" I found that playing this game against others seemed to lead to a severe downturn in general attitude. "

      Title: X-Men Mutant Academy 2 by Activision

      Format: Fighting game for PSX

      Reviewing Monkey: Simi N.

      The Hype: Control your favorite characters from the comic books including Juggernaut and Nightcrawler. Perform signature mutant moves, play in ten original and six new locations.

      What This Monkey Thought...

      Graphics: Every once in a while I have to step back and realize that I've had my PS2 for a long time and that the graphics in PSX games are far inferior by default. I played this game and then a few of the other million PSX games that I own and have come to the conclusion that the graphics in this game are pretty cool. The characters have good models with a lot of polygons and the special effects loot pretty sweet (especially Jean Grey's mind attacks). The backgrounds however could really use some work. The textures could be crisper and the half-assed 3-D backgrounds that were used (like in the desert level) really just don't look good. 4 out of 5.

      Sound: The sound effects during battles are sweet. I especially like the sounds that are used for Gambit's moves, but unfortunately the characters' voices I really didn't like. There are a couple of characters whose voices are decent, like Wolverine and Gambit, but far too many are just plain annoying (Toad for example makes me want to beat the crap out of him every time he speaks). The music in the game is just good enough to stay out of my way. It didn't catch my attention at all. 3 out of 5.

      Playability: My guess is that this game was released not only to capitalize on the X-Men license popularity, but also to introduce new characters to the fans of the movie so that they would go out and buy the comics. I hope that it worked because after playing this people probably aren't going to be looking forward to more X-Men games. The problem with this game lies mainly with the controls. They are just plain crap. The gameplay is so sluggish you'll wonder if your character's actions have anything to do with the buttons you're pushing on the controller. This feeling of disconnectedness makes the game a chore to play. I mean sure there are cool moves and everything, but since I couldn't tell when my character is actually going to perform them I just stopped playing. 2.5 out of 5.

      Multiplayer and Replayability: The multiplayer aspect could have been pretty cool if the game controlled well at all. The best part is that ability to perform counters so your friend will wail in frustration when you spoil his plans to lay you out once and for all. Unfortunately the fact that the control is sluggish for you and your friend makes it not fun for both. In fact I found that playing this game against others seemed to lead to a severe downturn in general attitude. 2.5 out of 5.

      Story/Dramatics: Unlike most fighting games which have stories that just don't make any sense, this one doesn't give you anything, which I personally am grateful for because that means I don't have to wrack my brains trying to find meaning in a bunch of disconnected cutscenes. 0 out of 0.

      The Verdict:

I really hope that there is eventually a decent X-Men game. This game is an average as far as PSX fighting games go; there are plenty out there that are much better for you money. The control really just takes all of the possible fun right out of the game.

      The Good: Good sound effects, good character models, and decent textures

      The Bad: Poor voice acting, crappy (and I mean crappy) response to input, and sluggish gameplay

      The Overall Ugly: The first X-Men Mutant Academy sucked, and...well this one did too, mostly because of the incredibly sluggish gameplay.

      What it's Worth: $10.00