X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse

X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse is a side-scrolling action game released by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. The game is based on the X-Men comic book franchise and is based on the early 1990s X-Men animated series. It was the second game Capcom released based on the franchise, the other being a fighting game titled X-Men: Children of the Atom, also released in 1994.

In Mutant Apocalypse, players control five of the X-Men: Beast, Cyclops, Gambit, Psylocke and Wolverine. After guiding each of them through their own dedicated levels, players can then select which level to complete next as well as the team member to complete it with. The end goal is to defeat Magneto on his Avalon space station. The game was well received by critics.

Plot
The player takes control of five X-Men who must rescue their fellow mutants from captivity in the Genosha island complex. Each character has a specific mission they must accomplish, as outlined by Professor X at the start of the game. For example, the task of Psylocke is to diversionary attack the main base, preventing the reinforcements to other locations, while the mission of Wolverine is to infiltrate and destroy the Sentinel factory. The levels may be played in any order. Afterward, the X-Men will be faced with Queen Brood, Tusk and Apocalypse. In preparation to face Magneto, the player will need to defeat with any one of the X-Men the holograms of Omega Red and Juggernaut in the Danger Room. The player then has to choose only one of the X-Men who take different paths which are different parts of Avalon. Regardless of which of the X-Men has been chosen, the player must defeat Exodus and finally Magneto to prevent him from destroying Genosha.

Heroes

 * Beast - Possesses ape-like superhuman physical strength and agility.
 * Cyclops - Produces powerful optic blasts from his eyes, forcing him to wear specialized visor at all times.
 * Gambit - Has the ability to manipulate kinetic energy and is also skilled in card-throwing, hand-to-hand combat, and the use of a staff.
 * Psylocke - The only X-Men woman in the game, Psylocke can use her telepathic powers to form a 'psychic blade' with her fists. She has the most techniques of all the playable characters.
 * Wolverine - A gruff mutant possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities and adamantium claws. However, unlike some other X-Men games, Wolverine cannot heal himself automatically.

Villains

 * Acolytes - Only appearing in the final level of the game, they can teleport around the room and fire homing energy at the player.
 * Apocalypse - The supposed mastermind behind the events at Genosha.
 * Brood - A race of insect-like, parasitic, extraterrestrial beings that possess wings, fanged teeth and a stinging tail. They have a hive mentality and mindlessly follow their queen.
 * Brood Queen - The leader of the Brood and one of the bosses that the X-Men must face.
 * Exodus - Magneto's guardian aboard the "Avalon." Exodus can teleport around the room and fire laser beams from his eyes. Exodus can also summon Acolytes to aid him in battle. When half of his health is gone, Exodus will retreat from the battle.
 * Genoshan Magistrates - The common fodder enemies. Some are armed with weapons such as grenades, knives and guns.
 * Juggernaut - Like Omega Red, he appears as a test simulation in the Danger Room once he is defeated.
 * Magneto - The true mastermind behind all the events leading up to this point. Magneto resides in his personal space colony "Avalon" and uses the powers of magnetism to generate an electrical shield, attract and fire metal scraps, and fire paralyzing electromagnetic energy.
 * Omega Red - He appears as a test simulation to test the X-Men's skills in the Danger Room.
 * Sentinels - The other fodder-class enemies that the player must face. There are three boss battles involving the Sentinels: Wolverine fights a giant unfinished Sentinel that is still in the works, Psylocke fights a Sentinel on an elevator at the end of her stage, and Beast combats against three Sentinels in hand-to-hand combat.
 * Tusk - A powerful mutant who has superhuman strength and the ability to create smaller duplicates of himself that do his bidding, named "Tuskettes".
 * Tuskettes - The minions of Tusk. They attack by grabbing onto their victims to hold them in place while throwing bombs at them.

Reception
In a 2011 retrospective, GamePro listed the game's "strong soundtrack, unlimited powers and a focus on combat rather than platforming," as well as the fact that the levels can be beaten in any order, among its strong features, but criticised a "fairly limited" moveset of the characters. That same year, GameFan retrospectively called an example of how "perfectly decent games" can be dismissed off hand purely because they don’t reach the unrealistic expectations of the developer’s heightened reputation." According to GameFan, "fans of the franchise and of the genre it represents here will be equally impressed with what is on offer. X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse has tight gameplay mechanics coupled with some fantastic visuals amounting to one classic game."

In 2013, Nerdist included X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse omong the top ten most iconic Marvel video games, calling it "extraordinary for its time, with beautiful visuals and far more accessible game play than its Sega Genesis counterpart." That same year, this "pretty damn good" side-scrolling action game was also ranked as the 20th best Marvel video game by Geek Magazine.