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X-Men: The Official Game

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 11.

  • Is it any good?

    2.0
  • Common Sense says

    Mutants have never been so boring -- tweens OK.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 11–15

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Not an issue.
  • Messages:

    Lurking behind the pulp of the comics and the movies is a story about the power of being different.

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    No blood, but lots of brawling and shooting. Wolverine executes brutal-looking stabbing attacks. Lots of sci-fi weapons and explosions.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    The game is set in the world of the X-Men movies and uses the likenesses and voices of actors in the movies.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of X-Men: The Official Game was written by Chris Jozefowicz

Parents need to know that this game includes fistfights, explosions, and shooting. All of the violence is bloodless, but players punch, stab, and zap hundreds of realistic-looking enemies, as well as a healthy dose of mutants and monsters. The game is based more on the recent X-Men movies than the comic books and features the likenesses of many actors from the films.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about how this game is related to recent X-Men movies. What's appealing about these games based on movies? How do games help promote movies? Why is it that these games are often only mediocre?
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OK for Your Kids to Play?

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More on X-Men: The Official Game

What’s the Story?

The storyline of X-MEN: THE OFFICIAL GAME serves as a prequel to the third movie in the franchise. Players alternate playing as three characters -- Iceman, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine -- in a series of short, character-specific missions, winding through a convoluted story that involves both evil mutants and hostile military forces. Along the way they team up with other, non-playable X-Men from the movies and comics.

The game gives each character a distinct style: Iceman flies on a platform of ice and fires freezing rays; Nightcrawler teleports and swings acrobatically into fights; and fan-favorite Wolverine claws his way though enemy masses as a straight-up brawler.

Is It Any Good?

Too bad this uninspired game gets bogged down in repetitive action. Players will tire of marching through sterile levels, facing the same sort of obstacles again and again (such as Wolverine's endless slashing though enemy soldiers).

The game's presentation is also dull. A few of the cut scenes use colorful comic panels, but more often the story is advanced in a kind of movie/comic book hybrid: voice-overs (contributed by the stars of the movie, including Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart) on top of lifeless stills drawn in a realistic style. Even the varied environments -- which include Japanese gardens, secret laboratories, and the Brooklyn Bridge -- are quiet and empty.

Publisher’s Details

Developer: Activision
Released on: 5/30/2006, Price: $39.99, not online enabled
ESRB Rating: T for Violence

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Kansas
    I rate this title pause for age 6 and give it 1.0

    yeah some game

    this game has a lot of stabing when you are wolverine but the game is really stupid. the graphics awful and the violence sad.

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 0.0

    two words

    repetitive, boring

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 1.0

    Confusing..

    Don't actually play this game, thinking that its goin to be lots of fun, and you're going to enjoy it as long as you can. Because, in reality, this game is absolute crap!! I mean, sure it supports a bridge between the 2nd and 3rd movies, but its just not worth the money.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Maine
    I rate this title off for age 0 and give it 3.0

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 4.0

    Fun

    It's very fun but the Iceman parts can get hard. Over all I loved this game. I am one of the biggest X-Men fans you'll ever meet!

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