if you see multiple replies on the comment section, I included a link to a game trailer and now I don’t see the comment. Weird.
Thank you! I’d love to do one on Wolverines Revenge! I remember playing it as a kid and being scared of sabretooth but that’s about all lol. Didn’t know Mark Hamill was the voice, that’ll be interesting in itself. I’m definitely going to look up that Spider-Man cameo too!
Yessss the Secret Wars audiobook is probably my favorite so far! I enjoyed that one a lot!
That’s strange about your comment. I know TH-cam has an automated feature that deletes comments that it thinks are spam, so maybe it saw a link and auto deleted it? 🤷♂️
Interesting fact about this game’s releases: the Xbox version of this and X-Men legends 2 are actually two out of a handful of original xbox games that run in native 720p widescreen. Ps2 and GCN versions were 480p. Xbox also had higher resolution textures. Very few original xbox games could run in HD, but these were two of them. Note that you had to have component cables for your xbox to run games in HD. It didn’t even give you the menu option in the dashboard to set resolutions if you used composite cables.
Also the Ngage version was sprite based, being that it was an early 2000s Nokia phone. Despite that, it was actually also very good and well received, being considered a killer app for the short lived portable console. Ngage also got Legends 2 in the same sprite based form.
Oh, the xbox version of Ultimate Alliance also ran 720p, but was still inferior to the 360 version. It lacked the shiny mapping and lighting effects of the later console.
I figured out early on you could always get enemy drops including health/energy packs in Danger Room missions you haven't completed. Saves a ton of credits & helped a lot when I was new to the game. Still one of my faves
Yep , the first call allies mission that's 2 minutes long. Just don't call allies and take out enemies for the 2 minutes.
And the final freshman mission , just don't destroy all the terminals and keep fighting until your inventory is full. End the scenario and sell the equipment to Forge , repeat until your little heart's content.
Use Grad Exam 400 to level grind your characters into the low to mid 30s range.
Use the last DR mission , to level grind to and beyond level 40.
@@robertmurdock1848 That's actually pretty cool. I always assumed 40 was the max level because Prof X is that level in the Astral missions (thought the leader would be max level). I'm always high 30s when i finish the game.
@@montecristosmith2343
45 is the max , but level 40 unlocks the last of the "Ultimate" level equipment.
The second up beat reminds my of X-men evolution tbh
I clicked on this video super fast!!! I’m gonna have to rebuy a ps2 for this game bc it was my childhood!!!! I’m subbing and liking too. Love u for this video Lmaooo
Thank you!!!! I forgot how good this game was! I’m really anxious to jump into XML2 now.
@@alwaysnerdyretros I guess marrow has a bone to pick with you
Yess! posted 7 mins ago?! I’m just in time 🤩 you’re the best dude
Hahaha great timing! Thanks for watching 😃
Oh nah dude you got it all wrong, that ass shot of mystique is so pivotal to the storyline
Dude i played this game back in 2013 here in Brazil i was 11 years old , i got some good memories of that game .
I think I was 13 when it came out. It still holds up after all this time!
The little conversation between Emma and Charles must be inspired by ultimate comics Emma Frost because they had a little fling when she went to his school (as a student), but other than that Frost doesn't have a relationship with anyone but Cyclops.
Oh you could be right! I took it as Emma trying to manipulate Charles a bit
The music in this game is sooooo 00s. Theme from the nuclear power plant is very similar to Ultimate Spider-Man game score though.
3:07
Ugh just thinking about the times when I used to play Mutant Academy 2 brings me joy
Excellent video, Nerdy! Is so impressive to revisit and see how strong this XML/MUA series started. Looking forward to the next one. Keep up the good work!
Thank you and I totally agree! Raven really had a strong understanding what makes these games fun
This was the BEST 4 player RPG. Without this game, there would be no Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I’m still waiting on X-men Legends 3.
The only thing that hurts the game is that it's the first of its kind and it shows. Brutally difficult and unforgiving because of how limited you are with healing items.
Great video as always! Thank you for your in-depth analysis of this game, and I look forward to a retrospective on the sequel!
Thank you for watching! I just finished playing the sequel it was so good!!! I’m excited to start writing the next video and get it uploaded. I’m slow at getting these out so maybe like early-mid June
Cree summers is always a treat
Love her!
This is the type of game I wanted the new avengers game to be.
Get a switch and play marvel ultimate alliance 3 then
The avengers game was never going to be anything like this these games because it was a first true AAA game unlike xmen legends.
Play marvel future fight! Its release characther to cómics and UCM
I played X-Men Legends II so I had no idea the first game had stuff like Xavier as a playable character or that Magneto was voiced by Tony Jay.
Keep killing it bro can't wait for x men legends 2
Thank you! Hoping to have it complete around mid June 🤞
Thank you for making this retrospective makes me feel nastolgic for 2000s marvel games and comics especially the ultimate universe. Can't wait for you to do a marvel nemesis review.
Turn based rpg combat will always have it's charm. One day there will be Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Marvel, DC, and One Piece turn turn based games but I can only hope that they will come in my life time.
attack of the saiyans was turn based
Best party in the game Iceman, Strom, Jean, and Cyclops game is a breeze with that team.
Just in time. I love these types of videos keep them up
Thank you!
