Line #24 VideoGame/XMenDestiny


1	[[quoteright:229:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/x-men-destiny001_6019.png]]
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3	''X-Men: Destiny'' (2011) is an ''Franchise/XMen'' video game developed by Creator/SiliconKnights and published by Creator/{{Activision}}, written by veteran ''X-Men'' writer Creator/MikeCarey.
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5	After a series of natural disasters, plagues and economic downturns, mutant-human tensions are at an all time high, with a mutant-hating organization called the Purifiers springing up all over the world. Professor X is killed by the mutant-killing machine Bastion, and the X-Men splinter apart after the mansion comes under attack. UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco has begun segregating humans and mutants into separate areas of the city. At a human-mutant peace rally, hell breaks loose when ComicBook/{{Magneto}} (allegedly) launches a terrorist attack, bringing the world to the brink of war.
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7	The player takes control of one of three characters created for the game, whose mutant powers manifest for the first time at the peace rally: Aimi Yoshida, a Japanese girl who was smuggled to America by her mutant parents to protect her from harm; Adrian Luca, a Purifier soldier-in-training coming to terms with the realization that he is one of the mutants he so hates; or Grant Alexander, a small town boy from Georgia with dreams of being a college football player. The player can choose from one of three powersets ([[InstantArmor density control]], [[PureEnergy energy manipulation]] and [[CastingAShadow shadow matter]]) and use "X-genes" to [[MegaManning gain the powers of various characters from the franchise.]]
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9	With these newfound powers, the new mutant must survive in the devastated San Francisco, unravel the conspiracy bringing humans and mutants to war, and choose their destiny by joining either the X-Men or the Brotherhood.
10	----
11	!!Tropes
12	* ActorAllusion: Creator/SumaleeMontano voices Mystique. [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime This isn't the first time she's voiced a blue female badass capable of changing forms]].
13	* AdaptationNameChange: In the comics, Colonel ''Miguel'' Reyes is the leader of Sentinel Squad ONE, a CapeBusters squad that pilot Sentinels. In XMD, ''Luis'' Reyes is the leader of the Mutant Response Division, which essentially acts as ONE minus the {{Ace Pilot}}s and Sentinels and plus a {{Mook}} army.
14	* AdaptationalHeroism:
15	** Cyclops is back to his old ways as the unquestioned leader of the X-Men and an unequivocally good man, a stark contrast to his role in the comics at the time where he was basically being used as a VillainProtagonist.
16	** Caliban is a CompressedAdaptation case, as the comics character's history was basically one long ride through the FaceHeelRevolvingDoor. XMD cuts all that out and boils him down to the helpful presence he started out as.
17	* AdaptationalVillainy:
18	** Gambit has left the X-Men and now leads a gang of GasMaskMooks of dubious morality. Highlighted during one mission where the player has the choice of handing over a vial of X-genes to Colossus or him, with handing it to him being presented as the dark/Brotherhood choice. [[spoiler:Ultimately he does rejoin his old teammates]].
19	** Quicksilver is also back to his old ways as an unquestioning follower of his father, something the comic character hasn't been in decades.
20	** [[spoiler:Colonel Reyes from the comics is a good guy, in spite of his mission putting him at odds with the X-Men sometimes. His adaptational counterpart here has no such goodness and is in fact the game's BigBad]].
21	* AdaptationalWimp: In the comics, "John Sublime" is the latest alias of a sentient colony of bacteria so old it predates the human race itself. In this game he's just a generic U-Man that injects himself with stolen mutant genes and roids out on the player character.
22	* AdaptedOut:
23	** Even though his ArchEnemy Cameron Hodge is a major recurring foe in this game, Warren Worthington aka the Angel/Archangel never makes an appearance.
24	** The ComicBook/ScarletWitch also never appears or gets mentioned, despite the presence of her brother Quicksilver at Magneto's side. Probably an intentional choice to avoid the inevitable [[ComicBook/HouseOfM M-Day]] [[ContinuitySnarl headaches]].
