I know the world's been waiting, so here's my review:
Well, wait, I must first admit that I haven't actually played Destiny. This is GAF, after all. But I did play the Beta, including the Moon story-missions. Normally, that wouldn't qualify anyone to pass judgement on a full game, but based on what I've read about Destiny, the Beta provided access to close to half of the game's locations and missions, and demonstrated the majority of the game's mechanics. Still and all, let's just call this a review of the Beta.
Oh, and Destiny was probably my most-anticipated game, to date. I didn't come into this predisposed to hate.
I liked it. But it seemed weirdly limited. The shooting mechanics, and even more importantly, the movement mechanics, were very strong. I can't remember having that much fun leaping around (as a Warlock) and shooting fools since I did it way back in Tribes 2. Also, the graphics and general production values are lovely.
The story was terrible, but frankly, who cares? It's a shooter. Shooter stories are routinely awful, and this one is no different. I'll live. Would it have been a better game (beta) with the addition of an engaging story? Sure, but the lack of a story doesn't really hurt it that much. Especially since Destiny has far worse problems than it's (lack of) story. (Certainly, Bungie did themselves no favors by promising LotR-level story telling, but I'm not going to hold that against the actual game. I'm just going to stop believing things that Bungie says.)
Fatal problem number 1: Ridiculously small number of small(ish) maps. Four areas? Seriously? Fully one quarter of the game (half the beta) takes place within a single Russian launch facility. A mostly empty launch facility. It's not like there's a lot of density or verticality to make the maps worth revisting repeatedly.
Fatal problem number 2: The (horrible, repetitive) mission design makes the limited real estate feel even more repetitive than it needs to. You are repeatedly spawned into the same desolate spot, and are asked to run past the same spots you ran past in the last mission. Talk about beating things into the ground as quickly as possible! The only unique parts of missions are typically some small enclosed space that you're locked into for an arena battle.
Just for contrast, let's look at EDF 2025. (Bear with me.) That game was $40 brand new, has laughable production values, no marketing, and the game play consists solely of killing perhaps 10 types of enemy on maybe 6 different maps. I've got over 400 hours into the game, and it's fricking awesome! Why? Well, the maps are pretty big. Also, the scenery is pretty diverse within most of the maps. There will be parks and high rise hotels and suburban neighborhoods and bridges and wooded hills and train stations... all within a single map. Each of the (90+) missions then varies the spot at which you spawn into these maps, making it feel like a totally new area that you haven't seen before. You don't always spawn at the same train station and then run somewhere else, you spawn in some other location, facing in some other direction. For all you know, you might be someplace entirely new. (A different town or city, in this example.) You aren't, but it feels like you could be.
In Destiny, it is always(?) super clear that you've come back to the same damn place, to do pretty much the same damn thing. That "thing" includes shooting and jumping which are pretty awesome, but come on. Some variation is desperately needed.
And that's about it for the bad parts of Destiny in my mind. But they are doozies: Nothing to do, and nowhere in which to do them in. I exaggerate of course. There are a few things to do, and a few places in which to do them. That just isn't nearly good enough for my $60. (I have no interest in the Crucible. I don't hold that against Destiny, but at the same time MP does not improve the value proposition to me. Just like it doesn't for Halo or CoD.)
TLDR: Destiny has a weak story, a lackluster loot progression, and poorly differentiated classes, but I forgive all that. I don't care about the mysteriously absent matchmaking, because I'd never use it. Those aspects are "good enough" that they don't impede me from enjoying the great shooting and movement. But sadly, the ludicrously small amount of real estate we're given to run around in, and the hilariously limited types of activities available in those areas, are pretty much a deal breaker for me. At least for 60 bucks. Gimme twice the content or half the price, and I'm starting to get interested.
STLDR: The game isn't that bad, it's just too small.
Score: 7.62