The Long-Lost 'X-Men: Ashes of the Apocalypse' (and Other Canceled X-Men Games)

Many X-Men games have been X-tinguished throughout the years. This video summarizes all that have been reported, delving in to one never before discussed on KZbin: X-Men: Ashes of the Apocalypse. Includes a trailer for the game not seen since the late 20th century -- literal X-Men '97!
Read as a blog post and/or read the Ashes article: c-bake.com/ashes
0:00: Intro / X-Men '97 ROCKS!
1:00: X-Women: The Sinister Virus (Sega Genesis)
1:14: X-Men: Mind Games (Sega 32X)
1:32: Activision X-Men Game by Syrox (PlayStation/N64)
2:38: X-Men: Mutant Wars (PlayStation)
2:57: QuestProbe Featuring X-Men (PC)
3:25: Capcom's X-Men 2 (SNES)
4:26: X-Men: Ashes of the Apocalypse (recap)
11:23: X-Men: Ashes of the Apocalypse (trailer!)
13:20: Outro
Here's how ChatGPT summarizes everything -- it's only a little bit wrong:
Discover the untold story of 'X-Men: Ashes of the Apocalypse,' a forgotten gem from the '90s Marvel universe that never saw the light of day. Unearth the secrets of this canceled X-Men game, complete with its long-lost trailer, in this deep dive article. Delve into the history of X-Men gaming, exploring the plethora of canceled projects, from X-Women to Mutant Academy, and the intriguing Sega marketing campaign that never materialized. Unravel the mystery behind the announcement of 'X-Men: Ashes of the Apocalypse' in the pages of THE UNCANNY X-MEN #350, a milestone issue that teased a groundbreaking gaming experience. Get exclusive insights from developer New Wave Entertainment and its visionary plans for this epic sequel to the Age of Apocalypse storyline. Discover the gameplay features, playable characters, and multiplayer campaigns promised by this ambitious project. With never-before-seen visuals and revelations from industry legend Michael Mendheim, experience the excitement of what could have been with 'X-Men: Ashes of the Apocalypse.' Would you have joined the battle to save Earth from the clutches of Apocalypse? Explore the lost legacy of this canceled game and decide for yourself.
X-WOMEN
Panels to Pixels, X-Women The Sinister Virus (Unreleased Mega Drive Genesis Game): • X-Women: The Sinister ...
UptownDanRam, X-Women The Sinister Virus (Sega Genesis) Promo Video: • "X-Women: The Sinister...
X-MEN: MIND GAMES
NeoGamer, X-Men Mind Games - Cancelled Sega 32X Game: • X-Men: Mind Games - Ca...
SYROX CANCELED ACTIVISION X-MEN GAME
PtoPOnline, Gambit from Unreleased X-Men Fighting Game by Syrox #shorts: • Gambit from Unreleased...
Longplay Archive, Longplay of X-Men: Mutant Academy: • Longplay of X-Men: Mut...
nostyleja, Wu-Tang [clan] - Shaolin Style - Trailer: • Wu-Tang [clan] - Shaol...
PlayStation Museum, Thrill Kill Unseen advertisement: • Thrill Kill :: Unseen ...
MicroChirp, X-Men Mutant Academy (Prototype) - E3 1999 Footage: • X-Men: Mutant Academy ...
X-MEN: MUTANT WARS
World of Longplays, Game Boy Color Longplay [048] X-Men Mutant Wars: • Game Boy Color Longpla...
QUESTPROBE
AppleAdventures, Questprobe Spider-Man walkthrough longplay (Apple II - Adventure International): • Questprobe: Spider-Man...
X-MEN 2 (CAPCOM)
Electric Playground, 16-bit Superheroes Marvel's War of the Gems! - Electric Playground Review: • 16-bit Superheroes: Ma...
Electric Playground, X-Men Mutant Apocalypse (SNES) - Electric Playground Review: • X-Men: Mutant Apocalyp...
Skop, Practicing Air Combos Marvel vs Capcom: • Practicing Air Combos ...
ASHES OF THE APOCALYPSE
Netmarble Global, [MARVEL Future Fight] The Age Of Apocalypse has arrived! • [MARVEL Future Fight] ...
#xmengame #marvelgames #xmen97
Read about retro superhero games in “WRONG! Retro Games, You Messed Up Our Comic Book Heroes!”: c-bake.com/oldc...
© 2024 Christopher Michael Baker
All trademarks or copyrights are recognized and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review, or parody. All trademarks or copyrights mentioned in this video are the possession of their respective owners, and the producer does not claim to own any right, title or interest in the trademarks of others that have been reproduced. Any opinions expressed are those of the producer and do not necessarily reflect those of any of his employers, past or present.

[@destronlaserwave9566]

If there's something I appreciate is a youtube channel where someone who has worked in the gaming industry speaks about their experience. You earned a sub.

[@cbake76]

Thanks for saying that! I try to make it more about the games than me, but it's fun to bring my own personal experience into things when appropriate. And thanks for the sub!

[@jeffreyferguson634]

That trailer sucks purely because it got me so excited for something I know we’ll never get. Even if the game did come out and ended up being bad or something that’s still one of the most entertaining pitch trailers I’ve ever seen 😂. So glad and thankful we all got to witness this piece of forgotten X-History be brought into the spotlight again.

[@cbake76]

Isn’t it great?! Even most AAA games of the time that actually did come out didn’t have trailers that involved (largely because broadband and KZbin weren’t things yet).

