 _______      _______  _______     _____  __________  _____    ____
|"Y88888b.   /d88888P |Y888888b.  /88888b|Y888888888b|Y8888b. |Y888b
`. "Y88888b./d88888P  | Y8888888b.|888888b Y888888888b Y88888b. Y888b
  `. "Y88888d88888P   \  Y88888888b8888888b Y8888b___/\ Y888888b,X888b
    `. "Y88888888P   __\  Y8888b"Y8888Y8888b Y88888888b\ Y############b
      `. "8888888.  /888b  Y####b "Y## Y####b Y########b\ Y###X"Y######b
       / d########b.\Y####  Y####b  "Y  Y####b Y####b__/_\ Y###b "Y#####b
      / d###########b.---'\  Y####b\/ \  Y####b Y#########b Y###b\ "Y####b
     / d#####P "Y#####b.   \  Y####b   \  Y####b Y#####P"""/____/ \/_____/
    / d#####P `. "Y#####b.  \  Y####b   \/_____//_______--'
   / d#####P    `. "Y#####b  \/_____/
  / d#####P       `/______/           C H I L D R E N  O F  T H E  A T O M
  |/_____/
               X-MEN: Children of the Atom FAQ version 6.0


=======
 INTRO
=======

X-MEN, Capcom's newest fighting game, boasts incredible graphics and brand
new playing features.  As if you couldn't guess, the game based on
characters appearing in Marvel comics (though they are a little dated)

X-MEN is all of 300 megs, and is the eighth to use the Capcom CPS2 system.
This faq is based on version 3.00 of X-MEN.

Feel free to copy and distribute this faq, but don't sell it!  My fellow
faq writers and I don't get any money for our work, and it really pisses
us off when freeloaders make a profit from it.  This goes for game mags
as well.  (Hi EGM, you rat bastards!)  It's free info...keep it that way.

Send any comments, corrections, etc. to Rich Joseph at rfj105@psu.edu

Title by Galen Komatsu


========================
 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
========================

  BETWEEN AND AFTER BATTLES

During the pause between battles, you are able to move your character
back and forth.  This allows you to position yourself *just* right.
X-Power collected during the previous battle remains for the next.  Press
any attack button to speed up the delay.  The winner can press start to
cancel the victory pose, allowing his or her character to move during the
delay.  This allows you to take some "free hits" on your opponent, or to
set-up a pose for the final screen.

  BLOCKING AND THE AUTOBLOCK

Blocking is as simple as pushing the joystick away from the attack. In
X-MEN, you can block on the ground or in the air.  There is a feature
called "automatic blocking", which is selectable when you choose your
character.  All attacks are blocked, even if you are moving forward, as
long as you don't touch a button.  However, autoblocking only works for
the first match...an X will appear over the "AUTO" sign when it is turned
off.  This feature will also permanently limit your moves.  The most
common example are the beam attacks.  Beams will only fire straight,
instead of having three different directions.

  COMBOS

A combo is a series of moves that interupt the animation of the previous
ones, making it a smooth, continous move.  There are basically three ways
to combo in X-MEN.  The most ancient of methods is to interupt a standard
move with a special.  An example of this would be (fierce,fierce DP).
Hitting multiple times in the air is the second way to combo.  The third
method is somewhat new, called the "Magic Series" by Tom Cannon.  A magic
series is sequence of buttons which interrupt each other.  This method is
unlike the "weakest to strongest" system of DarkStalkers because each
character seems to have a specific set of buttons.  The most common
MS is (strong,forward).  Kicks and punches can be interchanged, but you
cannot go "backwards" with a MS (strongest to weakest).  Three characters
can link *all* of their buttons into a magic series.  These three are
Cyclops, Psylocke, and Gouki, who have what is termed the "six-hit magic
series" or SHMS.  Once you get used to these three systems, try creating
your own combos by mixing them together.  Remember, the best combo is the
one you create yourself!

  DASHING

Tap forward twice to dash forward, and twice back to dash backward.  An
alternative way is to press two punches and hold the joystick forward or
backward.  Reverse the stick to stop.  During a dash, slide by pushing
down and a button.  Slides and dashes are a good way to start combos.

  MISSILE ATTACKS

You can guide the path of most missiles with the joystick.  No one should
complain about "unfair" missile traps in X-MEN.  Two colliding missiles will
cancel each other.  A well-timed kick or punch will also cancel a missile.
Super jumps will get you out of any corner.  (Seems Capcom went a long way
to remove the fireball trap from this game)

  STUNS AND KNOCKDOWNS

Besides normal stuns, your character can be stunned on the ground.  You can
hit or throw a downed opponent.  Shake the joystick to recover from a stun
quicker.  If you are knocked down, hold the joystick forward or backward
and press a punch button.  This will cause your character to quickly roll
forward or backward.  The strength of the punch determines the distance.

  SUPER JUMPS

Besides normal jumps, your character can leap twice as high. Rapidly flick
the joystick from down to up.  An alternate way is to hold all three kick
buttons.  The game will stay focused on the higher character, and a little
marker shows the position of the lower one.  Most importantly, a super jump
will cancel any *normal* move.

