Destiny Review: Jack of all Trades, Master of None

A lot of promise. 

I love Bungie. I've loved them since I was 12. And that's probably why I'm so let down by Destiny. I got hyped up for this game for a while. And while there are good aspects, the game falls short in just as many. It's a jack of all trades, but a master of none.

The game is setup as an open world, breathing shooter adventure game. The exploration is fun, and seeing where you can get to is very interesting. It's got a bit of Borderlands in it, with loot and chests strewn around the worlds. You're given a fun vehicle to whip around the world in, and makes everything faster, but large. The gunplay is good too, with each weapon variant feeling different, even if they're in the same class.

Level 8 looks like this.

Furthermore, you get to create your own character, customizing their facial features to see in cutscenes. It's also good that our characters talk, because if they didn't, what's the point of making the game an open world game? Cutscenes look great and are beautifully rendered, but too much of the story is told through them instead of through gameplay. The main City is really interesting, with different merchants and stuff throughout, but that's about it. You can't talk to the random inhabitants in the world, which makes it seem a little lifeless.

Despite all this, the game falls short in some aspects. Exploration is tethered a bit during story missions, making them feel linear. The only true way to explore the worlds is through patrols, which is a good option. Strike missions don't really add to the story though, other than "weakening" the Darkness and the various forces. Some of the loot is kind of crappy too, with some giving seemingly pointless items. Gold chests give rare items, but they're very hard to find without a guide or wiki.

While gunplay is good, some weapons don't act like you would think. Auto rifles usually bounce far too much making them hard to control and impracticle when you can get a one hit kill on enemies with a handcannon. Sniper rifles don't feel like a good option over fusion rifles because most combat is up close, and sniper rifles do less damage to bosses than fusion rifles do, even from far range. Power ammo, for LMGs and rocket launchers isn't dropped, making you not want to use them unless you absolutely have to.

The multiplayer makes me want to be alone.

And then there's the multiplayer. The Crucible only has 4 permanent modes, with Bungie switching and adding modes later on. But my main gripes with the multiplayer are the netcode and the balancing. The netcode is awful, even worse than Battlefield 4's. Coming from the team that brought us Halo, this shouldn't be forgiven, especially if the multiplayer is going to be competitive.

Furthermore, balancing is a major issue. Putting level 10 players into a game with level 20s is not fair for them, and makes multiplayer frustratingly hard. The guns are also unbalanced, with primary weapons having no chance against fusion rifles and shotguns in the enclosed spaces, and sniper rifles and LMGs outside. Also, jumping is once again a tactic, which just makes me angry. People in Halo 4 don't jump as much as people in Destiny.

So Destiny feels rather disappointing. While it's gameplay can arguably bring you back for more, the multiplayer definitely won't. If you have friends to play with, the game is a lot more fun, but playing alone is fun if you don't care about a story. The game has a lot to offer, but while it tries pleasing everyone, it doesn't really please anyone.

Destiny gets a 7/10.