X-Men: Destiny

Common Sense Media says

Moral choice aspect is overshadowed by lots of brawling.

Age(i)

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

Quality(i)

 
(i)
Buy
Write a review
See all 4 user reviews

X-Men: Destiny gallery

What parents need to know

Positive messages

You need to make moral choices in the game, either by joining the X-Men (who have purer motives to their actions) or Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants (who work through a law-ignoring fight-fire-with-fire point of view). You can win either way, though, so the message presented by the game is mixed.

Positive role models

The X-Men team members you run into will talk about following laws, maintaining honor, and taking the more noble route (though they still engage in violence whenever the opportunity pops up). The members of the Brotherhood, who can also be your teammates (depending on the choices you make), espouse a more violent, far less forgiving ideology.

Ease of play

Gameplay is relatively easy. Multiple difficulty levels allow you to customize your experience quite a bit, but newcomers should be able to get through the full game on the easiest setting.

Violence

Through melee combat and energy blasting superpowers, you will fight your way through hundreds of enemies. While the enemies you defeat don't necessarily appear to die, there are tons of explosions and other destructive attacks from which survival seems a rather slim chance.

Sex

Some female characters wear skimpy outfits, bearing midriffs and cleavage. There's some sexual innuendo in a moment of dialogue where a character talks about wanting a "chick with super flexibility."

Language

Words such as "hell," "damn," and "ass" appear in the dialogue.

Consumerism

The game is a tie-in to Marvel's popular X-Men franchise, which includes comics, movies, cartoons, toys, and many other video games.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable
Privacy & safety
Not applicable

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that X-Men: Destiny is basically a fighting game in which you play a young superpowered mutant who can choose to either join up with the heroic X-Men or the villainous Brotherhood of Mutants in a fight against anti-mutant forces. Choosing to be a good guy or bad guy can alter your experience a bit, but there aren't really any hard lessons learned by choosing the less noble path. The game contains a whole lot of superhero fantasy combat and some sexual innuendo.

Parents say

See 2 parent reviews
AGE
11
QUALITY
 
Review this title!

Kids say

See 2 kid reviews
AGE
9
QUALITY
 
Review this title!

What's it about?

In X-MEN: DESTINY, you play as one of three young people who has just developed a superhuman mutant power. At the funeral of X-Men founder, Professor X, there is an attack by a militant anti-mutant group, the Purifiers. Two different factions, the noble X-Men and the belligerent Brotherhood of Mutants, battle against the purists -- but each with very different tactics. You have to choose which path to follow and which team to join.

Is it any good?

QUALITY
 

The storyline of X-Men: Destiny is interesting in that it lets you play as an original never-before-seen character, but allows you to interact with a slew of both popular and lesser-known characters from the X-Men universe. The course you choose doesn't alter the missions much at all, but will affect which other superheroes and villains you get to see and which new powers you can develop. There's a nice RPG aspect to the game that allows you to add new powers, suits, and equipment to customize your hero. But the story is basically linear with no real room for exploring. A little variety would have gone a long way here, since the majority of the game consists of brawling your way through large masses of enemies (which can grow tiresome after a while). At the same time, the simplicity of it all makes this a very nice entry point for newcomers to action gaming.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about the moral ramifications of the choices you can make in the game. If you choose to follow the route of the Brotherhood of Mutants, do you think two wrongs make a right? Do you believe there are times when the end truly justifies the means?

  • In what ways does choosing the X-Men's route feel like a better moral choice?

  • What is it about superheroes games that make them so much fun to play?

Game details

Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS
Price:$39.99–$49.99
Available online?Not available online
Developer:Activision
Release date:September 26, 2011
Genre:Action/Adventure
Topics:Superheroes
ESRB rating:T for Mild language, Mild suggestive themes, Violence (Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

This review of X-Men: Destiny was written by

Christopher Healy

About our rating system

  • ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
  • OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

Find out more

Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

Find out more

About our buy links

When you use our links to make a purchase, Common Sense Media earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes. As a nonprofit organization, these funds help us continue providing independent, ad-free services for educators, families, and kids while the price you pay remains the same. Thank you for your support.
Read more

See more about how we rate and review.

Great handpicked alternatives

For kids who love imaginative heroes in their games

Superhero Games
Batman Games, Movies, and TV
See all recommended game lists

Browse more games

Top advice and articles

What parents and kids say

See all user reviews

Share your thoughts with other parents and kids Write a user review

A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines

Kid, 10 years old October 15, 2011
AGE
7
QUALITY
 

BEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the X-Men franchise.Sure there's some violence but nothing too bad for a mature 5 year old.I think the costumes are a bit skimpy,but most I would wear myself.All I can say is BEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What other families should know
Great role models
Was this review useful?
Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 17 years old Written bypokemonlover17 May 12, 2012
AGE
10
QUALITY
 

Best game ever

Great game! I love the game and i think anyone 10 and up should immediately buy it.
Was this review useful?
Flag as inappropriate 
Parent Written byparent78949359 May 12, 2012
AGE
11
QUALITY
 

11 and up

I am a parent of kids ages 9 and 11. My sons love the game and told me that kids 11 and up should play it. I watched them play and I agree.
What other families should know
Great role models
Was this review useful?
Flag as inappropriate 

See all user reviewsWrite a user review

Poll

Did our review help you make an informed decision about this product?

Poll

What are the different ways that you access Common Sense Media ratings and information? (Check all that apply)

Essential Apps Guide