Level 1 Walkthrough

X-Men™ Legends is a deep 3-D action-roleplaying game that puts you in charge of some of the most powerful superheroes ever created. Hated and feared by the humans they try to protect, Marvel's mutant strike force works to find others like themselves and to teach them how to use their special powers. That's why, in the first level of X-Men Legends, Wolverine and Cyclops are on a mission to rescue newcomer Magma from the bad guys.

That's no lady. That's Mystique.

The game begins with the broad-daylight abduction of Magma on a public street in New York City. Her mutant powers flare up, but she is nonetheless captured by Blob and Mystique, two members of the terrorist group known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Fortunately, Wolverine is close by to track them down.

Following the Blob's trail isn't hard. His bulk causes him to crush clear footprints into the pavement. The trick will be getting past the waves of Brotherhood thugs, who are both aggressive and well-trained. Fortunately, Wolverine is the best at what he does, and you can rely on his basic attacks and combos to clean up the streets.

Feel free to also use your Brutal Slash mutant power (the only one you'll have at the time). It costs some mutant energy, which will replenish over time, and it does huge amounts of damage. Stay mobile and keep mixing up your Stun, Knockback, and Pop-Up combos to keep the thugs on the run.

Follow the footprints to Central Park. There you'll encounter Cyclops, but stay alert: Mystique is a shape-shifter and has been known to impersonate X-Men to gain an advantage. Once you see through her trick, you'll get to fight her and a handful of thugs. The thugs are no trouble by themselves, but Mystique will retreat to the top of the concrete building and toss bombs down at you as you fight, so don't stand in one place for too long … or things will go boom.

Once you take care of the thugs, Mystique herself comes down for a piece of the action. She's not only a tough customer on her own, blending melee strikes with small-weapons fire, but she can also take on the appearance of other characters, including Wolverine himself. Be aggressive and use your Brutal Slash as often as possible. Mystique is a good test of your hand-to-hand combat skills, but in the end, she's no match for Wolverine.

Blast the Blob.

After you settle up with Mystique, the quest for Magma continues. Battle through more thugs on the streets and continue to follow the Blob's footprints until you encounter the real Cyclops. With two mutants on your team, you can now switch between them at will. I recommend controlling Cyclops because the A.I. can handle Wolverine's (temporarily) limited attack strategy of "rush in and hack things until they die."

After a few more thug encounters, you'll catch up to the fat man with Magma in tow. You'll have to overcome the Blob's limited invulnerability (he takes far less damage from physical attacks) because that's the nature of his mutant power. His heavy body soaks up abuse like a sponge.

Use teamwork and combine Cyclops' energy blasts with Wolverine's claw attacks to pull off combos that will wear the Blob down. Watch out for the Blob's powerful jump attacks, though—they'll flatten you if he hits you, and send you flying if you're in range of the shock wave—and don't go toe-to-toe with him. Blast him from a distance as Cyclops and have Wolverine coordinate his up-close attacks with yours to put the big guy down for the count.

Rooftop escape.

Now, you've freed Magma, but she's not ready for combat yet, so you have to escort her to the X-Men's jet and take her to the safety of your headquarters. You'll meet new grunt-level enemies (like the Brotherhood Insurgent, who can hurl green energy blasts), but the real challenge of this level is working your way across the maze of rooftops. Use your HUD map to stay on course and keep going upward. There are plenty of health packs if you get too dinged up, and Magma rarely if ever takes damage.

All you really need to do is practice your teamwork and wipe out the thugs until you've covered the entire map. On the last roof, you'll find the X-Jet waiting, so climb aboard and prepare for your first visit to the mansion.

X-Men Legends provides more than 20 hours of deep roleplaying action. This first mission is straightforward in terms of objectives and team management, but it's a great way to learn the basics. You'll need as strong a foundation as possible because, from here on, you have more mutants to manage, more powers to consider, and far more dangerous foes to fight.

By Luke Judge