  THROWING

Simply press the joystick forward with a medium or fierce punch or kick
to throw.  There are both air and ground throws...every character is able
to do both.  When someone is trying to throw you, it can be "reversed" by
attempting to throw the thrower.  Holding down and all three punch buttons
has two different effects on throws.  If you are being thrown, this will
"shrug off" the throw.  If you have already been thrown, the move allows
you to land without taking further damage.  This feature uses some of the
energy in your power bar. (you must be at least 2nd level to use it)

  X-POWER BAR

Underneath the life bar is an empty bar.  This bar will fill with glowing
energy every time you do a special move, throw, or hit an opponent
(blocking or not).  Every time you reach a new power level, energy will
glow around your legs, and the power level (1st, 2nd, etc.) will appear
over the life bar.  When the power is blue in the pow bar (1st level),
only regular moves are allowed.  When the meter becomes orange (2nd Level),
you can use some energy to perform special "X-Ability" moves.  When the
energy bar is full, the colors flicker, and you can perform one of the
"Hyper-X" moves.


==============
 KEY TO MOVES
==============

               Jump                      Punches: Jab     = a
   Jump Back O   O   O Jump Forward               Strong  = b
              \  |  /                             Fierce  = c
     Back  O-         -O  Forward
              /  |  \                    Kicks  : Short   = x
 Crouch Back O   O   O Crouch Forward             Forward = y
               Crouch                             R.house = z


TERMS: (C)     - Use the joystick to guide this move. (Control)
       (D)     - Character now does more damage in some way.
       (G/A)   - Ground/Air.  Some moves are ground-based, others
                 are aerial.  Both letters mean the move can be
                 performed on the ground as well as in the air.
       D.      - Move goes in a diagonal direction (D.Up, D.Down)

       X-Moves - Moves that are unique to this character and can
                 be done at any time during the match.  These moves
                 help to charge your power meter.
       X-Abil. - Special moves that draw on the power stored in
                 your power meter.
       Hyper-X - When the power meter is full, your character can
                 drain it to perform this super move.

SPECIAL NOTE:  These descriptions assume you are not using autoblock.
               All special moves in autoblock mode are limited to the
               medium version of that move (with a few exceptions).


================
 THE CHARACTERS
================

COLOSSUS

name       Piotr "Peter" Nikolaievitch Rasputin
alias      The Proletarian
origin     Siberia
alignment  good (X-Men)
hair/eyes  black/blue.......black/silver when transformed
stature    6'6" (198cm).....7'5 when transformed
weight     250lbs (227kg)...500lbs when transformed
enemies    Juggernaut, The Shadow King, The Marauders

With a thought, Piotr can transform the tissue of his entire body into
an organic "steel".  While in this state, Colossus has super-human
strength and stamina, and does not breathe!

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Giant Swing     |  | \ -O Punch     | (G) Colossus runs forward, grabs|
 |                 |  O  O             | his opponent and twirls around. |
 |                 |                   | Spin joystick for a faster spin.|
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Power Tackle    |  | \ -O Kick      | (G) Colossus sticks out his     |
 |                 |  O  O             | shoulder and charges.  Hit a    |
 |                 |                   | button to come out sooner.      |
 |                 |                   | Cancels all missile attacks.    |
 |                 |                   |  x=Across  y=D.Up    z=D.Up     |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Body Press      |  | + Punch        | (G) Use this only on the fallen |
 |                 |  O                | opponent. Colossus will hoist   |
 |                 |                   | the character over his head.    |
 |                 |                   | (setup for a rethrow)           |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Super Armor     |  |  / O- abc      | (G) Colossus becomes shiny. He  |
 |                 |  O O              | will take less damage, and he   |
 |                 |                   | cannot be knocked down!         |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Super Dive      |  | \ -O abc       | (G) Rise into the air, then     |
 |                 |  O  O             | dive into your opponent. Hit a  |
 |                 |                   | button to dive sooner.          |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 3          |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | An aerial (c) is slightly controllable.                               |
 | Magic series: (a,y,c)                                                 |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


CYCLOPS

name       Scott Summers
alias      ?
origin     USA
alignment  good (X-Men)
hair/eyes  brown/black
stature    6'3" (190cm)
weight     175lbs (79kg)
enemies    ?

The leader of the X-Men, Scott has eyes that emit solar radiation.
He must wear ruby lenses or the energy will pour forth everytime he
opens his eyes.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Optic Blast     |  | \ -O Punch     | (G/A) Shoot a beam of energy.   |
 |                 |  O  O             |  a=Crouch  b=Stand   c=D.Up     |
 |                 |                   | (all aerial beams are straight) |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Gene Splice     |  -O | \  Punch    | (G) A rising uppercut. Tap the  |
 |                 |     O  O          | button for extra hits.          |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | ???             | ???               | ???                             |
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Mega Optic      |  | \ -O abc       | (G) Cyclops shoots a huge optic |
 | Blast           |  O  O             | blast straight forward.         |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 17         |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Control Beam    |  |  / O- Punch    | (G/A,C) Cyclops emits a thick   |
 |                 |  O O              | optic blast. Beam will reflect  |
 |                 |                   | from walls and floor if you are |
 |                 |                   | standing on the ground.         |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | Back or forward with (c) on the ground shoots a laser burst.          |
 | Dashing with (ax) gives the "rapid punch" - dashing kicks and punches.|
 | Dashing with (cz) gives the "neck breaker drop" - a dashing throw.    |
 | Tap up after a jump to jump again (double jump)                       |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


