Destiny is generating mega hype especially here. I'm quite bewildered. Is it a bad game? Certainly not. Having read a lot on Destiny, past gaming experiences, and most importantly after playing the beta, I think I have a good indication on what type of game it is and what it aspires to be. Do I believe it warrants its hype? I'm quite amazed on the traction it is receiving here. First, for its pros, the game has great graphics and high attention to detail. I love that. Puddle spots with reflections and the other things like cracked walls, graffitti are in intentional areas with lighting used creatively in the environment e.g., the Moon level shows the fantastic use of lighting. The particle effects look great and I wish they used smoke more because it looks good. The game is well polished. An example, I like how white, green, and purple loot is easily identified with the same colors beside your weapons in the HUD although I feel the loot should be much more easier to identify. The concept is inviting. It's an online world meant to explore and play with your friends.
The pros are really good. Almost too good. The polish with great graphics, creative scifi/space environments make the game highly appealing to play and explore with friends, I too thought I was going to love this game and was looking at limited editions then I began to learn what the game finally is, and Destiny suffers from what I will call MMO syndrome. It's Destiny meets World of Warcraft. First perhaps not a minus as it is what the game intends is that this is not meant to play by yourself. In fact, the game is really boring to play by yourself like any MMO made e.g., WoW, Borderlands, etc. But okay, no problem to those who know this but I wouldn't suggest it to those who are expecting a rich single player experience and story.
Every mission is similar, so similar that I think the full retail game will follow the same concept. You will say: Dude, it's only a beta, there leaving out much of the story. Yes, I know but reading much of Destiny and what games it is similar to, I think I can draw conclusions from other MMOs. The game feels MMOlike, again to nearly almost every MMO made, SwG, Everquest, etc. Missions go like this: Get mission, go to location, kill enemies, have Ghost scan, meet a different mob/boss than ever before, get loot. The end and recycle. You can repeat the missions at any time. Even the Explore missions, which I hoped to be different is this and all of these missions are never ending like a MMO, so it feels like a chore rather than following a good story.
I want to give it the benefit of the doubt that it is the beta but the way the game is structured, I have a feeling the game is going to similar to this. Reading up on it including Destiny forums, for example, seeing the Moon feels like it will be a new coat of paint with similar missions, just new landscapes and different factions/enemies unique to the Moon to fight, and the same goes for Mars and the other planets. And based on Destiny interviews, important to any MMO, they seem to be emphasizing the loot a lot, and how creative it can make you look in the game to add style.
How is the PvP? It's Bungie, it's going to be awesome! Unfortunately, the PvP imo is very uninspiring. It is so disappointing coming from Bungie. Rather than being highly strategic relying on map control, control of power weapons, high level of teamwork, and skill like Halo, and mirroring classic PC shooters like Quake, Tribes, but also offering game types fun for everyone (Halo), it is more of just an arena of people running around shooting and using abilities. It seems uninspiring, bland, and tacked on. Nades can kill you in one hit. Abilities can kill you with one hit (say goodbye to a Warlock overcharged ability). A weapon can kill you in one hit in the Iron Banner. I guess it is no surprise when I've heard Destiny saying the game is meant for everyone and they felt they catered to the hardcore too much in Halo (completely wrong btw).
Conclusion:
At first I was really enjoying it and saw great potential in its polish but the game got tiring and is not a deep experience I don't intend to keep repeating in the retail. Perhaps Bungie knows this and know what they're doing. Bungie intends to finally bring a MMO type game to consoles and combining it with the most popular genre rather than be a Halo. In sum, I think Destiny suffers from MMO syndrome and a lot of people are confused to what it is whether it's a shooter, a cooperative game, or what, and wanted to know if anyone else felt the same, or perhaps now will understand more on what the game is. I know a lot of console people think Destiny is revolutionary who have not played MMOs before not being PC gamers. My ultimate thought is Destiny is trying to be a MMO suffering from what is all in MMOs, which is a lack of variety in missions and missions/quests with a lot of repetitiveness. In Destiny's case, go to earth, fight mobs, loot, go to Moon, fight new mobs, repeat. Go to Venus: repeat but different landscapes, different enemies, and of course different loot.
