X-MEN ARCADE: Now Available on PSN & XBL Arcade

16 Dec, 2010

Just in case you haven’t noticed, I love retro video games.

I don’t know if it’s the jaggedy-edged protagonists, the repetitive, brain-numbing music or my penchant for button-mashing, but to me there is nothing that says proper video gaming like the arcade titles of the 80s and 90s.

Back when the graphics were more symbolic (as opposed to realistic) in their representations and the violence exhibited was less the flesh-and-gore of war on the front-line, and more the POW! and BLAAAST! of comic strips, 1992 saw the release of the now classic arcade cabinet game: X-Men.

Almost two decades later, you can now play as your favorite X-Men characters in the comfort of your own home as X-Men Arcade has been developed by Backbone Entertainment for release on the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation®3 and Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360®.

Complete with all the familiar characters and gameplay that the more, ahem, “mature” gamer will recall from their childhood and/or misspent teenage years, the game now also incorporates features that the gaming youth of today no doubt come to expect. The title now boasts the opportunity to game against friends and foes both offline and on, with the use of local multiplayer support and an “online drop-in multiplayer” feature. To this end, X-Men Arcade integrates high-definition heads-up displays, menus and local/online leaderboards to track statistics and scores. Additional features, aimed at multiplayer matches, include: Custom Match Mode (which allows players to set the number of players, as well as difficulty and the beginning level) and Create Match Mode (establishes the player as host and adds the ability for complete veto power over the match).

It is also worth noting that this port to modern consoles also includes the Japanese version of the game, which features power-ups and energy drops that were apparently absent from the more challenging American version.

And remember, “The only hope is… X_MEN!“. (…Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., and Marvel Entertainment have announced that X-Men Arcade is now available on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 MSPTS and on the PlayStation Network for $9.99.