ICEMAN

name       Robert "Bobby" Drake
alias      none
origin     Long Island, New York
alignment  good (X-Men)
hair/eyes  brown/brown
stature    5'8" (173cm)
weight     145lbs (66kg)
enemies    Magneto, Juggernaut, Sentinels, Apocalypse

Bobby has the ability to lower both his internal and external body
temperatures.  He usually uses the air moisture to create various forms
of super-dense ice.  In addition to his battle skills, Iceman is also
trained in the deadly art of accounting.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Ice Beam        |  | \ -O Punch     | (G/A) Shoot a beam of ice.      |
 |                 |  O  O             |  a=D.Down  b=Across  c=D.Up     |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Ice Avalanche   |  Punch + Kick     | (G/A) Form a boulder of ice in  |
 |                 | (same strength)   | the air to drop on your victim. |
 |                 |                   |  ax=Toward  by=Down  cz=Away    |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Ice Fist        |  |  / O- abc      | (G,D) A large sphere of ice     |
 |                 |  O O              | welds to Iceman's hand.         |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Arctic Attack   |  | \ -O abc       | (G/A) Large hailstones stream   |
 |                 |  O  O             | from Iceman's body.             |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 50         |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | He takes no damage from blocked energy attacks, such as fireballs or  |
 |  lasers. Iceman reflects some of the blocked missiles, but they won't |
 |  damage the opponent either.                                          |
 | Ice from the fierce throw will freeze the other player in place.      |
 | Try freezing your opponent, then doing the Hyper-X from close range.  |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


OMEGA RED

name       Arukeidi Rosspitchi
alias      none
origin     Russia
alignment  evil
hair/eyes  blonde/black
stature    6'6"  (198cm)
weight     300lbs (136kg)
enemies    The X-Men

An attempt to create a super-soldier for the former Soviet Union, the
psychotic Omega Red is a deadly opponent.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Carbonadium     | | \ -O Punch or   | (G/A) Omega's whip shoots out   |
 | Coil            | O  O   Kick       | and grabs his opponent. Grabs   |
 |                 |                   | through special moves. Tap a    |
 |                 |(kick aerial only) | button to cancel.               |
 |                 |                   |  a=Across  b=D.Up    c=Up       |
 |                 |                   |  x=Across  y=D.Down  z=Down     |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Flip n Smash    | Direction + Punch | (G/A) Flip your opponent around.|
 | (after coil)    |                   | Two flips if close to a wall.   |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Omega Strike    | | \ -O Kick       | (G) Use the tentacles to propel |
 |                 | O  O              | Omega Red in a direction. Push  |
 |                 |                   | down and a button to cancel.    |
 |                 |                   |  x=Across  y=D.Up    z=Up       |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Death Factor    | Tap Punch         | (G/A) Use your enemy's life to  |
 | (after coil)    |                   | heal Omega!                     |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Energy Drain    | Tap Kick          | (G/A) Absorb your opponent's    |
 | (after coil)    |                   | X-Power.                        |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Omega Destroyer |  | \ -O abc       | (G) Omega's tentacles spin out  |
 |                 |  O  O             | over the screen in a frenzy.    |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 10         |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | Omega can dash forward in the air.                                    |
 | A crouching roundhouse has three distances: A back crouch is near,    |
 |  a straight down crouch ends up in the middle of the screen, and a    |
 |  crouch forward ends up on the other side.                            |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


PSYLOCKE

name       Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock
alias      none
origin     England
alignment  good (X-Men)
hair/eyes  black/black
stature    5'11" (180cm)
weight     155lbs (70kg)
enemies    The Mandarin

As the result of Spiral's genetic experiments, the psionic Betsy had her
genes mixed with those of a ninja warrior.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | PsiFlash        |  | \ -O Punch     | (G/A) A burst of mental energy. |
 |                 |  O  O             | Mutiple blasts are possible.    |
 |                 |                   |  a=D.Down  b=Across  c=D.Up     |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | PsiBlade Spin   |  | \ -O Kick      | (G/A) A spinning energy kick.   |
 |                 |  O  O             | Tap the button for more hits.   |
 |                 |                   |  x=Across  y=D.Up    z=Up       |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Taunt           |  Press Start      | (G) Psylocke playfully teases.  |
 |                 |                   | Invulnerable to missiles, hits  |
 |                 |                   | for damage; may affect throws.  |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Ninjitsu        |  |  / O- Punch    | (G) Six images of Psylocke.     |
 |                 |  O O     or Kick  | Button determines where she is. |
 |                 |                   |  a=Far Left......z=Far Right    |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | PsiSpear        |  | \ -O abc       | (G/A,C) Psylocke gathers her    |
 |                 |  O  O             | energy.  Use this time to push  |
 |                 |                   | the joystick in the direction   |
 |                 |                   | you want to fly. After the first|
 |                 |                   | run, reposition and repeat with |
 |                 |                   | a button tap.                   |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 10         |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | She can jump off of walls.                                            |
 | Tap up after a jump to jump again (double jump)                       |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