25	** With the heavy focus on the Purifiers in this game, the absence of their traditional leader [[SinisterMinister Reverend Stryker]] is jarring.
26	* AdultsAreUseless: Somewhat averted. While a lot gets dumped on your teenage shoulders, the members of the X-Men and Brotherhood will sometimes join you in battle and offer helpful advice.
27	* AllianceMeter: Between the X-Men and the Brotherhood...though technically speaking, they're [[EnemyMine on the same side.]]
28	* AnIcePerson: Iceman. The player character can become a mild version of this too if they equip Iceman's X-genes.
29	* AndYourRewardIsClothes: The player character can unlock suits of the various X-Men and Brotherhood characters.
30	* AscendedExtra: Luis Reyes, who in the comics is a pretty minor (and different) character, is in this game a main character. Cameron Hodge is also given greater billing than he's had in any X-Men property since the 1990 ''X-Tinction'' storyline.
31	* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: John Sublime in his final form and the Sentinel the player character fights near the end of the game.
32	* TheAtoner: Adrian, if the player takes him along the X-Men route.
33	* BarrierWarrior: Cameron Hodge, the Prime Enforcers and [[spoiler:Bastion]] all fight in different versions of the same PoweredArmor which features a barrier the player must break before they can inflict any damage. The player character can be this too if they choose the Energy Projection ability.
34	* BashBrothers: Adrian and Grant can become this to various characters like Colossus or the Juggernaut depending on what faction they pick.
35	* BigBad: Looks like Magneto as usual at first, but ultimately revealed to be [[spoiler:Bastion]]
36	* BigGood: Luis Reyes. [[spoiler:Or so most of the public and Cyclops thinks]].
37	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: Reyes uses the mind control powers [[MegaManning stolen from Professor X]] to wreak havoc on the X-Men and Brotherhood's minds.]]
38	* BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: This is what [[spoiler:Reyes']] plan basically boils down to.
39	* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Luis Reyes]].
40	* ButThouMust: An annoying consequence of ''X-Men Destiny's'' rushed production. Despite much of the game's promotion being based around choice, the actual player has very little choice in the plot, which plays out pretty much the same for both factions regardless of what choices you make. The only things that change are the characters you fight alongside and the responses you get from the villains.
41	* CallingTheOldManOut: Adrian [[spoiler:during the final fight with Hodge in the factory,]] culminating in:
42	--> "Once and for all, [[ShutUpHannibal shut the hell up dad!]]"
43	* TheCameo: Sunfire, in Aimi's prologue.
44	* CanonForeigner: Aimi, Adrian, and Grant. On the NPC side of things, Luis Reyes kind of counts, being InNameOnly compared to the comics version of the character (who is the head of ONE, a squad of Sentinel mech pilots created by the US Government after M-Day.)
45	* CapeBusters: The Purifiers, of the KnightTemplar variety. Adrian gets in a pretty good line in the Brotherhood faction path underlining this, when asked by Magneto if he can handle fighting other mutants his response is a deadpan:
46	--> "Yeah, I was [[ChildSoldier kind of trained for this]]."
47	* CastingAShadow: The Shadow Matter powerset.
48	* ChekhovsGunman: Charles Xavier, of a PosthumousCharacter sort. [[spoiler:Turns out Luis Reyes used the X-gene technology both you and the villains make liberal use of throughout the game to harvest a portion of Xavier's prodigious PsychicPowers as he lay dying, specifically gaining his ability to perform MindControl]].
49	* ChildSoldiers: Adrian was more or less one of these, being raised by his father's associates in the Purifiers and trained to be a soldier from childhood.
50	* ClimaxBoss: The Sentinel is both larger and more epic than any other boss you fight in this game.
51	* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: You gain different abilities and bonuses based on who you model your X-Men/Brotherhood uniform on.
52	* CompellingVoice: This is how the MindControl power used by [[spoiler:Reyes]] works, since victims apparently have to hear his voice for it to take effect. He's set up speakers all throughout the city for this purpose, and plans to expand his influence over the whole world with the help of [[spoiler:Bastion]].
