Destiny - Review Thread

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I've heard that they are taking the criticism pretty hard internally.

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This is such a hard game to score. It's fun, pretty and has tight gunplay mechanics I find. However, it feels so hollow and is quite repetitive, plus also lacks a wow factor.
 
"A lot to do" makes me think of all the side missions and activities in San Andreas for example, vehicle types, what can be leveled up, hidden collectables. Rather than thinking about how may variations there are when it comes to killing people. Once again, semantics.

I'm not seeing the semantics here. Never played San Andreas so I have no idea what you're talking about.
 
I admit, I went into my E3 demo with no idea what to expect and came out excited.
So, the game is going to be that expansive in possible scenarios?

They've been honest about it too. They straight up have said in interviews "We play as many games as we can, and we build the strongest elements into our own, with our own unique spin".

If that makes a good game I'm all for standing on the shoulders of giants.
Really. Well, I suppose whatever helps Monolith gets by these days.
 
Whilst it's understandable, it's how they react to it that's the important part. If they just bury their heads in the sand and go 'nooooope' that's no good to anyone and not what I expect from Bungie.

If they just look at all the feedback (and I'm assuming the harshest criticisms would be on their own forums) and get to work on 'fixing' things then improvements can be made and the game can be better.

My only problem in this equation is Activision. I don't have any doubts with Bungie wanting to improve things but are they under a tight schedule ? Can they take the time to do big patches/make any huge improvements etc. I hope so and expect so.

Activision does not own bungie or the IP though unless I missed something.
 
I remember being annoyed with Gears of War because too many chapters had a sequence that consisted of "Jack! Rip that door!" while enemies throw themselves at you.

Destiny has the same shit, except the floating robot is scanning/downloading information instead of cutting down a door. The bigger problem is that it seems to be in every single god damn mission I've played so far. I'm only lvl 12, but I was expecting to see a LOT more variety even this early in the game.

I agree with the majority of the reviews. It's a good game that is worth playing...but it isn't anything that feels particularly special. I wish I had just rented it instead of letting the GAF beta hype get to me, but that was my own fault.

Oh, and so far...the story is fucking boring. Still hoping it eventually picks up, but it doesn't look promising.
 
Did you play GTA IV or GTA V by chance?
No. They're disgusting games.
Mostly the "breadth and scope of activities, beta was waterwings" stuff. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the game, but expansive it's not. Beta pretty much defined the next 3 planets.
I dunno, I think I'm reading it in a different way than you are. For that specific comment, I think Urk was trying to say we were just getting started. As in, you'll have much more of everything (strikes, story, and so on), even though it's only four planets.

And then of course there's Bungie support for the game post-release.
 
No.

I dunno, I think I'm reading it in a different way than you are. For that specific comment, I think Urk was trying to say we were just getting started. As in, you'll have much more of everything (strikes, story, and so on), even though it's only four planets.

And then of course there's Bungie support for the game post-release.

I think this is a game we will have to look back at a long while from now to be able to evaluate critically. The launch was just enough to keep us entertained until new stuff is added.

I'm okay with that.
 
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For consumers, I suppose I see how this is funny, but Monolith is down the street from Bungie. Can't imagine anyone at Monolith (as opposed to WB) feels good about this. None of this need matter to most of you, but the devs here know the perspective. I know I'd never want marketing to promote a product I worked on at the expense of another. (Please don't bite, I'm speaking with my dev hat on here.)
 
Ofcourse. Diablo's loot is more frequent and accessible on the fly. Seeing a beam cracks me up and its a Legendary item. A green beam is a green item. Go in menu, hold square and presto.

Now Destiny. Finally dat Legendary engram eh? Go to the fucking decrypter and endure a loading screen to boot... to find out its just some fucking rare or item. Fucking waste of time. And whats more, due to the frequency of loot it might be another few hours before the next piece of loot drops thats likely crappy again. I start to hate that fucking tower.

AVGN should review this in the future; 'what were they thinking?'.

That wasn't always the case. Legendaries used to be straight up junk. Everyone just rocked yellows until that big patch that redid just about all of them. The Diablo forum was and still is a cesspit and justifiably so (kinda). Blizzard managed to get on top of things eventually, hopefully it doesn't take Bungie near as long.

I can agree with the reception this is getting. Reviewers grew some balls. Vanilla Diablo was so fucking shit compared to now that it's a fairly enjoyable loot game. How that reviewed was a travesty.
 
There are strikes, explore, pvp, the raid, story missions. It's plenty of stuff to me – it's been five days and I'm not even through half of the game's content I figure.

I still don't see why Urk's comment was posted. He didn't say anything that was factually untrue.

Sorry, but if you haven't played half the game's available content in five days, you've been taking you're good old time. I can play Wolfenstein reeeeeally slowly and maybe have 10% of the ~10 hour campaign done in five days; that doesn't mean that there's plenty of content in Wolfenstein. Honestly, it would take 20 hours at MOST to experience Destiny's launch content.

Now, the problem with Urk's comment. It's not that he lied; it's that he wasn't honest with the criticisms. Everyone was worried about whether or not there was really only one area per planet and only four areas total; that's what the entire thread was about. So he came in and offered no quells for our worries. He said so much but at the same time said nothing.
 