SENTINEL

name       Sentinel
alias      none
origin     unknown
alignment  evil
hair/eyes  none
stature    20feet
weight     30tons
enemies    all mutants

The sentinels were created to "protect" normal humans by capturing and
exterminating mutants, a job they perform with ruthless effeciency.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Rocket Punch    |  | \ -O Punch     | (G/A) Extend the robot's arm.   |
 |                 |  O  O             |  a=D.Down  b=Across  c=D.Up     |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Sentinel Force  |  | \ -O Kick      | (G) Send three flying robots to |
 |                 |  O  O             | attack the opponent.            |
 |                 |                   |  x=Down toward the opponent     |
 |                 |                   |  y=Straight across the screen   |
 |                 |                   |  z=Carpet bomb                  |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Body Press      |  | + Punch        | (G) Use this only on the fallen |
 |                 |  O                | opponent. The robot will hoist  |
 |                 |                   | the character over his head.    |
 |                 |                   | (setup for a rethrow)           |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Flying          |  |  / O- abc      | (G/A) Your jets turn blue, and  |
 |                 |  O O              | you can float in the air.       |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Plasma Storm    |  | \ -O abc       | (G) Hold a net of energy, then  |
 |                 |  O  O             | release it toward opponent.     |
 |                 |                   | Hold the buttons longer for a   |
 |                 |                   | double net.  Or after releasing |
 |                 |                   | the first burst, hold down the  |
 |                 |                   | buttons for two extra.          |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 10         |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | Sentinel Force with (y) is controllable.  Each button tap releases a  |
 |  robot, which can be directed by the joystick.                        |
 | The Sentinel has a huge variety of normal moves; learn how to use     |
 |  them to your advantage.                                              |
 | A ground (b) or (c) shoots missiles or a laser.                       |
 | Standing (y) does an upward flame kick.                               |
 | While in the air, hold down with (c) for a spinning dive.             |
 | An aerial (y) is controllable.                                        |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


SILVER SAMURAI

name       Kenichiro Harada
alias      none
origin     Japan?
alignment  evil
hair/eyes  black/black
stature    unknown
weight     unknown
enemies    Wolverine

Harada is the Silver Samurai, the head of the Yashida clan.  He is a
powerful mutant with the ability to channel awesome amounts of energy
through his blade.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Shuriken        |  | \ -O Punch     | (G/A,C) A six-pointed shuriken. |
 |                 |  O  O             |                                 |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | HyakuRetsuToh   |  Tap Punch        | (G,C) Rapid sword slices.  Dash |
 |                 |                   | during the move to run forward. |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Blink           |  | \ -O Kick      | (G/A) Fade out, then back in.   |
 |                 |  O  O             |                                 |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Touki           |  |  / O- Punch    | (G,D) Power up your katana.     |
 |                 |  O O              |  a=rai  (thunder)               |
 |                 |                   |  b=hyo  (ice)                   |
 |                 |                   |  c=hono (flame)                 |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Bushin          |  |  / O- xyz      | (G,D) A series of shadow images |
 |                 |  O O              | follow the Samurai. Each image  |
 |                 |                   | repeats previous move, so one   |
 |                 |                   | slash can turn into six!        |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | RaiMeiKen       |  | \ -O abc       | (G) Bolts of electricity whip   |
 |                 |  O  O             | from his katana.                |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 28         |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Triple Shuriken |  |  / O- abc      | (G,C) Throw three shuriken.     |
 |                 |  O O              |                                 |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | Tapping a punch button will slice in one direction, then another,     |
 |  then it will start the HyakuRetsuToh                                 |
 | Use the ice sword to freeze, combo, then refreeze your opponent.      |
 | The Samurai doesn't gain X-power while using the Touki move.          |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


SPIRAL

name       Spiral
alias      none
origin     another dimension
alignment  evil
hair/eyes  white/white
stature    unknown
weight     unknown
enemies    The X-Men

