X-Men Destiny Review

Did you ever hear the announcement for an upcoming game & think, "Shit, I hope this never sees the light of day?" I just did. TikGames, developer for digital-distribution platforms (XBL, PSN, mobile, etc) has announced their development of a Chucky game - yes, the killer doll from the Child's Play movies, and no, I'm not shitting you. No further details were released. TikGames' XBL titles include Texas Hold 'Em, Interpol: The Trail Of Dr. Chaos, and Domino Master - so I don't expect much.

I didn't expect much when renting X-Men: Destiny for the weekend either, and I can't say I was impressed or disappointed. The game starts you out as the spectator of a peace rally, where things go awry & your powers suddenly manifest. The storyline was well-written, and fitting to the X-Men universe. What was done with the story - in the sense of calling it an RPG - was lacking. While there were very few choices that impacted the story, I did enjoy having the choice to partner with the X-Men or the Brotherhood... though this was short-lived due to those choices not having any visible impact on future interactions in the game. The voiceover work was decent. I also encountered a glitch I'd have to call game-breaking (if it happened repeatedly; fortunately, it only happened once). I was charging into an encounter, and suddenly a square of the ground disappeared & I fell through - but landing where I started the level. I couldn't leave the immediate area, though, as my wall climbing ability was suddenly disabled. I quit & reloaded my save, and I was fine - started where I left off, before the glitch. Anyway, all things considered, I'd give the game a 5 out of 10.

I also wanted to share these two videos with you, both from upcoming games. The first shows a Tron-inspired level in Saints Row: The Third, the other showing Skyrim gameplay.