53	* CynicismCatalyst: Xavier died prior to the games events, mostly to motivate the X-Men to break up and Cyclops to agree to working with the seemingly benevolent MRD.
54	* DarkMessiah: [[spoiler:Luis Reyes]] wants to refashion himself as something like this, bragging that with his powers he'll bring peace to San Francisco and then the whole world.
55	* DeathByAdaptation: Professor X's death is a key part of the game's backstory. [[spoiler: Pixie also dies during the events of the game.]]
56	** This is the implied fate for the DemotedToExtra mutants below, since their genes being present while they are not implied that they were killed like [[spoiler:Professor X]] to have their powers harvested.
57	* DarkIsNotEvil: The Shadow Matter powerset being used by X-Men Protagonist.
58	* DecapitatedArmy: Subverted or possibly averted. The Purifiers and U-Men are by all appearances leaderless (Reverend Stryker never appears and John Sublime is demoted to AttackOfThe50FootWhatever mook), but whether these organizations had leaders that were killed and are continuing to fight despite losing them or whether those leaders are AdaptedOut is never clarified.
59	* DemotedToExtra: Avalanche, Havok and Psylocke are only present in the game through their X-genes.
60	* DieOrFly: The PlayerCharacter discovers their powers while defending themselves from the chaos of the rally attack.
61	* DigitizedHacker: [[spoiler: Bastion survived Magneto destroying his body by uploading his consciousness onto an orbiting satellite. All of the Purifier's tech has been outfitted to be a viable body for Bastion in the event that he needs to save himself again.]]
62	* DishingOutDirt: The player character can become a mild version of this if they equip Avalanche's X-genes, though Avalanche himself is MIA.
63	* DisposableWoman: [[spoiler: Pixie's death is seemingly just to make the player hate the bad guys more, since after talking to Cyclops about it no one mentions it again.]]
64	* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Magneto uses his magnetic powers to do this literally to several Purifier mooks (and the player's character, though he/she survives thanks to Nightcrawler's intervention) early in the game.
65	* DualBoss: At one point the player character has to fight both Magneto and the Juggernaut simultaneously. Thankfully, they don't have to ''beat'' them, instead just survive long enough to get Cyclops out of a hunk of metal Magneto's wedged him in. They '''do''' have to fight them individually afterwards, but with help from Emma Frost and Cyclops.
66	* EnemyMine:
67	** Due to the threat of the Purifiers, the X-Men and Brotherhood spend most of the game in an uneasy alliance.
68	** The enemy characters get in on this too, with the Purifiers and U-Men forging a VillainTeamUp masterminded by [[spoiler:Bastion]].
69	* TheExtremistWasRight: Magneto voices his suspicions about [[spoiler:Luis Reyes]] in the very first scene he appears in. As it turns out, [[spoiler:Reyes is not only the voyeur Magneto accuses him of being but a wannabe DarkMessiah being guided by Bastion himself]].
70	* FallenAngel: The ultimate attack of the Shadow Matter powerset basically turns the player character into one of these for a span of 15, 30, or 45 seconds.
71	* FantasticRacism: A given in any X-Men game.
72	** Bonus points for Adrian, if you ally him with the Brotherhood - He goes from thinking mutants should be exterminated, to a believer of mutant supremacy.
73	* FighterMageThief: The three powersets (density control, energy manipulation and shadow matter, respectively) are essentially this.
74	* FlunkyBoss: Cameron Hodge and [[spoiler:Bastion]] both summon mooks periodically during the fights with them.
75	* FourEyesZeroSoul: Cameron Hodge.
76	* FragileSpeedster: Quicksilver, as demonstrated when he gets captured by the U-Men and thrown around like a ragdoll by John Sublime.
77	* FriendlyLocalChinatown: The setting of the game's third mission, and the part of San Francisco where Gambit has set up shop since leaving the X-Men.
78	* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:Reyes]] was a nobody before the death of Charles Xavier. Afterward, he rose meteorically in both power and prestige.