She is the henchman of Mojo, a crazed interdimensional film director.
The multi-talented Spiral wields weapons with savagery and parts the
space/time curtain with ease.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Dancing Swords  | -O \  |  / 0- abc | (G/A) A halo of six swords float|
 |                 |     O O O         | around Spiral. Tapping a punch  |
 |                 |                   | button releases a sword. Also a |
 |                 |                   | setup for other moves.  Only two|
 |                 |                   | punch buttons are necessary.    |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Sword Toss      |  | \ -O Punch     | (G/A) Throw a ring of swords.   |
 | (need halo)     |  O  O             |  a=Down    b=Across  c=Up       |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Six-Hand        |  | O Punch        | (G) Spiral floats up and tries  |
 | Grapple         |  O |              | to grab. (setup for a throw)    |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Sword Explosion |  | \ -O Kick      | (G/A) Swords explode outward.   |
 | (need halo)     |  O  O             |  x=Explode y=Spinner z=Seekers  |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Switch Dance    |  |  / O- a        | (G/A) Change places with your   |
 |                 |  O O              | opponent.                       |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Teleport Dance  |  |  / O- b        | (G/A) Spiral teleports to one   |
 |                 |  O O              | six positions.  Tap a button    |
 |                 |                   | after the move to control where |
 |                 |                   | she appear (no tap = b position)|
 |                 |                   |   a=(A)front     x=(G)front     |
 |                 |                   |   b=(A)above     y=(A)far above |
 |                 |                   |   c=(A)behind    z=(G)behind    |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Power Dance     |  |  / O- x        | (G/A,D) Spiral has a pulsating  |
 |                 |  O O              | red glow and does more damage.  |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Speed Dance     |  |  / O- y        | (G/A) Spiral glows a soft white |
 |                 |  O O              | and can move incredibly fast.   |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Dimensional     |  |  / O- z        | (G/A) Spiral turns invisible.   |
 | Dance           |  O O              |                                 |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Metamorphose    |  | \ -O abc       | (G/A) Doing move once gives     |
 |                 |  O  O             | Spiral a rainbow glow. (Close   |
 |                 |                   | opponents will take damage)     |
 |                 |                   | A successful throw will cause   |
 |                 |                   | Spiral to morph into each char  |
 |                 |                   | for a multi-hit combo.          |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 21         |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | Tapping (c) once gives a quick six-hit combo.                         |
 | From her fierce throw, Spiral tosses the opponent in the direction of |
 |  the joystick. Toss upward, and it's possible to rethrow or combo.    |
 | A reverse fireball motion + c (see her X-abilities) drops her quickly |
 |  to the ground.  Called the "Quick Drop".  Doesn't add or drain power.|
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


STORM

name       Ororo Munroe
alias      Beautiful Wind Rider
origin     New York, New York
alignment  good (X-Men)
hair/eyes  white/blue
stature    5'11" (180cm)
weight     127lbs (58kg)
enemies    The Shadow King, The Brood

Ororo can mentally control weather over a limited area; her powers are
affected by her emotions.  She uses the wind to fly, and the storm to
fight her enemies.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Typhoon         |  | \ -O Punch     | (G/A) A small whirlwind.        |
 |                 |  O  O             |                                 |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Lightning       |  Punch + Kick     | (G/A,C) Storm spins holding a   |
 | Attack          | (same strength)   | ball of lightning in her hands. |
 |                 |                   | Can reposition and repeat again.|
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Flying          |  |  / O- abc      | (G/A) Storm defies gravity.     |
 |                 |  O O              |                                 |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | KazeOkoshi      |  |  / O- xyz      | (G) Tap buttons for a series of |
 |                 |  O O              | rising wind kicks.              |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Lightning Storm |  | \ -O abc       | (G/A) Bolts of lightning arc    |
 |                 |  O  O             | off of Storm's body.            |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 25         |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Hail Storm      |  | \ -O Start     | (G) Storm floats up and shards  |
 |                 |  O  O             | of ice explode from her body.   |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | Hold (abc) while jumping or flying for a controllable "quick flight"  |
 | Storm is invulnerable while dashing (her windscreen protects her)     |
 | In the air, tap (b) for a controllable ball of electricity.           |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


WOLVERINE

name       Logan
alias      Patch, Weapon X
origin     Canada
hair/eyes  black/brown
alignment  good (X-Men)
stature    5'3" (160cm)
weight     195lbs (88kg)
enemies    Sabretooth, Silver Samurai, Lady Deathstrike, Cameron Hodge

A product of Canada's ultrasecret Weapon-X program, Logan possess an
unbreakable adamantium-laced skeleton, razor sharp claws, and a mutant
healing factor...as well as a short temper.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Tornado Claw    |  -O | \  Punch    | (G) A rising uppercut. Tap the  |
 |                 |     O  O          | button for extra hits. Use this |
 |                 |                   | move to juggle the opponent.    |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Drill Claw      |  Punch + Kick     | (G/A,C) Logan spins with his    |
 |                 | (same strength)   | claws extended.                 |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Berserker       |  |  / O- abc      | (G,D) Wolverine becomes very    |
 | Charge          |  O O              | quick (note the afterimages)    |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Healing Factor  |  |  / O- xyz      | (G) Gain extra life energy.     |
 |                 |  O O              |                                 |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Berserker       |  | \ -O abc       | (G) Dash forward in a frenzy of |
 | Barrage         |  O  O             | slashing attacks.  Hold buttons |
 |                 |                   | for more hits.                  |
 |                 |                   |       Maximum hits = 8          |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | He is able to wall jump.                                              |
 | Wolverine's falls are slightly controllable.                          |
 | Push away after an attack to bounce off.                              |
 | Logan slowly regenerates, about a pixel every five seconds.           |
 | Cancel a block into the Berserker Barrage.                            |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


==========================
 SPECIAL CHARACTER: GOUKI
==========================

Gouki has returned yet again as a secret character.  Called Akuma by some,
he is the red-haired secret boss seen in SSF2T.  I would like to thank
Alex Wong and a poster from the newsgroup fj.rec.arts.arcade for this info.
Look in Gamest #137 for a complete write-up on this code.  I'd also like
to thank Galen Komatsu for his help with the romaji.