12:18 As a kid, I used to pick whoever I wanted (and Wolverine is a must-have to this day whenever I play this game), but I started using an Energy character, a Physical character, and a Psychic character, with the 4th character being whoever I needed for whichever mission I'm doing.
I always made sure to have Iceman on my team when I was a kid for bridges and fire, but since I always ran Storm, who has the ability to weld and extinguish fire, I started using Jean Grey instead due to her abilities actually being very powerful against most enemies and having the ability to weld and make bridges.
This game was the foundation of so many marvel games... and xmen is my favorite team....classic part of my childhood
It was definitely weird that Professor X’s voice actor changed for the final cutscene
No joke, youtube just rolled an ad for brisket after magma’s cutscene explosion. I thought blob got cooked 😂
Hahaha 🤣 Finally, the perfect ad!
babe wake up, AlwaysNerdy dropped a retrospective
Now they should remake both of the X-Men Legend games.
To my understanding, the astral plane is typically depicted as Greco Roman aesthetic. Psychic powers don't really work there so they manifest their powers as armor and weapons. This isn't seen too much in comics as it is seen in various cartoons
Ah gotcha! Thank you for the insight.
For Raven’s first attempt at a game like this, it came out amazingly and led to an even better sequel and a great spinoff. Wish we could get remasters of these games, these are classics that are stuck on old gen consoles.
I remember playing this on the OG XBOX as a kid. I always loved it when the Morlocks said “Surprise Surprise!!!” or “This is gonna be fun!!!”
The Shadow King is a recurring villain that's a seemingly unfairly OP psychic and Jean or Xavier always struggle or need aid to fend him off psychically. It almost felt like Byrne and Claremont made him too strong and never knew how to properly vanquish him. So it's fair that Charles got embarassed
fun fact, magma is voiced by Susie Carmichael from rugrats
Loved the video! you really do your research and I love that. I had no idea that Patrick Stewart voiced Professor X in this game.
Also, it’s been so long that I completely forgot the story of this one.
In the next one, I think you should mention some of your favorite characters since it’s such a huge roster with both Xmen and Brotherhood characters playable.
Thank you!!! I’ll keep that in mind for the next one. I already know that I want to try and play as everyone if possible lol
Patrick Stewart also voices Xavier in the video games X-Men: Next Dimension, X2: Wolverine's Revenge, X-Men Legends 2, X-Men: and The Official Game (the prequel game to the movie X-Men: The Last Stand). Throughout this time, he was also voicing Captain Picard in various Star Trek video games. Personally, I'm glad that he enjoyed the character so much that he was willing to keep returning to the role! It definitely made all of this appearances that much more special. Especially for this life-long Trekkie and X-Fan!
I don't care what anyone says, the "Toad struck by lightning" line is badass and you won't convince me otherwise.
I wish xmen legends would get a remaster. Its an awesome game. Also the missions are super easy with mental charters like jean, because if you upgrand her attacks with her powers she does mental damage not energy or physical
I was so young when I had this game on my ps2 that I couldn't even beat the first level. So I just played the beginning of it over and over again. That opening cutscene will foreve be ingrained in my brain.
Lmao cant even hold you tho Magma and Logan go off in that opening cutscene 🔥 the better openings to any xmen game.
you might be too young for this but, I remember playing this when I was a kid and as soon as I heard Magnetos voice actor I couldn't stop thinking about him yelling at Quasimodo. lol
Tony Jay will always be a giant, eldritch, Lovecraftian horror of a squid to me.
@Draliseth my dude! 🤜🤛
Tony was bad guy voice before bad guys voices were a thing....Mighty Max? Reboot??????..... or one of my later favorites...treasure planet....thats a gooood voice as a narrator....keeps things kinda "eerie". Great depth and rasp.
Dang... Tony Jay makes a great Magneto.
I was a little late to the party, starting with Legends 2, but I loved this and the UA series. I'm sorry Raven got condemned to the CoD mines, they were a great developer.
That game informer interview with the former devs is really interesting. It sounds like most of the staff wanted to continue on with games like these, but CoD was generating so much money that they didn’t really have a choice.
@@alwaysnerdyretros It seems Activision does that to a lot of its strong studios even today. Yeah I know it's where the money is, but it's damn depressing.
@@MarieAntoon yeah it really is. A lot of great games end up pushed to the side
COMBO!!!
Optic RAGE!
Blindside BLITZ!
52 PICKUP!!!
Cold SNAP!!!
*Screen lights up with X-gene powers*
You should have used Jean Grey. Literally the strongest character in the game and does mental damage. I definitely remember how hard the ice tunnels was but Jean makes it a bit easier with her radial mental attack that lowers enemy damage and slows them
Also the best team when fight the sentinels level is Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, and Colossus. Storm Lightning attack should be able to chain at this point. Wolverine slash and Rogue/Colossus are tanks plus both have super strong punches
I remember learning in the Ice Tunnel / Alaska level that if you let Iceman die and don’t have the credits to resurrect him, you’re just shit out of luck. Iceman is needed to make bridges in certain parts to progress
Jean (also a bridge builder) is available for this mission and she's the best character to use in the tunnels.
0:55 its so weird to see a always nerdy video where he does not say the iconic line "which allowed me to boost the graphics" it just feels wrong