X-Men:MA tries hard to be a great fighting game, but falls a little short in the most important area: control. Although it introduces a few new elements to the genre, it ends up feeling rushed and unfinished. Each character in X-Men:MA has three different supers to choose from, which are part of one long super bar that is divided into three sections. The first super is the weakest, usually being a powered-up version of one of the characters' special moves. The second super is a unique super that can be made more powerful by pressing the directional pad in rhythm with the directional arrows that appear on the screen after the super is started. The third and final super is the most powerful, mimicking (most times) the super moves seen in Capcom's Vs. series.

The innovations that it offers are in the control of the super meters. At any time during the match, players can switch energy in one meter to another. For example, if you have some energy in your first and second meters, you can push them both into the third meter and quickly perform your most powerful super move. Unfortunately, the rest of the game is not as revolutionary, nor is it as good as the top fighting games for PlayStation.

Using a six-button control scheme (like Street Fighter), X-Men:MA adds a throw button and a counter button. The moves that can be unleashed from this control setup are varied, but very uninspired. Boring and ridiculous-looking puches and kicks are the norm in the game, and rarely is there a move that makes you go "Ooh" or "Ahh". The animation of the characters may be the root of the problems with X-Men:MA. The characters moves are abrupt and choppy. After performing moves, characters return to their fighting stances with very little animation between the switch.

The control just isn't there. You won't exactly struggle with the controls, but they are nowhere near the excellence seen in the Tekken or Street Fighter EX series. Control-wise, X-Men:MA feels like a first generation fighting game. Presentation, however, is one of the games' strong points.

The numerous modes I mentioned in my Hands On article help give the game a well-needed replay value. The large number of goodies to unlock makes it worth learning each character and beating the game more than once. The menus and interface of X-Men:MA are very slick, and go well with the games' above-average graphics, which are a slight bit better than those seen in Street Fighter EX2 Plus. The audio portion of the game is not as enjoyable, with the music being the standard fighting game fare, and the voices plagued with static and low volume. I'm not sure if the voices used for X-Men:MA were the same ones that were used in the animated cartoon or Capcom's games, but they are all horrible (with the exception of Beast, who is exactly like the cartoon). Hearing Professor Xavier say "Excellent!" after every single move done in the Academy Training mode becomes tiresome immediately.

Although X-Men:MA's control and sound are below average, the excellent presentation and smooth graphics help to bring it up to an average rating. I would say "rent before buying", unless you're a HUGE X-Men fan. But if you really want to see the X-Men portrayed properly, pick up a copy of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 instead.