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[Strakt]

September 18, 2017 Reviews (up to 86 metacritic)

Telegraph Sep 18, 2017

100
Destiny 2 is more accomplished, more rewarding and more fun than its predecessor ever was and that’s a hugely impressive achievement. Years ago, when Bungie first announced the series, they promised a 10 year journey. The first game failed to deliver that dream, but with Destiny 2 we have moved a hell of a lot closer.

PlayStation LifeStyle Sep 18, 2017

95
Destiny 2 hooked me and hasn’t let go. That sense of delight and surprise that Bungie aimed for with the sequel has hit me fully, with a variety of activities to do, worlds to explore, and loot to earn. After 1300 hours of experience with Destiny, it’s difficult to imagine how grand the sequel might feel for a brand new player. As a returning Guardian, Crucible master Lord Shaxx has found the best words to describe my experience with Destiny 2 and its many improvements over the first: “This is amazing!!”

Forbes Sep 18, 2017

90
It’s hard to imagine that Destiny 2 won’t satisfy fans of the original, but it’s also the type of game that will allow new players to jump right in, and skip some of the worst growing pains of the series. While there’s still room for improvement, and for this universe to live up to its full potential, Destiny 2 makes undeniable progress, and reinforces the idea that this is a series we’ll be playing for at least an entire decade, when all is said and done.

 

[ethomaz]

That pace it will reach 87 on Meta after being 82 with "early" reviews.

Edit - OC up to 85.

 

[Strakt]

Easy Allies - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo0g8lD_XiA

4/5

Giantbomb

https://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/destiny-2-review/1900-769/

4/5

 

[Interficium]

Kotaku's review is up and, uhhh... it's definitely something.

https://kotaku.com/destiny-2-the-kotaku-review-1818530629

Are all the fictional characters here supposed to be aspects of Kirk's personality or something? Bizarre.

 

[GalacticMouse]

Kotaku's review is up and, uhhh... it's definitely something.

https://kotaku.com/destiny-2-the-kotaku-review-1818530629

Are all the fictional characters here supposed to be aspects of Kirk's personality or something? Bizarre.

I read this earlier and love it. It's the closest piece of writing I've seen to what my Destiny experience is. I almost always play with others, some friends, some friends of friends who I don't know well in person.

It's certainly not a traditional review, but with Kotaku ditching scores, I like the idea of them trying new formats like this if the writers feel it will better allow them to summarize what it's like to play the game.

 

[thumb]

Kotaku's review is up and, uhhh... it's definitely something.

https://kotaku.com/destiny-2-the-kotaku-review-1818530629

Are all the fictional characters here supposed to be aspects of Kirk's personality or something? Bizarre.

I'm all for ditching the traditional review format and experimenting. So I honor the spirit of Kirk's experiment. But it's a separate question when it comes the effectiveness of the experiment.

For example, imagine you asked me what I thought of Dishonored 2, and I answered as follows:

Alex slipped on his headphones to play Dishonored 2. He was deeply excited, but also worried that he would be late to work tomorrow if he got caught up in the game. But he booted it up anyway, and started to fiddle with the graphics settings. "Thank god for gsync," he thought, while chewing on his lip.

Seven hours later, and he was still playing. Was Dishonored 2 good? Alex had trouble answering this question. Dishonored 2 simply existed, like the sun, or the ShakeWeight.

There's a lot of veribiage on offer, and a lot of it is either irrelevant or ambiguous.

 

[cakely]

86 on Metacritic after 66 reviews? That's a very respectable score.

My friends and I are enjoying it so far.

 

[Mossybrew]

There's a lot of veribiage on offer, and a lot of it is either irrelevant or ambiguous.

Yeah whatever that is, it's not a review, sorry. Run this kind of thing as a separate feature if you have to.

 

[SlickVic]

Kotaku's review is up and, uhhh... it's definitely something.

https://kotaku.com/destiny-2-the-kotaku-review-1818530629

Are all the fictional characters here supposed to be aspects of Kirk's personality or something? Bizarre.

