Destiny The Taken King Review Thread

I am not beating a dead horse at all, I'm telling you the reality. Whether or not the veracity of the phrase "this is how it should have been at launch" is accurate is besides the scope of my argument. You stated people are ridiculous at this point if they complain about the game given how much content it has for $60. The reality is most people are not angry about the content. They are angry about much more significant problems, from the scope of exploration, to the negative way many people interpret it handles its narrative (and as we now know, they cut tons of story content at the 11th hour), to the repetitiveness of gear grinding. You may not like to hear it - it's clear where you hitched your horse in this fight - but that is the actual framing that is necessary to understand why people remain annoyed at Destiny.

It is perhaps still true by the way that given what we did get at launch, people might decide to say things like "this is how it should have been at launch" if they interpret that the content of Taken King finally delivers on the promise that even the neutered version of Destiny people got hinted at in its original launch. Arguments are far more nuanced than you are trying to give them credit for. It's not some blind attack on your favorite property.
It's a dead horse. Sorry you're still angry. That's not what the OP was referring to and neither was I but carry on.
This is not an argument, and I was never angry even a day over this. Sorry that an obsession over a game leads you to be incapable of nuanced thought on the subject.
Are you done attacking me yet? I'm not obsessed I enjoy a game and am posting in a review thread with you bringing tired dead arguments about years old vidocs that have been discussed ad nauseam. Perhaps it's you who is a tad obsessed.

Saw your edit: you're still beating a dead horse amirox especially in a review thread. I'm not going to derail the thread further replying to you.
 
It's a dead horse. Sorry you're still angry. That's not what the OP was referring to and neither was I but carry on.

This is not an argument, and I was never angry even a day over this. Sorry that an obsession over a game leads you to be incapable of nuanced thought on the subject.

For the record, to demonstrate with crystal clarity your nonsense:

Amir0x said:
trading in my Destiny PS4 toward this PS4. New model PS4 too!

certainly sounds like the post of an angry ranting madman
 
Are you done attacking me yet? I'm not obsessed I enjoy a game and am posting in a review thread with you bringing tired dead arguments about years old vidocs that have been discussed ad nauseam. Perhaps it's you who is a tad obsessed.

It's a game you enjoy so much that you have a literal inability to actually understand what is going on in criticism over the game. So much so that you believe someone stating the real problems people have and continue to have with the game - none of which are absolved simply because people now have the product in their hands and understand what we did get - is equivalent to being angry or hating the product.

As I demonstrated, not only did I get a Destiny PS4, I recently traded it toward a Destiny Taken King PS4. Because I am an adult who can acknowledge the reality of why people complain and separate that from the reasons I may like something. Might be tough for some, I know. Notice, I did not at any point suggest I agreed with any of the criticisms. You simply reflexively jumped to such a conclusion, because your passions toward the product blind you to nuance.
 
As someone who loves this game and been playing since day 1 I think the complaints early at launch were entirely justified. The game was a mess and didn't deliver near what Bungie promised.

That said I think that excuse for *current* Destiny should be over. Its vastly improved and largely feels like the game we were promised. The Legendary Edition for a new player is worth every single bit of $60
 
The new campaign was much better than 1.0 but it still falls short for me. I had to force myself to finish it...it's just kinda boring. Hopefully the raid and strikes are decent.
 
The new campaign was much better than 1.0 but it still falls short for me. I had to force myself to finish it...it's just kinda boring. Hopefully the raid and strikes are decent.

I sorta agree with you, not quite to the degree that I found myself struggling to keep going though

I thought the campaign started off really strong. Several cgi cinematics and cutscenes in the first few missions.But then they just stop, and there's hardly any cutscenes until you beat the campaign.

The missions themselves kinda fell off as well in terms of presentation. First mission was really awesome with all the scripted events that happened, ships fleeing, things blowing up etc. But none of the other missions come close to that level of "uniqueness".
 
Is the story presented much better this time around? More fleshed out or anything? Trying to decide if i should get it after not liking original vanilla Destiny because of the lack of story.

