Destiny Reviews

  • Funeral-WindFuneral-Wind176,838
    11 Sep 2014 11 Sep 2014
    15 2 4
    The is probably one of the most difficult reviews I have ever done. Objectively Destiny is a great game worthy of praise but even so it was over-hyped and failed to meet all of my expectations. Destiny was supposed to change the genre and blow our minds. Unfortunately it's scale and game-play are anything but ambitious. The story is extremely flat and in it's present state it has some very obvious design flaws.

    Pro's

    Graphics: The presentation is stunning. Each planet has a unique look and feel. Definitely eye candy.

    Music: It has a great soundtrack worthy of it's budget.

    Gameplay: While it practically oozes Halo meets Borderlands the gunplay is very competent. Plenty of great segments and various ways to play.

    Loot: Tons of weapons, armor, and aesthetic goodies to collect.

    Polish: Simply put the game runs smooth. No game crashing glitches or falling through the map here.

    Con's

    Chat: With zero chat, trading and 4 pointless emotes this game feels more like a single player game or simulated MMO. I can't stress enough how insane it is for this not to have a simple chat interface.

    Co-Op: Works great when you organize it with friends but the absence of a Matchmaking system or chat window makes grouping way more tedious then it needs to be.

    Innovation: This is what we were promised. Unfortunately it's just non existent.

    Competitive Multiplayer: The MP should have been a strong suite from our Halo devs. However it just does not stand out in the least. Three game modes, three classes and unbalanced weapons can only keep you interested so long. With plentiful heavy ammo and instant kill special moves skill takes a back seat. You're also lucky not to run across a full team of shotgun users (Yeah they are broken) but expect them to get nerfed soon.

    Voice Acting: The voice cast is talented but for a supposed "End of days" atmosphere everyone sounded as disinterested in the plot as I was.


    Conclusion: Destiny might not be the revelation you were hoping for but it's still a great experience. If you can get over the initial shock their is some fun to be had here.

    Overall score: 8/10
    4.0
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    SeptembervilleShort review for a decade long plan Game. For me You hit the point. Maybe we'll should judge the game after we see it's unroll more over while.
    Right now i'm hooked (explore, loot 'n shoot) but i am in severe fear for my motivation over the stretch of time.
    So even if we will see a developement of Story and adding more to the MMO genre of Destiny i may have already moved on to something else like Master Chief Collection or The Order 1886.
    Posted by Septemberville on 14 Sep 14 at 12:32
    VysetheLegend84Nice review Aeon, like the others above mentioned, think you have touched on how the game feels to a tee.

    Personally it feels as though all the groundwork is there for something brilliant, it's just not quite complete. Perhaps in several months time, when more updates, and more content is included it will start to come close to the expectations people had, but right now it falls rather short.

    One thing I will add though that I have been pleasantly surprised by is how reliable the servers have been. Yes I've 'lost' connection on the odd occasion, but for the most part I've been able to do what I want without any problems. Though I suppose the complete lack of seeing many real players wandering around is a prime reason for that.
    Posted by VysetheLegend84 on 16 Sep 14 at 18:16
    Funeral-WindWithout basic features like trade, chat or a meaningful clan system this game feels so solitary. I barely notice other players anymore and after hitting level 20 my interest went downhill. I feel like most of this could be fixed with 2-3 patches but I doubt it will be anytime soon.
    Posted by Funeral-Wind on 16 Sep 14 at 20:32
  • ObliviousSenpaiObliviousSenpai300,196
    13 Oct 2014 22 Feb 2015
    10 0 4
    External image

    Warlock, Hunter, Titan. Which will you choose?

