X-Men: Destiny

UPC: 047875841161

Platform: PlayStation 3

Publisher: Activision, Inc.

Developer: Silicon Knights

Category: Action

Style(s): Third-Person 3D Action

Synopsis: Gamers play and develop their own comic-book mutant heroes and villains in X-Men: Destiny. Set in the Marvel universe and featuring familiar friends and foes from Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, the game focuses on three original characters -- teenagers whose mutant superpowers are just beginning to manifest. Each playable character has a basic mutant special ability, which players gradually custom-enhance as they earn upgrades throughout the adventure. Although the looks and personalities of the super-powered teens are predetermined in the backstory, their destinies are to be decided by the player -- one choice at a time. Players lead their characters through a branching plotline, which ultimately has the young mutant choosing between the X-Men and Magneto's Brotherhood. Set in a future San Francisco, torn apart by a war between mutants and regular humans, the game's story features Cyclops, Wolverine, and several other well-known mutants and monsters from X-Men comics and movies. Playable heroes develop relationships with these established characters, depending on the actions they choose. X-Men: Destiny was developed by Silicon Knights, creator of original, story-driven action games including Eternal Darkness and Too Human. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 12-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

If there was a record for pointless conversations in a video game, X-Men: Destiny would rank near the top. X-Men: Destiny is an action role-playing game with a heavy emphasis on action, so naturally the developers included a dozen or so comic book characters and limited their interactions to one-sided conversations. Nightcrawler, Gambit, Cyclops, Mystique, and numerous others will stand around waiting for you to ask them their thoughts on everything but the weather. You can't skip these conversations, only hope that one of the options will be "goodbye" so you can continue beating nameless thugs, which is the entire point of the game. Perhaps the developers thought it was important to include these "very special guest" appearances since you can't actually <i>play</i> as the X-Men or Brotherhood. Instead you'll choose one of three teens and three mutant abilities that you'll shape throughout the course of play by acquiring different powers. You can level up individual powers with experience points, so there is a degree of customization here that's not normally found in brawlers. There are also additional abilities you can acquire in each level to enhance your character's offensive, defensive, and utility powers, which are derived from a specific X-Men character's genes. While it's certainly nice to be able to choose from multiple power types and passive abilities, chances are you won't rely on much more than a basic combo and the dodge button. The enemies, most of which wear the same outfits and wield silly looking batons, all follow the same attack patterns, so it's just a matter of striking fast and getting out of the way before you're surrounded. The action takes place over eight levels that are notable only for their narrow scope. Blocked off paths and artificial barriers mean you won't be able to explore or interact with the world, and the game shows you precisely where to go by lighting the way with flashing objects. Your mutant powers won't let you smash through doors or structures, leap over buildings, or do anything "cool" outside of attacking bad people at specific intervals. Adding insult to injury is the illusion of choice throughout the game. You can side with members of the Brotherhood or the X-Men, for example, by completing tasks that generally involve beating people up and/or tapping a button while standing next to an object. Yet gaining "faction" for one side or the other has no meaningful impact on the overall storyline or your individual character. Instead of engaging in a timed challenge with an X-Men hero, for example, you'll fight the same encounter with a member of the Brotherhood. It doesn't matter which character you decide to play as during the game, because the experience is the same. After a few hours of tedious conversation, repetitive brawling, and climbing on laughably restrictive ledges, you'll wish the X-Men and Brotherhood had recruited someone -- anyone -- else. ~ All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.