The new TTK campaign gave a lot of Halo vibes here and there. First mission alone has more story than the entirety of vanilla Destiny. Characters have a personality now and the Ghost talks way more (and is entertaining). Oryx feels like a real treat and is a great face for evil which just didn't exist before.

They gave Destiny a personality - and I think it's worth trying out.
 
wait what, so they've actually essentially taken features away from players? I can only see three 'old' playlists now which are essentially FFA, 3v3, and 6v6. what about the other stuff? really locked behind TTK now? :(
I think this sucks big time. I don't want to come across as an apologist but I did read an explanation that makes a little sense though.

Basically, this allows non DLC owners to concentrate on fewer playlists in order to keep them populated. It would be no fun if you had every mode open couldn't find a game. So Bungie is giving people access to The Dark Below and House of Wolves PvP maps, whether or not they've bought the expansion, and throwing them at 3 playlists.

This way there's no fragmentation in the community beyond whether or not you own TTK. In theory, this should allow non DLC players who are somehow still entertained without new content to keep playing without 5 minute matchmaking per game.

I would probably still be super bummed out of they took away Control from me though.
 
Eh, maybe I'll pick it up on black Friday sales. Fuck paying $60 for an expansion.

I feel the same way, but thankfully someone on Amazon bought my limited edition for 30 bucks. Going to use that towards a collectors edition. I need them new emotes!
 
I sorta agree with you, not quite to the degree that I found myself struggling to keep going though

I thought the campaign started off really strong. Several cgi cinematics and cutscenes in the first few missions.But then they just stop, and there's hardly any cutscenes until you beat the campaign.

The missions themselves kinda fell off as well in terms of presentation. First mission was really awesome with all the scripted events that happened, ships fleeing, things blowing up etc. But none of the other missions come close to that level of "uniqueness".

Personally...

I think the whole part with following in Crota's footsteps seemed like a step backwards. It felt in some ways out of place in terms of level design compared to the other levels. Then it returns to normal for the final mission.
 
I think it's an excellent DLC so far. I think I'm on the last mission on the main quest and I love it. Really hope they have seen how to do single player content and continue it for the Vex and Cabal DLC.
 
I will only get this if it has enough content for the £40 price of admission.

I've been burned by the Digital Guardian Edition so once bitten twice shy.
 
I will only get this if it has enough content for the £40 price of admission.

I've been burned by the Digital Guardian Edition so once bitten twice shy.
Depends on what you're expecting.

If you liked Raiding, PvP with buddies, playing around with tons of different gear on a rather limited set of activities? You'll be right at home. Otherwise if you didn't like it before you won't like it now.

The story is a lot better. Waaay better mission design. But nobody can play this game for the campaign and truly enjoy it. The missions will last you maybe 3 hours. If that's what you're looking for, skip.

Exploring the new Patrol zone with friends, finding chests and puzzles, running the new Strikes at higher difficulties, preparing for the Raid, learning map layout and strats in the new PvP modes etc: that's where the game shines.

For people playing solo and not doing co-op with friends: all of Destiny, with all the expansion, is probably a US$30 experience.

For the fun I have playing with others? I'd pay hundreds for this game. Most fun I've ever had in a video game.
 
There are a lot of ways to give readers impressions without pretending you can give it a thorough review based on two days of playing at Bungie, IMO. Most of the reputable outlets just posted impressions and noted that their reviews would be coming later.

How much are we to expect from these sites who refuse to hold Bungie's feet to the fire about a real clan system or an actual LFG mechanism in their "social shooter"? I'm not going to hold it against the sites that don't wait for the raid since 90+ percent of gamers will never see the raid anyway.

I'll see the raid, but even without seeing it I know this iteration of the game is much much better than what released last year. Nathan is the star this time around and they were right to put more of the focus on him. Some of the new fight mechanisms in the strikes are great. Unfortunately for Xbox users, this time around the exclusive strike is something they will miss. It's a great one.
 
Depends on what you're expecting.

If you liked Raiding, PvP with buddies, playing around with tons of different gear on a rather limited set of activities? You'll be right at home. Otherwise if you didn't like it before you won't like it now.