79	* GasMaskMooks: The Externals.
80	* GratuitousJapanese: Aimi throws in the occasional "arigato" and "konnichiwa" in her dialogue to remind the player she's Japanese. Strangely, she does not do this when she meets Surge, who is also a mutant from Japan.
81	* HearingVoices: Adrian is taunted by the voice of his dead father throughout most of the game.
82	* HijackedByGanon: Inverted by [[spoiler:Bastion being the BigBad rather than Magneto.]].
83	* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Towards the end of the game the player character fights two of these against teammates affected by [[spoiler:Reyes]]. If you're with the X-Men, you fight Nightcrawler and Northstar; if you're Brotherhood, you face Toad and then Pyro.
84	* ISurrenderSuckers: Hodge surrenders to the player character in the second fight with him, telling them he's their prisoner and the X-Men don't kill prisoners. You have the option of accepting his surrender or fighting on, but the choice is superficial since the result is the same either way (Hodge revealing he was stalling for his suit's auto-repair and attacking the player again).
85	* ImmuneToMindControl: The player character is this regardless of what powers you choose. This is why they get sent after [[spoiler:Reyes]], since they can resist his MindControl powers.
86	* InNameOnly: The Externals, which in the comics are a small group of immortal mutants. In this game, they're human followers of Gambit.
87	* InformedAbility: Mystique's shapeshifting ability is mentioned in her bio, but she never gets to use it.
88	* InstantArmor: The Density Control powerset.
89	* InstantDeathRadius: The ultimate attack of the Energy Manipulation powerset, in which the player basically gains StoryBreakerPower for a span of 15, 30, or 45 seconds.
90	* InstantExpert: You kicking ass within ''seconds'' of discovering your powers.
91	** Possibly {{justified\|Trope}} by the fact that Emma Frost is in telepathic communication with the player character immediately before their first fight, so she could easily be guiding them along.
92	* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: Plenty of these to be found, especially in the first and second missions.
93	* ItemFarming: Certain X-genes and suits are rarer than others, leading to lots of playthroughs of the Challenge missions where they might drop.
94	* TheJuggernaut: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Guess who]].
95	* KillSat: The PoweredArmor enemy class all have a move where they rocket up off the screen and start targeting the player with one of these.
96	* KnightTemplar: Adrian is one at the beginning of the game, having been raised by the Purifiers who are an entire ''group'' of these. If you let the rally scene play out long enough on the start menu, you can hear Adrian silently reciting Purifier dogma to himself to strengthen his resolve.
97	* LegoGenetics: You can swap X-genes in and out freely.
98	* LifeDrain: Featured as one of the abilities of the Shadow Matter powerset.
99	* LikeADaughterToMe: Cyclops says this of Pixie, [[spoiler:after her death]].
100	* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:Luis Reyes is this to the MRD, and Bastion is in turn this to Reyes]].
101	* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:Luis Reyes]] manipulates basically the entire game's cast to achieve his ends.
102	* MilitaryBrat: Adrian, as evidenced by the dogtags he wears in his civilian outfit.
103	* MirroringFactions: The X-Men and the Brotherhood. Regardless of which faction you choose to align with, you'll follow basically the same story path.
104	* {{Mooks}}: The Purifiers serve this role throughout the game.
105	* MoreDakka: The Purifier Stalker, which can be one of the game's deadliest enemies even though it's a mid-level EliteMook. Players unlucky enough to be caught in front of it can look forward to watching their five or even seven health bars get shredded in ''seconds'' from chaingun fire.
106	* MosesInTheBulrushes: Aimi's mutant parents smuggled her out of Japan in order to protect her from the Purifiers. Aimi's actually angry about this, seeing the whole thing as selfish ParentalAbandonment.
107	* MultiMookMelee: The end credits feature the player character with their chosen teammates in an arena and are challenged to defeat 200 Purifiers. [[spoiler:They are rewarded with a vintage X-Man suit for their trouble]].
