First-person shooter game Destiny is new in stores. Is it worth a dip into your savings?
Destiny is an online first-person shooter video game in a science fiction open-world setting. The player is allowed to roam the world freely while in the company of random online players, something pretty new to the first-person genre. It was developed by Bungie (developers of the Halo series), published by Activision, and released on Xbox 360, PlaysStation 3, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on September 9, 2014
Destiny is an online first-person shooter video game in a science fiction open-world setting. The player is allowed to roam the world freely while in the company of random online players, something pretty new to the first-person genre. It was developed by Bungie (developers of the Halo series), published by Activision, and released on Xbox 360, PlaysStation 3, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on September 9, 2014
Destiny's story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has just experienced an event known as "The Collapse". This event marked the end of the Golden Age, where mankind had explored and colonized the solar system in peace. The Collapse led to these colonies mysteriously breaking up, which placed humanity on the brink of extinction. However, when all hope seemed lost a celestial body known as "The Traveler" rescued the human survivors and now guards the last city on Earth. This allowed the remaining humans to stand up as Guardians, or "Defenders of the City", with the ability to wield awesome powers known as "The Light.” When mankind attempted to reconstruct their civilization they found that hostile alien races had taken over the emptied colonies. Now it is up to the Guardians to stop the alien threat and revive the Traveler in order to secure the survival of the human race.
Destiny's character creator has you choose from three different classes. Following strict RPG (role playing game) elements these main classes, Titan, Warlock, and Hunter, each foster two separate sub-classes which are accessed by leveling up a skill tree.
The Titan is a defensive and bulky fighter. Its sub-classes include the Striker and the Defender. The striker uses grenades and melee attack to deal tons of damage. The Striker’s ability unleashes a powerful ground smash, killing anything in range. The Defender is more of a supporting class. Its ability lays down a protective circular shield that protects anyone inside its range; however, you are also unable to shoot through the shield whether you are inside or outside.
The Warlock class is a recovery fighter. They will regain health and shields very quickly if left alone. The two sub-classes include the Voidwalker and Sunsinger. The Voidwalker class' ability applies "Void" damage. Its ability is the Super: Nova Bomb which on activation launches an orb of "Void" at enemies and detonates on impact. The Sunsinger uses "Solar damage" and their ability, Super: Radiance, makes the players’ grenades and melee attacks stronger. Players with the right upgrade can even revive themselves if they die.
The Hunter class is the agile fighter, able to move quicker than the other two. The Hunter's sub-classes include the Gunslinger and the Bladedancer. The Gunslinger uses "Solar damage" and their ability, the Super: Golden Gun, spawns a golden revolver that deals extraordinary amounts of damage. The Gunslinger also has access to buffs towards their reload times and weapon stability. The Bladedancer uses "Arc damage" and with their ability of Super: Arc Blade the player's knife is charged with Arc Light and deals damage over time. Bladedancers also have access to an ability to become translucent by crouching or activating their ability.
Destiny's multi-player features two elements: Player versus Player (PvP) content and Player versus Environment (PvE). These two options foster completely different play styles.
The PvP in Destiny is called "the Crucible"and made up of several different game modes. There's Clash, a mode where two teams of six compete in a classic death match where the team with the most kills wins. There's also Control, where two teams fight to control three points on a map. Rumble is a free-for-all, where it's every man for himself; whoever has the most kills wins. Skirmish lowers the team member count to three in order to foster a more tactical death match rather than the typical "run and gun" atmosphere seen with Clash and Rumble. Salvage is the "standout" game type; you are placed on a map with rotating zones that each team fights over. It stands out because it is only playable on weekends.
These modes are not anything different, but rather standard protocol for an FPS (first-person shooter). The modes have all been seen and done ad-nauseam in countless other games. The PvP resembles Halo. The player is able to crouch to hide from the radar (or even stealth in the Hunter Class's case) and special weapons are available to give you an edge. The difference is the existence of weapons that can be brought from outside the map, weapons that are earned through the games’ story mode. This adds a large amount of customization; however, it also limits your play style to something that is strictly reactive versus proactive play.
A proactive play style lets the player focus on objectives or outmaneuvering the competition in order to secure kills. Reactive play is a little less involved, meaning the player has to wait for the enemy to reveal themselves and simply adapt to a counter strategy. This is due to the six classes, each with their own sub-classes, and to being able to use just about any weapon in the game, which lends towards the player spending a large amount of time figuring out what abilities and weapons the enemy has and countering them individually.
