X-Men Legends II: Rise of the Apocalypse demo

If you didn't get a chance to check out the original X-Men Legends, now's your chance to try it with better graphics and different superpowers. The sequel to the action RPG doesn't tinker with a successful formula. You control four mutants at a time in battles with Apocalypse's minions, earning experience and collecting items along the way. The demo offers a great introduction to the gameplay and story line. It's too bad the included mission isn't long enough to get a better impression.

The demo includes a cinematic cutscene, a breezy tutorial level, and one short mission in which you save the mutant Blink from the Dead Zone. You control one character directly--your "hero"--and three other party members with adjustable AI follow along. In the new story, the X-Men and Magneto's army join forces to fight the supermutant Apocalypse, who threatens both groups' survival. The default mutants are Magneto, Cyclops, Wolverine, and Storm, and Bishop and Juggernaut can be substituted into the mission to save Blink. The game plays much like most action RPGs, with lots of fighting, box smashing, item grabbing, and character leveling. The Dead Zone mission can be played on three difficulties, but all can be finished so quickly that many gamers may feel a bit cheated by the 336MB download.