The story is a lot better. Waaay better mission design. But nobody can play this game for the campaign and truly enjoy it. The missions will last you maybe 3 hours. If that's what you're looking for, skip.

Exploring the new Patrol zone with friends, finding chests and puzzles, running the new Strikes at higher difficulties, preparing for the Raid, learning map layout and strats in the new PvP modes etc: that's where the game shines.

For people playing solo and not doing co-op with friends: all of Destiny, with all the expansion, is probably a US$30 experience.

For the fun I have playing with others? I'd pay hundreds for this game. Most fun I've ever had in a video game.

Thanks for the write up. I'll pass. Hopefully they can get a nice meaty story in Destiny 2.
 
The first 2 missions I played were terrific so far. I was a Destiny fan already but TTK just gives me ammo towards the naysayers.
 
Thanks for the write up. I'll pass. Hopefully they can get a nice meaty story in Destiny 2.
I hope so too. This story chapter is pretty darn nice but all told, it's fairly short.

If the entire campaign, from the beginning, had this format - varied mission design (not just fight waves while Ghost scans), characters with personality, cutscenes providing context and consequence for your actions, a linear path that moves the story forward coherently without having to read text prompts explaining what the hell is happening... It'd be different.

A full game with a campaign at the quality level of TTK's? This game would not be as divisive as it is. It would just be good in some people's eyes, great in other's.

As it is: if what you want is a rich, solo story campaign I don't think this is the game for you. And this is from someone who's played 1,000 hours and finished the TTK campaign yesterday.

On the other hand, US$40 is nothing :p if you wanna play a cool few hours story campaign and just goof around the huge, daunting new area you might consider it. It's great fun with a buddy or two. Solo? Meh.
 
If you liked Raiding, PvP with buddies, playing around with tons of different gear on a rather limited set of activities? You'll be right at home. Otherwise if you didn't like it before you won't like it now.

The story is a lot better. Waaay better mission design. But nobody can play this game for the campaign and truly enjoy it. The missions will last you maybe 3 hours. If that's what you're looking for, skip.

Thanks for replying to me! :)

I think i'll hold fire for the time being. I'm not too keen on the "rather limited set of activities". When Destiny was first released I vehemently played and defended it but when the first DLC came i lost faith and just felt as though the game was money grabbing even more than the base game.

Will bide my time and see what happens when the hype dies down!
 
I will only get this if it has enough content for the £40 price of admission.

I've been burned by the Digital Guardian Edition so once bitten twice shy.

Me too. I really enjoyed vanilla Destiny with mates and even the lackluster DLC kept me going for a while but now I just feel so burnt out.

And for 40 quid this expansion seems way too pricey.

I'm happy to see the game has improved significantly but I'll wait for a discount on the digital upgrade.
 
It just screams lazy to me that they re release a game at full price and can't even put the content on the actual disc, but force me to download it off of a card that they just throw in there.

I guess this decision doesn't surprise me considering the game itself.

This is a pet peeve of mine. For these goty and ultimate editions they love to release, either give us the full game and dlc on disc, or just give us a CD key so we can download everything digitally. This half physical and half digital shit is annoying.
 
I played Destiny when it first came out and dropped it after a month or two. I didn't like the repetitive, horribly designed missions. I loved the beta but when I realized that every mission was exactly the same I was not happy. I played some pvp, it was okay but nothing special. The other thing that really annoyed me was I never got to do any raids because there was no public matchmaking, so that content was completely denied to me. I still own the game but I don't understand how this dlc works. Do people really have to buy the other dlc packs to play it?
 
I sorta agree with you, not quite to the degree that I found myself struggling to keep going though

I thought the campaign started off really strong. Several cgi cinematics and cutscenes in the first few missions.But then they just stop, and there's hardly any cutscenes until you beat the campaign.

The missions themselves kinda fell off as well in terms of presentation. First mission was really awesome with all the scripted events that happened, ships fleeing, things blowing up etc. But none of the other missions come close to that level of "uniqueness".

You should stick to COD single player and michael bay films, scripted explosions and stuff was nice to look at and story but was not good Destiny gameplay like the later levels. People play destiny for the shooting.

