Story time. I really didn’t experience this game until 2018 and only heard about it in the days of how it was basically the first in its series. There’s no way I would be able to play it unless through a PlayStation port which after reading conversations online it wasn’t a good port one bit. There’s no way to do emulation for it because it was broken for most roms and I didn’t own a computer to do the RGR if it owned the game. Fast forward to 2021 I was finally be able to play this game on an actual arcade machine and it was pretty fun. Able to see the fighters and knowing this is the first of the series, the Marvel vs Capcom series, I can see how it became popular. Now being able to use… emulation… since I don’t own the arcade port or a 1-up arcade cabinet… I’ll try my best to make this a fair review. This is X-men : Children of the Atom for Arcade. 

Story : 9

Born into the world as freaks and outcasts, mutants are gifted with super powers whether it’s an unnoticeable or a huge cosmetic change. Charles Xavier, a mutant himself and creator of the school of gifted humans, gives hope and reason for the mutants to see the hopeful side of life that one day they’ll be integrated into society as equals and nothing lower or beneath. One man though, Magneto, masters of magnetism, sees it as mutants should be the master race and humans should cower in fear with the power that mutants possess. Up in space in his station, Avalon, he and his followers of mutants plan an assault to Earth to destroy the human race and create a devastation of the world until mutants are the only ones left to create a new society. Not only that, robots named Sentinels are roaming the planet, capturing or defeating mutants, good or bad, to make sure the world is safe from the powers they possess. It’s up to the X-men, a team of mutants Charles Xavier assembled, to foil magneto’s efforts and defeat sentinels to keep peace to the human race hoping that one day there will be a brighter future for both humans and mutants alike. 

The story is one of the most original and compelling that I’ve ever stumbled upon. As a direct correlation between social classes, segregation and how society looks upon people who are different, to turn it into a comic series (originally) is one of the most innovative ways the late Stan Lee has developed in his years of work. The game is based on the Comic series and it’s still a gripping tale to this day that any fan or newcomer of the series would enjoy understanding. 

A 9 out of 10

Graphics : 9

When starting up the game, you get greeted by an into that shows you every character available of the  game and bits of fighting to see how the game plays out. It’s a great introduction to people looking at the attract mode and instantly hooks players to spend quarters on this game, especially when it’s based on the cartoon show of the X-Men. 

The graphics are based of the cartoon series “X-men” which debuted in 1992 and it’s faithful to the source. Ever thought about playing as Wolverine, Cyclops or even a villain like Omega Red or sentinel. The backgrounds of the stages are lively and ever changing throughout the matches. Not once would they look boring or static when playing the game, from the training room with the playing field changing (cosmetic) to simulate that they’re training to The Blackbird with splashing waves in the background the scenery is beautiful to look at. Heck some stages even move as you continue to fight whether on a rock or standing on ice in a beach then ocean. The team behind the game made good use to the CPSII game board and I always enjoyed the graphics and stages of the game. 

9 out of 10 

Sound : 8

The sound of the game is pretty good. Some bit of muffling with the voice audio but it’s not really that noticeable. The hit effects are decent, like you can feel the hits being taken or blocked during gameplay. The music is pretty good to listen to, nothing memorable for me but others might be fond of the soundtrack of specific characters. Not much to say in this department other than it’s above average quality. 

An 8 out of 10 

Depth : 7

Game has a bit to offer for an arcade. Each character possesses a different play style and combos to learn. Some characters are harder to learn than others but with the gameplay it’s similar to Street Fighter in a sense, since it was made by Capcom. They do have a Super meter and I think this is the first game that introduces stages of Super, Level 1, Level 2 and Max level. Techs, Reversals and some other moves will end up costing meter so it’s more about strategy than fighting aimlessly to defeat an opponent which gives a bit of depth of fighting every round. For characters you got the zoners, mid range, close range and grapplers to help you choose which one best suits you. Each character has a stage of their own that reflects their personality and actions around them (Cyclops in Training room or Spiral in another dimension world or whatever that is). Defeating each game with a different character lets you see a different ending that revolves around the character that you chose. The fun of the game is multiplayer. Playing against other people is quite a thrill whether casual or competitively. There’s some issues but that should be addressed on difficulty. 

An 7 out of 10 for a fighting game. 

Addictive : 9

The game is very fast paced and smooth. Each character having its own strengths and weaknesses to face with each opponent. Capcom really made it off well making this game and with multiplayer it can give you endless hours of fun and competition. This was truly a game for its time, in a good way, and how it holds up well, I have to give it a 9 out of 10. 

Difficulty: 8 

The game is a quarter muncher. First stage isn’t that difficult but the curve is noticeable. It isn’t as bad with the input reading but most matches you’ll realize that they tend to block more and it’s annoying. The game isn’t balanced at all. Some characters are overpowered and most have infinites that can be exploited for easy wins or losses. Some characters only have one Super whole others have multiple which makes them more viable and less limited to the One Super Characters (Ice man cough.) Then some characters are able to build up meter more quickly than others which is a huge plus since meter is a necessity for the game. 

Magneto is one of the cheapest characters to face since he is the final boss and he will eat up your quarters (or continues since Mame and such). You will quickly realize which characters are more viable than others in multiplayer and it can be an hindrance when playing competitively. 

Overall the difficulty is an 8

This game was an introduction of the Marvel Universe in Capcom fighting games. X-Men Children of the Atom was a great choice to use as a first fighting game and it’ll only evolve as years goes on with X-Men vs Street Fighter and Marvel Super Heroes which will eventually lead to the beginning of Marvel Vs Capcom series. This game is no means a slouch and learning each character is pretty fun. It introduced many features that became a staple for many Capcom fighting games like Level Supers and techs, and you can thank this game for introducing us to the Marvel Capcom universe. If anything I think the rating of the review will reflect my thoughts of the game. 

My rating : 9 out of 10 

Review Rating : 8.3 out of 10