Destiny's character creator has you choose from three different classes. Following strict RPG (role playing game) elements these main classes, Titan, Warlock, and Hunter, each foster two separate sub-classes which are accessed by leveling up a skill tree.
The Titan is a defensive and bulky fighter. Its sub-classes include the Striker and the Defender. The striker uses grenades and melee attack to deal tons of damage. The Striker’s ability unleashes a powerful ground smash, killing anything in range. The Defender is more of a supporting class. Its ability lays down a protective circular shield that protects anyone inside its range; however, you are also unable to shoot through the shield whether you are inside or outside.
The Warlock class is a recovery fighter. They will regain health and shields very quickly if left alone. The two sub-classes include the Voidwalker and Sunsinger. The Voidwalker class' ability applies "Void" damage. Its ability is the Super: Nova Bomb which on activation launches an orb of "Void" at enemies and detonates on impact. The Sunsinger uses "Solar damage" and their ability, Super: Radiance, makes the players’ grenades and melee attacks stronger. Players with the right upgrade can even revive themselves if they die.
The Hunter class is the agile fighter, able to move quicker than the other two. The Hunter's sub-classes include the Gunslinger and the Bladedancer. The Gunslinger uses "Solar damage" and their ability, the Super: Golden Gun, spawns a golden revolver that deals extraordinary amounts of damage. The Gunslinger also has access to buffs towards their reload times and weapon stability. The Bladedancer uses "Arc damage" and with their ability of Super: Arc Blade the player's knife is charged with Arc Light and deals damage over time. Bladedancers also have access to an ability to become translucent by crouching or activating their ability.
Destiny's multi-player features two elements: Player versus Player (PvP) content and Player versus Environment (PvE). These two options foster completely different play styles.
The PvP in Destiny is called "the Crucible"and made up of several different game modes. There's Clash, a mode where two teams of six compete in a classic death match where the team with the most kills wins. There's also Control, where two teams fight to control three points on a map. Rumble is a free-for-all, where it's every man for himself; whoever has the most kills wins. Skirmish lowers the team member count to three in order to foster a more tactical death match rather than the typical "run and gun" atmosphere seen with Clash and Rumble. Salvage is the "standout" game type; you are placed on a map with rotating zones that each team fights over. It stands out because it is only playable on weekends.
These modes are not anything different, but rather standard protocol for an FPS (first-person shooter). The modes have all been seen and done ad-nauseam in countless other games. The PvP resembles Halo. The player is able to crouch to hide from the radar (or even stealth in the Hunter Class's case) and special weapons are available to give you an edge. The difference is the existence of weapons that can be brought from outside the map, weapons that are earned through the games’ story mode. This adds a large amount of customization; however, it also limits your play style to something that is strictly reactive versus proactive play.
A proactive play style lets the player focus on objectives or outmaneuvering the competition in order to secure kills. Reactive play is a little less involved, meaning the player has to wait for the enemy to reveal themselves and simply adapt to a counter strategy. This is due to the six classes, each with their own sub-classes, and to being able to use just about any weapon in the game, which lends towards the player spending a large amount of time figuring out what abilities and weapons the enemy has and countering them individually.
Now it is not to say that a reactive game is not fun, but the player needs the opportunity to react. For instance, an enemy may have a sniper rifle with the potential to kill me if I try to approach with a semi-automatic rifle from a distance. However, maybe I can kill him if I sneak into range with a shotgun? In a standard FPS this would be the case; however, the "Super abilities" presented to each player skews the result. There are Super abilities such as the Titan's ground pound or the Hunter's golden gun which, if they land a hit, are considered an instant kill. This outcome would give me no time as a player to react to the situation due to instantaneous death. These abilities are charged up by a special attack meter that charges over a period of time, boosted by kills and assists. It is extremely difficult to tell if the enemy player has a special attack ready or not. Players are forced to play reactively, to abilities that give the player no time to react. It is a very frustrating.
The PvE in Destiny contains a very different element. The open-world where players can interact with anyone in their same server/area is very unique on the console. The main story in the game is very bland and dissociative. There are a series of standard missions where you protect an objective while enemies attack. Players can choose to do these missions alone or with friends/random online acquaintances. The story by itself is extremely complicated to follow due to the player having to collect cards and log in to a website on their computer to read the information provided by the cards. The player isn't really motivated by the game to take part in the over-arching plot.
