I find it difficult to talk about beat-em-ups, because at a certain point they kinda end up being the same thing. There isn't that much functionally different between X-men: The Arcade Game and Turtles in Time, or The Simpsons. Not that I find that to be a particularly bad thing, mind you, because my brain has become hardwired to dump endorphins just as much as quarters anytime I come face-to-face with an arcade cabinet.

X-Men: The Arcade Game is (like most beat-em-ups) incredibly compelling, a ton of fun with friends, has a look and sound tailor made to draw you in from across a smoky dimly lit arcade parlor, and is far more polished than it really needs to be. Well, to a point, of course. "Welcome to die" is pretty infamous, but it's also so endearing that it manages to put a smile on my face every time I hear it. I am easily manipulated. I am the key demographic for this crap.

I didn't have as much exposure to X-Men as I did the Turtles arcade games. Obviously it's been decades, but I vaguely remember it being in a particular arcade that quickly got a bad reputation. Usually I was playing arcade games at one of a couple pizza shops or the bar my dad liked to drag me to. I'll ruminate on that more when I get to TMNT: The Arcade and Turtles in Time, but suffice it to say, those had a lot more staying power with me. They also had Turtle Power, which really is the most important thing X-Men is lacking.