To X-Men Or Not To X-Men, That Is The Question

In this week's installment of "Charlie played a game so now he's going to rant about it," I analyse my play-through of X-Men Destiny. The short version is that there's not much to it, but you're not here for that. Well maybe, but you should read on anyway.

               

So growing up, I was a huge fan of the X-Men, especially Jim Lee's blue and gold run on the team. Remember that 90s cartoon that was based off of it? Where Cyclops's hair was constantly groomed by the same person who did Fabio's, Beast was not quite a full-on walking cat, Gambit and Rogue were a couple and everyone and their nana hated Jubilee? Oh those glorious X-Men days, I never thought I'd see the X-Men done justly in the media ever again. On the contrary, X-Men: Days of future past came out and it blew my expectations for the Marvel universe out of the water. That being said, I was in a mutant funk, I wanted more, I needed more. It's been too long since I've played the likes of X-Men Legends 2 or even the more recent Wolverine: Origins which wasn't half bad. Unlikely as it was, I came across X-Men Destiny at my local TRU for ten dollars and figured it was worth a shot.

For the most part, X-Men Destiny just barely met my expectations. It's got a lot of good concepts and ideas but just as many flaws. The game chiefly focuses on the concept of choice. The problem is, there aren't many choices you can make and the choices you do have don't really affect the story or gameplay much. Initially, you start the game off by choosing one of three original mutant protagonists: an American muscle-brained Colossus rip-off, an introspective tattooed anti-hero or a scarf wearing Japanese gal for you anime fans. After you choose your would-be hero who doesn't affect events in the storyline other than some dialogue, you discover your powers and choose yet again amongst three of them. The Obsidian power was my choice for my quarterback hero. As you progress, you have only two other main choices, whether you're an X-Men or a Brotherhood member and whether your mutant powers are more offensive or defensive. That's it! That's all there is in your choices and yet again, it doesn't affect anything. It changes your gameplay slightly and who you get your missions from but otherwise nothing. It's pretty disappointing especially considering the amount of people who want to re-imagine themselves in the X-Men universe. Well, this isn't the game for that.

               

Incidentally, those powers that you get have such unspectacular effects that they feel super underwhelming, on top of the lack luster use of the "X-genes" you pick up that allow you to borrow other powers from well known mutants and you've got zero reason to cycle through any of them. The final form of the Obsidian is an ability that allows you to transform into a giant crystallized titan. It sounds great, feels awful and plays even worse. Honestly, Silicon Knights, what were you bloody thinking? Furthermore, since we're on the topic of gameplay, using your mutant is pretty awkward. The controls are well mapped out but nothing feels responsive. I constantly feel like I'm hitting no one while mashing the standard attack button, the specials don't come out when I need 'em, the game chokes when you use anything flashy (if it comes out). At least you only suffer for a few hours. The game lasts anywhere between five and six hours which was a relief. You know what? Writing this review has made me realize that I like this game even less than I thought. The only redeeming quality of the game is their choice of supporting cast. It was really nice to see Pixie, Caliban and Northstar alongside better known characters like Wolverine, Magneto and Mystique. Generally, their models look pretty good too. However, they're all pretty pointless and you come across them at random moments in the game. It almost feels like whenever you enter a battle area, there's a mutant there just fighting without a purpose other than fanwank. The story wasn't bad but also non-spectacular.

I initially planned to end this rant by saying that it was a fun journey for a ten dollar game. Now, I'm thinking that you all should just watch some videos online, see your favorite mutant rendered in 3D and move on. It's not worth it, even for a die-hard X-Men fan. There was potential here but it was utterly squandered by poor design. Maybe in a few years we'll get the mutant game we always wanted with all the customisation options we want, 'till then. This is Charlie telling you to save yourself from torture and go play Disney Infinity. Do it!