Is Destiny really that good?

[Haymansafc]

I was contemplating the PS4/Destiny bundle until a few days ago as the possible chance for me to finally get a PS4. I'm no great lover of FPS games these days simply for the fact that as I've stated in the past, I think the market has been vastly over-saturated with them for the past four or five years. I've simply grown so bored of them to the point that barring different titles, they all feel the same, play the same, sound the same and even look the same to me... I honestly struggle to tell the difference between any of them now, and I simply don't understand the ongoing love-affair many gamers have for them. I just don't 'get it'. So, why did I consider Destiny? Well, from the television adverts it actually looks really good. I was certainly open minded and willing to give it a fair chance to impress me. I used to play a lot of these sorts of games at the turn of the century (when dedicated FPS's were reasonably few and far between).

Over the course of this weekend I've watched over three hours of footage of Destiny so far and I'm sorry to say this but purely as a spectator, it's just leaving me feeling cold. I don't really understand the story or what exactly is meant to be going on at various points. Also, the bewildering amount of levels/options for character upgrades (weapons/defence e.t.c) is making my go literally cross-eyed. I'm not even playing it and I simply can't keep up with what is happening on the screen. I genuinely feel lost simply by watching it - and that really is not a good sign! I'll continue watching more of it as/when I get the chance to but I doubt my view will change that much, now. I've seen enough.

Not only that, I have since learnt that you must have an internet connection in order to play this game. Once again, developers and producers simply 'assume' everyone has absolute top-of-the-line internet connection with no bandwidth limits (and the money to afford such packages if available in your region) . They've certainly limited their market by going down this route and as someone who has never done any sort of online gaming and doesn't have a clue how to even go about it - that rules me out of buying this game even if I did like what I was watching. I'm actually relieved (in a strange kind-of way) that I don't. As it's one of these 'online only' jobbies, this also means other people randomly drop in and out of the game - based on the specific walkthrough on YouTube that I've seen. What if you just want to play on your own? I don't want other people coming in and spoiling my fun! "I've paid for the game - get out of my space...!" I'd feel like shouting.

Positives? Ummm...It's got a great soundtrack...!

I'm certainly not having a 'go' at anyone enjoying the game at all. If you like it, then brilliant - that's all that matters and I happily respect your view. Everyone's different and I'm sure there's titles out there that I like that others would baulk at. However for me personally, I just don't 'get' Destiny or it's hype at all...

 

[Negative Zero]

Fair enough, Haymansafc, the game definitely isn't for everyone. If you're not interested in meeting and playing with other people, you won't get much out of it. My take is slightly different. Of all the first person shooters out there, Halo is one of the few I liked. It was the reason I originally went with Xbox so many years ago. Destiny is very Halo-derivative, so for me the ambiance and style of gameplay fit like a well worn favorite glove. Borderlands 2 is another favorite of mine, and that comparison to Destiny has been made ad nauseam.

On the other hand, while I like the premise of the game, the storytelling has missed the mark. Character development is lacking in npcs, and aside from wanting to kill and blow stuff up, there's not much to motivate a guardian. To simplify cooperative play, the plot has been minimized to the point of near nonexistence. And that's too bad, because "epic" could have been a word we used with this game.

But you're right, the soundtrack is awesome!

 

[Ciel]

heres some game play of mine

If you think it's a linear level by level go through the story game and do the side missions if you want and a bit of co-op / mp thrown in, then your wrong.

But that is what you do because that is the gameplay. Denying that you level up by doing the story, its side-missions, strikes, raids, and PvP is denying that you are even playing the game at all. That whole process is linear.

Point 1 - Bungie have publically said they are on PURPOSE not giving out too much detail of what to expect in the game as they want the gamers to discover this stuff for themselves. This is a KEY point for an MMO/RPG. As an RPG / MMO Destiny is so far from my expereince doing what the Elder Scrools online didn't. That's making you explore and discover things as you go. For example last night a friend at level 16 unlocked a new "boss" play list of things to do that i'd not heard about before. Add this sense of wonder of what is around the corner , the next level, the next cave, the next planet... and it all snowballs for one big exploration.

Do you remember the old days of gaming back on the zx spectrum where there were whispers of " ohh if you beat that level on that game you get... " and without youtube back then you had to find out for yourself and discover stuff. This is what it's like with Destiny. No one REALLY knows right now, not even the reviewers, what IS out there what IS coming etc. There seems to be a myth already about when players reach level 20 something will open up...

