Destiny

This is the big one.

The merging of Bungie, creators of the incredible and genre-defining Halo series, and Activision, the company that seems to top itself every year with the oft-hated (mostly unfairly), but still tons of fun, Call of Duty brand. It has been in the works for years (with hints of it even showing up in Halo 3: ODST), been hyped up for months, and cost a reported $500 million to make, which is the most for any videogame...ever.

Given all of those aspects, it's no wonder that the hype for Destiny reached astronomical proportions. But often when something reaches that high a level of expectations, be it movie, game, book, or music, the item in question is scrutinized ruthlessly and deemed "underwhelming".  One would think that this is the case with Destiny and its, shall we say, lukewarm response from critics and gamers.

But here at Rath's Reviews, I like to be as fair as I possibly can be (easier said than done at times). I tried to keep my excitement in check for Destiny despite all the hoopla surrounding it and I'd like to think I did a good job. So, without further adieu, let's get on with the review. I swear I didn't mean for that to rhyme...

The game is painfully gorgeous on next-gen hardware. As always, all screenshots below are from
my PS4 playthrough.

The first thing one might notice about Destiny is that it's clean as hell. By that I mean that it looks and plays like an Apple product operates: smooth, beautiful, and simple. The menus are very user friendly to navigate, as are your character's weapon and armor slots and upgrade trees. It's all very well thought out and the transition from gameplay to customization screen to "orbit" is seamless. Unfortunately there is no pause button or option while on foot which I found to be a tad annoying, but once you start playing you realize why. Bungie has crafted several worlds, the Earth, Moon, Venus, and Mars to be exact, and they are all mostly always populated by other players. Whether or not you choose to interact with those players is up to you (I personally loved to go up to another player and hit the "Dance" communication button for some good laughs). Any communication further than an avatar wave-to-wave gets complicated and is reason for many player complaints for those that would like to text or voice chat immediately with the player they see on screen. Personally, that difficulty never affected me, but it's there nonetheless.

Graphics? Phenomenal. Story? Ummmm...
I'll get back to you?

As soon as you start playing on foot in Destiny you'll notice one thing, especially on the next gen systems: it's absolutely gorgeous. To be fair, the graphics in your player's immediate vicinity (where the player can actually travel) are good to great, but it's when you look to the heavens that the intricate details and crafted beauty is on full display. I often found myself completely forgetting what I went to any particular planet for because I just couldn't stop gawking at space. I was a Destiny "gaper". Each planet has its own distinct feel, aura, color palette, and enemy type and I really appreciate Bungie's attempt to break up the monotony of grinding gameplay. I grew the most attached to Venus as I could just not stop looking at it's hurricane-esque lighting storms in the distance and it's neon green color tone of atmospheric gases. So in the graphical department, Destiny flourishes, primarily in the environments that you can't actually go to.

I've been to Venus probably 20+ times now in the game. And yet I still take the time, every time, to
bask in awe at the incredible landscape. Easily one of the most gorgeous images to have graced
my PS4 thus far.

Destiny also does a great job at grabbing hold of you from a gameplay standpoint. It's a clear Halo-clone, but that's not a bad thing at all. That, combined with the leveling up of an RPG, really drove me to continue hunting for better loot and complete quests, raids, story missions, etc. As of the time of writing this, I am the proud owner of a Level 22 Hunter and still going strong. I know some people have complained that the game gets old after a while, and, in all honesty, I'm sure it will for me too. But at around 21 hours I'm still loving it just as much as I was within the first 5. Probably more in fact because my character is outfitted with far better gear now. I do wish that the level cap was higher than 20...that only took me about 15 hours to reach, but the quest for gear that contains "light" (how you level up past 20) is worth it as the drops of new gear are spaced out evenly enough to keep the player interested. Some hardcore MMORPG players will find that the game severely lacks in many avenues such as an in-game market, avatar communication, lack of trading, "luck of the draw" armor engrams, and many other things. As hardcore gamers, their complaints are all more than valid. Destiny does a poor job completing what it promised to that crowd. But being a casual gamer, I was more than happy with what was offered and I didn't miss any of the other options (although the ability to trade would have been nice).

These "Sparrows" as the game calls them, get the
award for coolest sound effects of the year. They
sound EXACTLY like pod racers.

Where Destiny really falters is in two very crucial aspects that are rather inexcusable given the $500 million production cost. For starters, the story is borderline non-existent. I realize that most MMOs have thin story lines at the start as is, but Bungie has all the pieces for a good story (interesting premise, great environments, strong right-hand character, and a compelling hero and villain). It just really stumbles to connect the players with the other characters at all, not to mention let the player know what the hell is going on. Other than a few cut scenes here and there, I generally really had no idea who anyone was or why I was doing any of the things I was doing. For shooters, this is more than often the case, but this is Bungie and as gamers we should expect more.

