OTAKU REVIEWS: "Destiny"

   So for those of you who have been living under a rock for the last few weeks you may have missed the most anticipated video game launch of the year. Our friends at Bungie finally released to us their newest gaming creation; DESTINY. This game is quickly breaking records and becoming the most popular game of the season. Destiny is a fantastic mash-up of MMO and FPS elements to create one of the most well rounded games in existence. That mixed with an incredibly successful server launch has made this game an instant favorite amongst current gamers. But what specifically does Destiny bring to the table? What sets it apart from the previous video games that have tried and failed in the past? Well strap in and I'll tell you about it!

THE PLOT

   Bungie is notorious for their in depth storylines and grand background setup for their games. Their biggest title, Halo, has one of the most interesting and detailed background plotlines I've ever come across in a game. This unfortunately does not shine through in Destiny. Not much of the underlying story is revealed during the game, and there really isn't much of an actual plot to begin with. Small fragments of the history and background of the storyline are brought up during missions and cut scenes, but never go into specific detail. You know who the enemies are, but you don't know where they came from. You know who you are, but not much of your past is revealed. You know the setting, but you have no idea what happened to lead you to this point. To someone watching from afar this would seem very confusing.

   Basically your story begins with the tiny robot who is always seen by your side searching for your remains. The Ghost as he's called then resurrects your body and awakens you to a very distant future. He says there's no time to explain and he rushes you out of danger. From there you both dive into a fast paced and intense adventure with giant killer robot aliens, ancient celestial beings, diverse alien species, and exciting gun fights galore.

   Yet, something tells me that Bungie is holding out on us. I believe that more and more of the story will be told to us through more content and a possibly sequel in the near future. There are a ton of plot holes in this story, but they leave you wondering what happened and why. Curiosity can drive some gamers crazy though, and Bungie knows this. I don't think it will be long before our questions on the story will be answered very soon.

GAMEPLAY

   The actual gameplay is incredibly well put together and addicting. The MMO aspects of the online missions mixed with a first/third person perspective make the experience of exploring the open world very personal and fun. Plus, the game is just so pretty! Every detail of the world, from the landscapes to the enemies is beautiful and makes you want to explore every crevice as you go.

   There are three different classes to choose from at the beginning. You have a choice between the built to kill Titan, the slick and fast Hunter, or the super powered Warlock. Each has their own different skill set and special abilities. Sometimes it even feels like you're playing a game of Rock Paper Scissors when fighting against people in different classes. The abilities of each give the game a great sense of balance and provide for alternate playthroughs. If you start as a Titan and beat the game or get bored, then you can jump to a Hunter class and level that character's abilities and gear up for a new experience.

   The main focus of the game are the story missions and the Strike challenges. You can also obtain "Bounties" from people throughout the game that are worth experience, money, and sometimes rare items. These can be very fun, but can also drag on at times. Occasionally you might come across a group of missions that are eerily similar to one another. This would get frustrating, but as you progress you can unlock multiple sets of difficulties for existing missions that provide better rewards an tougher challenges. The Strikes however are more specific challenges meant for teams to tackle together, but they can be done alone. These are my personal favorite thing to do in Destiny. There's nothing like getting one or two of your friends together in a fireteam and bringing down a huge boss with your individual powers and weapons. As a bonus, there are daily and weekly Strike challenges constantly being replaced to keep you preoccupied for hours.

TRAVELING

   Something I like is that you actually "travel" from place to place. To get to another planet you have to fly into orbit and plot a course to your next objective. This may seem like an annoying process to some, but I feel like it brings a nice sense of realism to the play style. In total there are six different locations that you travel to in space. Your body is awoken on the first planet Earth by your personal Ghost in the beginning. From there you can make your way to Venus, Mars, and even the Moon.

