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[Longsword]

Metro Gamecentral have just put their review up:

http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/12/destiny-review-the-final-verdict-4866002/

Sum up:

7/10. While the day 1 sales will be massive, these 6s and 7s will hammer the metacritic and potentially hurt the legs of the game unless Activision pulls all the stops with the DLC. This game needs to keep selling for a long time.

With Eurogamer, Edge et all still to come, holding Metacritic 80 might be challenging.

 

[Wind's Howling]

7/10. While the day 1 sales will be massive, these 6s and 7s will hammer the metacritic and potentially hurt the legs of the game unless Activision pulls all the stops with the DLC. This game needs to keep selling for a long time.

With Eurogamer, Edge et all still to come, holding Metacritic 80 might be challenging.

Why does it have to keep selling when they probably already sold millions? They need to add support and Bungie needs to explain what their intentions are going to be. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Longsword]

Why does it have to keep selling when they probably already sold millions? They need to add support and Bungie needs to explain what their intentions are going to be. Nothing more, nothing less.

While I don't believe in the 500M budget, it still is one the most expensive games ever made. Activision will want to break even ASAP and turn as much profit as possible, or face the wrath of the shareholders.

Remember, while the first shipment of 500M is very high, it still needs to sell through to the customers, and Activision will not get to keep that 500M -retailers, distributors et all will all take their cut.

For the record I do think they will make it.

 

[Griss]

Depends on the game and the developer behind it and how much the publisher is willing to push it. Take Diablo 3 for example. It's a completely different game now and you aren't going to hear much bad mouthing about it anymore. It's a huge game, just like Destiny.

As long as Bungie do what is necessary, I'm sure most people will praise Destiny in 1-2 years as well. But, that's quite far away and it's easy to trash the game as it is now and it shouldn't be praised in its current state. It's a decent start for a game that could be great, but it's nowhere near that yet.

Diablo 3 is a great example.

It was my first Diablo, and it was disaster, from login issues to that terrible plot to the useless loot system and offensive auction house that took up half your time. I beat it, and that's fine, and would be very hesitant to ever buy a Diablo ever again. It also really tarnished Blizzard's reputation for me.

So the game's good now? Great, it's irrelevant, I've moved on. I paid my money at launch and expected a good game at launch. I was disappointed. The same will apply to tons of Destiny players in a year's time. They'll be gone, and the first impression will be what lasts. You have to get it right at launch. All of that said, I do believe that most players are enjoying themselves.

 

[Wind's Howling]

All of that said, I do believe that most players are enjoying themselves.

And this is what people seem to forget on GAF. Some people on here feel that GAF is the vocal majority when it comes down to if a game is great or not. This has never been the case and will also never be the case.

 

[MJLord]

You are not rebutting what he said at all. None of the defense force of this game are giving any reasonable arguments at all.
Personal attacks and "I'm having a blast" doesn't contradict the fact that the content and storyline are almost non existent and is just a gateway to nickle and dime its fan base. It's Activision after all.

I knew what I was buying when launch day came about and I don't feel mislead.

Shit Bungie said 6 months ago or a year ago doesn't bother me because by the time the game rolled around the information was out there about exactly what this game was about.

The people who cry "misleading" on all these game releases fail to take into account that the information changes over time and cherry pick quotes to fit their narrative rather than looking at the information chronologically.

When Beta and Alpha were about there was no way in hell it was going to match up to that quote "see that hill over there...yadayada". That's fine by me, that's how the game is and there was plenty of time for people to see it for what it was and cancel preorders.

 

[Tomeru]

So the game's good now? Great, it's irrelevant, I've moved on. I paid my money at launch and expected a good game at launch. I was disappointed. The same will apply to tons of Destiny players in a year's time. They'll be gone, and the first impression will be what lasts. You have to get it right at launch. All of that said, I do believe that most players are enjoying themselves.

Also, first impressions don't last. I felt the same about Diablo 3 like you. Exactly the same, word for word. Than I heard all the rave about the UEE, and now it's one of my favorite games. Still no Diablo 2 though. Point is, my impression changed on that game.

Kinda ot, but no games deserves a 2nd chance?

 

[Kadey]

Is this the most highly advertised, high budget, high sales, lowest rated title ever?

 

[REMEMBER CITADEL]

Why does it have to keep selling when they probably already sold millions? They need to add support and Bungie needs to explain what their intentions are going to be. Nothing more, nothing less.

Because a lot of those games might soon end up back in stores, which means that Activision will lose potential DLC sales. Those used copies, together with average review scores, will also hamper further sales of new copies. Selling the sequel might also become more difficult if the negative word of mouth spreads.

