REVIEW: 'X-Men: Destiny' dull A-Z

The biggest threat to mutant existence isn't "Apocalypse," "Bastion" or "Dark Phoenix." No, it's games like "X-Men: Destiny" that portend a grim future where no one cares about these characters because they are moronic and boring.

In "Destiny" you pick one of three unknown mutant characters and "choose" which side of the mutant war you wish to join -- the fractured X-Men (Professor X is dead in this storyline) or Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants. This begins a series of poorly meted-out decisions that have little-to-no impact on the gameplay and send you toward a place called Nowhere Fun.

The characters you choose from start with basic powers and you expand them as you progress. Unfortunately, the powers you acquire throughout the game are just a collection from other famous X-Men characters. Why play as a no-name guy who has Colossus' steel skin when you could just play as Colossus? Stealing from other characters reeks of laziness considering Marvel's rich cast of mutants.

The gameplay is tame as well. It's all button-mashing combat against buffoonish foes that just run toward you and stand still awaiting whatever mutant power you decide to unleash on them. Complicating matters is that the game somehow plays out the same no matter which side of the war you choose. This makes no sense and discredits any connection to the Marvel universe.

Others have tried variations on games like this with better success ("DC Universe Online"), and it's a shame to have a franchise like the X-Men represented so poorly.

Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii
Genre: Role-playing
Publisher: Activision
ESRB Rating: T, for Teen
Grade: 1.5 stars