By Anthony O'Connor
Destiny was Bungie’s hot new IP released in 2014. A shooter/MMORPG hybrid, the game sold millions of copies but was smacked with a merciless, albeit entirely justified, backlash from critics and fans alike. The half-arsed story, the repetitive missions and patchy voice acting were all taken to task and with good reason – the game was deeply flawed. One thing no one could complain about, however? The shooting.
Destiny improved upon Bungie’s already legendary FPS property, Halo, with gameplay that is so slick, responsive and just so damn “right” it’s almost impossible to convey how good it feels unless you actually experience it. Consequently Destiny stuck with people, warts and all, and anticipation for the sequel is high. Over the next few days, a period ranging from the 18-23 of July (depending on your system and pre-order status) you can experience one mission, one strike and two PvP modes of Destiny 2.
The verdict? Better. The story actually exists now, there’s an attempt at exploring the lore in-game rather than through an app and the PvP feels streamlined, more focused. There’s a school of thought that has rather snarkily dubbed Destiny 2, “Destiny 1.5” but while that’s not entirely inaccurate – there are a lot of aspects that feel cribbed from the original and given a new coat of paint – fans are unlikely to find that to be too much of a problem.
Hell, I can’t claim to be unbiased – I’ve ploughed 32 full days into Destiny since 2014 – but something about the game just feels right. The story mission, Homecoming, is long on atmosphere and action but short on exploration, however it does set up new villain, Dominus Ghaul. The Cabal still look like funny, little-legged potato men to me, but gee it’s fun popping their bonces with gunfire. The strike, The Inverted Spire, is a solid, expansive entry that introduces new enemy types and mechanics. The PvP modes – Control and Countdown – are both finessed and slick, with 4v4 providing a less chaotic experience.
Of course, as solid a Beta as this is, it’s small. There’s no sense of character progression, leveling up, engram decrypting or even a third subclass for the characters. This is a bare bones taste of things to come but, happily, it’s a good one.
You’d better believe we’ll be back with a review of Destiny 2 come September 6. In the meantime check out the footage from The Inverted Spire strike, captured by the magnificent Grizwords.