And dont say, it's just a beta. I know. It's clear Destiny uses PC MMOs as inspirations, and from my experiences of playing them and reading, is my thought of the game and maybe I'm wrong. It feels exactly like MMOs like Everquest and WoW. You have new worlds but raids in WoW or "strikes" in Destiny where you grind to get new gear. In Destiny, you are grinding by battling enemies and new kinds found in different worlds similar to how WoW and Everquest have new enemies in different worlds, and added ones.
The pros are really good. Almost too good. The polish with great graphics, creative scifi/space environments make the game highly appealing to play and explore with friends, I too thought I was going to love this game and was looking at limited editions then I began to learn what the game finally is, and Destiny suffers from what I will call MMO syndrome. It's Destiny meets World of Warcraft. First perhaps not a minus as it is what the game intends is that this is not meant to play by yourself. In fact, the game is really boring to play by yourself like any MMO made e.g., WoW, Borderlands, etc. But okay, no problem to those who know this but I wouldn't suggest it to those who are expecting a rich single player experience and story.
Every mission is similar, so similar that I think the full retail game will follow the same concept. You will say: Dude, it's only a beta, there leaving out much of the story. Yes, I know but reading much of Destiny and what games it is similar to, I think I can draw conclusions from other MMOs. The game feels MMOlike, again to nearly almost every MMO made, SwG, Everquest, etc. Missions go like this: Get mission, go to location, kill enemies, have Ghost scan, meet a different mob/boss than ever before, get loot. The end and recycle. You can repeat the missions at any time. Even the Explore missions, which I hoped to be different is this and all of these missions are never ending like a MMO, so it feels like a chore rather than following a good story.
I want to give it the benefit of the doubt that it is the beta but the way the game is structured, I have a feeling the game is going to similar to this. Reading up on it including Destiny forums, for example, seeing the Moon feels like it will be a new coat of paint with similar missions, just new landscapes and different factions/enemies unique to the Moon to fight, and the same goes for Mars and the other planets. And based on Destiny interviews, important to any MMO, they seem to be emphasizing the loot a lot, and how creative it can make you look in the game to add style.
How is the PvP? It's Bungie, it's going to be awesome! Unfortunately, the PvP imo is very uninspiring. It is so disappointing coming from Bungie. Rather than being highly strategic relying on map control, control of power weapons, high level of teamwork, and skill like Halo, and mirroring classic PC shooters like Quake, Tribes, but also offering game types fun for everyone (Halo), it is more of just an arena of people running around shooting and using abilities. It seems uninspiring, bland, and tacked on. Nades can kill you in one hit. Abilities can kill you with one hit (say goodbye to a Warlock overcharged ability). A weapon can kill you in one hit in the Iron Banner. I guess it is no surprise when I've heard Destiny saying the game is meant for everyone and they felt they catered to the hardcore too much in Halo (completely wrong btw).
Conclusion:
At first I was really enjoying it and saw great potential in its polish but the game got tiring and is not a deep experience I don't intend to keep repeating in the retail. Perhaps Bungie knows this and know what they're doing. Bungie intends to finally bring a MMO type game to consoles and combining it with the most popular genre rather than be a Halo. In sum, I think Destiny suffers from MMO syndrome and a lot of people are confused to what it is whether it's a shooter, a cooperative game, or what, and wanted to know if anyone else felt the same, or perhaps now will understand more on what the game is. I know a lot of console people think Destiny is revolutionary who have not played MMOs before not being PC gamers. My ultimate thought is Destiny is trying to be a MMO suffering from what is all in MMOs, which is a lack of variety in missions and missions/quests with a lot of repetitiveness. In Destiny's case, go to earth, fight mobs, loot, go to Moon, fight new mobs, repeat. Go to Venus: repeat but different landscapes, different enemies, and of course different loot.
And dont say, it's just a beta. I know. It's clear Destiny uses PC MMOs as inspirations, and from my experiences of playing them and reading, is my thought of the game and maybe I'm wrong. It feels exactly like MMOs like Everquest and WoW. You have new worlds but raids in WoW or "strikes" in Destiny where you grind to get new gear. In Destiny, you are grinding by battling enemies and new kinds found in different worlds similar to how WoW and Everquest have new enemies in different worlds, and added ones.
