The X-Men ’97 Season 1 episode, “Motendo/Lifedeath – Part 1,” features several scenes that rock the aesthetic of a ’90s side-scrolling arcade game. But is the X-Men video game in “Motendo” entirely fictional or based on a real video game?
Motendo’s X-Men Video Game Inspiration, Explained
The video game in “Motendo/Lifedeath – Part 1” is modeled on Konami’s 1992 X-Men arcade game. The Konami game’s cabinet even makes a fleeting appearance in the episode. Other nods to the 1992 game in X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 4 include the design and size of its character sprites and its prominent use of Sentinels as enemy NPCs. X-Men ’97‘s faux video game also spotlights Magneto during its attract screen, which suggests that the Master of Magnetism is the (original) final boss, just like in the Konami joint. What’s more, Colossus is among the options on the character selection screen, in another nod to X-Men ’97‘s arcade game inspiration.
Related: X-Men ’97: How Old Is Magneto?
But there are key differences between the real-life X-Men arcade game and the one depicted in “Motendo/Lifedeath – Part 1” — most of which stem from their differing source material. While the “Motendo” game reflects the shared X-Men: The Animated Series/X-Men ’97 continuity, Konami’s X-Men game was based on the unsuccessful 1989 X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men pilot. So, while the X-Men ’97 game features Jubilee and Sunspot, neither appears in Konami’s side-scroller.
Was There An X-Men: The Animated Series Tie-in Game?
It depends on how you classify “tie-in” — and game, for that matter. Mid-’90s release X-Men Cartoon Maker was indeed based on X-Men: The Animated Series, however, it wasn’t really a “game” in the conventional sense. That said, several indirect video game adaptations also hit shelves — all produced by Capcom. 1995 fighting game X-Men: Children of the Atom got the ball rolling. It didn’t adapt X-Men: The Animated Series per se, but saw many of the show’s cast members reprise their roles.
Related: X-Men ’97: Who Is Forge?
Capcom followed up Children of the Atom with 1996’s X-Men vs. Street Fighter. Again, the Marvel characters in this game looked and sounded like the versions in X-Men: The Animated Series. This trend carried on through Marvel vs. Capcom (1998) and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000). Capcom produced a third Marvel vs. Capcom game in 2011, however, it severed the franchise’s ties to X-Men: The Animated Series. Not only did returning X-Men characters no longer resemble their cartoon counterparts in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, but they were now played by different voice actors, as well.
X-Men ’97 is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.