I played Destiny when it first came out and dropped it after a month or two. I didn't like the repetitive, horribly designed missions. I loved the beta but when I realized that every mission was exactly the same I was not happy. I played some pvp, it was okay but nothing special. The other thing that really annoyed me was I never got to do any raids because there was no public matchmaking, so that content was completely denied to me. I still own the game but I don't understand how this dlc works. Do people really have to buy the other dlc packs to play it?

No none of the new missions are like that, and the new quests can take place in locations all over including HOW and Dark below and indeed the old raids...so yes you need it all because its big.

Matchmaking is now in everything except raids which are harder. Often raid mechanics mean a sole person dying can wipe a team and start again, you could be stuck for hours with a loose cannon - Destiny GAF community is helpful if you really want to learn, although normally people using this excuse are just trolling in my opinion.

Your post comes across as someone looking for an excuse to complain rather than a solution.
 
Might pick this up. After finishing Arkham Knight I don't feel in that big a rush to play another open world game with MGS5. Or am I making a huge mistake?
 
You should stick to COD single player and michael bay films, scripted explosions and stuff was nice to look at and story but was not good Destiny gameplay like the later levels. People play destiny for the shooting.

why not both cool set piece moments and scripted events, along with great gameplay?

Crazy concept

Having the campaign start off in a unique level with tons of story and interesting things happening, only to devolve into backtracking through old areas and the patrol mode areas seems like a weird thing to downplay
 
Out of curiosity anyone with family/kids playing this and how is it working out for you? Been thinking about getting a console for awhile for some laid-back gaming. I'm also very interested in this game but a bit afraid that it might become addicting. I did hear that strikes and stuff only takes like 15-20 minutes which is nice.

I game on my Pc atm but it's better for days when you are alone or the baby is sleeping.

Edit: Wrong thread meant to post in the OT.
 
I hate the £=$ pricing. If it was £25/20 I would of picked this up day one.

Now I'm gonna pick it up on Black Friday as I'm expecting the physical edition to get some good retail deals then.
 
You should stick to COD single player and michael bay films, scripted explosions and stuff was nice to look at and story but was not good Destiny gameplay like the later levels. People play destiny for the shooting.

Goddamn you couldn't have sounded like a more condescending asswipe if you tried.

The two are not mutually exclusive. Let go of this ridiculously defensive attitude, please.
 
I hate the £=$ pricing. If it was £25/20 I would of picked this up day one.

Now I'm gonna pick it up on Black Friday as I'm expecting the physical edition to get some good retail deals then.



Yeah, 69,99 € on fucking PSN, sorry no.

Also, you still can't view the grimoire cards ingame, lol.
 
Is t worth getting TTK for the story missions alone? I always thought Destiny had tons of untouched story and lore potential.

I don't think so tbh. It's 40 bucks(60 if you don't already own the 2 dlc packs), and the story missions take around 3-3½ hours to complete. And while it's definitely a lot better than the story campaign in vanilla Destiny, it's still at far cry from something like Bungie's Halo game campaigns.
 
No none of the new missions are like that, and the new quests can take place in locations all over including HOW and Dark below and indeed the old raids...so yes you need it all because its big.

Matchmaking is now in everything except raids which are harder. Often raid mechanics mean a sole person dying can wipe a team and start again, you could be stuck for hours with a loose cannon - Destiny GAF community is helpful if you really want to learn, although normally people using this excuse are just trolling in my opinion.

Your post comes across as someone looking for an excuse to complain rather than a solution.

I posted my experience with the game and asked a simple question because I haven't played it in over a year and reading comments from people saying it's been hugely improved since then made me wonder if I should re-download it and give it a spin. As for your snide little comment. Embarrassing.
 
I think this sucks big time. I don't want to come across as an apologist but I did read an explanation that makes a little sense though.

Basically, this allows non DLC owners to concentrate on fewer playlists in order to keep them populated. It would be no fun if you had every mode open couldn't find a game. So Bungie is giving people access to The Dark Below and House of Wolves PvP maps, whether or not they've bought the expansion, and throwing them at 3 playlists.

