From arcade games to RPGs, and third-person action-adventure titles, the X-Men have had a long history in gaming. With the X-Men '97 series receiving high praise for its revival of the classic '90s animated show, and the characters gradually being reintegrated into the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe, the mutant superheroes seem to be having a resurgence in mainstream media lately.
In the gaming space, Insomniac Games has already announced a Wolverine-led title set in the same continuity as its acclaimed Marvel's Spider-Man games, and while there have been some leaks of the gameplay and story, many players are keen to see more official reveals from the studio when they're ready. The title is set to be M-rated - which is faithful to the character's style of combat - with a mature tone, and may lead to the introduction of further X-Men in Insomniac's Marvel Universe down the line.
Konami's arcade title, The Uncanny X-Men (later referred to as X-Men: The Arcade Game, or simply X-Men Arcade) saw up to six players teaming up to take on Magneto, and was extremely successful in the United States upon its release in 1992. The roster included six playable X-Men: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler, and saw them battle iconic villains such as Juggernaut, Pyro, Blob, Mystique, and Emma Frost (aka. The White Queen) with designs based on the 1989 cartoon pilot, X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, despite it never launching its intended series, with the unrelated X-Men: The Animated series releasing years later.
X-Men: The Arcade Game was an arcade exclusive for decades before a home release by Backbone Entertainment became available in 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360 and PlayStation Store on PS3. This port featured drop-in local or online multiplayer for up to six players on PS3, with up to four players on the Xbox Live Arcade version, and was praised by critics upon its release for its faithful arcade vibes while incorporating some more modern ways to play. Unfortunately, the title was delisted from both stores at the end of 2013, but was later included in Arcade1Up's now-discontinued Marvel-themed cabinet in 2021 alongside Captain America and the Avengers and Avengers in Galactic Storm.