The raid of the "Vault of Glass" is a different story. This raid is an amazing piece of game design. While most of Destiny hosts a repetitive and sort of mechanical FPS-style game play, the Vault of Glass is the crowning achievement of diversity for Destiny. The raid consists of five separate areas each with its own rules, challenges, and secrets.
For instance, the front door can only be opened if the team occupies three pressure plates spread around a cliffside. The players must also fight off high level enemies while staying in place. This requires a lot of coordination. There's also the Templar battle. It is a five-part boss fight that eventually has players finding glowing "oracles". These "oracles” can mark the entire team which can cause instant death if not handled appropriately. One player has to pick up a shield relic, charge it up, and fire a blast that brings down the bosses’ shields so the team can deal damage. There's also the Gorgons' Labyrinth. This brings a stealth mechanic to the raid, forcing players to make their way past guards who are pretty much indestructible and will kill your party if they notice you. There's also a huge jumping puzzle with large drops and platforms. I could go on, but the picture is pretty clear. This is what makes the game stand out.
The "Vault of Glass" also presents various kinds of difficulty, reminiscent of the game Dark Souls. The player is given very little information about each boss or the puzzles presented to them throughout the raid. This leads the player's party to experience the exploration of a new area and learning its tricks. Trial and error replaces the player having to grind for better gear. The feeling of experiencing the raid and learning, as well as killing, a boss you have been stuck on for the past week is exhilarating.
Should I buy it?: My final verdict is absolutely. If you are interested in FPS or RPG style games, this is for you. Even if you don't have experience with one or the other it is worth it to buy, play, and experience both halves of the game. Even though it suffers from flaws, it has amazing visuals as well as interesting mechanics. Bungie is getting ready to release a ton of DLC as well as patches in the coming months that will introduce more raids as well as optimization for PvP.
-Brandon Iglesias, Editor
The PvE in Destiny contains a very different element. The open-world where players can interact with anyone in their same server/area is very unique on the console. The main story in the game is very bland and dissociative. There are a series of standard missions where you protect an objective while enemies attack. Players can choose to do these missions alone or with friends/random online acquaintances. The story by itself is extremely complicated to follow due to the player having to collect cards and log in to a website on their computer to read the information provided by the cards. The player isn't really motivated by the game to take part in the over-arching plot.
The raid of the "Vault of Glass" is a different story. This raid is an amazing piece of game design. While most of Destiny hosts a repetitive and sort of mechanical FPS-style game play, the Vault of Glass is the crowning achievement of diversity for Destiny. The raid consists of five separate areas each with its own rules, challenges, and secrets.
For instance, the front door can only be opened if the team occupies three pressure plates spread around a cliffside. The players must also fight off high level enemies while staying in place. This requires a lot of coordination. There's also the Templar battle. It is a five-part boss fight that eventually has players finding glowing "oracles". These "oracles” can mark the entire team which can cause instant death if not handled appropriately. One player has to pick up a shield relic, charge it up, and fire a blast that brings down the bosses’ shields so the team can deal damage. There's also the Gorgons' Labyrinth. This brings a stealth mechanic to the raid, forcing players to make their way past guards who are pretty much indestructible and will kill your party if they notice you. There's also a huge jumping puzzle with large drops and platforms. I could go on, but the picture is pretty clear. This is what makes the game stand out.
The "Vault of Glass" also presents various kinds of difficulty, reminiscent of the game Dark Souls. The player is given very little information about each boss or the puzzles presented to them throughout the raid. This leads the player's party to experience the exploration of a new area and learning its tricks. Trial and error replaces the player having to grind for better gear. The feeling of experiencing the raid and learning, as well as killing, a boss you have been stuck on for the past week is exhilarating.
Should I buy it?: My final verdict is absolutely. If you are interested in FPS or RPG style games, this is for you. Even if you don't have experience with one or the other it is worth it to buy, play, and experience both halves of the game. Even though it suffers from flaws, it has amazing visuals as well as interesting mechanics. Bungie is getting ready to release a ton of DLC as well as patches in the coming months that will introduce more raids as well as optimization for PvP.
-Brandon Iglesias, Editor