He basically answers that at the end, along with a more direct conclusion in the last section

What do I make of Destiny 2? The characters in the stories above aren’t real, but each one represents a part of how I actually feel. I share Peter’s appreciation of the many ways Bungie has made it more approachable than its predecessor, and his frustration at how the game still occasionally manages to get in its own way. I’m with Will on how therapeutic it can be; for all its surface-level violence, Destiny 2 is an oddly soothing game. Wake makes some good points about the changes to PvP, and I share his sense that Destiny 2 might not hold my attention as firmly as the first game did. Alex understands how important it is to play with friends, and how lovely it can be to coax a group of strangers into accomplishing something that seemed impossible.

I'm not sure the format completely works, but I like how he frames it from different perspectives (from first time player to Destiny veterans) which does highlight the social aspects of Destiny. The last section kind of gives you a more distilled version of the review.

 

[Interficium]

Polygon - 9

 

[Strakt]

Sept 20 Reviews

Polygon Sep 20, 2017

90

As an overall product, Destiny 2 is an incredible feat. Bungie spent three years essentially beta-testing this game, and used the knowledge gained from its predecessor to improve and fine-tune just about every aspect of the experience. As with the original, there are still rough patches to pave over, but the astoundingly fun game here is beautiful, funny, varied and constantly rewarding to play.

AusGamers Sep 20, 2017

90

Lessons were learnt and learnt well. The looming Darkness has not consumed Bungie at this point in time. Quite the contrary. Destiny 2 is the glorious self-rez fans have been praying for. Stop orbiting it and dive in, today.

Gaming Age Sep 20, 2017

100

At its core, Destiny 2 takes everything you loved about the original and cranked it up to 11. The graphics are flashier, the sound effects are louder, the content is meatier, and the overall experience is better. Plus, there is a ton of stuff to do after you see the game’s ending credits.

 

[cooldawn]

Don't know if this has been posted but...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPC9k5Bxnxc

...for 53 minutes SkillUp accentuates basic issues with Destiny 2 that seem to be suppressed by the mainstream press, referencing PvE, progression, loot, PvP, weapons and the Raid.

I've posted my concerns which I won't detail again but I would summarise the whole experience in two different ways - Destiny 2 hands everything to player on a plate and there's no mystery or heightened anticipation anymore. Everything is pretty much spoon fed in this sequel.

I only disagree with one section. He mentions PvP is pretty much Scout Rifle territory...but in my experience it seems to be Auto Rifles that rule in all play lists on all maps.

Regardless, SkillUp takes his time but he gets why Destiny 2 isn't quite what I expected. A brilliant review.

 

[Requiem]

Don't know if this has been posted but...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPC9k5Bxnxc

...for 53 minutes SkillUp accentuates basic issues with Destiny 2 that seem to be suppressed by the mainstream press, referencing PvE, progression, loot, PvP, weapons and the Raid.

I've posted my concerns which I won't detail again but I would summarise the whole experience in two different ways - Destiny 2 hands everything to player on a plate and there's no mystery or heightened anticipation anymore. Everything is pretty much spoon fed in this sequel.

I only disagree with one section. He mentions PvP is pretty much Scout Rifle territory...but in my experience it seems to be Auto Rifles that rule in all play lists on all maps.

Regardless, SkillUp takes his time but he gets why Destiny 2 isn't quite what I expected. A brilliant review.

Watched the whole thing this morning

Incredibly fair and well thought out points

I love D2 and could definitely appreciate his gripes with the game

 

[Niceguydan8]

Don't know if this has been posted but...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPC9k5Bxnxc

...for 53 minutes SkillUp accentuates basic issues with Destiny 2 that seem to be suppressed by the mainstream press, referencing PvE, progression, loot, PvP, weapons and the Raid.

I've posted my concerns which I won't detail again but I would summarise the whole experience in two different ways - Destiny 2 hands everything to player on a plate and there's no mystery or heightened anticipation anymore. Everything is pretty much spoon fed in this sequel.