This way there's no fragmentation in the community beyond whether or not you own TTK. In theory, this should allow non DLC players who are somehow still entertained without new content to keep playing without 5 minute matchmaking per game.

I would probably still be super bummed out of they took away Control from me though.

yeah, this is a good explanation and reason to do so.

but man I'm still bummed the season pass thing didn't come with this. It really makes me question ever spending money on season passes in general, but I guess at this point I should realize 'season pass' doesnt mean all future dlc. What they've released looks really nice, but for me I just can't justify the price considering I didn't play the original release nearly enough
 
I don't think so tbh. It's 40 bucks(60 if you don't already own the 2 dlc packs), and the story missions take around 3-3½ hours to complete. And while it's definitely a lot better than the story campaign in vanilla Destiny, it's still at far cry from something like Bungie's Halo game campaigns.
Thanks. Will wait for some discount then.
 
why not both cool set piece moments and scripted events, along with great gameplay?

Crazy concept

Having the campaign start off in a unique level with tons of story and interesting things happening, only to devolve into backtracking through old areas and the patrol mode areas seems like a weird thing to downplay

It goes back to earth for 1 mission, its not back tracking as its an entirely new vertical tower with crazy parkour. All maps that are on planets, even when new locations, work by going through the communal world at first and then into the mission section.....every one....But that does not fit your agenda.

Destiny gameplay is not about COD or uncharted set piece moments, nobody who ENJOYS this game would want that. its about great gunplay and movement / traversal being surrounded and epic battles.

The dreadnaught is absolutely fantastic, Destiny nailed what the people who play this game wanted.
 
It goes back to earth for 1 mission, its not back tracking as its an entirely new vertical tower with crazy parkour. All maps that are on planets, even when new locations, work by going through the communal world at first and then into the mission section.....every one....But that does not fit your agenda.

Destiny gameplay is not about COD or uncharted set piece moments, nobody who ENJOYS this game would want that. its about great gunplay and movement / traversal being surrounded and epic battles.

The dreadnaught is absolutely fantastic.

You sure you actually played the campaign? There's like 3 missions that consists of backtracking through previous content.

You definition of Destiny is not everyones. I've seen a TON of people in the community thread that have been absolutely ecstatic about the first mission, specifically because it has story and stuff happening.

Seriously, it's not like it has to be one or the other. You know a game series that had great gameplay, great story and great moments? Halo.

Yes the dreadnaught is fantastic
 
Just a warning for those thinking of buying Bungie very recently reworded their policy on TTk small print and refused to answer questions about what it meant till this morning.

Basically now if you have more than one console you will have to purchase the expansion for each system.Example in my case since my kid plays on his console using his own profile i was forced to not only buy the TTK twice but also buy the two previous expansions as TTk wont even show up in PS store on a sub account.

Just mentioning this cause the base game,TDB and HoW expansions were able to be bought once and played by sub accounts and a second console with a secondary account now this morning they announce they dont support "gamesharing" all of a sudden.
 
You sure you actually played the campaign? There's like 3 missions that consists of backtracking through previous content.

You definition of Destiny is not everyones. I've seen a TON of people in the community thread that have been absolutely ecstatic about the first mission, specifically because it has story and stuff happening.

Seriously, it's not like it has to be one or the other. You know a game series that had great gameplay, great story and great moments? Halo.

Yes the dreadnaught is fantastic

Nah Halo was OK, the story was shit in Halo as well, played every one up to reach, all I remember is the naked blue chick and go there kill that and usual Bungie tripe, TTK was a big improvement for Bungie....but most people moaning about Destiny do seem to like halo...maybe its just a coincidence. Most coop games are like this though, its not why people play.

Yes I am level 40, new missions with new enemies and mechanics and new areas on an existing world is what it is, calling it backtracking tells me allot about you. The new mission quest in Vault of glass I would call fantastic gameplay as was Crota stealth, but you would call back tracking I guess.

I posted my experience with the game and asked a simple question because I haven't played it in over a year and reading comments from people saying it's been hugely improved since then made me wonder if I should re-download it and give it a spin. As for your snide little comment. Embarrassing.