On the first player side:
Move to Spiral and pause for two seconds.  Now, without stopping, move
through the following characters:  Silver Samurai, Psylocke, Colossus,
Iceman, Colossus, Cyclops, Wolverine, Omega Red, coming to rest at the
Silver Samurai.  Wait for two seconds, then *hold*:
short kick + fierce punch + roundhouse kick

On the second player side:
Move to Storm and wait two seconds.  Then move without stopping through:
Cyclops, Colossus, Iceman, the Sentinel, Omega Red, Wolverine, Psylocke,
Silver Samurai, and stop on Spiral.  Pause for two seconds, then *hold*:
short kick + fierce punch + roundhouse kick

If you've timed the code correctly, the character you seem to select will
*not* appear -  though you'll hear the computer say his or her name.  The
side will stay empty until you choose which type of block you wish to use;
Gouki will then jump down, and your battle will begin.  Having trouble?
Here's a reliable way to time this code, donated by RpM.  Pause 2.5 secs
on the first character.  An easy way to do this is to count "thousand-one,
thousand-2, thousand".  Now you move quickly through the pattern, about a
half-second pause on each one (say "one" on each char).  At the last char,
again pause for 2.5 seconds, then press your buttons.


GOUKI

name       unknown
alias      Gouki, Akuma
origin     unknown
alignment  evil
hair/eyes  red/black
stature    unknown
weight     unknown
enemies    Gouketsu, Gouken, Ryu, Ken

The "gou" here means "supreme" or "great", and "ki" means "demon", so you
can see what kind of guy we're dealing with.  He is the brother of Gouken,
the sensei of Ken and Ryu of Street Fighter fame.  Gouki killed both
Gouken and his former master, and will do the same to anyone who is fool
enough to challenge him.

 ,__ X-Moves ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | GouHadouken     |  | \ -O Punch     | (G) A standard fireball.        |
 |                 |  O  O             |                                 |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Shakunetsu      | O- / | \ -O Punch | (G) A flaming fireball. More of |
 | GouHadouken     |   O  O  O         | a delay in the beginning, but   |
 |                 |                   | moves faster than a normal one. |
 |                 |                   | A fierce hits twice.            |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | ZankuuHadouken  |  | \ -O Punch     | (A) In the air, Gouki throws a  |
 |                 |  O  O             | fireball from either hand.      |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | GouShoryuken    |  -O | \  Punch    | (G) The dragon punch, or DP.    |
 |                 |     O  O          | A fierce flames the opponent.   |
 |                 |                   | (note the black flame on fist)  |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Tatsumaki       |  |  / O- Kick     | (G/A) The hurricane kick; this  |
 | ZankuuKyaku     |  O O              | follows the arc and speed of    |
 |                 |                   | your jump.                      |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | Diving Kick     |  | \ -O Kick      | (A) A diving kick that hits     |
 |                 |  O  O             | three times.  If you jump over  |
 |                 |                   | your opponent and do this move, |
 |                 |                   | Gouki will reverse direction.   |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ X-Abilities ________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | Ultimate Throw  |  |  / O- Punch    | (G) Gouki will catch any close  |
 |                 |  O O              | attacks and DP the opponent.    |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | AshuraSenkuu    |  -O | \   123 or  | (G) Teleport to four different  |
 |                 |     O  O  456     | locations. They are, as listed: |
 |                 |                   | 1. Behind the opponent          |
 |                 |  O- |  /  123 or  | 2. In front of the opponent     |
 |                 |     O O   456     | 3. Back into the corner         |
 |                 |                   | 4. Slightly back                |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Hyper-X ____________________________________________________________,
 |                 |                   |                                 |
 | GouShinkuu      | | \ -O (x2) Punch | (G) A five-hit flaming fireball.|
 | Hadouken        | O  O              | Ryu's old super move.           |
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | GouShoryuReppa  | -O | \ (x2) Punch | (G) A double dragon punch.      |
 |                 |    O  O           | Ken's old super move.           |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|

 ,__ Other Notes ________________________________________________________,
 |                                                                       |
 | Gouki's fierce throw will toss upward, so you can recatch or combo    |
 | Most of his attacks cancel missiles.                                  |
 |_______________________________________________________________________|


============
 THE BOSSES
============

After fighting six random characters, you must fight the two boss
characters to finish the game.  You cannot play as these characters.


JUGGERNAUT

name       Cain Marko
alias      none
origin     Berkley, California
alignment  evil
hair/eyes  red/blue
stature    6'10" (208cm)
weight     900lbs (408kg)
enemies    The X-Men

Cain is not a mutant; he aquired his super-abilities from the mystical
Cyttorak gemstone.  These powers include superhuman strength and stamina,
the ability to generate a psychic forcefield, and the talent of being
completely *unstoppable*.  Cain is the half-brother of Professor X.

  X-Moves:
     Earthquake   - Slams the ground, sending a shockwave.
     Power Punch  - A double straight punch.

  X-Abilities:
     Red Glow     - Does even more damage!
     Girder Bash  - Rips up a girder and uses it as a weapon

  Hyper-X:
     Red Shoulder - Rushes forward in a red glow.