    Introduction
    Destiny is an open world FPS developed by Bungie, Inc. The player assumes the role of a Guardian, warriors tasked with protecting what remains of Earth while also investigating humanity’s past. After an introductory mission, you find yourself in the Tower, a location found within humanity’s final city. Here, players can interact with vendors to purchase upgrades, accept bounties or form a massive dance party around the Cryptarch. Outside of the Tower, players can venture to various locations on the planets Earth, Venus and Mars as well as the celestial body, the Moon. While among these locations, players can fulfill bounties, progress through the campaign or undertake strike missions, which will be explored further into this review. Players may also venture into the Crucible, which is the multiplayer portion of Destiny. Here players pit themselves against one another in a few game modes such as clash (team death match) or control (annex/king of the hill). For those brave enough there is also Destiny's raid mode, which offers a challenge that will push many players to their limit. With such a large scope of activity, one might believe Destiny is the future of gaming, but could it simply be another game to pile on the masses before it? The question will be deciphered in this review.

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    Sepiks Prime sure does love to cast a great shadow over our city.

    Gameplay
    The first few hours of Destiny certainly gives the impression of being an overwhelming game. There appears to be a variety of daily bounties and missions that initially allow the player to explore various locations and combat the alien species that inhabit them. However, these bounties and missions soon become repetitive causing what was once an adventure through an intriguing world to become a dull procedure comprised of fetch quests and clearing enemy waves. The enemies cause the already tedious missions to become more difficult to play through as they act simply as cannon fodder for the player to pour their bullets into. Boss battles are equally if not duller than the hordes of enemies as they are simply bullet sponges that show no sign of intelligence. Even with such trifling matters, there are still redeeming features to Destiny’s gameplay. The gunplay is refined with adequate hit detection and gunplay. Although repetitive missions bog down the player, they certainly won’t be by the fluid motions of their Guardian. There is also one redeeming feature of the enemies in which different enemies contain certain weak points to be staggered or dealt with quicker. Difficulty is also effective in Destiny as higher difficulty missions allow players to put their higher-level gear and abilities to good use. In addition to this, players must also rely on each other in order to overcome certain situations as opposed to pushing through the level without so much as a nod to their teammates, which is the case with lower difficulty missions. Ultimately, Destiny’s gameplay is fluid and makes great use of teamwork, but repetitive missions and stale AIs overshadow this.

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    Truly the ultimate Destiny challenge.

    Raid
    Destiny's raid mode deserves it's own section in this review as it is something almost entirely different from the rest of the gameplay offered in the game. Destiny currently only contains a single raid, the Vault of Glass. This mode has up to six players joining forces to conquer an extensive dungeon comprised of several intriguing challenges. Communication is integral to succeeding in the Vault of Glass and as such, Bungie has made it so that players cannot simply matchmake as they do in normal strike missions. Generally this causes players to avoid the raid, but there are ways to work around this such as setting up gaming sessions or using matchmaking websites for Destiny. AI remains stale and predictable, but this is rectified by the setup of the raid's challenges. Players are swarmed with a variety of tasks throughout most challenges, which causes the dullness of the AI to become completely irrelevant. Without communication and capable players with equally capable equipment, success is slim at best. Ultimately the Vault of Glass brings out the best in Destiny and causes some to wonder why the rest of the game isn't like it.

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    Take in that view.

    Graphics
    Destiny manages to shine in the graphics department. The details found in the environments are a marvel to look at. They do well to reflect the history of the locations and the impact the enemy forces have had on them. Essentially, the beauties of the environments tell their own story and this works in somewhat quelling the dryness of the actual story and characters. Character features were quite strange. During the character creation process in specific, some characters appeared different following their creation. The difference caused characters to appear less appealing and lacking detail. Overall, character features were fine, but nothing remarkable. The weapons and armour are detailed both in game and during previews and work well with the lore provided with each piece to offer individuality among them. The animations for abilities are flashy and effective in displaying the devastation they are capable of.

