If there's one low point with owning a PSP it's that there aren't very many role-playing games for the system except SOE's Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade.. and now X-Men II: Rise of Apocalypse. Why that is we'll never know but we sure hope that all these game companies creating games for the GBA and the DS will wake up and smell the coffee soon. With that plea out of the way (please take some time away from making another PSP racing title to make us some decent RPG's folks!), let me say that Vicarious Visions PSP port based on Raven Software's X-Men II: Rise of Apocalypse is a solid game worth taking a look at for any gamer on the go that hasn't already picked the game up for another system. While the PSP version isn't perfect (we'll detail that later), it is nonetheless a slick and fun ride for anyone that has 20+ hours to invest.

The opening scenes in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse sees Magneto, Sabertooth and Mystique teaming up with the X-Men to free Professor X from captivity - the first phase of a maniacal plan by the world's greatest and most dangerous mutant Apocalypse, to take over the world. The 5,000 year old mutant has set in motion a plan to collect specific Mutant's DNA and use it to make himself stronger with the help of the less than trustworthy Mr. Sinister. The plan is more than a mere power play by a madman this time, and both Xavier's and Magneto's group set aside their differences long enough to teach Apocalypse a lesson. While the storyline for the game isn't particularly original (it's based on the tales told in the comic book and past Marvel tellings in graphic novels and the animated series. What really makes the storyline work is the cast of characters. Players can utilize over twenty characters, many of which are locked at the start and must be earned as you progress. There's also a number of characters that serve as NPC's and there's a ton of delicious dialogue that reveals the underlying tension between members of the two diametrically opposed groups.

As we've already mentioned X-Men Legends II is a hack 'n slash game in the spirit of SOE's Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, where players take control of one mutant and three AI controlled flunkies as they slaughter everything that's not a member of your party, collect powered-up gear, experience and power-ups, and use a variety of deadly mutant powers as you see fit. From there players can equip and purchase gear (or sell it), micro-manage stats and buy additional powers, and interact with various mutants from both the X-Men and Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Of course players can always leave the stats and other micro-management junk to the game, which will do its best to pick the best stats and powers for all your favorite characters, leaving only bloodlust and carnage for you to worry about.

Players can control characters at any time using the left shoulder button and pressing one of the four directional buttons on the Directional pad. Each skill is assigned to one of the four main buttons, and in battle you can hold the right shoulder button and press the assigned button to use that special skill. The interface works seamlessly once you know where they are and how to use them. As players gain skill they can unlock super skills for each character that offer more powerful attacks, making battles end a lot more expediently.

Some other side notes on combat - having the right mix of characters gives players a nice fighting bonus -for example having the original X-Men in a group or the Brotherhood in a group makes them work more cohesively. Alternately, having enemies in the group together doesn't affect much but it does provide for some amusing exchanges in the game. For instance, Wolverine and anyone evil is like vinegar and water - but you can get that just by interacting with the baddies at the home base...

On the multiplayer front, players can look forward to hooking up with friends or strangers in a number of ways. The game supports both Ad Hoc and straight online play via Infrastructure mode. Sadly there's not always someone with a pulse available in either mode, and for those who live in rural areas, the multiplayer aspect of the game is a bust (which isn't a knock on the game, but rather on rural living and the failure of technology in general). If you're lucky enough to find someone to play with you, you can run through the entire game cooperatively or simply load a save game and go. There's also a DM head-to-head mode that's pretty fun if you don't want to have the safe co-op experience.

Graphically, X-Men Legends II is one of the most impressive games on the system, cramming all the detail and beauty of the console versions of the game into the tiny little package that is the PSP. Vicarious Visions did a great job of adding all the content and presentation found in the original games, sans the cartoon cel-shaded style. Hell, even the animated sequences and full motion video look great on the PSP. The only real complaint that can be lodged against the PSP version is that it is sometimes too dark in certain areas of the game and that the level of detail sometimes makes the action a bit more difficult to distinguish from the actual environment. Nonetheless the game is playable even with the small nuisances.

In the end X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is one of the best games this year for the PSP and one of the only solid RPG experiences out there right now. If you love the X-Men, or decent action RPG's than you owe it to yourself to give this game a shot - and if you're a gamer on the go then this game is even more of a perfect fit for you. Buy it or rent it today!