 

[firehawk12]

As long as Bungie do what is necessary, I'm sure most people will praise Destiny in 1-2 years as well. But, that's quite far away and it's easy to trash the game as it is now and it shouldn't be praised in its current state. It's a decent start for a game that could be great, but it's nowhere near that yet.

As much as I like Reaper of Souls, it does still feel shitty that I needed to spend an extra 40 bucks to finally get a good game.

If we're at a point where paying 40-60 dollars extra to get a "complete" game is the norm, then I think I'll just stick with the boring CoD-type games and leave it at that.

 

[Liamario]

How do you review something without having access to all the content?

How do you release a game where all the content isn't there. Works both ways.

Edit- should we stop reviewing movies now until there's a directors cut? Should we give each iteration of Star Wars its own review?

 

[Swarming101]

I feel like such a smug bastard right now. All of my predictions about this game based on the beta were 100% accurate. Anyone giving this game above a 4/5 is high as a kite.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

I feel like such a smug bastard right now. All of my predictions about this game based on the beta were 100% accurate. Anyone giving this game above a 4/5 is high as a kite.

I give it a 4.5/5.

 

[Swarming101]

I give it a 4.5/5.

Is that the game rating or how high you currently are?

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Is that the game rating or how high you currently are?

Both

 

[Swarming101]

Both

Well I can't argue with that!

(Not referring to you specifically here)
Part of the reason I don't trust anyone who gives this game above a 4/5 is that you have to willingly overlook so many flaws. You have to be able to say with a straight face "Okay so the story is totally shit, it's bland, unimaginative, and told poorly; the characters are bland and unmemorable, with a terrible script and dodgy voice acting; there's zero motivation for me to care about anything happening in this universe. The missions are structured terribly and unimaginatively, with simple A-B structure with predictable waves of enemies along the way. The game feels empty and there's a lack of rewards for exploration, and way too much grinding. But otherwise it's absolutely amazing!" Like, if that's just 1 point out of 5 for you, or .5 if you're going to give it a 4.5/5, I would definitely question your suitability to review games in the future. To me, giving this game 4.5/5 is nothing more than buying into the hype. It's a refusal to acknowledge and give appropriate weight to the flaws and criticisms that can and should be made of this game.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

It's a very scathing review; I was actually expecting a 6/10 while reading some of that.

Sums up my feelings, gorgeous presentation, music and atmosphere. Awful level design. Playing with friends did not feel that much better either.

 

[-MD-]

I give it a 4.5/5.

My opinion thus far.

Story so far is crap in its delivery, reading the lore online and through grimoire cards is more enjoyable than what I have seen in the game so far. *sigh*

The missions, while they are repetitive are fucking fun as hell.

lack of weapon variety

I know you said you were still managing to enjoy the game but bad story, repetitive missions and lack of weapon variety = 4.5/5? Sounds closer to a 3.5 to me.

 

[Ronan_Berthelot]

Gameblog [FR] : 3,5/5
http://www.gameblog.fr/tests/2046-destiny-xbox-one-ps4

 

[WrenchNinja]

Regarding the narrative, I actually think the story itself is ok. Decent premise, good lore, nice degree of intrigue and allure. The problem is with the delivery. It's ropey, disjointed and doesn't explain itself very clearly. You have to pay a great deal of attention to know what the hell is going on, as often important story titbits are thrown in at in-opportune times, not concise enough audio wise, or simply not fleshed out properly. But there's just enough there to keep things engaging and have me wanting to find out more.

That really doesn't make any sense dude. If the story teller can't tell a story well, then no one is going to call the story good. Delivery is a key part in story telling.

And I really don't know if any amount of attention devoted in the game is going to explain half the shit that bewilder people, unless you suddenly get exposition at the end of the game telling you everything.

 

[SkyTurnsRed]

The argument that "everyone wants this to fail" is sort of dumb and it seems to be a common defense when a hyped title gets valid criticism upon release. Mysteriously, this doesn't seem to come up when the game actually meets a large majority of expectations, like GTA V and TLoU (despite the online mode of GTA getting slammed).

I agree that there are people who haven't even touched the game that are already slamming it or judging it without experiencing the game. However, a big chunk of us have played it. I picked it up at midnight. I rooted for Bungie. I really thought this game was going to be special.

However, it is, as most people have said, bland and repetitive. The beta shows you exactly what 80% of the rest of the game will be like.