    Sound
    The sounds in Destiny are a remarkable part of the game. They add an unexplainable sense of adventure to missions even after dozens of playthroughs of the same mission. Boss battles are made to be more intense and demanding than they actually are. The weapon sounds are great in conveying the rarity of weapons. When fired, exotic weapons emit a kind of elegance or uniqueness that is distinguishable from other more common weapon sounds. Even enemies are made out to be more menacing than they actually are because of their howls and roars. Voice acting is the only letdown in the sound department of Destiny. Most characters sound tired and lacking any sort of character. The only voices that present any sense of liveliness are Lord Shaxx , better known as the crucible announcer, and the Cryptarch, better known as the guy that revels in screwing the player over with his engram decryption skills. Shaxx's voice adds to the competitiveness of the Crucible, praising players for taking the lead and scowling them for losing it. The Cryptarch has a sort of duplicity to his voice, sounding joyed by your decryptions while laughing under his breath that it isn’t the decryption you hoped for. Destiny’s sounds are deceiving as they make almost every moment in the game seem more worthwhile than they actually are. Nonetheless, the sounds of Destiny do nothing short of enriching the final product.

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    Is this guy from the Hive? Or maybe it was the Cabal. Oh wait I got it he's from the Fallen! I think.

    Story
    “I could tell you of the great battle, centuries ago… how the Traveler was crippled. I could tell of the power of the Darkness, it’s ancient enemy, but you’ll have to visit Bungie.net for that information.”

    This is exactly what the Speaker should’ve said during the cut scene to one of the earlier missions in the game as he left the player puzzled only to discover that their puzzlement would never be solved in game. Destiny’s story at first appears to be something of large proportions, but that feeling soon diminishes, as it quickly becomes one of the worst stories ever crafted. There is no sense of adventure or excitement to a single mission. Most players will feel unaccomplished by the end of the story as a whole. Characters are introduced, but never explored. Enemies are completely interchangeable without a single faction doing anything distinguishable from the other enemy factions. All of this is due to the fact that most of Destiny’s lore has been packed into Grimoire cards, which when unlocked can be read by visiting Bungie.net. So not only must the player grind certain requirements for hours on end, they must also visit a website to read about the game’s story. Destiny’s story is a complete failure however, future DLCs appear to hold the key to rectifying this issue.

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    Let's get this party started.

    Multiplayer
    There are two portions to the multiplayer, the Crucible, which is the PVP mode and strike missions, which are the PVE mode. The Crucible contains four game modes including control, clash, rumble and skirmish. There is also the salvage game mode that occurs for certain periods of time. The multiplayer is done right, but it is nothing groundbreaking. Players are pitted against each other in fast paced action, making use of their abilities and weapons to dominate the opposition. It follows a simple formula that keeps the player entertained for hours on end. Strike playlists on the other hand have the player working with two others to push through enemy waves in a designated location with the objective being to defeat a bullet sponge for a boss. At first these missions are enjoyable, but they soon grow stale, as they simply require the player to shoot through everything from point A to point B. There is a lack of creativity and challenge to these missions causing what could’ve been a great experience to fall flat.

    Trophies
    Many of the trophies in Destiny are easily acquirable rewarding you for completing certain actions for the first time such as equipping a personal vehicle or maxing out the subclass to one of the three character classes in the game. There are however, some more time consuming trophies such as fully upgrading an exotic weapon. There are also some challenging trophies such as completing a raid without any team members dying. Destiny definitely isn't a quick platinum, but it is one trophy hunters can be proud of when unlocked.

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    A revolutionary FPS or just another game to kill some time?

    Final Verdict
    Destiny isn’t revolutionary and it isn’t the game it was advertised to be. Gameplay becomes tedious and repetitive in a short amount of time. The AIs are dry, offering no sense of challenge. Missions are simply an excuse for the player to visit the locations found throughout the game. Storyline is tossed to the curb to further drain the game of excitement. The list of problems with Destiny is tremendous, but it does have some redeeming qualities. An exquisite soundtrack, action-packed PVP gameplay and stunning visuals take Destiny from being a complete mess to a beautiful disaster. Bungie plans to support the franchise for 10 years, so surely there will be improvements as we have seen with the launch of the Vault of Glass raid mode. Almost every video game release in recent years comes with flaws requiring fixes and Destiny is no different. As it stands, Destiny is an unfinished product that sadly failed to live up to the expectations it spurred over the past year.