No. They're disgusting games.

Those are pretty harsh words. I feel if I described Destiny as being disgusting due to personal reasons without ever playing it I'd get posters circling around me, ready to fuck me up.

Note: I don't think Destiny is disgusting.
 
I think this is a game we will have to look back at a long while from now to be able to evaluate critically. The launch was just enough to keep us entertained until new stuff is added.

I'm okay with that.

Lack of content is at the absolute bottom of my long list of complaints. This is not a great game with little content. This is an average game with decent enough amount of content, but nothing to justify the awfulness of the rest.

Is the season pass going to remove Dinklage? Is it going to make loot not suck? Is it going to justify the incredibly pointless "shared world" crap that seems to only be there to justify always-online? There is absolutely no way in hell DLC will fix this game.
 
No. They're disgusting games.

I dunno, I think I'm reading it in a different way than you are. For that specific comment, I think Urk was trying to say we were just getting started. As in, you'll have much more of everything (strikes, story, and so on), even though it's only four planets.

And then of course there's Bungie support for the game post-release.

I guess. It's just that viewed within the context of a lot of Bungie's other pre-launch comments, it does seem like he's playing up the overall variety and complexity.

And yeah, I'm looking forward to what they do post-game. If that mission with the Queen is really a new thing, I'll feel a lot more optimistic about the game's future (though, I went Digital Guardian, so I'm in for the long haul in any case :P)
 
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For consumers, I suppose I see how this is funny, but Monolith is down the street from Bungie. Can't imagine anyone at Monolith (as opposed to WB) feels good about this. None of this need matter to most of you, but the devs here know the perspective. I know I'd never want marketing to promote a product I worked on at the expense of another. (Please don't bite, I'm speaking with my dev hat on here.)

Shots fired!

And if they're really down the street, that could either suck or be really fun, depending on the kind of relationship the two studios have.

EDIT: Dammit, double post again. Sorry, I'll start being more careful.
 
Watching that 2013 vidoc.. wow.

They talk about class and race making a difference, so far nothing about race changes anything in the retail version.

Saturn, we don't have that yet.

No one ever fights the spider boss like that without being 1 hit stomped down for being too close, everyone hangs back and snipers it.

"you're going to see crazy weapons and wonder what they went through to get there" yes, random loot drops from the crucible most likely.
 
Just had a public event on Venus with a billion enemies and a walker and not a single other player in sight. Where is everyone!
 
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For consumers, I suppose I see how this is funny, but Monolith is down the street from Bungie. Can't imagine anyone at Monolith (as opposed to WB) feels good about this. None of this need matter to most of you, but the devs here know the perspective. I know I'd never want marketing to promote a product I worked on at the expense of another. (Please don't bite, I'm speaking with my dev hat on here.)
How do you think the Watch_Dogs team felt when this popped up?

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Sorry, but if you haven't played half the game's available content in five days, you've been taking you're good old time. I can play Wolfenstein reeeeeally slowly and maybe have 10% of the ~10 hour campaign done in five days; that doesn't mean that there's plenty of content in Wolfenstein. Honestly, it would take 20 hours at MOST to experience Destiny's launch content.
I don't think you're saying anything here to counter my point. In sum, depending on a person's tastes, each game can entertain people for different amounts of time. Well, yeah. Thus this doesn't make Urk's comments any less true. I can play through everything, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm done or bored with the content.
Now, the problem with Urk's comment. It's not that he lied; it's that he wasn't honest with the criticisms. Everyone was worried about whether or not there was really only one area per planet and only four areas total; that's what the entire thread was about. So he came in and offered no quells for our worries. He said so much but at the same time said nothing.
As I recall, that thread was mostly worried about how much stuff there was to do with only four planets. Urk addressed that.
Those are pretty harsh words. I feel if I described Destiny as being disgusting due to personal reasons without ever playing it I'd get posters circling around me, ready to fuck me up.

Note: I don't think Destiny is disgusting.
I think the way those games treat women is horrible. Hence my statement and why I don't play them.
 
I don't think that was the reason.
I thought it seemed far fetched at the time but seeing how big a bet Sony has placed on density makes it seem a plausible factor. I'm sure the game also can't have been shaping too well if they were willing to cut their losses and can it 3 years into development.
 
So....does this prove that publishers dont pay for high review scores for AAA games?
They've never paid for high review scores, but publishers like EA have tended to instead blacklist publications from preview events, not provide them with the same access to information, etc. to put them at a disadvantage. "Oh, you want X? Shouldn't have given our game such a low score, then." There's a fine line reviewers need to walk between burning bridges and providing the truth to their readers. Some publishers like to engage in a form of blackmailing.
 
No. They're disgusting games.

I dunno, I think I'm reading it in a different way than you are. For that specific comment, I think Urk was trying to say we were just getting started. As in, you'll have much more of everything (strikes, story, and so on), even though it's only four planets.

And then of course there's Bungie support for the game post-release.

The problem I have with that comment is that although yes, we will have much more of everything, it's much more of the SAME thing. There's very little variation in the mission structure and encounters.
 
