As a long-time Bungie fan who never shut up about the original Halo, I had high hopes for Destiny. I love first-person shooters and I love open-world games. So Destiny being an open-world shooter was surely a recipe for success in my eyes. But more than that, Bungie got so many things right.
I have a Playstation 4, and the controls are some of the most intuitive I’ve come across. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a break from Destiny and come back and forgotten the control layout – which I usually do when switching games.
The graphics and lighting effects are stunning. Plus the camera angles are perfect: first-person shooting with zoom scope and third person for sword use, sparrow riding, and wandering around the social areas. The experience is so seamless you have to play other games to realise how much you miss it when it’s not there.
Melee. Sometimes I just like to spend three hours punching aliens in the face instead of shooting them.
RPG-type classes – I have a Titan because I stand still too much and need the armor. I’ve spent a lot of time making my avatar look cool but armor shaders are one of the best new features to stop your character from feeling stale.
Single-player campaign and online multiplayer. I always thought I’d die a single-player campaign gamer, but Destiny broke down this barrier with such an intelligent way of utilising both – in fact, the only thing I don’t like about Destiny is lack of matchmaking on certain missions which means you have to go in with a Fire Team (which isn’t always possible to coordinate).
I very much look forward to the day when you can play online and not actually have to talk to anyone. I don’t mind talking to people I know online, but don’t feel comfortable talking to strangers. However, I love how Destiny has its own form of sign language in-game – people punch or shoot you to get your attention and then shoot at what they want you to do. Simple yet effective.
In short, Destiny has ruined pretty much all other games for me because nothing has come close to being this good. Yet.
I cannot recommend Destiny enough if you were psyched about Titan Fall, but like me, bailed after the tutorial when it dumped you into an online chat without warning.