X-Men: Destiny

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
50

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 33
  3. Negative: 14 out of 33
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  1. Game Chronicles
    Sep 28, 2011
    72
    I stopped having "true fun" about halfway through X-Men: Destiny and sadly finished out of obligation and a curiosity to see how the story would unfold. Hopefully, if you're a bigger fan of the X-Men franchise than I am you'll have a better time. Casual gamers should probably skip – this is one for true X-Men aficionados.
  2. Game Informer
    Sep 27, 2011
    70
    Add in some middling environment and character visuals on top of the lackluster gameplay, and X-Men Destiny has some big problems.
  3. Game Over Online
    Oct 17, 2011
    69
    There's no reason to play it, but it is not actively bad the way that some games are. It simply exists to kill time, and to make you think of the six thousand ways it could be better.
  5. PSFocus
    Oct 18, 2011
    67
    As far as the gameplay goes, X-Men Destiny works just fine. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about many of the other aspects of the game: a sweet, though way too short story, hideous graphics and an uninspired sound.
  6. PlayStation Universe
    Oct 14, 2011
    65
    Too hit-and-miss for casual gamers, and tolerable for X-Men fans. Mechanic issues are forgivable only by appreciating the great X-Men renditions.
  7. Digital Chumps
    Sep 30, 2011
    62
    If you like the X-Men or brawler games (and who doesn't), X-Men Destiny is worth a rental, but it has enough issues and shortcomings to make a full on purchase prohibitive to most gamers.
  8. TheSixthAxis
    Oct 6, 2011
    60
    X-Men: Destiny fits our 6/10 scoring criteria perfectly. It's an "above average" game, that succeeds in certain areas whilst falling down in others. There's no doubt that there is enjoyment to be had from this title, but one can't help but wonder how good it would have been with a lot more polish, and some variety thrown in.
  9. Worth Playing
    Oct 2, 2011
    60
    X-Men: Destiny feels like a demo for a bigger game that never was. Little of the excitement that could have followed in the booted footsteps of X-Men Legends or Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is buried within its too-short campaign and thin smattering of gameplay. It's Dynasty Warriors for mutants; it can be fun at the outset, even with all the button-mashing, but the boxed-in world is not enough to distract from the hollow feeling of this particular destiny.
  10. GamingXP
    Nov 22, 2011
    56
    X-Men is a license with tons of potential that goes untapped in X-Men: Destiny. Choices don't really matter, the graphics look quite dated and still don't run smoothly. The boss fights and iconic characters are the saving graces that will still have the title find its way into fans' collections.
  11. Gamers' Temple
    Oct 24, 2011
    55
    The game grows quickly tiresome, and doesn't go anywhere but down from there.
  12. IGN
    Sep 30, 2011
    55
    Even for an action brawler, this one is as mindless as they come.
  13. Vandal
    Nov 22, 2011
    54
    The new adventure of the X-Men is poor and simple. Although the story looked interesting, the result is an average action game, without anything remarkable, that only hardcore X-Men fans will enjoy.
  14. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Nov 26, 2011
    50
    Silicon Knights just forgot to give us anything fun to do with our powers, making it hard to recommend Destiny to even diehard fans. [Holiday 2011, p.84]
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  15. Armchair Empire
    Nov 14, 2011
    50
    It's really hard to encourage people to go out and buy this game, even the for the hardcore X-Men fans. Although some fanboys will just be happy with seeing some of their favourites in the game, I feel most will be disappointed in not being able to play as their favourites and by the very repetitive action.
  16. Eurogamer Portugal
    Nov 14, 2011
    50
    X-Men Destiny is a partially failed game. It has some good ideas but fails in their execution.
  17. XGN
    Oct 18, 2011
    50
    X-Men Destiny is a very boring game. The gameplay is nothing special, the graphics are just not good and we haven't even begun talking about all of the glitches. It's great however that you can make a lot of choices while playing the storyline, but it's too little too late.
  18. Video Game Talk
    Oct 12, 2011
    50
    As it stands, the game is a rental at best, and even then only one to bother with if there's literally nothing else for you to play.
  19. GamePro
    Sep 29, 2011
    50
    X-Men: Destiny isn't a bad game -- it just plays like an unfinished one.
  20. Eurogamer
    Sep 29, 2011
    50
    Unlike movies, it's rare that games are so bad they're good. The rubbish ones are usually so unplayable that they're not worth plodding through. X-Men: Destiny is the exception that gets just enough right to be fun, while being sloppy enough elsewhere to be good for a laugh. It's the best kind of disaster.

