How much would you pay for nostalgia? That's the question you need to ask yourself before shelling out 10 bucks for this game. I have fond memories of huddling around the double-screen cabinet at my local, dark, dirty arcade waiting for my chance to jump in and play this game. Once out of tokens, I would stay and watch other people play - that was how far my childhood love of the X-Men and video games went. Combining the two was like peanut butter & chocolate for a 10 year old like me. I was thrilled when I heard this game was being ported to XBLA. Unfortunately, after dropping my 800 Microsoft points and then promptly beating it with a friend in less than two hours, I felt robbed. The graphics were not given a major HD overhaul, the gameplay is exactly the same, but without consequences for death (i.e. another quarter for a poor kid like myself back in the day) the thrill and mystique was gone. Sure, my friend and I enjoyed poking fun at Wolverine shooting lasers, Colossus with his classic yell that symbolizes his force field special (???) and the mere existence of Dazzler, but not 10 bucks worth of fun. I cannot imagine what it would be like if I went in to this game without my fond memories! If you did not play this game in the arcade and love it, don't buy it. If you did, wait until the week the Microsoft cuts the price to 5 bucks (which we all know will be coming) and pick it up then. The release is simply not worth 10 bucks, and that makes this former arcade nerd sad to admit.

I have great memories of playing this game as a little kid with my cousin and my sister. We spent many hours working that machine. When I first picked up the 360 and started trying out the demo games, my first thought was "Where is the X-Men Arcade game?". When I first saw the game in the arcade I was very excited! The game is exactly the same as the old arcade version and that is exactly what I was hoping for. The game is a side scrolling adventure game but the fun comes in the fact that you can play with so many friends. 6 players at once??!?!?! AWESOME! Anyone who played this game as a kid will enjoy playing it now. This is a very good but not great release only because there is nothing really NEW.

Loved this game in the arcades as a kid, but this XBLA release is an awful, cheap cash-in. A bloated 800 MS Points ($10) asking price for a 17-year old arcade port that offers nothing new in the way of additional levels, characters, graphical overhauls or bonus features. By comparison the TMNT Arcade Game, Gunstar Heroes, Contra, Golden Axe and other direct, unaltered ports on XBLA are only 400 MS Points ($5). Pricing issues aside, the game itself does provide nostalgic charm and gives you some difficulty settings, but ultimately you're likely to get only 1 or 2 hours worth of play before the charm evaporates and boredom settles in. If you're in the mood for a side scrolling beat-em-up I'd recommend the more expensive, but far more extensive Castle Crashers or the appropriately priced TMNT Arcade Game.