The last proper X-men game (if you don’t count the Wolverine game from 2009) was X-men Legends II. It was the deep role playing adventure that delved into a fantastic piece of beloved X-men lore, the Rise of Apocalypse. It reviewed well and paved the way for the equally praised Marvel Ultimate Alliance games. Destiny has very few similarities to Legends. Its an original story starring one of three new mutants that the player chooses up front. During the progression of the game the player also chooses what powers their character will have. Each character has a different back story and view of the growing mutant conflict.
The powers and genes the player develops in the game can be upgraded and a strengthened. Additional X-men specific powers can be bolted onto the characters as well. For example, the player can add Iceman themed powers to their character mid-game and then up-grade those. These, along with changeable costumes gives the three new characters a myriad of customization options. Despite the flaws I will get into later, the replay value in X-men Destiny is respectable. With three different characters and three different difficulties, if the player doesn’t mind seeing a the story multiple times Destiny could be completed numerous different ways.
However, why someone would want to play through the game more than once is questionable. The combat is shallow, and the enemies are weak and predictable. Everything in game seems so dumbed-down and simplified that the experience of beating down the enemies is pretty boring, especially after playing Spider-man: Edge of Time, a game whose combo system is infinity more refined. Pressing combos like X, X,Y and X,Y,Y over and over just don’t cut it anymore. Sure the mutant abilities add some depth to the combat, but it really isn’t enough to make it worth the trouble.
During much of the combat sections the player is joined by a proper X-men character. Cyclops, Pyro, Wolverine, Iceman, Toad amongst others all make appearances throughout the game. Its cool that the character models were animated and given powers and fight sequences. What’s not cool is seeing those characters fight next to you and being jealous that the giant fire ball engulfing the screen did come from your character. Making an X-men game where you don’t play as an X-man, starts off as being inherently flawed. I want to slice things with Wolverine, and blast things with Cyclops. I understand why the design choice was made to feature no-named customizable mutants, but it didn’t add enough to the game to make up for the lack of playable X-men.
Also, things are just missing. Where’s online co-op, where’s couch co-op? This type of gameplay is ripe for a co-op experience. It would have added a level of fun that only co-op could bring. Even the Lego games offer a shallow online experience. Destiny has none of it. When your character is chosen you are stuck with it, not only through your 1st playthrough but also through your 2nd. To use the other two characters, a brand new must be started from scratch. A new game+ experience with a new character would have been nice. Where’s the intricate branching storyline. No matter the faction choices made during the campaign, the game still ends the same way. Different endings are rendered, but the outcome is still the same, you win and the bad guys lose.
Gameplay and story progression like what’s in Destiny would have been great generations ago on the N64 or or Dreamcast. Hell, a 14 year old me would have loved this game. I would have played it 4-5 times and squeezed as much enjoyment out of my mom’s $60 as I possibly could. That gets me thinking, who is this game for? As an experienced game player, that expects certain things out of beat-um ups and light RPGs, X-men Destiny does very little for me. As a light and/or young gamer X-men Destiny offers enough content be worth your money. Since nothing is technically broken in the experience, players that don’t know better will probably enjoy it alot.
The good part is that if you care enough about video games to actually read this or any review, you will earn that this isn’t a game for you. If you have an 360 but don’t play it much and are strolling through Wal-mart, you might see X-men Destiny and think “Oh man, I love the X-men! I need a reason to crank up my 360!” This might be your game of the year. Does it deserve a 48? Probably. Does it serve a purpose in the overall gaming marketplace? I think it does, and I that’s probably what Activision was going for here.
Verdict: Well, it has X-men in it, that’s a plus.