[@bewaretheconficker]

Absolutely mindblowing stuff, Chris! I remember the strange article for this, I think there were even theories that it just became the Ravages of Apocalypse official Quake mod, but the true story is much more fascinating!

[@cbake76]

Thanks, Nick! Ravages was "the one true X-Men 97 game," I think you could say, as it was the only one released that year. It was made by one guy in three months! Been wanting to cover that one for a looooong time.

[@frogoat]

Love your channel! The best kind of niche content.

[@cbake76]

Always love hearing from you. Thanks so much for watching again!

[@AndyDecarli]

Although it was a mockup it seems like X-Men Ashes of Apocalypse would have played like Space Hulk Vengeance of the Blood Angels which was for computers, PS1, Saturn, and 3DO.

[@cbake76]

I haven't played those, but I'll take your word for it. It's entirely possible those were influences.

[@elrincongeek1413]

I think it would be really cool to hear some stories from your time in Marvel Games and the gaming industry as a whole. I find videos like this really fascinating.

[@cbake76]

There is some stuff -- check out this playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLaOoQTCrGMjEQZ0E51uSNDIAzMstwkVVp I also throw in random comments here and there to other videos, like this one. Thanks for the comment! Maybe I'll do more dev-related videos in the future. (Actually, I do kind of have one planned for Deadpool 3...)

[@tacobellalugosi2527]

This looked really cool . Right now it seems anything 90’s X-Men is huge due to how amazing the 97 show is I mean there was only one episode that was a little slow but still a cool episode . But yeah anything 90’s X-Men comics is hard to find at my 2 comic shops so yeah I’m really happy to see the show is massive and people loved it

[@cbake76]

Isn’t it great?

[@kellymccabe9154]

Im pretty tapped in to canceled super hero games. I feel like Ive heard this title in passing, but certainly never had those details. Really cool find Chris, appreciate the video. And to answer your question, of course I'd play it. I'll hunt down and play any dang X-game I can get my hands on!

[@cbake76]

Vague recollections are more than most people can say, I'm sure. Thanks for tuning in!

[@joezar33]

So "Ashes of Apocalyps" was supposed to be an "RTS and FPS" game 😮 ? Reminds me of the game *Savage: The Battle for Newerth*

[@cbake76]

Seems that way. Definitely ambitious!

[@silvermknight]

This could have been really cool as an X-Com game featuring the X-Men.

[@Merboy007]

Wow. So many memories. I remember being around 14-15 and getting super hyped for the release of this game. Mind you that I had a crappy homemade built PC but I was determined to get this game and figure out how to actually play it later. Since I’m a huge Jean Grey fan and being excited to finally being able to actually play as her…I feverishly looked all over the internet throughout the years trying to figure out whatever happened to this game. I could be wrong but I distinctly remember some sites having downloadable links for the game and I went as far as to downloading the links but again since my PC was super low budget I was never able to access the download. It always haunted me til this day. 😅

[@cbake76]

For some reason, KZbin objected to this, so I'm just now seeing it. If you're talking about Ashes of the Apocalypse, it was never released, so you definitely didn't download it. Glad I could clarify its fate for you, though!

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

I love the X-Men legends games

[@MrDumdumkilla]

Dude I still have that magazine even though it's beat up 😂. It's the reason I was excited for all the games

[@cbake76]

Cool! That was the first “big” thing I did in the industry. I don’t know if you remember the Stan Lee interview in that feature, but after he died, I took the audio and made a video of it elsewhere on this channel as a tribute. Check it out if you’re interested.

[@jamespaul6315]

I hate seeing things like this because it will never happen. I really would love an age of apocalypse game

[@cbake76]

I hear you! I still have all my AoA comics-which I’m pretty sure was ALL of them.

[@krono5el]

oh man, that Mad art from back then was blowing our minds : D

[@cbake76]

So good.

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

Never heard of X-Men ashes of apocalypse before watching this video thanks for making this video

[@cbake76]

You bet! Thanks for watching.

[@winnerwatson1883]

Very well done sir!

[@cbake76]

Thanks so much!

[@mushra50]

They was going to release X-Men mutant academy for Nintendo 64 but it got canceled

[@cbake76]

Yep, I mentioned that near the end of the footage.

[@darkknight072]

Great video, Chris! But you really need a volume warning at 5:51

[@cbake76]

Ha... Wouldn't want to insult them. 😀 Thanks for watching!

[@minicle426]

We need other X-Men RPG.

[@xman101]

Is there anymore canceled xmen games

[@cbake76]

As I said in the video, those are all the ones…that have been reported…

[@tydyman2003]

I met him once he even took a picture with me cause I told him me and my dad use to play Mutant Football Leauge, I asked so many questions about that game and it seems some of the questions I asked about Mutant League Football are in 2. I wonder if I ever see him at a con again, I'll probably ask if he and his team were to metaphorically have Marvel make a game for them if he wouldn't mind making sort of a successor of this game. I dont really have a hand in the gaming industry so I have to get lucky at conventions

[@cbake76]

I met him at PAX in Seattle, I think a few months before MFL1 came out. Such a great guy! I hope you run into him again.

[@thebaker525]

I wonder if the Marvel game publishing rights being bought by Activision in 1998 affected the development of this at all?

[@cbake76]

Could be! Or it could also be that they just went to Activision next, once things didn't work out.