You can clearly tell this game was rushed but it is still a very enjoyable X-Men game!
GAMEPLAY:
Yes, it is simply a button masher, but most superhero/X-Men games are. It may even get tedious at a certain point but the game is still immensely fun to play, especially for X-Men fans.
If you are not an X-Men fan and happen to pick this one up, you may disappointing. A BIG part of the fun of this game is getting to fight alongside the X-Men or the Brotherhood and if you have no idea who they are, or are only aware of the popular mutants of the films, then you may not have the best time playing it.
The game plays a lot like X-Men Legends in which you run around beating a lot of baddies up, and not much more. Some boss fights get repetitive as the developers seem to have re-used one character's fight style multiple times and the final boss will be no challenge due to the fact that you have essentially fought him at least three times before. Some boss battles are very inspired, however. The fight against Magneto is very inspired and it will make you wish all the combat in the game was as good. Unfortuently...
Things like being unable to skip cutscenes and dialogues will get very annoying upon repeated playthoughs but it by no means makes this game unplayable.
Being unable to create your own mutant, and being forced to choose from three pre-made new characters, is a little disappointing at first glance. But once you get into the game and the characters you should realize just how vital that is to really feel that your character is slowly getting deeper and deeper into the X-Men universe. Think about it... how much would you really believe your own created character is talking to Cyclops, Magneto or Emma Frost if those characters never even mentioned your name?
Deciding to only allow you gain powers from already existing mutants is pretty noticeable, especially if you are fighting alongside the mutant who you have jacked powers from. It would've been nice to able to somehow craft your own unique abilities instead of simply ripping them from other mutants but, it is what it is. And works just fine. However, at a certain point, you'll basically just feel like you are playing as those other mutants anyways.
STORY:
The story has to be one of the most impressive X-Men stories I have ever, either played through or watched on screen. Unlike X-Men Legends, where you tend to do so many tedious things you almost forget your main objective, X-MEN DESTINY's story remains very much in the forefront. And the fact that all three playable characters have separate back stories, some even tied to existing X-Men, can make the game very fun to play through again.
This game does something else very right: It decides to give immensely popular and overused characters a break in favor of lesser known mutants. Wolverine, for instance, is in the game very minimally. It isn't Wolverine leading the X-Men or getting all the spotlight like usual. Cyclops and Emma Frost lead the X-Men and that is very evident. Lesser known mutants like Pixie, Caliban, Northstar and Surge make appearances and that is a great replacement for putting Wolverine in the lead once again. Tons of mutants make cameos, and others are mentioned, however one very important character to the X-Universe is a complete no show in this game: Storm... and that is very strange. But this game does NOT play it safe when it comes to these characters. All the characters are not safe, and some even lose their lives.
GRAPHICS:
All right, I've heard too much about this game looking like crap... looking like an HD remake of a last-gen game... a PS2 looking game. Graphics should not be the most important part of a game. The story and gameplay should be. And THAT is where the game shines, especially with the story. The graphics are no spectacular, but a little suggestion: How about we all become a little less superficial with our games and just enjoy them for what they are.
The bottom line... this game is very, very fun. We should all enjoy it as the first real X-Men game since X-Men Legends 2. It isn't a tie in to a movie, and doesn't feature only Wolverine. It is a true X-Men game, full with a deep story and fun powers. And it gives us another X-Men game to enjoy until we get X-Men Legends 3 (which I seriously hope we do someday).
Enjoy it for the fun powers, deep story and cool cameos.