108	* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: A ''literal'' example, as the upgrades your character gets throughout the game are triggered by plot events rather than leveling up (you do have to level up the actual upgrades once you get them, though).
109	* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent:
110	** Aimi hasn't a hint of an accent, despite apparently coming from Japan.
111	** Pixie's Welsh accent is conspicuously absent.
112	* NotHelpingYourCase: Despite evidence to the contrary, Magneto and the Brotherhood were not responsible for the terrorist attack on the peace rally. However, they don't really do anything to challenge these accusations. Also, early in the game, Magneto lifts part of a suspension bridge and ''drops it'' on San Francisco in order to kill an army of Purifiers, causing massive collateral damage.
113	* NotQuiteFlight: Certain X-genes enable the player character to achieve this, levitating slightly off the ground when they dash.
114	* OlderThanTheyLook: Mystique is mentioned in her bio as being over a hundred years old, keeping true to her history in the comics.
115	* PlayingWithFire: Pyro. The player character can become a mild version of this too if they equip Pyro's X-genes.
116	* PlayingWithSyringes: The M.O. of the U-Men, who feature in the fourth mission and play a major part in the game's story through their [[LEGOGenetics gene-splicing]] technology.
117	* PoliceAreUseless: The MRD's effectiveness is displayed in their very first scene, which sees Magneto show up. When leader Luis Reyes announces his intent to arrest Magneto for terrorism the Master of Magnetism's response is to coolly mock him before effortlessly disarming all the MRD troops with him.
118	* PowerCopying: By collecting X-genes, the player can use the powers of various other mutants and add them to their arsenal. [[spoiler: The villains also figure out how to do this, though through considerably more [[PlayingWithSyringes unethical means]].]]
119	* PragmaticAdaptation: Events before the game are somewhat paraphrased for the sake of not bogging the player down with hours of explanation. For instance while the game takes place in San Fransisco (like the comic) the ''ComicBook/{{Civil War\|2006}}'' story arc leading to it was conveniently left out.
120	* PureEnergy: The Energy Manipulation powerset.
121	* PurpleIsPowerful: The PoweredArmor worn by the FinalBoss is purple in color.
122	* RandomDrops: The X-Genes and suits are dropped randomly and after being picked up get replaced with an "XP Mutator" with gives you a slight experience boost. Becomes really annoying when you've farmed almost all the genes and get boost after boost of experience you no longer need.
123	* RedIsViolent: The Purifiers use a lot of red and white, reflecting bloodlust and zealotry.
124	* RegeneratingShieldsStaticHealth: An entire class of enemy has this as their shtick, as do the enemy bosses Cameron Hodge and [[spoiler:Bastion]].
125	* RequiredPartyMember: As part and parcel of the annoying ButThouMust illusion of choice the game presents. While most of the characters that help you later in the game will vary depending on whether you choose the X-Men or Brotherhood factions, Emma Frost will be your telepathic gender-swapped MrExposition regardless of which faction you're supporting.
126	* RevengeBeforeReason: Magneto flips out when [[spoiler:Pixie]] dies, attacking Cyclops and the player character even though you're all more or less on the same side.
127	* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: The Brotherhood, per their M.O. in the comics.
128	* ScarfOfAsskicking: Aimi's covers up her lower face, and she never takes it off, even when the player changes costumes.
129	* SetBonus: When wearing a character's suit and equipped with all three of that character's X-Genes they can use a powerful SuperMode that varies from suit to suit.
130	* ShockAndAwe: Many abilities in the Energy Manipulation powerset, as well as the Surge X-Genes.
131	* ShoutOut:
132	** The achievement for completing the final fight that Northstar is in on the X-Men-aligned path is called [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar "Fist of the..."]]
133	** When you complete your first Insane Combo, you receive a trophy/achievement called [[VideoGame/EternalDarkness This can't be happening!]]
134	** Finding the U-Men base gets you the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI It's a Secret to Everybody]] achievement.
135	** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ve_Got_The_Power I've Got the Power!]] achievement.
136	** Turning Wolverine back to normal gets you the ''Literature/LogansRun'' achievement.