    Overall Rating: 6

    Pros
    - Stunning visuals
    - Refined gunplay
    - Enticing soundtrack
    - Raid mode

    Cons
    - Repetitive gameplay
    - Dull AI
    - Lackluster story and characters

    Reviewer’s Experience with Destiny
    At the time of writing this review, I have logged approximately 7 days of accumulated playtime since Destiny’s North American launch date. This playtime stretches across the Crucible, strike missions and campaign on a level 26+ Warlock, 27+ Titan and 25+ Hunter.

    Feedback is greatly appreciated and thanks for taking the time to read this review!
    3.0
  • ExtremePhobiaExtremePhobia170,358
    24 Nov 2014 24 Nov 2014
    5 0 1
    Bungie's recently released Destiny has had a lot of hype, marketing, and discussion surrounding it, not the least of which is around what exactly it is. On one hand, Bungie and Activision have used creative terms like "Shared World Shooter" that sound nice but do a poor job of conveying what it is. On the other end, gamers have largely opted for some combination of their favorite, critically acclaimed games. It's hard to say which is more accurate because Destiny does a lot of things well and will likely be enjoyed by a great many people for a great many reasons. Except story; nobody will like it for the story.

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    Destiny is a hodgepodge of different concepts and ideas, implemented with a near flawless craftsmanship that is an admirable new high for a studio already known for excellence. Where the game could easily have been just a slightly grander Halo game, it instead brings a vast world full of wonders and secrets to seek out, and what has the potential to be a grand adventure ark with you and your friends as the heroes of the universe.

    At first glance, the game looks to be an MMOFPS. On a fundamental level, the goal is to complete tasks and missions in an effort to level up and claim better gear, with countless others doing the same. Where the game differs is that it does away with the large empty spaces of most MMOs, opting instead for smaller, instanced, and highly detailed spaces. In the background, the game is constantly searching for other gamers who are playing in similar areas of the game, and then maintaining a steady group in the game world. This creates the feeling that there is an army of gamers constantly running about and fighting for the survival of humanity.

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    Throughout the game, there's never an effort to make the player feel particularly unique, just important. While this may seem like a step backwards, this maintains the sense that everything a player does is important without creating a sense of false uniqueness. Nobody is "The Hero," but rather everyone shares in the heroism, making it feel a little more genuine.

    Generally, this presents one of the largest problems for many MMOs, which is that it's hard to create a vast world populated with other players doing the exact same thing while still making each of them feel particularly important. Like many parts of Destiny, this is an area where Bungie makes a big step forward, but in this case, there was a casualty.

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    Those familiar with Bungie's previous works would probably expect exemplary characters and an epic, if potentially simple plot. Picking the proper color shaders for your gear will probably be more painstakingly thoughtful and all together more significant than anything that happens in the story. After nearly 20 hours of play, only six plot characters are introduced, including the protagonist and their Ghost, none of which are even given a name.

    There are other characters in the game though they are either NPC vendors, quest givers, or both, and while almost all of these characters have names, they have no appreciable personality to speak of. Further information is available about the world and most of the characters through the use of the Grimoire, which can only be read at Bungie.net or through the Destiny mobile app. Occasionally this reading is interesting, but for the most part, it is as compelling as watching a muted movie and reading the script to figure out what's going on.

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    Thankfully, almost every other aspect of the game is superb. In lieu of a meaningful story, the main pull of the game is leveling up, claiming better gear, exploring, and tackling even tougher enemies. In the beginning, the gear takes a backseat while you come to grips with leveling up and mastering game mechanics, but later on, the game will be focused almost exclusively on gear. Once the level cap of 20 is reached, the only way to improve a character is to seek out gear containing Light. Trying to balance improving character attributes against the other important qualities of equipment is tough, but the effort makes each piece kept feel significant. In addition, weapons and armor drop infrequently and they can't be traded between players, making each item pick up a truly exciting event.

