Well, I've finally done it. I've played Destiny. And I was sorely burned. For those who don't know, Destiny is an MMOFPS made by Bungie, the same guys who created the Halo franchise, so they know what they're doing in terms of gunplay. The guns feel visceral, like they would in reality. The sound and the weapon kick is great, and everything in that respect feels top notch. On top of that, the aesthetic is lovely, the UI is great (subtle color changes to convey information is a smart move), and customization is tons of fun. But in all of that, it feels hollow. Playing Destiny, I didn't really feel like I was a part of a larger world, it felt like nothing I did mattered in any way, shape or form. The MMO elements are barely there, as there aren't that many people ever on one planet. Missions are the same formula over and over, with barely any variety, which makes it feel bland. Enemies give you the same amount of experience regardless of your level, so to level up you just sit outside of whatever the new hot "grinding spot" is and open fire on wherever enemies are coming from, which is a problem most MMOs sorted out a long time ago. The story is bare minimum, even going so far as to make you go to Bungie's website to even get a grip on what is really going on. Some people have made jabs at me because I like Borderlands, but not this, and that's because Borderlands has a soul. It has a great sense of humor that kept me going through the bullet-spongy gunplay (which is a problem that plagues Destiny), but in contrast, Destiny takes itself too seriously, which makes it feel all-around boring. Boss monsters are unimaginative (usually just waves of enemies with one bullet sponge of a boss in the center, with no real attack variety), and the game runs at 30 FPS, which is inexcusable when even the Nintendo 64 could run at 60. Also, I just want to point out that playing a first-person shooter with a controller is, as Totalbiscuit says, "Less like shooting and more like herding your bullets in the general direction of your target and hoping they hit." Class variety is also lacking, as there are only 3 basic classes to play, whereas even at the beginning of World of Warcraft's lifespan, it had many, many more to choose from. I wanted to love Destiny, and, looking at the initial design, I thought I would, but it ended up being a boring MMOFPS that has an inexcusably low amount of content. Hopefully, by the time it come out on PC, it's improved.
It had so much potential, but this game is sadly not for just casual gamers. The loot system is unbelievably broken and some parts of the game gets repetitive very quickly. Unless we see absolutely enormous improvements, it's not going to last until next summer, yet alone the 10 years they said they were going to do. And it's a shame as well, since the game has a fantastic lore ideas. I wrote a review on this not very long ago here http://www.everypony.com/blogs/entr...arned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-Nova-Bomb
So basically as videogamedunkey put it: "When someone says that guy is really hard in Destiny, they actually mean that guy has a lot of health."
You are quite right. And I want them to release new content! I'd love to like Destiny, but sadly, I just don't.
I got caught up in the hype, and sorta peer pressured into getting into the game with hopes it would be more than what it was. My only saving grace was that I couldn't afford the extra $40 they wanted for the locked disc content, at the midnight release. That was my first indication of foul play. The second was when I played the "full game" and realized I had experienced literally everything Destiny had to offer in the beta test. So, one month later I traded it in for a copy of Diablo 3 ROS. I'm just glad I didn't wait any longer than that, as the trade-in value had dropped by $30. I can see where some people might enjoy it, but it just kinda put a bad taste in my mouth. I'm probably going to avoid bungie games from now on.
Sadly, I agree. I really like Destiny. As a concept, the game and story is fantastic. But there are so many issues. First of all, it has the feeling that a story existed in the game at one point and was then mostly ripped from the initial release, leaving behind a shell of a narrative that makes allusions to larger plot experiences but never (and I do mean never) actually leads the player towards any meaningful narrative experience. That, for me, was a huge dealbreaker. Another issue I had with the game, outside of the storytelling, was with the multiplayer. The action is so fast I have literally blinked and then missed how it was that I was killed. Characters move quickly, certain weapons scale much better in multiplayer than others (there is no good reason to not use an Auto-Rifle as your primary; in Halo the Battle Rifle, DMR and Assault Rifle were all legitimate choices for certain encounters, but the Auto-Rifle in Destiny outclasses all of the other primaries in all situations), and ultimately the experience just feels too much like a Call of Duty knock-off for me to love it the way I want to. There is so much wasted potential in this game, so much lost opportunity.
