X-Men Destiny Review

If there is one thing that is always on an X-Men fans mind is who to side with. Who should I follow? Should I follow Professor Charles Xavier and defend those who would fear us, and try to make ? Should I follow Magento and fight to preserve mutant kind. Activision and Silicon Knights gives the chance. However is this a destiny fulfilled, or a destiny deferred?

Story - X-Men Destiny puts players in the hands of three mutants, which they get to choose who to follow. After the death of Charles Xavier, the X-Men move to San Francisco where they are in peace talks with the locals. A event is taking place where mutant and humans have agreed to live together. As usual things are not what they seem, the event is attack and the number suspect is Magneto. An all out battle breaks out between mutants and a crusade of humans who called themselves "The Purifiers." Based on the character you choose, you will get a different backstory. My personal favorite is Adrian, because he was raised as a Purifier. Here you have a mutant who is a mutant hater, it makes for a great story and I felt his journey is better. However it really doesn't matter which character you choose. The endings and choices will be the same, which is disappointing. I was hoping for different endings for each character, the story is interesting and worthy to have the X-Men stamp on it. The story hits the theme of the X-Men on the head. The game delivers on the drama, and while playing you might get conflicted on who to side with. Overall the story is solid and enjoyable, just disappointing that there isn't multiple endings.

Gameplay - The game is in the action genre with a little bit of RPG elements. Players get to choose which of the three mutants they will play as. From the start they have the option of choosing which style of mutant power they will have. Energy Protection is a power where players can shoot energy blast from their hands. Shadow Matter is when when you can immediate unseen dark matter around your body and use it as a solid object, similar to Nightcrawler if that helps. Finally Density Control where you can control the body mass. Needless to say the selection of the core powers is limited and a bit disappointing. However the game attempts to make up with it by collection X-Genes. X-Genes are items that are based on the mutant characters feature in the story. It's divided into three sections, Offensive, Defensive and Utility. Offensive will modify combat attacks and mutant abilities. Defensive Genes will improve armor, health etc. Finally Utility X-Genes will help with your M-Power meter.

The gameplay can get repetitive, you basically have to do missions to either save a mutant, restore power or find a object to help move you along. The fighting mechanics could use a little work, the lock on system is horrendous and the camera angles can be frustrating when multiple enemies are on screen. What saves the gameplay will be the mutant X-Genes and the different combination you can do. It's just disappointing that you couldn't create your own mutant from the scratch. The ending is a huge disappointment, and it really doesn't matter which side you choose. The boss battles are fun, but some are annoying dude to sloppy design and terrible lock on system. Frame rate can slow down a tad when it has a lot of enemies on screen, but thankfully it's doesn't kill the experience. If you love X-Men and deal with a repetitive, sometimes flawed design, then you'll get some enjoyment out of this one.

Gameplay Video

Graphics - The graphics aren't great, but it isn't terrible either. It's pretty average. The locations are pretty bland, generic and uninspired. However this game has one cool menu screen, which integrates the beginning of the story. Overall the graphics aren't nothing special, and it doesn't scream out this is amazing, but it does capture the X-Men universe to a par.

Sound - The voice acting is a hit or miss. Some voices really capture the characters, like Cyclops voice was spot on. Others on the other didn't fit and will make you cringe. The music is enjoyable to listen too, it makes the battles feel more intense. It sets the tone for the story and has some pretty cool stand out tracks.

Replay Value - There is no offline or online coop. The story is the same regardless of what character you choose, unless you want every trophy/achievement this game is a one trip ride.

Final Grade D-/5.0:: X-Men Destiny will leave you unfilled. The gameplay is repetitive and flawed. The story ending will leave you disappointed regardless of which side you choose. The voice acting is a hit or miss, but the music is enjoyable. Final Grade D-/5.0.