Oh Destiny.  How Bungie has hyped you so.

Destiny was first announced back in 2013. Classified as an open-world, massive shooter RPG that would take the PS4 into legendary status. Destiny…. was just not what it was destined to be.  So in an attempt to not make this lengthy, let’s begin.

The Story: 6

First of all, as someone who played the beta, I was not that hyped to learn the story. I looked forward to playing Destiny for the actual game and to see what the game had to offer past level 8 (which was the level cap for the beta). The story had so much potential had the game been built around it. However, the story is nothing more than light narratives that barely contained anything that would have interested you or anything that would have made you invested into the character’s ordeals. But to its credit, this is the first game where I wasn’t looking forward to the story and rather, I was looking forward to actually shooting stuff up and leveling. Now to some, that could be good or bad. But if you’re looking for a game that will have an interesting story. Look elsewhere.

Graphics: 9

            Graphic-wise, Destiny is beautiful. It might not look real, more like realized concept art, but it won’t fail to have the player “ ooooh and aaahhh”. Yet, the initial amazement sort fades away quickly. While the game is fast-paced and not really meant to explore, the story missions are usually meant to get you into the world around you, however, they didn’t. For example, during some missions you can see enormous stone towers that have been covered with age, these are one of the few things that make you want to explore, unfortunately, Bungie decided to keep this areas in the background. And with the new, superior technology that the new current-gen consoles can provide. I can’t help but say that I was a bit disappointed.

Sound: 7

Music-wise, Destiny has an okay soundtrack, when you aren’t busy shooting and messing around. The sound track is…okay. While the music isn’t very memorable, nor is it very exciting like in Skyrim. It is an okay soundtrack.

Now for the most important part of any game.

The Gameplay: 7

It’s not what it was hyped up to be. After playing the beta and watching my expectations fly up in the air and then fall rapidly with no hope of recovery. I gave it another chance in the actual game. However, while the gameplay was solid and well controlled, it often left me waiting. Waiting for something better to happen. And although it has a unique RPG*, MMO** and FPS*** hybrid thing going on, it just ended up repeating the same thing over and over again, rather than trying to actually try something new. Rather than making me want to play more, it made me want to try other games that stick to one element, but make it work such as Borderlands 2, Diablo, and (I can’t believe I’m about to say this) Call of Duty. Sure it’s fun, to gang up and take on a public event with the other people in your game world, but after that, when you return to the regular gameplay, you’re left with a feeling of ‘meh’.

Verdict

All in all, Destiny IS a fun game, especially if you’re playing with close friends. Alone though, you’ll get worn down fairly quickly. I was expecting a system closer to Borderlands and Diablo, but I was sorely mistaken. With a poor story-line, slow game advancement and the absence of exploration. The only thing that saves this is the fun factor from shooting and playing with friends. Although there are 2 expansion packs that have yet to be released, we’ll just have to wait to see if Bungie will fix any of these problems in the future.

Score: 7/10

*Role-Playing Game

**Massive Multiplayer Online Game

***First Person Shooter