All this builds up, and if your hooked into the game, by it's story, by it's lore, it is actually all very tantilizing and exciting. It's Old school gaming i feel for a new genration, and as it's not simple lead you by the nose progression, some gamers they are poo pooing what they don't quite understand. I'm playing it a lot at the moment and there are still loads of things i don't understand yet, but it's FUN, finding them out.

Contention 1: I understand Bungie's desire for players to "explore" the world such that they uncover its secrets, but Bungie gives players very little reason to do so. Yes there obviously things scattered throughout each planet, but a lot of the game is "what you make of it," but there the game gives little incentive to make much of anything. The story is terrible, the writing is awful, the NPCs are vapid--there is no reason to care about the world or its peoples, why should I explore it? Oh right, I have to go to Bungie.net and read the Grimore cards to get my lore and expositions... yeah, I will pass. Destiny is also not an MMO by any means. Can we please stop calling it an MMO? The whole experience is completely lonely. Why if there are so many players playing online since, so many people have bought this game, am I the only one I run into? Yes, I do run into players here and there, but there is by no means an MMO. Further it is the skeleton of an RPG.

You're right, no one knows what to expect. Destiny is a game that will be better in the future, after a series of patches. What we have right now is an incomplete game, as made completely obvious by its matchmaking. There is no sense in hiding this fact by saying things are yet to be discovered. If anything I feel that this caters to "new school" gamers more than it does us oldies primarily because there is not a whole lot going on. Destiny is to me, a game for people with a short attention span or not a lot of time on their hands--after all it does not take that long to hit the level-cap.

Point 2 - Destiny laughs in the face of lead you by the nose linear gameplay .. If you want that go play COD SP. You literaly stumble across stuff that isn't advertised sometimes. Again Bungie have said they have done this on purpose to make players explore and figure things out for themselves.

The game is set up so you really do feel like your all part of one big thing fighting for a common cause. This is set up by the expertly made game, world, elements, and how it's unfolding before me.

Contention 2: I love, love, love non-linear games. In fact I role-play in Realm Reborn and make my own story within the game's story. I have a Wiki dedicated to my character and her lore. Why? Because I love the world, the story, the NPCs, the possibilities. I will never do this in Destiny. So far the only thing I have discovered about the world is that it is not an MMO--per advertisements.

Laslty .. i know this doesn't actually guarentee a good game, but GTA5 cost $265,000,000 to make and at the time waas / is regarded as a very polished accomplished game. Destiny has cost.. $500,000,000... it ain't going to be some small time piece of rubbish. I didn't like halo, never liked Bungie, but i feel confident, as long as the enemies and missions they have to come and keep coming are vaired, this is not going to be a 1 week wonder game.

Contention 3: Yes, money does not mean everything. Destiny is far from polished. I have experienced my fair share of pop-in textures, the matchmaking and PvP is broken--this I could talk about for a while--and so on and so on. What is polished is the core gameplay, i.e. the shooting and combat. This feels really good! And that sword mission, oh my god was that badass. Why isn't the entire game like that!? Certainly this game will stand the test of time, but it needs patches and it needs them bad. It needs more. No crafting, no trading, sad excuses for dungeons, no proximity chat or keyboard chat. Are there glamours/vanity items even?

All this said, I like Destiny. I just could like like a hell of a lot more.

 

[jmoriarty630]

The game is really good, however it's not the revolution that many people expected. I think that if you keep that in mind, you'll enjoy the game.

 

[Cpt Blackadder]

But that is what you do because that is the gameplay. Denying that you level up by doing the story, its side-missions, strikes, raids, and PvP is denying that you are even playing the game at all. That whole process is linear.

I hear what your saying but i think your twisting the point somewhat. If you think like that then EVERY game is linear in it's own way as you have to go a certain way, open world or not to get to the end.

Point i was making that your twisting a little is, it's not a linear game in so much as a call of duty campaign is, ie you have to do this leve before you go to the next etc. At least with Destiny you can pick and choose the order in which you do things, hence IMO that equal non linear.