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    Destiny's locations are even more compelling. Every location is unique and identifiable with little wasted space between structures and settlements. The landscape is perfectly designed so that each area is easily recognizable and creating a mental map of how each area is connected comes quickly. Returning to each location after finishing the game is a blast since it allows you to shrug off enemies and explore each area deeply. An unfortunate side effect is that you'll pass the same area potentially dozens of times just trying to get to a mission objective. It's a frustrating time waster that could have benefitted from a planetary fast travel system or the ability to land in more than just one place per planet.

    The various enemies of the game work well together and it's hard to feel cheated when they get the better of you. There's some parity between the members of the different enemy species, but each is different enough to be interesting and encourage Guardians to stay sharp. With the exception of the bosses, most are difficult because they are fast and nimble, capable of dodging or teleporting behind cover if their shields fail while using different abilities to suppress incoming attack.

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    Bosses are another matter entirely. Some bosses are capable of eating up thousands of rounds before they go down, causing fights to drag on for as long as ten minutes at a time. Upon failure, your fireteam starts back at the beginning of the encounter, potentially going through those ten minutes during each attempt only to fail at the end. When coupled with the somewhat frequent waves of minor enemies that will spawn throughout the battlefield in an effort to dislodge campers, these encounters can get very tense. This tension can be good when successful, but on occasion, it can easily run the risk of feeling insufferable and unreasonable.

    Dispatching enemies is quite a joy with some of the most fluid shooting in any game, though the offerings aren't quite as robust as other games The game starts off with a simple assortment of weapons that make you feel like a novice though able fighter before working up to the slightly more exotic weapons and special abilities that you'll wield.

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    At first, the abilities will seem like a waste of time and a bit clumsy, but after mastering them, it's hard not to appreciate them. These abilities mix up the very streamlined gunplay and add a whole lot of bang to the proceedings. Each character gets a glide that functions like a jet pack and a set of three special abilities. The nuance between each class and subclass comes in what functions each of these abilities serves and how gear is picked to prioritize their cooldown.

    Ultimately, the abilities are a fun way of putting super powers in a game, but the differences between each character class only become important during the late game, post-game, or PVP matches in the Crucible. Where this provides for great fun when playing regular missions, this creates a familiar problem with PVP.

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    When playing in Destiny's PVP arena, many level advantages are disabled, but there's still a certain level of unevenness. Like any game where equipment is unlockable and loadouts are allowed in game, new players are constantly confronted with things that they have no access to or don't understand. When PVP starts out with such differences between characters, it's hard to call the result balanced, which is all the more frustrating in a game that is so mechanically sound. The gameplay can be quite fun and tense within the Crucible, just don't expect a tightly tuned competitive experience.

    Obtaining the Platinum trophy in Destiny is going to be quite a time consuming endeavor. At a minimum, the game requires at least 50-60 hours just to complete one subclass for each class, before even getting to what will likely prove to be some very tough trophies. There's a set of trophies both for finishing Strikes and Raids, which each require a well-coordinated team of three or six people respectively, but also for doing them without a single member of your team dying throughout the potentially hour long endeavor. Aside from some simple "kill x of y" trophies, the list is rounded out by a set of PVP trophies, only one or two of which might prove to be problematic.

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    Destiny is a bold new world in some senses, though lacking in some others. It's likely most will find one aspect of the game or another if it's given enough time to get its hooks in, but if gamers looking for a little bit of story to their Destiny might find that the game gives you little reason to play. The game is thoroughly enjoyable for those content to make their own stories while exploring a rich new world with expertly executed gameplay mechanics.

    The reviewer spent around 25 hours playing the game and unlocked 15 of Destiny's 42 trophies. He got a Warlock to level 22 after playing each mission and more than a few matches in the Crucible. The copy of the game used for review was purchased by the reviewer.
    4.0
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