MAGNETO

name       Erik Magnus Lehnsherr
alias      The Creator
origin     unknown
alignment  evil?
hair/eyes  white/blue-grey
stature    6'2" (188cm)
weight     190lbs (86kg)
enemies    X-Men, Avengers, Savage Land Mutants

You dare rise against me?  The human era is over. The mutant era has come!

The master of magnetism believes that the war between mutants and humans
is inevitable, and he will do everything in his power to see that mutants
reign supreme.  The extent of his powers is incredible, as you will see
when you fight him!

  X-Moves:
     Magnet Pulse - Shoots twin pulses of red energy downward
     Flying       - Magneto flies at will
     Plasma Burst - A thick beam of energy.
     Blackout     - Magneto phases in and out
     EM Pulse     - Three electric pulses stream from his
                    hand to your body.

  X-Abilities:
     Magnetic     - Magneto rips up several large pieces of the
      Tempest       station, and they hover until he sends them
                    at you (they can be knocked out of the air).
     Hyper Grab   - Unblockable black spheres draw you closer.
     Magnetic     - A circle of electricity appears around
      Bubble        Magneto.  It is impossible to hit him while
                    the aura is active...but he can hit you!
  Hyper-X:
     Shockwave    - Magneto sends a series of brilliant blue
                    columns across the screen.


=====================
 SPECIAL BOSS: GOUKI
=====================

Not only is it possible to play as Gouki, you can also fight against him.
There are several rules you must follow if you want to try this battle.
(Thanks to Allen Klein and Gamest magazine)

1) Play in a one player game
2) You must use manual block
3) No continues are allowed
4) On the sixth character, you must
   a) win both rounds
   b) finish the second round with a Hyper-X
   c) the Hyper-X must do the *maximum* number of hits

If you foul up, you can have a second chance.  As you are playing Magneto,
have someone else join in.  Let that person win, and he or she now plays
against the sixth player before fighting Magneto.


============
 THE STAGES
============

Unlike other fighting games, the stages in X-MEN are very tall...about
double the height of a normal screen.  These stages allow characters to
use super jumps to their full ability.

Besides being able to break normal objects on the screen, on some stages
it is also possible to break the floors.  When something heavy hits the
ground (boulder, a thrown character) jagged cracks appear.  (A shatterproof
floor will "heal" these cracks)  A few more cracks break the floor, and
both characters fall down to the next.

The Regular Stages:

  DANGER ROOM - Cyclops, 1 level

The training room of the X-Men, Professor X monitors the battle while
programming different simulations (jungle, ocean, space, training)

  THE DEEP - Omega Red, 1 level

The battle takes place in a diving capsule with a large window.  During
the fight, the capsule sinks lower and lower into the ocean.  Different
forms of marine life swim by the window, and an underwater city glows in
the darkness.  Toward the end of the match the view window starts to crack,
and the capsule is hauled to the surface.

  GENOSHA - Sentinel, 1 level

Fight on a steel floor overlooking a vast array of machinery.  A large
sentinel rises from a glowing pit in the center of the room, watching the
battle.  If the Sentinel wins the match, the large robot flies off. If the
Sentinel loses, the other sentinel explodes and drops back into the pit.
It is possible to break both walls.

  ICE ON THE BEACH - Iceman, 1 level

Battle on an ice floe near a tropical beach.  On the second round, the
ice breaks away and starts floating into the bay.  Well-tanned spectators
watch from the beach and from boats.  At the end of the match, a group of
dolphins leaps from the surf.

  MOJO WORLD - Spiral, 4 levels

Surrounded by a Dali-esque landscape, the characters fight on glass floors.
The glass is easily broken, and the players fall down through various
levels.  There is a floating fish board, a strange winter scene, a grey
bonescape, and finally down to a board where a twitching sculpture of Mojo
floats in the background.

  MOON NIGHT - Psylocke, multi-levels (elevator)

A steel catwalk on top of an elevator is the scene of this battle.
The lift moves up, and side to side.  You eventually emerge from the
elevator shaft onto the rooftop, overlooking a moonlit city.  It's
possible to break the scaffolding here.

  MUTANT HUNTING - Colossus, 2 levels

The first part of this stage takes place a freeway overpass, full of
junked cars.  After you break through the asphalt, the characters land on
a boat traveling down the river.  On the banks of the river, you can see
humans and sentinels searching through the damaged city for mutants.

  ON THE BLACKBIRD - Storm, 1 level

The X-Men's Blackbird rests on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the
ocean.  The characters fight on the back wings in the setting sun.

  SAMURAI SHRINE - Silver Samurai, 1 level

A many-armed statue is the centerpiece of this stage, and there are two
haindmadiens standing on either side.  Two ninja occasionaly appear and
disappear in puffs of smoke, and a funny little man in robes walks back
and forth.  The shrine erupts in flames at the end of the battle, the
little man is sliced in half!

