A good action/strategy blend, the RPG-style top-down view in this game is replaced by a side-scrolling view when combat starts.
Many strategic elements are still present (choose a hero to disarm traps, etc.), but they pale in comparison to the fun arcade mode where you get to use cool X-men powers. The game is also highly replayable, since new mazes can be generated, and you can pick 5 heroes for any session from a pool of 25. Plus, you can download the scenario editor below to create your own scenarios.
The bottom line: if you are fan of the X-Men, or crave a well-balanced superhero RPG/action hybrid, X-Men 2 is a must-have. Two thumbs up!
Review By HOTUD

Comments and reviews
@Odin Noah: Found it, now available!
When this page was on Home of the Underdogs it had the expansion or add-on to download. Now it is missing. Is it gone forever?
There was an expansion for this game I had mailed to me that included a "What If?" scenario generator that had a ton of extra characters (like Magneto) and let you write a short blurb story line. Does anyone remember it?
How do you select options on the title screen and pre-game menus? I see no highlight, and it SEEMS like typing the first letter of the selection selects it on the title screen, but then that doesn't work on the first menu after selecting characters (which I was able to do just fine).
Forgot one. Side Combat: Turn around Keypad Enter and also Keypad 5
Also I found these other features through the net and experimenting.
In side combat press "enter" to turn around
Press "escape" in side combat to try to flee.
Thanks to Wes from "http://www.scary-crayon.com/games/xmen2" I found even more features. (This guy really loved this game check it out for tips but watch out for spoilers)
Press "R" in round combat to try to flee/run
While in maze press "C" to camp and dont move your guys so you can recover your
mutant power (don't forget about the time limit)
Items in maze
BLUE: All characters can receive energy from blue powerups.
LIGHT BLUE: Marvel Girl, Phoenix, Psylocke, Rogue
GREEN: Archangel, Beast, Longshot
RED: Colossus, Cyclops, Havok, Rogue
YELLOW: Nightcrawler, Shadowcat
NONE: Dazzler, Iceman, Wolverine
Disarming traps...not sure
***Diagonal movement can be useful during occasions where there is an open spot diagonally from your group, who are walled in. You can move to that diagonal spot and keep moving onward.
****If an object, a tree branch or truck for instance, blocks further movement, making a flying character(Rogue, Phoenix, Marvel Girl[Jean Grey], or Archangel) the leader will allow the whole group to pass through it.
Side combat:
1,2,3,4,5 - choose the 1st-5th character in order
arrows - movement
Page Up - strong attack*
Page down - weak attack**
Home - flying character ascends
End - flying character descends
+ climb obstacle
J - join next character chosen in combat(basically an ai assist for the other character)
P - pause
*Wolverine - upward slash, Psylocke - psychic attack, Colossus - left punch(longer range), Rogue - kick, Longshot - throwing dagger, Shadowcat - kick, Nightcrawler - jumping kick, Phoenix - invisible attack(as powerful as Psylokes psychic attack), Dazzler - light projectile, Havok - plasma projectile, Cyclops - optic blast, Marvel Girl -projectile(possibly a phoenix fireball) , Beast - low kick, Archangel - feather fletchettes, Iceman - ice projectile
**Wolverine - normal slash, Psylocke - kick, Colossus - right punch, Rogue - punch, Longshot - kick, Shadowcat - punch, Nightcrawler - punch, Phoenix - punch, Dazzler - kick, Havok - plasma punch, Cyclops - punch, Marvel Girl - kick, Beast - punch, Archangel - wing slash(may as well be another punch), Iceman - punch
Round combat:
First letter of each command. Press an arrow or one of the diagonal movement keys to move or attack in that direction.
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"You're my type baby...a woman!" - Larry - 3 Stooges - Three Arabian Nuts
Before the game:
First letter of each command to get through the first few screens
F2 - cuts off the music at the title screen
Enter - gets through the beginning screens by selecting all the default(red) settings,cuts off the Uatu screen, and selects characters
1,2, or 3 - picks a stage after character select
In game:
Maze mode:
arrows - normal movement
Home - diagonal up-left movement***
End - diagonal down-left movement***
Page Up - diagonal up-right movement***
Page Down - diagonal down-right movement***
Enter - select between using all mutant powers or not*
Spacebar - side or round combat**
+ - choose a movement formation
E - swap character placement
R - restore saved game
S - save game
T - displays time that has passed by
P - pause
L - choose lead character
* When this is turned on, and the following are made leaders, the following effect occurs:
Shadowcat - can walk through walls(starts losing energy and then health the longer the trek through the wall)
Nightcrawler - can teleport to the other side of a wall(again, depending on the size of said wall, loses power and health)
Phoenix, Colossus, Cyclops & Havok - breaks walls, but only if it's an outside edge, and not next to a piece already broken.
As a further side note Shadowcat and Nightcrawler may start to take the others down with them.
**Guessing most would figure out what side combat is, since you default on it. If not(such as accidentally pressing spacebar before your first battle), side combat is side view action. Round combat is a turn based form of combat that makes use of character portraits moving around a 6x3 grid.
No comment nor review for this game at the moment.