• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Destiny - Review Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.

Alienous

Member
I could nitpick the stupid review all day, but this line really pissed me off:

"Bungie’s solution to the MMO “mount” is a floating speeder bike that’s more fun than it has any right to be"

Fucking please. Holding down the analog stick forward while navigating through mostly empty corridors that exist only as an excuse for the player to use the speeder bike. SO MUCH FUN

But dat sound design.
 

Fjordson

Member
What's really fascinating to me about Destiny is that it, like Halo: Combat Evolved, is incredibly repetitive in level/encounter design.

I see a lot of parallels between the two games when viewed in this manner. Both are great games but very flawed in some ways.
Destiny feels infinitely more repetitive to me than Halo. Could just be smoke and mirrors with more effective storytelling and the fact that Cortana >>>>>> Dinklebot. But what repetition that is present in Halo is somehow masked much more effectively to me.

I also find fighting the Covenant to be a hell of a lot more entertaining. Maybe better AI or something (though that seems odd given that it's 13 years older). I dunno.
 
It says the exact opposite.

I guess it's their opinion, but their review isn't very convincing in making it sound like a 8.75 right now. Therefore, I concluded that they were taking into account future content.

No, the author is saying he's scoring the game as it stands on launch day, not on potential and promises of future updates.

But that 8.75 doesn't exactly leave a lot of fucking room for improvement, does it?

Nope!
 

barrok

Neo Member
Possibly this has been talked about, but with the costs of AAA games rising, I wouldn't be surprised if more games are like this. They have certain aspects that they completely nail, but then they feel like they are missing content. Doing it this way can generate a ton of income which they can then spend some on to add the missing content (and charge for it through DLC, yay...).

I hope I am wrong because I hate that business model, but working at a software company I can see why you would want to do that.
 
If Destiny is a 8.75/10 (practically a 9), then what the fuck is Half Life 2? I'm sorry, are they actually saying that all that divides Destiny from Half Life 2 is basically a single point? Really? REALLY? Think long and hard, Gameinformer.

Because there are a lotof fucking games which are better than Destiny but not as good as Half Life 2, and I don't accept the fact that you would then just class all of those as a 9.5/10.
 

Zakalwe

Banned
I could nitpick the stupid review all day, but this line really pissed me off:

"Bungie’s solution to the MMO “mount” is a floating speeder bike that’s more fun than it has any right to be"

Fucking please. Holding down the analog stick forward while navigating through mostly empty corridors that exist only as an excuse for the player to use said speeder bike. SO MUCH FUN

It's like they came up with the speeder bike, and then realized there was no point to it, so they added all these empty ass fucking long pathways just so you can use it. I see right through the design.

The sparrows are incredibly fun to drive. I like the empty ass fucking long pathways /because/ you get an opportunity to go full pelt. They /feel/ like speed.

You don't just have to use them then though, when jumping between beacon quests or chest hunting I hop on and off of them constantly. The fluidity of mounting/dismounting makes this really satisfying.

They are great mounts. It's one of the things Bungie got just right and a fair point to raise in the review as a positive
 

antitrop

Member
If Destiny is a 8.75/10 (practically a 9), then what the fuck is Half Life 2? I'm sorry, are they actually saying that all that divides Destiny from Half Life 2 is basically a single point? Really? REALLY? Think long and hard, Gameinformer.

Because there are a lotof fucking games which are better than Destiny but not as good as Half Life 2, and I don't accept the fact that you would then just class all of those as a 9.5/10.

Game Informer is basically saying that Destiny is a patch or two away from being one of the best games ever made.

That will never sit right with me.
 
What's really fascinating to me about Destiny is that it, like Halo: Combat Evolved, is incredibly repetitive in level/encounter design.

I see a lot of parallels between the two games when viewed in this manner. Both are great games but very flawed in some ways.
While Halo CE did heavily reuse its levels (and within them the corridors, halls, etc) it did so effectively, in my opinion. It helped in establishing the place as an installation of sorts; not a place to live in but a lab or containment area.

As for encounters, I really am going to disagree there: very few encounters felt repetitive in the game (the exception being The Library's Flood waves while Guilty Spark opened doors - and even then, mowing through the level still remains fun with the right co-op partner). If you restart checkpoints you can try the same encounter over and over with little repetition just by playing in the now famous 30-second sandbox; use grenades. Switch to human weapons (marine weapons strategically discarded near Covenant hotspots), switch to covenant weapons. Grab a vehicle. Get a powerup. Let's not even talk about the three-way skirmishes. Man alive, that game had it all.
 

Zakalwe

Banned
Well, not always. I remember they gave Metal Gear Rising a 7 or something, which is criminally low for that game. More recently, they gave Wolfenstein an 8/10. Not exactly GOTY contender score lol

Please stop trying to say there's an objective truth that all review scores should adhere to.
 

ethomaz

Banned
No, they say that's what they're not going to do, and then go ahead and do it, anyway.