 

   There are two means of travel in the game. One is your personal space ship that you find in the beginning of the story shortly after you're brought back to life. You can purchase and earn new and amazing looking ships as you go through the story and finish online matches. While you can't pilot your ship in game, it's still really cool to see it in cinematics as you go from place to place and enter lobbies.
   The other mode of travel is your Sparrow. When your ship finally takes you to the area you want to go, your Sparrow is what gets you around on the surface. These high speed hover bikes are very fun to drive and get you from point A to point B in a hurry. You can also purchase and find these bikes just like your space ship. Ghost can summon your Sparrow at will, and they can be used in many ways in and out of combat. I'm really looking forward to the day they might add Sparrow races to the online multiplayer options with the standard kill based matches.

THE TOWER

   The Tower is the central hub for the entire game. This is where you turn in bounties, purchase gear, meet up with your team, join a faction, and so much more. You also get to explore The Tower entirely in third person perspective. This can be really fun because you get to see how other players view you and what you look like with your hard earned gear equipped and displaying proudly. And the gear and weapons you can't carry anymore can also be stored in vaults here to save until later.

   You can also interact with fellow players here who are taking a break themselves from the fields. I have actually received helpful tips from players at the Tower after making friendly conversation. Finding people to join a fireteam to defeat objectives and Strikes isn't hard to do here as well.

MULTIPLAYER

   The online multiplayer is known as The Crucible. You have several different options when it comes to match choices. You have CLASH, CONTROL, RUMBLE, SKIRMISH, and SALVAGE. Clash is your basic six versus six team deathmatch, Control is a capture and hold based match, Rumble is every man for himself, and Skirmish and Salvage are the same as Clash and Control except with half the people. Each mode is very fun and offers new options for each play style.

   The combat has an extremely familiar feel to Halo in a lot of ways. Yet, it still has an upgraded charm to it. Shooting and fighting is fast paced, and the vehicles seem a bit less indestructible than in a lot of online shooters. In many modern shooters the matches seem to provide no challenge after a while of playing. But Destiny provides a handicap for the new and old players to the game in the form of weapon neutrality. All weapons deal the same amount of damage regardless of their output, and the same goes for the defense of armor. This makes you focus more on skill rather than how powerful your equipment is.

   If you're one of the people that finds this unfair towards people who play the game for the gear and the dominating kill streak, then don't worry. Another multiplayer option soon to be released will be known as IRON BANNER. Here you rely more on your special abilities from your armor and weapons. You could basically consider it the "hardcore mode" for the more intense Destiny players.

CUSTOMIZATION

   There is A LOT to personalize in Destiny besides just your vehicles. From your armor, to your character's appearance, to your weapon loadouts. You can even customize the abilities of your weapons and spec them how you like. In a lobby AND in combat! It's so useful and makes everything that much more strategic. When you reach a specific level you can shade your armor so everything matches in a color coordinated scheme as well.
   You can really tell they put a lot of thought into the choice of the player and how they want to play the game, and that is very appealing. Something that kind of bothered me though was the fact that there are slots for equipment that don't seem to matter at all. They hold no bonuses for your abilities, and just appear to be there for show. In my opinion this is wasted space and opportunity. These items could be used to boost your character further instead of only making them look cool.

(Below are images of my personal gear and the varied things you can earn and adjust on them.)

REVIEW: 9 out of 10 "A Must Try"

   All in all, Destiny is a fantastic game. The amazing blend of elements from almost every existing genre is fun and makes the game insanely addicting. What the game lacks in story it more than makes up for in gameplay. There's always something making you want to come back to the game. Whether it's trying to upgrade your armor, earn new weapons, rank up your character, or explore the world. And with Bungie's plans for new content being added soon there may be even more to attract players to this new release. I have personally logged in many hours into this game and have enjoyed every minute of it.
   Destiny is quickly becoming a favorite for the gaming community and myself. If you enjoy shooters, RPG's, MMO's, or adventure then I highly recommend that you try Destiny. You won't be disappointed.
-Otaku Anonymous