Whilst it's understandable, it's how they react to it that's the important part. If they just bury their heads in the sand and go 'nooooope' that's no good to anyone and not what I expect from Bungie.

If they just look at all the feedback (and I'm assuming the harshest criticisms would be on their own forums) and get to work on 'fixing' things then improvements can be made and the game can be better.

My only problem in this equation is Activision. I don't have any doubts with Bungie wanting to improve things but are they under a tight schedule ? Can they take the time to do big patches/make any huge improvements etc. I hope so and expect so.
They will bring the dlcs and will tell us that everything will get better.
 
How do you think the Watch_Dogs team felt when this popped up?

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Ultimately, it's a consumer concern and I don't think you should care. I know how this shit feels on the other side is all. I'm sure both teams get along great and have something else to talk about at the monthly beer hall meet.
 
The problem I have with that comment is that although yes, we will have much more of everything, it's much more of the SAME thing. There's very little variation in the mission structure and encounters.

Sounds like the main problem with Assassin's Creed 1 imo.
 
The problem I have with that comment is that although yes, we will have much more of everything, it's much more of the SAME thing. There's very little variation in the mission structure and encounters.

Well, if there's anything wrong with Urk's comment, it's that he's vague, which in hindsight allows people to come to their own conclusions about what he meant.

Which is another reason why I think it's problematic to post it here and imply that he misdirected people and/or lied.
 
Disappointing reviews but not really shocking. This game had way too much hype to live up to.

The game is lacking in diversity and features regardless of the hype. It would have received scores like this even if it didn't have the hype, because the criticisms and scores are justified.
 
Ultimately, it's a consumer concern and I don't think you should care. I know how this shit feels on the other side is all. I'm sure both teams get along great and have something else to talk about at the monthly beer hall meet.

Well surely it's another chance to diss PR/Marketing amongst each other tis all :P I don't think anyone would think the actual developers would say that anyway.
 
This is such a hard game to score. It's fun, pretty and has tight gunplay mechanics I find. However, it feels so hollow and is quite repetitive, plus also lacks a wow factor.

Yeah. I'm glad I'm not a reviewer. It has so many flaws, but I'm still addicted to it, will buy all the DLC, and can't wait for a full on sequel where they hopefully show they've learned from all the mistakes they're being called on now. It's so good and so bad at the same time.
 
Yeah. I'm glad I'm not a reviewer. It has so many flaws, but I'm still addicted to it, will buy all the DLC, and can't wait for a full on sequel where they hopefully show they've learned from all the mistakes they're being called on now. It's so good and so bad at the same time.

As I said in our podcast today. I am having fun with Destiny but not Bungie fun. And that is wildly telling. For what its worth I think a couple people have all summed it up close to that way. It fits and its a natural feeling I get when playing it.
 
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For consumers, I suppose I see how this is funny, but Monolith is down the street from Bungie. Can't imagine anyone at Monolith (as opposed to WB) feels good about this. None of this need matter to most of you, but the devs here know the perspective. I know I'd never want marketing to promote a product I worked on at the expense of another. (Please don't bite, I'm speaking with my dev hat on here.)

I would like to think its all good fun. This past week at the GameStop Manager's Conference, publishers and developers sniped the shit out of each other during each other's presentations.

All is fair in love and blockbuster video games.
 
Although the rumor was shut down by Cory Balrog himself, I think what he was referring to was the SSM project that shared similar cues from Destiny. SONY was afraid that the bigger budgeted game would take away from SSM's IP.
I know what their project was, I was only addressing that they never said anything about an MMO or FPS.
 
They've never paid for high review scores, but publishers like EA have tended to instead blacklist publications from preview events, not provide them with the same access to information, etc. to put them at a disadvantage. "Oh, you want X? Shouldn't have given our game such a low score, then." There's a fine line reviewers need to walk between burning bridges and providing the truth to their readers. Some publishers like to engage in a form of blackmailing.

That hasn't happened in years afaik.

Steve Hogarty being blacklisted by EA for his SIMS 2 H&M Fashion Stuff expansion review.

There was the Kane and Lynch PR putting pressure on the new manager of the company that owned GameSpot that lead that ignorant idiot to fire Jeff Gerstmann.

When COD Black Ops 2 leaked Activision France went after a french website and blacklisted them. That was lifted after Kotaku giving exposure to it iirc. That was the last instance I recall.

I'm not aware of any other instances aside from PR always putting pressure on outlets, but outlets tend to brush em off from what I've heard.
 
Dax, I'm surprised you feel this way about Destiny's gameplay design considering how you describe Halo 3's variety. It would be interesting to read your review and read an in-depth analysis of what you're fond of.
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For consumers, I suppose I see how this is funny, but Monolith is down the street from Bungie. Can't imagine anyone at Monolith (as opposed to WB) feels good about this. None of this need matter to most of you, but the devs here know the perspective. I know I'd never want marketing to promote a product I worked on at the expense of another. (Please don't bite, I'm speaking with my dev hat on here.)
Power in unity. Stay tight, hold hands, give many hugs and use the criticisms to positively influence game design.

-bite-
 
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