There are valid criticisms that people are writing off assuming that we "want to hate it." That is absolutely not true - I don't see what benefit it is to me to purchase a $60 game actively wanting to hate it. I really, really wanted to like this game. I just got burnt out on repeating the same exact mission structure over and over.

 

[ChosenPredator]

it's going to be interesting seeing what the coming weeks bring ... loot is one of the biggest reasons i keep rinsing and repeating strike missions but i might have to give in and do pvp

 

[Wind's Howling]

I know you said you were still managing to enjoy the game but bad story, repetitive missions and lack of weapon variety = 4.5/5? Sounds closer to a 3.5 to me.

This is where readers always get it wrong. There are more points in which people rate a game and not just on story and missions.

Replayability, PvP, Visuals, Art Direction, Controls, Sound Design to name a few.

Just because they added a few postives and negatives in the summary does not mean you rate it on just those points alone.

 

[GrizzleBoy]

Well I can't argue with that!

(Not referring to you specifically here)
Part of the reason I don't trust anyone who gives this game above a 4/5 is that you have to willingly overlook so many flaws. You have to be able to say with a straight face "Okay so the story is totally shit, it's bland, unimaginative, and told poorly; the characters are bland and unmemorable, with a terrible script and dodgy voice acting; there's zero motivation for me to care about anything happening in this universe. The missions are structured terribly and unimaginatively, with simple A-B structure with predictable waves of enemies along the way. The game feels empty and there's a lack of rewards for exploration, and way too much grinding. But otherwise it's absolutely amazing!" Like, if that's just 1 point out of 5 for you, or .5 if you're going to give it a 4.5/5, I would definitely question your suitability to review games in the future. To me, giving this game 4.5/5 is nothing more than buying into the hype. It's a refusal to acknowledge and give appropriate weight to the flaws and criticisms that can and should be made of this game.

But it's 1080p.

It has the single most important feature of this generation. A resolution so old it will soon be outdated now that affordable 4k TV are becoming available.

You can't just ignore that.

You can't have good games without 1080p, and you can't have bad games with 1080p. Logic.

In all seriousness if this was a last gen game only I'm thoroughly convinced that "but shooting at the same aliens over and over again with your friends is cool" being a games single redeeming factor wouldn't solicit anything higher than an average of 7 for scores.

And that's being generous.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

I know you said you were still managing to enjoy the game but bad story, repetitive missions and lack of weapon variety = 4.5/5? Sounds closer to a 3.5 to me.

Lol. Damn post histories.. I was just messin around about the high as a kite post. Nah, id have to give it a 4/5 because I could give 2 shits about the story, I dont mind the repetitive missions because they are fun as hell and and I said it SEEMS like a lack of weapon variety until you see how the feel of each weapon changes a lot as you progress.

I am aware that the game has its problems but I am having more fun with it than any other game Ive played in a very long time. I give it a 4/5 because Im judging it on how much I like it and i"m not a professional reviewer.

 

[Cyber Caesar]

If these reviews would have come out two days before launch how much would that have hurt?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Is this the most highly advertised, high budget, high sales, lowest rated title ever?

Enter the Matrix says hi.

 

[jesu]

Well I can't argue with that!

(Not referring to you specifically here)
Part of the reason I don't trust anyone who gives this game above a 4/5 is that you have to willingly overlook so many flaws. You have to be able to say with a straight face "Okay so the story is totally shit, it's bland, unimaginative, and told poorly; the characters are bland and unmemorable, with a terrible script and dodgy voice acting; there's zero motivation for me to care about anything happening in this universe. The missions are structured terribly and unimaginatively, with simple A-B structure with predictable waves of enemies along the way. The game feels empty and there's a lack of rewards for exploration, and way too much grinding. But otherwise it's absolutely amazing!" Like, if that's just 1 point out of 5 for you, or .5 if you're going to give it a 4.5/5, I would definitely question your suitability to review games in the future. To me, giving this game 4.5/5 is nothing more than buying into the hype. It's a refusal to acknowledge and give appropriate weight to the flaws and criticisms that can and should be made of this game.

Or they could just be scoring it according to how much they are enjoying it overall.

 

[KillerMan91]

7/10. While the day 1 sales will be massive, these 6s and 7s will hammer the metacritic and potentially hurt the legs of the game unless Activision pulls all the stops with the DLC. This game needs to keep selling for a long time.

With Eurogamer, Edge et all still to come, holding Metacritic 80 might be challenging.

Looking at how COD Ghost has kept selling despite sub par scores for it Destiny could have similar situation. If majority of people enjoy the game they recommend it to their friends and the game keeps selling. Critic scores are only one part of the legs.