I only disagree with one section. He mentions PvP is pretty much Scout Rifle territory...but in my experience it seems to be Auto Rifles that rule in all play lists on all maps.

Regardless, SkillUp takes his time but he gets why Destiny 2 isn't quite what I expected. A brilliant review.

Just got through listening/watching that review and I'm really impressed. His perspective is something I put a lot of value in. I had been having conversations with my personal gripes with the original Destiny and how I want to see some drastic changes. While the story was a drastic change, I still didn't end up liking it much and while I still enjoyed Destiny 2, I'm frankly not that excited to see where they take the series until they start taking more risks.

 

[Interficium]

Don't know if this has been posted but...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPC9k5Bxnxc

...for 53 minutes SkillUp accentuates basic issues with Destiny 2 that seem to be suppressed by the mainstream press, referencing PvE, progression, loot, PvP, weapons and the Raid.

Dude is literally a paid Warframe shill (and The Division before that crashed and burned) but sure, damn mainstream media fake news is "suppressing the real story"

 

[Niceguydan8]

Dude is literally a paid Warframe shill (and The Division before that crashed and burned) but sure, damn mainstream media fake news is "suppressing the real story"

This dude absolutely loved the original Destiny as well though. Hell, he still says he really likes destiny 2. I don't get your point. He contextualizes all of his criticisms, gives the game praise where he sees fit, and presents his overall thoughts in a pretty constructive manner.

I don't understand where you're coming from. Your description of the review seems kind of lazy

 

[NullPointer]

Dude is literally a paid Warframe shill (and The Division before that crashed and burned) but sure, damn mainstream media fake news is "suppressing the real story"

Give it a break, he's been covering Destiny and The Division for a while now. Feel free to contest his actual points.

And his Warframe review came with a free prime from Digital Extremes but then he went out and spent that same amount of his own money so he could vet the value proposition for himself - both things he made clear in his Warframe review.

You sound a little unhinged.

My takeaway from the review is that he still loves the moment-to-moment of Destiny (and calls it the very best ever in console shooters), but was hoping for a Reaper-of-Souls like systems overhaul - the kind of overhaul that makes the end-game loot grind enjoyable and rewarding for as long as you want, and with rare loot that is unique. RoS kept the moment to moment of Diablo 3, but made all of the content infinitely replayable and remixed, and with updates added a slew of unique legendaries that kept the loot hunt worthwhile. D2 isn't that, and he misses the state of the game from D1 that got tossed to clear the slate for the sequel.

 

[thumb]

Dude is literally a paid Warframe shill (and The Division before that crashed and burned) but sure, damn mainstream media fake news is "suppressing the real story"

Skillup's review of Destiny 2 is thoughtful, considered, and thorough. I was really impressed by it, and I don't think your criticism is fair. Nor do I think he claims anywhere that the media is "suppressing the real story". He does take issue with where the primary point of comparison should be for Destiny 2: should it be compared to vanilla Destiny 1, or post-Taken King Destiny 1? His argument is for the latter.

 

[Staf]

The game has been out for a while now. Is it worth getting for someone not interested in endgame grinding or multiplayer? Or should i wait for a pricedrop? I didn't play Destiny 1.

 

[KodaRuss]

The game has been out for a while now. Is it worth getting for someone not interested in endgame grinding or multiplayer? Or should i wait for a pricedrop? I didn't play Destiny 1.

Do you see yourself ever playing the raid?

The grind isnt bad at all in Destiny 2 in my opinion. There are so many activities in the game that will get you to 270+ that it hasnt felt like a grind at all for me.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

The game has been out for a while now. Is it worth getting for someone not interested in endgame grinding or multiplayer? Or should i wait for a pricedrop? I didn't play Destiny 1.

No. If you dont like loot chases then stay away. That's basically what Destiny is. The lousy story will take you like 7 hours? or so and then you grind for shit. It's a light grind imo but that's what you do.

