Destiny is the game that pretty much hyped everybody before it was released. It was basically Bungies amped up version of Halo, but on multiple consoles. It is a game that has divided many people, forcing them to choose sides judging on whether they like the game or not. Does the game deliver what it promises? Let's find out.
So the whole plot involves your character being resurrected from the dead in the middle of a wasteland in Russia. After realizing what just happened, the entity that brought you back to life, known as a 'Ghost', will guide you through a dam, and will also teach you how to defend yourself and survive an entire ambush of enemies known as the fallen. Once you make it from point a to point b you eventually level up and unlock new abilities, and once you complete the tutorial, your real journey has only just begun. Before all of this happens, you have the ability to create your own 'guardian'. There aren't many features to choose from, but it will suffice. After that, you are able to choose from three classes, and they are titan, hunter and warlock. Titan is the modified super solider type who can soak up relatively more damage and has more devastating attacks. Hunter is a more crafty type who wields a knife and uses a selection of unique attacks. Then you have the Warlock who focuses more on magic-like powers, and to be frank, they are my least favourite class as they are just too cheap in my opinion.
The graphics are some of the best I've ever seen. Environments, character models, vehicles, weapons and explosions look simply stunning on the PS4 and Xbox One, but fall a bit short on the PS3 and the Xbox 360. The draw distance is almost endless too, allowing you to see the little details that Bungie have managed to sneak in. The controls are, thankfully, easy to work with, and Halo players will feel familiar with the overall layout, and so will newcomers. Shooting, moving your guardian and using your special attacks never feel delayed, buggy or out of touch. It virtually always works when you want it to. Now we look over some of the games flaws, and there are quite a few of them sadly. As far as campaigns go, Destiny took the lazy route. Most missions are the same as each other, requiring you to defend your ghost for a while, shooting down some pretty easy enemy types in the process. There's just not enough variety in each mission, only a handful of them have a decent idea behind them. Some include riding on fast hover bikes known as 'pikes', and you can even wage war with the different factions, but those moments are few and far between. To vary your play style, you can choose between two subclasses depending on what class you are. These classes focus on offensive or defensive strategies, and are fun to use if you want a change.
Not only that, but the campaign is far too short, lasting between five to eight hours. There are additional missions available, but in order to actually play them, you're gonna have to hand over your wallet for some DLC. It might not sound too bad, but then you realize that a lot of cool stuff is included in the DLC, such as new colour shaders for your guardian, and weapons that you can't get anywhere else. At the time of writing this review, I have no DLCs, just the base game. Speaking of weapons, the game has more than enough of them, but they have recycled models. Overall, there are about ten or eleven of them, but there are well over eighty weapons to buy and find. Weapons and armour come in five different tiers, common, uncommon, rare, legendary and exotic. Since The Taken King has been released, however, each armour class has been messed with. For example, armour pieces that used to be recommended for starting players is now better for even the highest levels. The game has special, free roam missions called patrols for you to enjoy, and they allow you to basically go where you want on a specific planet and complete side missions for different groups back on the tower (which acts as the main hub). Unfortunately, the side missions are even more bland than the regular ones, and your objective in them range from collecting a certain number of items, or killing anything that dares to move. Also, even though each patrol area is large, you will face blocked off areas and dead ends more than a few times, which limits the experience. There are a total of three groups that you can join, and you can represent them by wearing a mark, cloak or bond. Doing so will earn you their respect, and if you earn enough, you can unlock some useful items. You can even earn experience for the crucible and the Titan Vanguard located in the Tower.
If you're disappointed with the half good, half baked single player campaign, there's always the multiplayer portion to check out. Destiny's online multiplayer comes in the form of the crucible, a place that pits guardians against each other. Modes such as rumble (deathmatch), three vs three, six vs six, control and more can be played. However, this section of the game has received middling reception since the servers launched. Shotguns kill instantly more than ninety percent of the time, auto rifles and scout rifles will take some getting used to if you want to actually kill some one with them, most maps are just plain awful, many weapons such as the Thorn and the Felwinter's lie are overpowered to say the least, some weapons receive buffs and nerfs and overall it's a controversial battleground. Before The Taken King was released, low levels always got bludgeoned by every other player, and a few weapons were utterly useless, eventually being reworked and patched at a later date. The worst thing about the multiplayer is the random numbers generator at the end of every match. This determines what players will get as rewards. If you get the best kill/death ratio on your team, you can get things that you've already got, or something that is the wrong class, while the guy who finished in last place can get the Gjallarhorn (an exotic rocket launcher).
The crucible isn't terrible though, in fact, it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience. You will have a really good time with most of the available game modes (the ones that you don't have to pay for), matches can be incredibly tense and the majority of the maps are well created. If you're looking for some online play that doesn't involve enemy players, you can always try raids. Raids are essentially long, hard levels full of rare, legendary and sometimes exotic bounty hidden within. This mode is mostly for people who have friends who play the game, as if you have some who don't own a copy, you're gonna have to ask random players in the tower to help you, which is a hassle because they either don't have a microphone, or they simply decline your invites. Why would they need a microphone? Well, raids are massive events that require team work and good communication in order to succeed. These can last up to three hours depending how good you are at them, but there are various checkpoints located in the level, so if you need to leave, you can re group with your fireteam leader and squad another time, though after a while the raid data gets wiped.
The biggest problem with Destiny lies within its wafer thin story. You'll uncover most things from the official website rather than in the actual game, which is a nuisance. The game has four enemy factions. They include the Fallen, the Hive, the Vex, and the Cabal, each with different attacks, personalities, and strength. They also have a wide range of soldiers to fight you. You could be battling a group of Fallen dregs, then all of a sudden two Fallen captains could ambush you when you least expect it. It's just a shame that the game barely explains any key details. For example, where did 'Awokens' come from? What are 'Ghosts' made of and why do they exist? The game simply asks more questions than it answers. Since it's been a short while after the games release, three expansion packs are available for download, but they change the game in different ways, sometimes ruining the experience from the looks of things. If you buy The Taken King without playing the base game, you can jump up several levels, making the 'grind' that every one complains about non existent. Every now and then, Bungie even add festive decorations whenever it's close to a holiday, such as Hallowe'en, however the new decor that they add combined with the dorky looking clothing items manage to spoil what seemed like a good idea.
Destiny is a very controversial title. It packs in some above average shooting with some interesting characters and large, open ended (to a degree) levels. Sadly there isn't an interesting enough story to combine with these great areas, and it feels like a waste, especially at the end of the game at the final boss, the least intriguing ending to a somewhat flat experience. The game is a lot of fun when it works, but things like the frustrating but enjoyable crucible end up annoying players (including myself), the lack of match making when attempting a raid, the ridiculous random numbers generator which makes matches uneven and unfair, and other niggling issues that seriously need to be addressed. On a more positive note, the good things outweigh the bad, making for a decent time on your own, or with your friends. Right now, buying the game is a hard decision, if you want to start from the very bottom and earn gear, respect and friends, get the base game, but if you're a cheat, get The Taken King. As for The Dark Below and The House of Wolves, that's a different story.