Play Marvel's X-Men Online

Marvel's X-Men on NES is a rough but weirdly charming side-scroller where you swap between Cyclops, Wolverine, and the rest of the team. The controls feel stiff at first—jumping is awkward, and some attacks just don’t land right. But there’s something about the pixelated versions of these characters that makes it hard to put down.

You’ll recognize a few classic villains, though the levels blur together after a while. The difficulty spikes hard in later stages, mostly because of questionable hit detection. Still, if you grew up with the comics or cartoons, seeing these characters in 8-bit form has its own appeal.

It’s not the best NES beat-em-up, but Marvel's X-Men has enough nostalgia to keep you going until the end.