It's offensive to me to suggest that Destiny as it stands out of the box right now today is worth an 8.75 to the average consumer.
I don't know because my personal score is a solid 9/10 pending to 9.5/10 and it will be a 10/10 game soon.

I agree with a lot of points from this GI review... maybe the reviewer enjoyed the game like me ;)
 

Muffdraul

Member
I don't know because my personal score is a solid 9/10 pending to 9.5/10 and it will be a 10/10 game soon.

I agree with a lot of points from this GI review... maybe the reviewer enjoyed the game like me ;)

Are you actively trying to piss off antitrop???
 

antitrop

Member
I don't know because my personal score is a solid 9/10 pending to 9.5/10 and it will be a 10/10 game soon.

I agree with a lot of points from this GI review... maybe the reviewer enjoyed the game like me ;)

You're free to enjoy the game however much you like, but I'm glad you're not a professional game reviewer.
 
Yeah, but for me CE's saving grace was the story. Cortana, Guilty Spark, Keyes, Johnson... they all made much more of an impression than anything has in Destiny.
What's funny is that in reality all of Halo CE's character's are clichéd caricatures: MC is your typical man of few words. Cortana is the somewhat wisecracking companion. Johnson is the quintessential badass Marine Sarge. Keyes is the no-nonsense Commander in Chief not afraid to throw down. Etc. They just were pretty well done because Bungie had a clear cut template to pull from and because they didn't deviate from it. And I can appreciate the game's story just the way it is.
 

a916

Member
Did the goal posts move right before Destiny dropped or something? It's not a perfect game but oof, seems like everyone is grading it harder than previous releases earlier this year (looking at you Watch Dogs and Infamous SS)
 
Destiny feels infinitely more repetitive to me than Halo. Could just be smoke and mirrors with more effective storytelling and the fact that Cortana >>>>>> Dinklebot. But what repetition that is present in Halo is somehow masked much more effectively to me.

I also find fighting the Covenant to be a hell of a lot more entertaining. Maybe better AI or something (though that seems odd given that it's 13 years older). I dunno.

It's not really all that effectively hidden these days. Give me Destiny's worst over "Keyes" any day.
 

The Llama

Member
What's really fascinating to me about Destiny is that it, like Halo: Combat Evolved, is incredibly repetitive in level/encounter design.

I see a lot of parallels between the two games when viewed in this manner. Both are great games but very flawed in some ways.

Even at the time everyone complained Halo has repetitive level design (mostly the Library, of course). But the difference between that and Destiny is in Halo, everything else (especially dat MP) was good enough to make up for that. In Destiny... it's not.
 

Dabanton

Member
Destiny feels infinitely more repetitive to me than Halo. Could just be smoke and mirrors with more effective storytelling and the fact that Cortana >>>>>> Dinklebot. But what repetition that is present in Halo is somehow masked much more effectively to me.

I also find fighting the Covenant to be a hell of a lot more entertaining. Maybe better AI or something (though that seems odd given that it's 13 years older). I dunno.

Halo has infinitely better enemy AI and also battle scenarios also Destiny has nothing as good as

Halo
The Silent Cartographer
Assault on the Control Room
Two Betrayals
The Maw
 

antitrop

Member
The sparrows are incredibly fun to drive. I like the empty ass fucking long pathways /because/ you get an opportunity to go full pelt. They /feel/ like speed.

You don't just have to use them then though, when jumping between beacon quests or chest hunting I hop on and off of them constantly. The fluidity of mounting/dismounting makes this really satisfying.

They are great mounts. It's one of the things Bungie got just right and a fair point to raise in the review as a positive

I agree with most of this, actually. I had a ton of fun the first time through each canyon, and the fluidity of jumping on and off them is polished to absolute perfection.

I just feel like the game didn't go far enough at making the bikes feel relevant and important enough. They could definitely work, but like I said, they felt like kind of an afterthought as they stand in the game.
 
How exactly is Destiny is a colossal achievement?

The following things are colossal achievements:

1. The graphics of Mario 64;
2. The perfect gameplay of Goldeneye;
3. The setpieces in Uncharted 2;
4. The mechanics of Portal;
5. The storytelling in The Last of Us;
6. The beautiful world of Los Santos and Blaine County in GTAV; and
7. The level design in Resident Evil 4.

In no way shape or form is Destiny a colossal anything, other than moneymaker.
 
How exactly is Destiny is a colossal achievement?

The following things are colossal achievements:

1. The graphics of Mario 64;
2. The perfect gameplay of Goldeneye;
3. The levels being destroyed around you in Uncharted 2;
4. The mechanics of Portal;
5. The storytelling in The Last of Us;
6. The beautiful world of Los Santos and Blaine County in GTAV; and
7. The level design in Resident Evil 4.

In no way shape or form is Destiny a colossal anything, other than moneymaker.