 

[Maxim726X]

Lol. Damn post histories.. I was just messin around about the high as a kite post. Nah, id have to give it a 4/5 because I could give 2 shits about the story, I dont mind the repetitive missions because they are fun as hell and and I said it SEEMS like a lack of weapon variety until you see how the feel of each weapon changes a lot as you progress.

I am aware that the game has its problems but I am having more fun with it than any other game Ive played in a very long time. I give it a 4/5 because Im judging it on how much I like it and i"m not a professional reviewer.

I'm in the same exact boat. This is the most I've played any game in this generation. Yeah, it's flawed but ultimately I'm enjoying the shit out of it... Which last time I checked, is really what matters.

 

[lensoftruth]

If these reviews would have come out two days before launch how much would that have hurt?

Massive advertising would have sold it just as much regardless.

 

[Dr_LucienSanchez]

I feel like such a smug bastard right now. All of my predictions about this game based on the beta were 100% accurate. Anyone giving this game above a 4/5 is high as a kite.

Did you actually buy/play the full game?

I totally get that there are a bunch of complaints that can be said against Destiny in its current state, but it just seems like a lot of people really love to hate on the game, simply for the sake of hating. Like, I understand the fun in hating things (one of my favorite features at another website used to be called the Hater), but why bother with something like games, especially to this extent? I really can't stand Call of Duty games, for a vast myriad of reasons, but I would never pop up into a CoD review thread to shit on the game or the fact that other people are enjoying it. FFS, there are people in this thread who have over 50 posts expounding on their passionate dislike of an entertainment product. Besides the questionable usage of time, I really don't understand where this sense of agenda seems to come from.

 

[jg4xchamp]

What's the benefit at this point of grinding in the PvP besides the loot? Because I've checked out on the PvE, and the PvP is fun enough to keep me entertained, but all of its staying power is connected to gear you get. Which the game is currently super stingy about giving me, and it is infuriating when half my team gets loot, but I don't. Especially when I did well in the match or led the team in points.

It feels so unnecessary.

 

[Smurf]

If these reviews would have come out two days before launch how much would that have hurt?

It wouldn't be such a common strategy for mediocre games to launch without reviews if it wasn't anticipated to affect sales.

 

[olimpia84]

disgunbgud.gif

Not surprised to see some of those low scores, some of my friends are already somewhat regretting their purchase. Still, I had fun with the beta so I'll get this down the road when it drops in price or straight up wait for the GOTY edition.

 

[boneso]

Between Destiny and Titanfall... i choose... to go back to Battlefield 4 and actually have fun in a dedicated multiplayer environment. For all of it's launch flaws, Battlefield 4 still kicks the ass off Destiny and Titanfall for pure fun brought about by diverse gameplay elements all in one map.

Now if they combined the two games somehow... that would be pretty sweet... and that sort of content would be worth the money... ahh to dream...

 

[MormaPope]

Did you actually buy/play the full game?

I totally get that there are a bunch of complaints that can be said against Destiny in its current state, but it just seems like a lot of people really love to hate on the game, simply for the sake of hating. Like, I understand the fun in hating things (one of my favorite features at another website used to be called the Hater), but why bother with something like games, especially to this extent? I really can't stand Call of Duty games, for a vast myriad of reasons, but I would never pop up into a CoD review thread to shit on the game or the fact that other people are enjoying it. FFS, there are people in this thread who have over 50 posts expounding on their passionate dislike of an entertainment product. Besides the questionable usage of time, I really don't understand where this sense of agenda seems to come from.

Awesome, I get personal insults and accusations thrown at me willy nilly for saying the story is bad.

I fling some criticism and assertions at a game and then get attacked personally, that seems fair.

 

[AngryPuppy]

Alright, I hit level 20. I did every single PvE mission, strikes included. This game fucking sucks, but it's addictive. I suppose I enjoyed it enough to play it for so many hours over so many days, but I had nothing else to do. I'm done now, it was a total grind just getting to this point and now they want me to grind those same boring missions over again for prettier armor.

I'd rather play Diablo 3 if I'm going to grind, and I'd rather play Battlefield 4 or Planetside 2 if I'm going to play PvP. Bye, Destiny. Selling it this weekend for $50.

 

[zoukka]

I blame the hype. Don't get swept by hype and you are fine. I went in blind with this game and I am having a lot of fun with it. It has a lot of good and bad in it, but the end result is an enjoyable game for sure. So much to do and it's a blast to play if you have friends.