The second offense goes to the player vs. player (PvP) aspect of the game titled, The Crucible. Now, I am not the most avid online gamer, especially with shooters because I tend to find that there are people out there who are just flat out better than me. But I also know when I'm being unfairly cheated. Destiny attempts to even the playing ground in PvP matches but fails miserably. As a level 7 I remember playing level 24s and getting absolutely destroyed because they were A) better than me B) had better weapons C) had better armor and D) had their skill tree more fleshed out. So why on God's green Earth was I playing with them? Beats me. Furthermore, I come back to the hardcore gamer discussion. The PvP lacks any type of matchmaking with friends or chat rooms or anything. Again, these are not necessarily things that I miss out on, but were I a hardcore gamer, I'd be pretty pissed that I can't easily play with my friends. Especially coming from the company that pioneered online gaming with the Halo series. For me, The Crucible was easily the biggest blunder of the game and I haven't been back since around level 10, despite my much higher level.

Time to go camping!!

I'm familiar with a lot of the rumblings that fans and critics are saying about Destiny. It certainly disappointed many, and for good reason. But I think I've come to a conclusion that, at least to my knowledge, hasn't been reached as of yet.

I believe that Destiny is made (perhaps unintentionally) for the Casual Gamer. It's for the gamer that doesn't need all the bells and whistles but who just wants to pick it up, play, feel a sense of accomplishment, and have some fun. In that regard, Destiny shines brightly. If you are a Hardcore Gamer, expecting that every little option you are used to in an MMO, RPG, or shooter is present, you will be sorely disappointed. And well, given all the hype and the two companies involved, you definitely should be.

My final thought on Destiny is this. It cost $500 million to make and given that it borrows so many technical aspects from the Halo series, Bungie wasn't exactly starting from scratch. So far, I haven't seen a $500 million game. That makes me think that Bungie has an ace up their sleeve in the form of a TON of post-launch support. Maybe more so than any console game to come before it.

With that possibility in mind, take the negativity surrounding Destiny with a grain of salt. It's still an addicting, expertly crafted shooter, just one that maybe hasn't achieved ITS destiny yet. It still remains to be seen if it ever will.

CONS:

• The story is not on par with what Bungie is capable of, despite all the ingredients of a good recipe being there
• While in The Last City, it's hard to find the people you can and can't talk to. I know where everyone is now, but at level 5? I was completely lost
• Bare bones with regards to MMORPG necessities. No trading, store, easy communication with other players, etc. Hardcore players have a right to be disappointed
• The game is unplayable offline. I only had this issue once, but it completely stopped my gameplay
• Lack of pause button and world map while you are playing
• Level cap at level 20 is a bit ridiculous. It only took me 15 hours to get there
• The Crucible (PvP) is a s**tshow. The matchmaking is terrible, and any options that are standard in today's multiplayer-obsessed world are lacking (chat rooms, parties with your friends, etc.). This all coming from the same company that revolutionized online shooter gaming is baffling. How did they drop the ball so badly? Only positive about The Crucible is that the maps are awesome and when you do play against similarly leveled people (rarely), the gameplay is fantastic
• Some pretty atrocious voice acting from Peter Dinklage. Part of this is due to the poor script

PROS:

• Brilliant gameplay. It pretty much copy and pasted the Halo series but I can't get enough of it
• As a casual gamer, I really enjoyed the RPG elements such as the skill trees, armor ratings, weapon upgrades, etc. It was just right for me
• Well crafted menus and navigation. All very seamless
• Guardian classes are fairly distinct in their powers as are the weapons that can be wielded. I personally loved auto rifles, machine guns, and fusion rifles
• The game grabs hold of you and really got me to say "just one more thing" on several occasions. Grinding did get old at a few points, but it always seemed that just as I was getting discouraged I would get a new weapon, upgrade, or armor
• Awesome sound effects, particularly the Sparrows
• Amazing original score
• Phenomenal graphics, especially when you look to the skies. Venus drops my jaw every time
• I liked that they stuck to planets in our solar system. So many games go to the far reaches of space, but Destiny makes the saving of a solar system a lot more personal
• The "Dance" communication button is too funny sometimes
• Fantastic difficulty scaling. The game is incredibly hard at times and (other than The Crucible), I never felt cheated. Overwhelmed, yes, but never cheated
• I enjoyed the variety of enemies and planets
• I firmly believe that, like many PC-based MMORPGs, we haven't seen the last of Destiny. It cost over $500 million. I haven't seen a game anywhere close to that price tag yet, especially when you consider that so much was carried over from Halo. Don't be surprised if Bungie has an ace up their sleeve in the way of future updates and patches

Rath's Review Score: 8.5/10