  SAVAGE LAND - Wolverine, 1 level

The Savage Land is a prehistoric valley hidden deep within Anarctica.
The battle takes place on a chunk of rock in the middle of a lava river.
Different dinosaurs watch the fight from the banks.  The rock finally
floats into a magma lake, where a flock of green Archeaopteryx land by
the characters when the match is over


The Boss Stages:

  SPACEPORT -  Juggernaut, 1 level

Your character fights the Juggernaut on the rocket scaffolding.  Girders
occasionaly break, and debris falls.  The X-Men's Blackbird is in the
background, and later collapses from Juggernaut's constant pounding.

  AVALON - Magneto, multi-levels (elevator)

>From the spaceport, you come to Avalon, Magneto's space station.  An
elevator takes you down and around to the different parts of the station.
Watch for sudden drops and shifts to the side.


=========
 ENDINGS
=========

All endings start the same.  Your character faces Magneto, and the
Acolytes float down around him.  Both of you exchange words, then your
character gets off Avalon as it explodes.  Magneto is presumed dead.
The X-Men flee in the Blackbird, while the evil mutants take an escape
pod.  Your character ponders what happened on the way back.

If you beat the game on one credit, you'll get an additional ending
after your character's.  The name of the programmers will scroll up the
screen.  In the background, the X-Men walk across in a group.  Next, the
four evil characters parade across.  Then the Juggernaut walks across,
followed by Magneto.  Lastly, Professor X floats by in his floating yellow
"wheelchair".  A thank you message from Capcom pops up, and you may now
enter your intials.

  COLOSSUS

No info.

  CYCLOPS

No info.

  GOUKI

Gouki proclaims "I am the master warrior!"  He jumps up as the station
explodes.  The end.

If you beat the game on one credit, you are treated to a slightly
different version of the programmer credits.  Instead of showing all of
the characters, only the ones you have beaten appear in their "dizzy"
animation.  Each one scrolls up in the order you defeated them.  At the
end Gouki stands alone, poses, and the thank you from Capcom pops up.

  ICEMAN

No info.

  OMEGA RED

No info.

  PSYLOCKE

Psylocke asks with Magneto to leave with the X-Men, but he blasts her
away.  Betsy realizes that Magneto had noble ambitions, but became a
monster trying to accomplish them.

Back in the jungle setting of the Danger Room, Psylocke stands in a gown
surrounded by a camera crew.  Suddenly, Wolverine flies on followed by
Cyclops.  Betsy asks Cyclops to give her a break, but Scott replies
"We must always be on our toes!"  She's had enough.  Psylocke throws off
her gown and joins the battle.  After she defeats Cyclops, he mutters
"I'll get you next time."

  SENTINEL

No info.

  SILVER SAMURAI

The SS politely refuses Magneto's offer to join him in Avalon.  As he
flies off, the samurai muses on how great and honorable Magneto is, even
in death.

Kenichiro stands in the Samurai Shrine, surrounded by warriors.  He vows
to make the Yashida clan powerful again, and take it's rightful place as
head of the Yakuza (the Japanese Mafia).  As the SS tosses out gold coins
to his followers, Wolverine walks in.  Logan asks, "Can't I vacation in
this land without walking into one of you jokers?".  The samurai promptly
kicks his ass.

  SPIRAL

No info.

  STORM

No info.

  WOLVERINE

Wolverine tells "Maggie" to finish the fight, but Magneto blasts him
off-screen.  On the trip back to Earth, Logan thinks about how stubborn
Magneto was.

Cyclops and Wolverine stand in the Danger Room, when Jean Grey runs in
and throws her arms around Scott.  A heart-broken Logan says, "Take care
of her, Summers" as he walks away.  Wolvie then gets on his bike, and
takes off.  Later, he walks into the Samurai Shrine, where (surprise!)
stands the Silver Samurai.  "Can't I vacation in this land without
running into one of you jokers?" Logan asks.  Wolverine wins the
battle, and says, "Thanks bub, I needed the workout.  I wonder how
Madripoor is this time of year?"


====================
 THE THANKS SECTION
====================

A special thanks to all these people who helped to create the X-MEN faq
(in no particular order):

     Anthony Ty          Galen Komatsu       Chris Bird
     Flint               Dave Kirsch         Milo Cooper
     Andy Eddy           Chris Kramer        Dan Wells
     David Lemasa        Tom Cannon          Alex Wong
     Ethan Butterfield   Steve Wong          Jonathon Ng
     Dion Madrilejo      Allen Klein         RpM
     Chris Ozols         Doug Buel           Samuel Chan
     Shiva               Glaurung            The Mad Bomber
     Robert DeLoura

=====================
 HOW TO GET THIS FAQ
=====================

Look for the X-MEN faq to be posted every Friday in the newsgroup
rec.games.video.arcade

You can FTP this faq from the following places:

Dave Kirsch's fighting games archive
brawl.mindlink.net  /pub/xmen/X-Men.faq

Andy Eddy's videogame FAQ archive
ftp.netcom.com  /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs/xmenatom.txt

Paul Schwartz's mirror of the Netcom site  (gopher or FTP)
cencongopher.concordia.ca  /pub/JustTheFaqs/VideoGames/xmenatom.txt

==============================
 Rich Joseph <rfj105@psu.edu>
 Bio UnderGrad
 Penn State University
==============================