 

[Smurf]

Did you actually buy/play the full game?

I totally get that there are a bunch of complaints that can be said against Destiny in its current state, but it just seems like a lot of people really love to hate on the game, simply for the sake of hating. Like, I understand the fun in hating things (one of my favorite features at another website used to be called the Hater), but why bother with something like games, especially to this extent? I really can't stand Call of Duty games, for a vast myriad of reasons, but I would never pop up into a CoD review thread to shit on the game or the fact that other people are enjoying it. FFS, there are people in this thread who have over 50 posts expounding on their passionate dislike of an entertainment product. Besides the questionable usage of time, I really don't understand where this sense of agenda seems to come from.

I would imagine it stems from a dislike of using hype and a large marketing budget to sell a game rather than appealing with its actual substance or content. It's a practice many consider distasteful, deceptive and anti-consumer so are glad when it fails.

 

[GavinGT]

I totally get that there are a bunch of complaints that can be said against Destiny in its current state, but it just seems like a lot of people really love to hate on the game, simply for the sake of hating. Like, I understand the fun in hating things (one of my favorite features at another website used to be called the Hater), but why bother with something like games, especially to this extent? I really can't stand Call of Duty games, for a vast myriad of reasons, but I would never pop up into a CoD review thread to shit on the game or the fact that other people are enjoying it. FFS, there are people in this thread who have over 50 posts expounding on their passionate dislike of an entertainment product. Besides the questionable usage of time, I really don't understand where this sense of agenda seems to come from.

We'd rather be playing an awesome game. Instead, we have to get our entertainment in some other way.

 

[Nyx]

Alright, I hit level 20. I did every single PvE mission, strikes included. This game fucking sucks, but it's addictive. I suppose I enjoyed it enough to play it for so many hours over so many days, but I had nothing else to do. I'm done now, it was a total grind just getting to this point and now they want me to grind those same boring missions over again for prettier armor.

I'd rather play Diablo 3 if I'm going to grind, and I'd rather play Battlefield 4 or Planetside 2 if I'm going to play PvP. Bye, Destiny. Selling it this weekend for $50.

So you played every mission and strike in a game that ''fucking sucks''?

 

[Padinn]

There are games that were disappointing, which turned around and were awesome. Diablo 3, FF14. I think Destiny is in a better state then those at lainch. Its a solid 7.5/8 for me.

 

[Lashley]

What the hell, this has dropped £10 in price already. Tempted to pick it up.

 

[AngryPuppy]

Did you actually buy/play the full game?

I totally get that there are a bunch of complaints that can be said against Destiny in its current state, but it just seems like a lot of people really love to hate on the game, simply for the sake of hating. Like, I understand the fun in hating things (one of my favorite features at another website used to be called the Hater), but why bother with something like games, especially to this extent? I really can't stand Call of Duty games, for a vast myriad of reasons, but I would never pop up into a CoD review thread to shit on the game or the fact that other people are enjoying it. FFS, there are people in this thread who have over 50 posts expounding on their passionate dislike of an entertainment product. Besides the questionable usage of time, I really don't understand where this sense of agenda seems to come from.

People are annoyed that virtually everyone, game websites included, bought into the hype. It's not good for the industry that something this flat out stupid and mediocre sells as much as it does. Hell, even Call of Duty (aside from Ghosts) has smarter writing, but I'd be happy to see that franchise die off too.

 

[Nipo]

So you played every mission and strike in a game that ''fucking sucks''?

I'll platinum games I actively hate because I'm a sadist and completionist. I don't think it is that uncommon.

 

[AngryPuppy]

So you played every mission and strike in a game that ''fucking sucks''?

Yes. I wanted to see if even one mission was different or exciting. The very last Mars strike was kind of cool because they give you tanks, but that was it. Everything else was virtually the same thing over and over and over again.

 

[Maxim726X]

I'll platinum games I actively hate because I'm a sadist and completionist. I don't think it is that uncommon.

No, I'm relatively sure that is uncommon.

 

[MormaPope]

No, I'm relatively sure that is uncommon.

It was more common when achievements and trophies were still relatively new. I remember suffering through games I thought were okay and terrible to get easy achievement points. Nowadays (2009 to now really) gamerscore is so inflated there is no point.

 

[Nyx]

Yes. I wanted to see if even one mission was different or exciting. The very last Mars strike was kind of cool because they give you tanks, but that was it. Everything else was virtually the same thing over and over and over again.

Ok.

When I think a game sucks, I quit and sell it.
But to each his own ofcourse.