In a nutshell, Destiny is the game that is jack of all trades, but not master at nothing, it's master of a whole new genre IMO. It's the master of light Rpg's / FPS / Co-op/Mo but is not a proper MMO. The MMO i do agree is a bit of a red herriing. YEs your online with other gamers and YES they can join what your doing, but there is no way to properly communicate with them to even start the begginins of all banding together for a common goal. Your pretty much on your own or with the people in your party chat.

Game has tiny flaws, like lifeless envoirnments ( gorgeous as they are ) the inability to meet up with people who aren't close to your rank, and the communication issue above. Story is a bit on the light side, but i've seen far far worse.

I do feel that the hype train has put people off. Loads were expcting this all singing all dancing does everything sort of game, but i've not paid any attention to that, just got it as i'd heard of it. Not had any preconceptions of what to expect and loving it

Apart from that it's wonderful and i've not had this much fun playing a new IP for ages, and coming from me, who's been bored of games for a while now, says a lot. The shooting is fun, the exploring interesting, the light RPGing decent and different game modes varied, things to do just keep coming and i love it

Here's some more gameplay of me having fun... and loving it

 

[Cpt Blackadder]

PS.

I watched the gamespot review of the game, and they gave it 6 out of 10.

If you watch it and listen very hard for why the game is marked down, the ONLY real reason it could be marked down 4 points is that the reviewer thought the gameplay was repetitive. Other stuff that was negative just wasn't really that problematic.

I personally would disagree that the game is THAT repetitive. Besides, it's a shooter. What do you want to be doing apart from shooing lots of stuff ? I played Bioshock infinte and thought THAT campaign was repetitive, but there is far more things to do here in destiny than there ?

I think Destiny is getting some really harsh reviews because it's being reviewed souly on the story aspect alone. The Story is NOT the stongest aspect of the game, the co-op IS though.

Here is a list of things to do with Destiny AFTER the 16 hour .. and i thought FUN, story is done..

http://www.totalxbox.com/81152/features/destinys-endgame-what-to-do-when-youve-completed-the-story/


Destiny's endgame - what to do when you've completed the story
Ranking past 20, Raids, Vanguard items and other tips

Posted on Friday 12-Sep-2014 12:30 PM BST By Edwin Evans-Thirlwell, Deputy Editor for OXM

22 Comment

Bungie has made much of the fact that Destiny only really "begins" once you polish off the story. This is a little disingenuous, in practice - to significant degree, the endgame is about repeating old missions against higher level enemies, in order to unlock Legendary and Exotic weapons that, stat differences and perks notwithstanding, handle much the same as entry-level guns.

Still, there's undeniably a lot to do after the credits roll. If you're scratching your head over the star map, wondering where best to bestow your Dinklage-augmented talents, I have a few suggestions.
Await the Raids

These are extremely tough, protracted lategame co-op missions that require a fireteam of six, composed of Xbox Live friends. They'll be unlocked or made available via expansion over the next few months: the first, a Raid on the Vault of Glass on Venus, becomes available for play on 16th September.

Raids may take you to parts of the world that aren't currently open for exploration, and are structured differently to Strikes: there are no waypoints, and items may be required to open the route to the Raid. A pleasant byproduct of this could be that players pay more attention to the environments, which are often sadly disregarded in Strikes as Fireteams rush relentlessly towards the objective.
Grind the Crucible and Vanguard playlists

You've probably noticed that certain vendors at the Tower have Exotic or Legendary gear for sale that isn't available for purchase using bog-standard Glimmer. These must be unlocked by earning different kinds of currency - Crucible or Vanguard marks and reputation, both of which become available from level 18 upwards.

You'll earn Marks from the Crucible simply by playing PvP, with up to 100 marks available for harvesting per week (there's no weekly cap on how much Crucible reputation you can earn). Vanguard marks and rep are cranked out by way of the Vanguard Strikes playlist.
Join a faction

If you're hell-bent on nabbing the full range of loot, you'll also want to build up your standing with a faction. To do so, simply buy a piece of faction-specific gear from one of their representatives at the Tower - you'll accumulate faction reputation and marks by wearing that item while completing missions via the Vanguard playlist.
Level up past 20

Players stop gaining ranks from basic XP generation when they hit level 20, but it's possible to rank up past 20 by finding and equipping gear that's invested with the Traveller's Light (in our experience, it'll need to be Rare (blue) equipment or better). You can also upgrade this equipment to increase its Light stat.
Play timed activities