 

[Seth Enosh]

No. If you dont like loot chases then stay away. That's basically what Destiny is. The lousy story will take you like 7 hours? or so and then you grind for shit. It's a light grind imo but that's what you do.

You get more than 7 hours if you do the adventure missions and quests, which are also story content.

I agree if you don't like multiplayer stay away, it's the bread and butter of this game either in co op or competitive.

 

[Bold One]

Skillup's review of Destiny 2 is thoughtful, considered, and thorough. I was really impressed by it, and I don't think your criticism is fair. Nor do I think he claims anywhere that the media is "suppressing the real story". He does take issue with where the primary point of comparison should be for Destiny 2: should it be compared to vanilla Destiny 1, or post-Taken King Destiny 1? His argument is for the latter.

While this review is thorough and well 'balanced' I think it is a bit disingenuous to compare the compiled efforts and of four DLCs and an expansion to D2. There is simply not enough dev time to make the kind of game he wants Destiny 2 to be.

Add to that the fact there is still things coming through on the road-map. What is there is flawed but fantastic social shooter. I do get people who are calling him out, for looking at D2 through the lens of Warframe - especially when you see the title for his Plains of Eidelon video.

 

[Dodecagon]

The game has been out for a while now. Is it worth getting for someone not interested in endgame grinding or multiplayer? Or should i wait for a pricedrop? I didn't play Destiny 1.

Yes, I got to endgame content purely by narrative content and completing the milestones at the end (281), about 15 hrs

 

[cooldawn]

Dude is literally a paid Warframe shill (and The Division before that crashed and burned) but sure, damn mainstream media fake news is "suppressing the real story"

He's been a Destiny fan for years. he's been a Warframe fan for what, a couple of months or so?! Can someone not critique a game they like to play if they like playing another game?

Not sure of the relevance.

He does take issue with where the primary point of comparison should be for Destiny 2: should it be compared to vanilla Destiny 1, or post-Taken King Destiny 1? His argument is for the latter.

I think he does a good job of comparing Destiny with it's sequel but the underlying point is not to do with content. By the time The Taken King released Destiny had solid systems and mechanics to provide players with a greater sense of customisation and choice. Destiny 2 removed most of those systems and mechanics which is why he feels Destiny 2 isn't the game Destiny ended up being. A much better original title to a newborn sequel.

He want's to know why. To be fair, so do I.

 

[thumb]

Another lengthy video review by a veteran player, "I Hate Everything":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqyco2NYBOs

Like SkillUp's video, this one is in-depth and about an hour in length, though considerably more negative.

 

[Niceguydan8]

While this review is thorough and well 'balanced' I think it is a bit disingenuous to compare the compiled efforts and of four DLCs and an expansion to D2. There is simply not enough dev time to make the kind of game he wants Destiny 2 to be.

I think it's even more disingenuous to compare it to launch Destiny, unless you are specifically basing your review around that.


I think what he wants the game to do is really anything that would be seen as risky/different. Destiny 2 is largely more of the same but a bit better, which is fine, but I think his point is that we had already gotten more of the same but a bit better for the previous two years.

 

[Bold One]

I think it's even more disingenuous to compare it to launch Destiny, unless you are specifically basing your review around that.


I think what he wants the game to do is really anything that would be seen as risky/different. Destiny 2 is largely more of the same but a bit better, which is fine, but I think his point is that we had already gotten more of the same but a bit better for the previous two years.

Big AAA productions of this size don' take risks, especially with a winning formula - This an Activision published game with a dev team the size of a small town - a guaranteed return is the prime directive - cynical, I know but thems the breaks.

As for the fact we had already gotten this from the TTK onwards....I don't know, the only thing D2 doesn't have is a PoE or CoO..apart from that, I consider D2 a step beyond all that - except PvP 4v4 nonsense :/

While I too bemoan leaving so much behind, I reckon they will re-introduce it over time, this game is barely 3 weeks old, and what we have is far ahead of what Vanilla destiny was it will not stand still.