Bradley Burgess | rawr reviews
In the world of gaming, “Destiny” is the like the second coming of Christ. A fitting metaphor, seeing as developer Bungie Inc.’s previous first person shooter franchise starter was “Halo: Combat Evolved,” back in 2001.
There are big shoes to fill, and there’s a lot at stake. The game’s rumored budget was around $500 million. Does “Destiny” live up to every gamer’s wildest dreams? In short, yes.
What’s notable about “Destiny,” is the fact that, unlike most video games, nothing is static. Bungie Inc. has created a universe that will enthrall gamers for years to come, and that’s not mentioning the three sequels on the way. There are different factions of characters, classes to play as and even a varying host of villains. It feels like 10 different games smashed into one.
The setup is as follows: 500 years in the future, mankind has explored the far reaches of the galaxy, and colonized several different planets. But, “The Collapse” has put humanity on the brink of extinction. With the help of a mysterious orb called the “Traveller,” a race of powerful Guardians must defend the last human city and eliminate those aliens who want to extinguish humanity.
“Destiny” isn’t just a typical shooter, it’s game of choice. Similar to a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), the decisions you make affect the rest of the game.
There are three different classes to choose from when you build your Guardian: Warlock, with the ability to create a nova bomb that will destroy anything in its path, Titan, with a powerful fist of havoc attack and Hunter, whose golden gun will incinerate foes in a single shot.
On top of that, there are three different races your character can become: Human, Awoken and Exo. With each possibility, the playing field is different. Fortunately, the game can store three different profiles, so gamers can explore the options.
Gameplay is mixed between the average shooter and the average MMORPG. You still kill enemies with a varying host of weapons, but there are public events which occur mid-game where you must team up with other players to succeed. In addition, as the game progresses you earn more abilities, weapons and armor add-ons, much like “World of Warcraft.” Combining the two is a novel idea, and it makes the game dynamic and interesting, even after repeat sessions.
There’s also the multiplayer function, which the player needs to unlock after some heavy sessions of story-based missions. There’s Control, a capture-zones kill-enemies mode, Clash, a straight up kill or be killed game, Rumble, same as Clash, only without teams, Skirmish, which allows player to resurrect their fallen comrades and Salvage, which gives players objectives to complete. Like the game itself, multiplayer earns points for your character, so it’s a win-win.
The game looks gorgeous, and you can tell the Bungie Inc. team had a good time designing these worlds. There’s so much to explore with this game, Bungie Inc. said you might never finish it. You’ll keep coming back, find new things and you’ll be enthralled by the creativity. If this isn’t the next “Halo,” nothing is.