Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

X-Men: Next Dimension delivers a deep and varied fighting experience that feels instantly familiar yet refreshingly complex. With up to twenty-four playable mutants—from fan favorites like Wolverine and Cyclops to powerhouse characters like Juggernaut—the roster offers a range of playstyles. Whether you prefer lightning-fast combo chains or slower, heavier hits, you’ll find a character whose move set matches your approach to battle.

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The game’s combo system is one of its standout features. You can weave together normal chains, air juggles, and devastating air launchers to keep opponents off-balance. Characters also have specialized counter-attacks that respond to high, low, or mid-level strikes, adding a layer of strategy to both offense and defense. Timing your blocks and choosing the right counter can turn the tide of a match in an instant.

Super attacks bring true comic-book flair to the combat. By pressing two punch or kick buttons together, you unleash beams, blasts, and spectacular physical moves that can stun or send foes flying. Each character has several super attacks across four power levels, encouraging you to manage your energy bar and decide when to go all-in. Whether you’re aiming for a flashy finisher or a quick stun, these supers are both satisfying to execute and essential to competitive play.

Layered into the core fighting mechanics are stages rendered in fully 3D environments. Unlike typical 2D arenas, many levels in Next Dimension span multiple interconnected screens. You can dash through backgrounds or kick your opponent into a different zone, changing the battlefield on the fly. This multi-screen design keeps matches dynamic, forcing you to adapt your spacing and zoning strategies with every screen transition.

Beyond the single battles, the game offers a suite of modes that add hours of replay value. Story Mode provides a narrative-driven campaign where only specific heroes and villains are playable, while Arcade Mode pits you against ten successive AI challengers. Versus Mode lets you go head-to-head with friends, and Survival Mode tests your endurance against an endless gauntlet, demanding flawless execution to rack up high scores. The GameCube release even tacks on Team and Practice modes, while the Xbox version unlocks Pyro and an extra stage. No matter your platform, there’s always a new way to sharpen your mutant skills.

Graphics

Back when Next Dimension launched, its shift to 3D stage environments set a new bar for superhero fighters. Characters are fully rendered in polygonal form, moving with surprisingly fluid animations for the era. Each mutant’s costume and physique captures their distinct comic-book design, from Rogue’s detailed leather jacket to Magneto’s flowing cape, making battles feel straight out of a graphic novel.

Stage variety further enhances visual appeal. Urban rooftops, secret labs, and fortress interiors are richly textured, and each screen transition reveals fresh background details. Environmental hazards aren’t just for show—sometimes a stray crate or a hazard icon can hint at interactive elements, making the world feel more alive than a static plane.

While character models shine, special effects really steal the spotlight. Energy beams burst in brilliant hues, shockwaves ripple across the floor, and flying debris follows heavy punches. Super attacks in particular showcase dazzling particle effects that momentarily freeze-frame opponents for maximum impact. Though modern eyes might spot polygon edges, the colorful explosions and dynamic lighting still hold up remarkably well.

Camera work also deserves praise. During supers, the perspective shifts to emphasize scale and power, zooming in on close-range grabs or pulling back to spotlight wide-area blasts. These cinematic cues heighten the drama of each finishing move and help players appreciate the weight behind each mutant’s abilities. All told, Next Dimension’s graphics strike a balance between technical ambition and comic-book spectacle.

Story

X-Men: Next Dimension takes the series’ classic struggle between mutants and humanity to an epic new level. A group of ruthless Sentinels, engineered to exterminate mutants, has risen in numbers and intelligence, threatening mutant-kind with total annihilation. To make matters worse, they capture Forge, the team’s brilliant engineer, hoping to extract secrets that could doom every X-Man.

In a surprising twist, Professor Xavier and Magneto’s uneasy alliance forms the campaign’s backbone. Old rivalries are set aside as heroes and villains unite against a common foe. This unlikely cooperation is woven effectively into cutscenes and in-game dialogue, giving each battle greater emotional weight. Watching Cyclops team up with Mystique to infiltrate a Sentinel factory underscores the narrative’s high stakes and rare moments of camaraderie.

Story Mode restricts playable characters to those pivotal to the plot, ensuring each fight advances the narrative. Boss encounters against upgraded Sentinels feel appropriately daunting, and the final showdown delivers the tension you’d expect when the fate of mutants hangs in the balance. While the dialogue can veer into comic-book clichés, the overall pacing keeps you invested—especially when you learn the precise mutant-tech Forge has hidden from his captors.

Though the storyline isn’t as deep as an RPG’s, it’s more ambitious than the average fighting game tale. You’ll witness betrayals, heroic rescues, and the bittersweet cost of victory. Fans of the X-Men universe will appreciate nods to classic arcs, and newcomers can easily follow the drama without extensive Marvel knowledge. As a cohesive backdrop for the fights, Next Dimension’s plot succeeds in making you care about every win and loss.

Overall Experience

X-Men: Next Dimension stands out as a memorable entry in the early-2000s fighting game landscape. Its robust mechanics—combining combos, counters, and supers—offer depth for competitive players, while the multi-screen arenas inject new life into each match. Whether you’re jumping into quick Versus bouts or working through the narrative’s twists, the gameplay loop stays engaging from start to finish.

Multiplayer sessions are especially rewarding. The varied roster ensures no two matchups feel the same, and the super moves add that signature “wow” factor that only a superhero brawler can deliver. Local head-to-head remains the best way to experience the game’s full potential, fostering those classic living-room throwdowns that defined fighting games of its era.

On the downside, some players may find the learning curve steep. Mastering air juggles and timing counter-attacks takes patience, and the energy-bar management for supers can be punishing in longer matches. However, Practice Mode (exclusive to GameCube) and training tutorials help flatten this learning curve, allowing newcomers to build confidence before diving into Survival or higher difficulty Arcade runs.

Ultimately, Next Dimension balances fan service with solid fighting mechanics, delivering an experience that appeals to both X-Men aficionados and fighting-game enthusiasts. Its combination of cooperative storytelling, strategic combat, and visual flair makes it a standout title worth revisiting. If you’re seeking a superhero fighter that genuinely captures the spirit of its source material, look no further than X-Men: Next Dimension.

Retro Replay Score

6.6/10