Paul Villanueva:
Before playing the beta, I honestly wasn’t onboard this hype train. Seeing screens and trailers pretty much did nothing for me. I was only intrigued based solely on Bungie’s focus on co-op and somewhat on their pedigree (I was never too big on Halo, but I respected it). Now, in some weird twist of events, Destiny has somehow got my phone number and I’m not caring if I’m thinking about it too soon. I really think Destiny and I can have a bright future together full of love, passion and exploration (I’m still talking about a game).
Going off of the beta, Destiny won’t shatter the foundations of FPS gameplay and build a brand new one. And guess what? It doesn’t need to. The gunplay has that signature silky-smooth Bungie touch and, with the added class-based abilities and RPG elements, I found it hard to put the game down. Finding new gear and armor definitely recalls the hundred-plus hours I’ve poured into Borderlands 2. It’s as if Destiny is the game Bungie wanted to make this whole time.
The environments look great and are easily the graphical highlight of the beta. Whether it’d be barren Russia, the Traveler-backdrop of the Tower, or the vastness of the moon, the game’s playing fields dazzled. What makes these playgrounds even more impressive is the exploration. Dangerous caves filled with equally foreboding enemies litter the wastelands of Earth, while soccer balls on the Tower show Bungie doesn’t take the game’s tale too seriously.
The MMO aspect is actually really cool and seamless. You can be doing a mission solo only to run into several other people. It’s a nice feeling knowing there are other Guardians to fight off the Darkness with. Plus, I also dug the fact that chat can only be heard if you’re a part of someone’s fire team, lest we hear someone running around yelling all kinds of obscenities.
The game’s competitive suite, The Crucible, was a blast. The maps are well thought-out and the gameplay addicting. I absolutely love the fact that playing in The Crucible levels up your character for the game’s campaign as well. It’s also a really cool touch that you keep all your armor and weapons you’ve earned in the campaign as well, making the transition between co-op and competitive that little bit more enticing.
As for gripes, I really didn’t like the side missions. Not the missions themselves, but rather how they just respawn as if you’ve never done them. I get the benefit of doing this (you can continually gain XP and so on), but I like knowing that once I’ve done a mission, I’ve done it. I also hope there are more original structures in store rather than “go here and kill.” Oh, and am I the only one bothered by the cartoony jumping animation on the Tower? It’s like a PS2 platformer animation. I know it’s small, but it’s weird seeing it when the game supposedly had half a billion dumped into its development.
Destiny has sucked me in. Just imagining the possibilities makes the short wait to September 9th seem like a year away. It’s not hard to see Destiny becoming the best-selling new IP ever. With its focus on co-op, you can already see people bugging their buddies to get this title so they can all play together. I’m making a call now — Destiny is going to be the next big game franchise for a while.