Its not snide, you can help yourself you can google everything you need to know, you can ask for raid help on GAF its easy, Bungie want the game to allow you to make online friends....its clear in the mission structure and even the crucible bounties now say win a game with fireteam of 2 or more...

I was new to Ps4 from 360, I have a few hundred on friends list already....all through Destiny. I am not embarrassed, I have read hundreds of anti destiny posts, they all say the same stuff...Go read them and then read your post again....Join a Clan or play with DGAF...its a coop game through and through
 
I played to 30 before the expansions. If I jump in now, what do I basically have to know/do before getting into the gist of things again?
 
I played to 30 before the expansions. If I jump in now, what do I basically have to know/do before getting into the gist of things again?

For what I have seen as another level 30 no DLC owner watching twitch, jumping back in is super easy, the quest system helps pick up where you left off with missions and all gear found on the deadnaught will be an improvement, probably the best time to return imo. I'll be buying it next week when I can as I want to play it again.

Just a warning for those thinking of buying Bungie very recently reworded their policy on TTk small print and refused to answer questions about what it meant till this morning.

Basically now if you have more than one console you will have to purchase the expansion for each system.Example in my case since my kid plays on his console using his own profile i was forced to not only buy the TTK twice but also buy the two previous expansions as TTk wont even show up in PS store on a sub account.

Just mentioning this cause the base game,TDB and HoW expansions were able to be bought once and played by sub accounts and a second console with a secondary account now this morning they announce they dont support "gamesharing" all of a sudden.

they can do that? rather tight arsed of them TBH, it's like me buying a game on disc for my house but it refuses to work at my sisters house down the road.
 
Oh gosh. I'm in that familiar place with destiny again,,, my body is ready and excited, but my brain is itching and telling me 'not again, just don't'

For anyone that has played through it- is it worth the $40 or $60 if I've bought the game in the past?

Keep hearing mixed reviews that it is the second coming for some, but others say the first few missions are great and the rest is same ol thing...

What I'm interested to know: can you go to those mountains over there now ?

And more importantly, is there a way to lfg in game or find others looking for a group in game? Anything more intuitive than matchmaking yet?
 
Nah Halo was OK, the story was shit in Halo as well, played every one up to reach, all I remember is the naked blue chick and go there kill that and usual Bungie tripe, TTK was a big improvement for Bungie....but most people moaning about Destiny do seem to like halo...maybe its just a coincidence. Most coop games are like this though, its not why people play.

Yes I am level 40, new missions with new enemies and mechanics and new areas on an existing world is what it is, calling it backtracking tells me allot about you. The new mission quest in Vault of glass I would call fantastic gameplay as was Crota stealth, but you would call back tracking I guess.

That's litterally what they are, so yes? The VoG isn't one I count given that it's a post campaign quest and essentially a sidequest
 
That's litterally what they are, so yes? The VoG isn't one I count given that it's a post campaign quest and essentially a sidequest

No, backtracking is doing the same mission say in Halo or a Destiny story mission. This is not back tracking its new story, gameplay and mechanics.

All of destiny is now quests as opposed to chapter 1 to 20...Its the game now, you can call it all sidequest backtracking if that makes you happy. Enjoy your Halo.
 
Oh gosh. I'm in that familiar place with destiny again,,, my body is ready and excited, but my brain is itching and telling me 'not again, just don't'

For anyone that has played through it- is it worth the $40 or $60 if I've bought the game in the past?

Keep hearing mixed reviews that it is the second coming for some, but others say the first few missions are great and the rest is same ol thing...

What I'm interested to know: can you go to those mountains over there now ?

And more importantly, is there a way to lfg in game or find others looking for a group in game? Anything more intuitive than matchmaking yet?
You can't go to those mountains because what the heck would hound there.

No in-game LFG, although everything has matchmaking except Raid, Nightfall and Daily Heroic Story.

If you didn't like the base game at all, this won't change your feelings. If you liked it but got bored after doing everything, a lot has been added since then and it's in general better than the original content. If you happened to already like and actively play Destiny? Best thing since sliced bread.

Destiny is still Destiny. This is the game at its best, but if your issues were fundamental then look away. But man oh man this thing is so amazing for fans.
 
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