Want to earn a bunch of XP, marks or reputation in a hurry? Watch out for special time-limited activities with bonus rewards on the lefthand side of the solar system map. The first of these runs from 12th to 14th September, and includes access to a new Crucible mode, Salvage, where you battle to gather and return relics to your base.
Scour the planets for Golden Chests, hidden foes and resources

Aside from materials that are required to upgrade certain weapons, like Spinmetal and Plasteel, you'll discover treasure chests around each planet's surface (many defended by high-level enemies). Keep an eye out for the Gold variety in particular, as these tend to cough up rarer items.
Start a new class

By far Destiny's strongest suit as an RPG is its unadventurous, but lovingly crafted class system. There are three classes to begin with, each of which sports a number of unlockable abilities and perks, plus three more subclasses (one per class) when you hit level 15.

What's impressive about the pacing of class and ability unlocks is that it corresponds to your deepening understanding of the game - by the time you've nabbed every ability for the Titan's Striker subclass, for example, you should be familiar enough with PvP and co-op Strikes to see the point of the Defender subclass, which focuses on healing and support rather than damage-dealing. The best reason to keep playing is thus simply to start a new character. Fortunately, you won't need to delete the old one first.
Brace for DLC and free game updates

Bungie has said that it plans to support Destiny for a long, long time, filling in the canvas with new modes, areas, gear and who knows what else. Here's a quick taster of what to expect in winter 2014.

 

[Ridge]

I saw my little brother last night and he mentioned Destiny felt a lot like if Phantasy Star Online was a FPS. We each played that game for at least 300 hours. The more I think about it the more accurate that kind of feels... Anyone else here play PSO like 10+ years ago?

 

[Kosh]

Blackadder, I definitely think the 6 out of 10 rating was kind of low, especially for the reason they stated. You can say any game is repetitive.

I found the story pretty great. It's a new story/theme, a lot to take in and understand. But the Universe itself has a lot of potential.

But I do agree that you really start to get into everything once you start hitting the higher levels and new modes open up - The Crucible, Strikes, etc... Then once you hit the experience level cap, then the fun begins.. The grind of Reputation and various Marks and gear.

I hit 20 earlier today and ran a bunch of Strikes and did the daily Heroic Story mission. I have a group that I play with so it's not bad making a team that I can trust won't totally suck. Biggest issue I've had is going solo into the level 20 Strike, and getting put into a group where everyone leaves. Very annoying.


But, I digress. Definitely a lot to do as you progress. And once the expansions come out (already pre-ordered), definitely should have a lot more to do. I haven't got into the PvP too much yet, need to do that at some point.

But for those who don't think there is much to do... Keep going.. And find a regular group to play with. Lots to do

 

[Cpt Blackadder]

agrreed Kosh.
Got this link, and it's kinda sad to see the comments following it. To me it shows that gamers these days want instant gratification and don't understand the concept of what the game is trying and succeeding to be. The "NOW" brigade don't do "work at it" do they

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-is-a-different-game-after-20-hours-bungie-/1100-6422312/

Destiny Is a Different Game After 20 Hours, Bungie Says
"Twenty hours in, I think that players will find that they’ve evolved to playing a whole different kind of game."
by Emanuel Maiberg on September 14, 2014

1354 Comments
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+1

How many hours have you put into Destiny since it launched? If it's more than 20, you should be playing a very different game than the one you started, according to Bungie.

"Twenty hours in, I think that players will find that they’ve evolved to playing a whole different kind of game than the shooter that started them off,” Bungie Executive Producer Patrick O’Kelley said in an interview posted to Xbox Wire. “They’ll find that they’re immersed in a different world, and are deep into the history of their characters. They’ll have built a community of other players. And, without realizing it, they’ll have learned some sophisticated mechanics that enable them to gear up and dive into a six-player cooperative raid, in pursuit of high-level exotic weapons and armor.”

At our fairly quick pace, spending very little time on the extra Vanguard and Strike Quests, getting through Destiny's main story took just over 16 hours to complete, which left our Guardian at level 16. However, we didn't do any Bounties, which can accelerate the leveling progress.

And there's still plenty to do in the game, like finding hidden raids, competitive multiplayer, and leveling up other characters, so if you like the game, it's easy to reach 20 hours even if you rush through the story.

For more on Destiny, check our top Destiny stories, and our official review.

Have you hit the 20 hour mark in Destiny already? Let us know in the comments below.

