Working my way down the versions, let’s compare the dual-screen tie-in game for the third X-Men film.

Developed by Amaze Entertainment, this doesn’t try to replicate the experience of the console game. It’s pretty much a middle ground between the former and the GBA version by WayForward. Amaze was also responsible for Spyro: Shadow Legacy and the first two Legend of Spyro games on DS, and this is quite similar to their version of A New Beginning, in that you fight through short action stages from a vaguely isometric perspective.

As a DS game, X:TOG makes novel use of the touchscreen for the characters’ powers. This time around, the playable characters include Nightcrawler (always solo), as well as Wolverine, Iceman, and uniquely for this version, Magneto (most levels feature a combination of these guys). You move fairly slowly with the D-pad, swap characters with L, and tap to attack baddies. For Kurt and Logan this means automatic melee swipes when they’re in range, and Bobby fires ice blasts at range (with some enemies being immune to either, hence swapping around). Erik has the unique ability to move things around by dragging them with the stylus, which must have been the big idea behind his inclusion and the control scheme itself.

You also have a powered up mode, activated (often accidentally) by tapping your character. You’d think Kurt could shift around by tapping elsewhere, but no I guess that would break the level design. Instead he enters the demon realm or whatever they call it, which stops enemies and the timer. Logan heals, Bobby has more powerful shots, and Erik can move bigger things. For the most part it’s just a way to get past a blockage or to balance health recovery, and isn’t too exciting.

The main problem is it mostly feels sluggish and janky. They try to vary up the enemy types and environments a bit but it just doesn’t feel great to play. In between levels you sometimes get a very brief motion comic-style cutscene, but there’s no voices anywhere, and most of the exposition is delivered by text dialogue before and after levels.

This is actually the one strength of the game (beyond Magneto’s technically novel controls): the frequent dialogue lets them explore the setting of this interquel story a bit deeper. You get Xavier directing the different teams remotely, discussion of Silver Samurai’s motives and character, and the banter between characters is especially fun with the begrudging allies. There’s also a greater focus on themes that come up in these mutant stories like human-mutant relations, the public image of mutants and the dichotomy of extremism and striving for tolerance, as well as the Sentinels’ social role in the conflict.

As for the plot, it’s truncated from the console version but differently to the GBA version’s choices. Sentinels are introduced in the opening cutscene as a current threat to mutantkind, with Kitty momentarily seen escaping one. Alkali Lake and both Strykers are skipped entirely, with Silver Samurai and Hydra positioned more prominently as antagonists. Logan starts the game in Japan pursuing Deathstrike, and then as with the console game the action moves to Hong Kong to infiltrate the Master Mould, while Kurt deals with side problems of Hydra stirring up anti-mutant sentiments and violence with terrorist acts in the US. There’s no other characters on either side, which does make the world feel smaller but on the other hand it’s more focused, I suppose.

With 40 short stages it doesn’t take too long to beat the game. The extra modes of survival (play through stages back-to-back with one life) and boss rush aren’t worth it, but score attack will let you replay a level without dialogue. Each stage has a strict score goal, judged on time, enemies defeated, and point pickups found, and if you clear that you earn a permanent slight boost to either health or mutant energy, which can help as the game progresses. My advice: don’t try for 100% if you prefer your hair not torn out.