137	** One achievement/trophy for killing a specified amount of a certain enemy is [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/u-mad#.TqSF-psr1uE "U Mad, Bro?"]]
138	* ShownTheirWork: Even with certain [[PragmaticAdaptation issues]], the game has many subtle story elements were present for the fans to {{squee}} over, such as Pixie actually ''chanting the spell that lets her teleport'' and most costumes keeping with the then-current comic designs.
139	** Though the Pixie bit creates a case of FridgeLogic. They clearly show it to be a magic spell, but we are later informed she can't teleport when near a device to surpress her mutant powers. Later in the story, a key plot development hinges on characters somehow genetically copying her mystical teleportation ability, rather than the mutant teleportation abilities of, say, Nightcrawler, though his limited range may be why they chose her, it still raises a few questions as to why a magical ability is still treated like a mutant power.
140	* SpinOffspring: While never made explicit, it's heavily implied that Aimi's father is the X-Man Sunfire. They have the same last name & the credits list the character as Sunfire.
141	* TattooAsCharacterType: Adrian has a Purifier tattoo on his right arm to show his zealotry and dedication to their cause. It becomes a MarkOfShame for him as the story progresses.
142	* TeethClenchedTeamwork: The X-Men and the Brotherhood might be working together, but it's clear from conversations with individual members like Mystique and Northstar that neither group particularly ''likes'' it.
143	* TeleportSpam: The villains start spamming en masse after they gain [[spoiler:Pixie's]] mutant power.
144	* TeleportersAndTransporters: Nightcrawler and Pixie both have teleporting powers.
145	* TimedMission: A lot of the Challenge missions are this, challenging the player to defeat x number of mooks or destroy x objects before the timer hits zero.
146	* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: Emma Frost is a telepathic variant of this, guiding the player character through the game's opening mission telepathically and frequently acting as an ExpositionFairy in later missions.
147	* VoicesAreMental: [[spoiler:Bastion has his own voice when he takes over Reyes.]]
148	* WaifFu: Aimi's fighting style. Give her Density Control and the right X-Genes, and she becomes a GlacierWaif.
149	* WallCrawl / WallJump: The player character can do this like Toad regardless of what powers you choose.
150	* WickedCultured: Magneto speaks in a very refined and aristocratic manner, as per his M.O. in the books and original film trilogy.
151	* WolverineClaws: It's obvious, [[TropeNamer Wolverine]] being in the game and all, but also doubles as SpikesOfVillainy for Aimi in her Brotherhood Suit, which has all of her fingers and thumbs covered in a curved claw, as well as a large spike on each foot.
152	* WolverinePublicity: '''Very''' satisfyingly averted, with Wolverine playing a relatively small part in this game. The player can unlock his suit and X-genes, though, because [[PopularityPower of course they can]].
153	* WorldBuilding: In many ways this game presents a more fleshed-out setting and cast of characters than the comics it is based on do. Groups like the Purifiers (which in-canon are pretty much a one-dimensional CorruptChurch) are given more depth, and their relations to one another are also explored more thoroughly (as seen with things like the Purifier/U-Men alliance, which characters in-game note is a strained one due to their conflicting ideologies).
154	* YouAreWhatYouHate: Adrian is a Purifier-in-training and despises mutants. Turns out he is one, though he had no way of knowing until the events of the game.
155	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: The player character attempts to warn [[spoiler:Reyes]] that Bastion is just using him and will discard him the moment he gets what he wants. [[spoiler:Reyes]] doesn't listen, and predictably becomes Bastion's new host body for his trouble. [[spoiler:It was apparently not a permanent overwriting of his personality though, as he sounds like himself again after Bastion is defeated]].
156	* ZerothLawRebellion: This is [[spoiler:Bastion's]] endgame, as he plans to use the powers of [[spoiler:Luis Reyes]] to remove TheEvilsOfFreeWill from ordinary humans while hunting down and exterminating mutants en masse.

Context VideoGame / XMenDestiny