The X-Men have always had an up and down history when it comes to games. We could mention the awesome arcade game that recently got ported to Xbox Live (in near perfect fashion, might we add), but then, in the same breath, we’d have to mention the atrocious NES game that came out so long ago, along with the somewhat forgettable Xbox fare (save for X-Men 3…that was decent). Now, we come across the most curious X-Men project to date, one being handled by…Silicon Knights? Yes, the team behind the cult favorite Eternal Darkness and the somewhat mixed Too Human are behind the wheel for X-Men Destiny, which is slated for release in late September. But before you go questioning the logic of Denis Dyack and his beloved company, hold the phone. We managed to get a glimpse of the game in action at a recent event in San Francisco, and get this – there’s actually some promise here.
Unlike the other countless X-Men games, X-Men Destiny places you primarily in control of one of three new characters, up and comers who have to work their way into the world of Professor X’s group. They are Adrian, Grant and Ayami, each with their own individual talents that make them unique. However, no matter which one you choose, you’ll find a smooth blending combo system, one of which you’ll need to put to use as you battle an evil entity known as the Purifiers, who look to clean up their ravaged city of mutants and start fresh. Granted, you’re one of these said mutants, so you aren’t really in the mood to vacate so quickly. Nor should you. You’ll start out with some core powers as you begin to battle these enemies, but as you progress, you’ll be able to upgrade these abilities, becoming stronger because of them. You do this by using your offensive and defensive energy forms, sustaining minimal damage while delivering some swift justice to these punks. As you progress, you’ll be able to use elements in your moves using what’s known as X-Gene. By establishing this, you can mix up your abilities, even picking up certain genes from other popular X-Men and applying them to your style.
For instance, Quicksilver popped up at one point in the demo, and his main ability is super speed. By activating this with your X-Gene, you’re able to speed up, a most useful tactic when you’re surrounded by enemies or trying to get out of the way when objects are thrown at you. As you fight these enemies, you can build your health back up (if it diminishes) and pick up X-Gene power, so your abilities won’t run flat when you need them the most. Establish enough attack patterns with X-Gene and you’ll be able to unlock X Mode. Here, you reach a certain level of attack, able to obtain the skin and extra abilities of a character, such as Quicksilver or someone else you’re teaming up alongside. These abilities vary, and they help keep the game fresh, where older X-Men games would’ve obviously run dry. While the combat tactics aren’t entirely original, the elements being mixed in with X-Men Destiny do keep things interesting enough, and there’s no shortage of Purifiers and other classic X-Men villains to face off against. Sadly, you’ll be doing so on your own, as the game doesn’t contain any sort of co-op factor. We were hoping for that, but Silicon Knight was shooting for a single-player experience to shine through here.
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