 

[deathbyprayer]

PS.

I watched the gamespot review of the game, and they gave it 6 out of 10.

6 out of 10? I mean sure it's above average but I think the game deserves AT LEAST a 7 or something. But I think Gamespot has a point in giving the game a 6 because I'm kind of seeing where they're coming from with the review but come one 6?

 

[Cpt Blackadder]

6 out of 10? I mean sure it's above average but I think the game deserves AT LEAST a 7 or something. But I think Gamespot has a point in giving the game a 6 because I'm kind of seeing where they're coming from with the review but come one 6?

Yeah everyone i know who's got the game all think 6 is really harsh. Me, and most my friends would give it around 8 maybe 8.5 out of ten.

For me, the game will live or die on the strength of the MP side of things and how original interesting they keep the daily challenges and the Raid missions. If Bungie keep churning out free, you have to play them missions, then yes, this could be epic. If not.....

 

[sparkblade14]

Game is definitely not a 6. I guess review sites had their expectations way too high. People were expecting to be able to travel the whole solar system when Bungie had already said only 3 planets + the moon were available. They had also already mentioned only one explore mission per area. People just buy into hype way too much. I knew it was gonna be a solid shooting game with loot mechanics and RPG elements thrown in. My friends who bought the game and didn't know about the hype are loving the game. The drawbacks of the game are the lack of voice chat to people outside of your fireteam (can't talk to your team during Crucible wtf), the convoluted and cliche story, and the repetitive mission structure. Outside of that, the game does everything else well and that is not worth a 6. But it's not worth a 9 either.

 

[deathbyprayer]

Yeah everyone i know who's got the game all think 6 is really harsh. Me, and most my friends would give it around 8 maybe 8.5 out of ten.

For me, the game will live or die on the strength of the MP side of things and how original interesting they keep the daily challenges and the Raid missions. If Bungie keep churning out free, you have to play them missions, then yes, this could be epic. If not.....

I think they did it on purpose, giving the game a 6 out of 10 just for the heck of it. Most people expect a high score from a good game but if you give anything below 7 then it would cause some uproar and more traffic and attention on their part.

 

[Ciel]

Hit, 20, played with some friends today for a good long while... game certainly knows how to grown on a person. I highly doubt I will play this game though unless I am with them. The difference between playing with friends and playing alone, is far too striking (pun intended?).

 

[daimashin]

One huge issue I have with the game is the lack of variety in the levels. Everything happens at the same few levels which can get stale. The other is the bullet sponge bosses that take forever to kill even with a full fireteam. Too often I felt that the game is just plain cheap on higher levels.

 

[Ciel]

One huge issue I have with the game is the lack of variety in the levels. Everything happens at the same few levels which can get stale. The other is the bullet sponge bosses that take forever to kill even with a full fireteam. Too often I felt that the game is just plain cheap on higher levels.

Yup, haha. Although those bullet sponge bosses can be kind of amusing and lead to funny things.

 

[Ridge]

I'm enjoying the post level 20 grind. It is taking way longer to feel like I've accomplished something, but that makes every new piece of legendary equipment feel so much more rewarding.

 

[gamerchick]

I think its pretty good!! I give it a 8/10 !!! I should def get it

 

[RobG]

I kicked this one around for a good month. Basically, I knew I was ready for a PS4 because of GTA5 coming out next month. Then I saw the bundle with the white console, which I really liked. I read various reviews. Half the people LOVED it, half the people said meh. I decided for the $10 savings in the bundle, and getting the white PS4 was worth it. I've only played it for a few hours so far (Level 3), but so far, so good. It does feel like a super modern DOOM, but I don't dislike it. I'll keep at it. I have to have something to do til November 18th.

Rob

 

[Sekelani]

Have you hit cap yet? I am curious to read more opinions about the end-game.

I've been on level 24 for the last couple of weeks. Finally I hit level 25 last night. The game is wonderful, but I don't like one thing...
It's too repetitive. You do the same thing over and over again.... Enemies lurk in the same spots and the missions are just the same.... I get bored at times and so upset when I do a vanguard mission, then get directed to the same one I just did before lol.....
They need too add more content to the game and finding legendary items is a nightmare..... I've been fishing for weeks and finally found gloves and a sniper ( which I don't use that much).
Other than that I love the game. How far are you,?
In all honesty,i would give this game a 7/10.