Awards & Rankings

93
#93 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
87
#87 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 44 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 44
  3. Negative: 17 out of 44
  1. Faithhandler
    Sep 29, 2011
    8
    It seems that the opinions of this game are rather varied, and rightfully so. This game is really mediocre addition to an already undervaluedIt seems that the opinions of this game are rather varied, and rightfully so. This game is really mediocre addition to an already undervalued and underdeveloped genre of superhero games. The game boasts about an overarching story, in which you, as a new mutant just coming into your powers, will have to prevent an all out mutant/human war, and that in this war, you'll have to either side with the Brotherhood or the X-Men. It also lauds itself as having a deep system in which you can customize one of the three characters you have from the beginning of the game. Both of these things are both somewhat true, and somewhat false. While it's true that you make choices in the game, they have no consequence in changing the story, other than who happens to be fighting beside you at any given moment. If you pick brotherhood in one instance, you'll have Pyro, in you picked X-Men in the same instance, you'll have Nightcrawler. Throughout the game, you'll be presented a few such choices, and when you make these choices, you'll earn some faction with either side. You can earn faction with both sides without it harming your faction with the other side. This faction, that you build up, is absolutely pointless. Ultimately, you'll come down to a choice in the third to last chapter, in which you'll declare your intentions as to whether you'll be a member of the brotherhood or the X-Men. All choice you made up to that point literally do not matter, and the faction you've culled does not matter. It is just a bar that shows the general trend of choice you have made throughout the game. You can make all the X-Men choices, but still ultimately be Brotherhood, and vice versa. Furthermore, throughout the game, you'll unlock X-Genes and suits, which mimic the powers of famous mutants in the Marvel Universe. You use these on top of your basic power set. They are divided into four categories: Utility, Offensive, Defensive, and suits. You can mix and match them so that you can have the healing factor of Wolverine, the super speed of Quicksilver, and the sheer power of the Juggernaut. You can also use all of one given characters X-Genes and suit. If you do so, you'll gain access to an X-Mode, which is yet another special power type of thing that lets you play more like that particular character. Likewise, the customization system is somewhat deep, but also limited. At the beginning you pick one of three characters, Jocky McJockjock, quiet Otaku-chan girl, or the schizophrenic bigot who has absolutely no qualms with his new role as a mutant, even though he's been a purifier for his whole life, and hears the voice of his dead father the entire game. After you make your choice, your presented with three basic power trees. Density control (aka I have rock fists), shadow manipulation, and light generation. Density control is the brick/bruiser type power-set, shadow manipulation is the agile melee power-set, and the light generation is the only ranged option of the game. These three power sets have eight different powers contained within them, but you'll only ever be able to use five of them in any given play through. The first is just a basic combo, that as you level it up, gives you more combo options, then the following powers vary from power set to power set, but are presented in the exact same way in all of them. when the opportunity for you to learn a new power arises, it presents you with one of two choices, offensive power or defensive power. If you pick one, you cannot pick the other. However, picking the defensive power doesn't lock you into all defensive powers or vice versa. At one opportunity, you may pick the defensive power, but at the next opportunity, you can pick the offensive one if you so wish. As such, you actually have a fair variety of power sets available to you, as all the powers combo together in different ways.
    The game play itself is pretty fun, and is the high point of the game. It plays, basically, like a more highly polished DC Universe Online. The only problem with combat is enemy variety. Throughout the game, you'll pretty much only fight Purifiers, Purifiers, Purifiers, Purifiers, More Purifiers, and U-Men (which are guys who aren't mutants, but inject themselves with mutant powers). There's also the occasional giant Robot.
    The story itself is pretty disjointed, but works fine. It doesn't read at all like a comic book does, and is nonsensical at points, but there is some coherent narrative to be found. The presentation, likewise, is pretty mediocre. The environments are as bland as the graphics, and the as varied as the enemies you'll fight. It's also fairly short, only lasting me about 5-6 hours for one play through. It does encourage multiple plays through, however.

    Overall, I'd give this game a 7-8, depending on my mood. In a time packed with so many blockbuster games, feel free to skip this one, unless you're an x-fan.    … Full Review »
  2. 2Guapo
    Oct 13, 2011
    3
    Crappy textures + crappy framerate...obviously something went wrong during the development process of this game. 3 points for having the hotCrappy textures + crappy framerate...obviously something went wrong during the development process of this game. 3 points for having the hot asian chick from Donkey Punch though.… Full Review »
  3. Daveman84
    Sep 30, 2011
    0
    This game is such an egregious insult to the X-Men franchise. Please avoid at all costs. The 3 stock characters are awful stereotypes who addThis game is such an egregious insult to the X-Men franchise. Please avoid at all costs. The 3 stock characters are awful stereotypes who add nothing to the storyline as you play through. The convoluted plot, mashing together comic ideas with well-established characters is ludicrous with an even more unbelievable resolution. The AI is flat-out retarded, running through fire to get to you. The camera is garbage, especially when you disappear and flicker during attacks. The whole entire game is literally a series of "beat X number of enemies in this alotted time". The only platforming is laughable and god forbid you hold any direction when jumping up a wall or you will fall off of it. The checkpoints are illogical and every single boss battle, with multiple parts, has to be restarted should you die. The difference in difficulty between Easy and Normal is the difference between an enemy taking 100 hits to 1 hit and you losing 1/4 of your life or 1/32 for every hit. The collectibles and challenges are hidden around so ridiculously, you won't want to go back to find them. The x-genes you pick up during the game are random, so you have no way of knowing where one you missed might be so you can go back and get it. The "replayability" is a joke, allowing you to replay 1 of 7 missions or 1 of 15 challenges for the simple purpose of trophies. The "kill X number of this enemy type" trophies require at least 4 playthroughs and are a joke. If you must play an X-men game, just play X-Men Legends 2 again. Avoid at all costs.… Full Review »
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