I like the way you think
 

antitrop

Member
How exactly is Destiny is a colossal achievement?

The following things are colossal achievements:

1. The graphics of Mario 64;
2. The perfect gameplay of Goldeneye;
3. The setpieces in Uncharted 2;
4. The mechanics of Portal;
5. The storytelling in The Last of Us;
6. The beautiful world of Los Santos and Blaine County in GTAV; and
7. The level design in Resident Evil 4.

In no way shape or form is Destiny a colossal anything, other than moneymaker.
How about World of Warcraft? That game is an achievement in and of itself.
 

a916

Member
How exactly is Destiny is a colossal achievement?

The following things are colossal achievements:

1. The graphics of Mario 64;
2. The perfect gameplay of Goldeneye;
3. The setpieces in Uncharted 2;
4. The mechanics of Portal;
5. The storytelling in The Last of Us;
6. The beautiful world of Los Santos and Blaine County in GTAV; and
7. The level design in Resident Evil 4.

In no way shape or form is Destiny a colossal anything, other than moneymaker.

What? I'd replace that with Halo 1/2 and what it did for console shooters.
 
How exactly is Destiny is a colossal achievement?

The following things are colossal achievements:

1. The graphics of Mario 64;
2. The perfect gameplay of Goldeneye;
3. The setpieces in Uncharted 2;
4. The mechanics of Portal;
5. The storytelling in The Last of Us;
6. The beautiful world of Los Santos and Blaine County in GTAV; and
7. The level design in Resident Evil 4.

In no way shape or form is Destiny a colossal anything, other than moneymaker.

Can't argue with any of this...
 
Also, if your name is Bungie and your game doesn't end with a white-knuckle, edge-of-your seat countdown escape/chase sequence then you are dead to me.
 
It's not really all that effectively hidden these days. Give me Destiny's worst over "Keyes" any day.

EnXG4tW.gif


EDIT: Now that's a page topper!
 

ShinMaruku

Member
Are you implying that Activision is just going to dump the franchise? Or that it won't get interesting (to you) even after 2-3 games?

No I just think they will just drop some aspects and make a different game from 1. Could be a good change could be bad.
 

Fjordson

Member
It's not really all that effectively hidden these days. Give me Destiny's worst over "Keyes" any day.
It's certainly aged, but even playing it now, 13 years later, is just a total blast. By comparison, Destiny's missions feel plodding and its world fairly bland (though it is technically gorgeous at times). But that's just me.

Halo has infinitely better enemy AI and also battle scenarios also Destiny has nothing as good as

Halo
The Silent Cartographer
Assault on the Control Room
Two Betrayals
The Maw
I just finished Two Betrayals yesterday. So good.

edit: I should probably stop directly comparing the two given how clearly different Bungie's goals were with each game, but oh well.
 
Seems like they are holding shit back for the dlc onslaught. If they make it that far and everyone jumps on board with the dlc then opinions may eventually change or people will be upset they had to pay x amount for things to get good.

That's one hell of a prediction. Spot on I bet
 
Have you played Keyes recently?

Whoops, thought we were still talking about the character :p. Haven't played it recently enough to form a proper opinion, but I have very fond memories of some great fights, and the whole
Keyes desperately fighting off being absorbed by the Flood
bit was great. But yeah, not sure.
 

Zakalwe

Banned
How exactly is Destiny is a colossal achievement?

The following things are colossal achievements:

1. The graphics of Mario 64;
2. The perfect gameplay of Goldeneye;
3. The setpieces in Uncharted 2;
4. The mechanics of Portal;
5. The storytelling in The Last of Us;
6. The beautiful world of Los Santos and Blaine County in GTAV; and
7. The level design in Resident Evil 4.

In no way shape or form is Destiny a colossal anything, other than moneymaker.

I actually think the open world level design of Destiny is top tier.
 

i-Lo

Member
How exactly is Destiny is a colossal achievement?

The following things are colossal achievements:

1. The graphics of Mario 64;
2. The perfect gameplay of Goldeneye;
3. The setpieces in Uncharted 2;
4. The mechanics of Portal;
5. The storytelling in The Last of Us;
6. The beautiful world of Los Santos and Blaine County in GTAV; and
7. The level design in Resident Evil 4.

In no way shape or form is Destiny a colossal anything, other than moneymaker.

Destiny's achievement according to Bungie, and I am paraphrasing here, is evolution. It's currently like a puking infant that will one day with the aid of time (of myriad of players) and money (dlc & sequels) will grow into a beautiful adult everyone would want a piece of.
 

Naudi

Banned
I would also give it a 9/10. Missions are a blast especially with friends and PvP will continue to consume all my gaming time for quite a while.
 

Zakalwe

Banned
They're good, but are they a "colossal achievement?"

In terms of open world level design, just as much as Resident Evil's level design or portal's mechanics etc...

Let's not overlook the things Destiny does brilliantly just because we're unhappy with the overall product.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom