X-Men Game Has Film’s Actors & Writer

By Geoff Duncan April 21, 2006

X-Men Game Has Film

Activision‘s forthcoming X-Men: The Official Game certainly underscores the growing connection between Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking and the growing influence of the video game industry. X-Men: The Official Game no only features performances from film actors Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Alan Cumming, and Shawn Ashmore, but features scenes and dialog written by Zak Penn, one of the screenwriters on X-Men: The Last Stand film. Penn cowrote the game with legendary X-Men comic writer Chris Claremont.

The latest installment of the X-Men film franchise is set to hit theaters May 26. The game will hit the streets even earlier, on May 16. It will be available for Windows PC, Xbox, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, GameCube, and Gameboy Advance. (They’ve certainly got their bases covered.)

The game takes place between events in the film X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, but according to Penn, Activision’s other X-Men Legends game influenced the new X-Men film, with Penn and second unit director Simon Crane using the game to generate ideas for the new movie. Penn describes his roll as matching up the film and the game, further blurring the lines between where films and and video games begin. At what point does one medium cease being an extension or adaption of the other? Do audiences now have to consider the game and the film a single, combined work?

A recent agreement between Microsoft and Marvel has Microsoft working on massively-online gaming titles using Marvel properties for the Xbox 360, including the X-Men and Spider-Man; meanwhile, Activision has a deal with Marvel to develop role-playing titles.

Editors' Recommendations

CES 2024: HyperX has a new line of gaming products just for kids

Topics

Marvel

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

What’s free on the Epic Games Store right now?

Robots attacking in Industria.

Checking in on the Epic Games Store is one of the easiest ways to grow your gaming library. Epic gives out a free game or two every week, ranging from darling indies to AAA titles. All you have to do is jump on the Epic Games Store to claim the free games and they'll be added to your library to keep forever.

Keeping track of all the free titles and gaming deals can be a pain, so we're monitoring the Epic Games Store for you. We'll update this article every time a new game is made available!
What's free on the Epic Games Store right now?
These games can be picked up on the Epic Games store right now for free. Scroll down to the Free Games section of the app's Discover tab or find the individual title using the search bar. Just find and select the Get button to claim your free game. You do not have to download or install it right away.

Gaming

Is Fallout 76 cross-platform?

fallout 76 nuclear winter cancelled cancel

We've all loved exploring the different regions of the wasteland in the Fallout series alone, but it wasn't until Fallout 76 that we had the chance to do so with friends. While it wasn't quite what people were hoping for at launch, years of support have made this an excellent world to explore and go on quests with friends in. While most games released in recent years support cross-platform play between consoles, Fallout 76 came out before that was the standard. If you've got a group of friends playing on different systems, will you still be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the wasteland together? Here's what you need to know.
Is Fallout 76 cross-platform?
Fallout 76 does not support full cross-platform support. The only two platforms that can play on the same servers are Xbox and PC, but only in the case where PC players are accessing the game through Game Pass. If you are on a PlayStation console or bought the game on Steam, you will only be able to play with others on those respective platforms.

Considering how many years it's been since Fallout 76 launched, it is unlikely that cross-platform support will be added at this point. Should we be proven wrong, we will update this guide to reflect that.

Gaming

Sea of Thieves beginner’s guide: 16 tips for new pirates

sea of thieves how to play solo sanctuaryoutpost 2

Cooperative piracy simulator Sea of Thieves is a game that drops players right off the plank and into the deep end of the ocean as soon as they start it up. You're left to figure out how to do almost everything alone or with a crew of friends. All of it is picked up through experience as you play, which is part of what makes Sea of Thieves interesting. There are tons of little nuances and best practices, however, that you need to become an effective pirate.

If you want to win sea battles, escape plunderers, gather treasure, and generally be the best pirate on the Sea of Thieves, there is a lot to learn. Luckily, these tips will make you an effective sailor, a deft brawler, and a smart privateer when you join up with a crew. Going it alone has its perks as well, so check out our tips for your lone pirate voyages.
Start with the tutorial mission