Destiny - Review Thread

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Why do people keep saying "It's not an MMO, don't treat it like one it's unfair!"

If you have all the trappings and tropes of an MMO then you are going to be treated like one, it has Strikes which are dungeons, it has crafting which involves grinding mats, it has a raid, it has a social hub, it has bounties which are basically daily quests or weekly quests...

The list goes on. It's not like Destiny is the worse game ever, but it's certainly not a good one.

Again, like any game, why is everyone basing it on the initial portion, nobody has even done the raid yet! Have you done any of the heroic strikes? Most fun I've had in gaming in a long long time.
 
This game has seriously felt like a combination of Borderlands + The Old Republic + Phantasy Star Online to me. That's not entirely a good thing, either. The planets just feel like theme park settings to ride around and do the same things in different settings. None of the gameplay has evolved from Story Levels 1 through 11 yet, and I'm getting bored.

I don't feel like I'm in a galaxy full of players, either. Despite the touting of being an MMO, I only see a character here or there every now and then; feels pretty desolate.

Beyond that, my major problem with it is that it's severely lacking in personality.

Overall, this game feels like a tech demo of what an MMO would be like, if MMOs did not yet exist. It feels more like Phantasy Star Online more than it feels like an MMO so far to me.

But it's not an MMO! So you can't compare it on that level. It's only as much of an MMO as it needs to be to justify not sending out review copies on time.

:lol

It's a census thread actually. A consensus one would defeat its own purpose. ;)

Putting a numerical value on it (which was, as pointed out above, still in the mid 80's) doesn't change the criticisms that people have about the game. Someone can say a game is an 8/10 and still gripe that it has repetitive content and crappy communication options.
 
But it's not an MMO! So you can't compare it on that level. It's only as much of an MMO as it needs to be to justify not sending out review copies on time.

:lol

KuGsj.gif
Well played.
 
I think Destiny is the equivalent of Mass Effect 1. A flawed new IP but with lots of love and care put into it, it just needs a sequel to really work the kinks out.

I get your point, but Mass Effect isn't the best comparison. Many fans of the series think that was the best game and it was much better received than Destiny. I think Assassin's Creed would be a better comparison.

I'm not going to pass full judgment on the game yet because I'm only about quarter way through Venus, but overall I'd rate my experience as a 6-6.5. When I'm playing with friends, it's like a 7.

I think the problem with Destiny is that many feel like they were misled on how the full game would actually be. Bungie claimed that the beta was less than 10% of the full game and that there would more to Old Russia, which was a flat out lie. Destiny seemed to be so much more ambitious than the actual product we got especially when considering Bungie's pedigree.

Another thing is we just got Diablo III:RoS less than a month ago, which was far superior(IMO of course). Perhaps, if it wasn't for the marketing, Bungie name, and recent comparable games, many wouldn't be as down on the game as they are now.

It was hyped as if it was a new Halo and called the first true current gen game even though it's on last gen consoles. Things like this raised people's expectations higher than they should of been based on what was played in the Alpha/Beta.

Most of the problems we're talking about now were also present in the beta, but we chose to look past them, hoping the full game would be different based on the above factors(myself included).

Sure, Destiny is a competent game and it's fun when played with friends, but really you can say that for almost any non-shovel ware game. Destiny's content is NOT what many were expecting and the reactions are basically proof of that because many played the Alpha and/or Beta and are still disappointed in the full game.

Perhaps, you can say we had delusions of grandeur expecting Destiny to be a wonderful cross of Mass Effect/Borderlands with gameplay as strong as Halo's, but that's why there is so much backlash. It's not because it's necessarily a bad game, but it turned out to be merely a mediocre/average game that was a far cry from expectations.
 
If its satisfying to play (which it is- mechanically it is spandex tight!), incredibly polished and full of enough content to last you a good long while... isnt that more than enough to warrant an 8?

I'm all for Bungie getting chewed out because I know theyll take it personally and work harder to set things right, but Destiny is, to me, good enough that some of its flaws (chat, "repetitive" gameplay) are offset to some degree. Its no more repetitive than Borderlands 2, for instance, and it also has the advantage of being way more fun to play.

I don't think it is, really. There are far more negatives than positives but the review scores aren't taking those into account because it's fun at times. A game that doesn't do much particularly well and has a lot of things that feel only half-finished shouldn't get high review scores.

Why do people keep saying "It's not an MMO, don't treat it like one it's unfair!"

If you have all the trappings and tropes of an MMO then you are going to be treated like one, it has Strikes which are dungeons, it has crafting which involves grinding mats, it has a raid, it has a social hub, it has bounties which are basically daily quests or weekly quests...

The list goes on. It's not like Destiny is the worse game ever, but it's certainly not a good one.

Those things aren't what make a game an MMO, though.
 
I think Destiny is a game which is always going to struggle in some circles because of what it isn't, rather than be praised for what it is.

I guess Activision and Bungie could (should?) shoulder some of the blame for that with their marketing. I'm not sure because I didn't follow the game closely enough pre-launch to know what they said it would be, but even with my limited pre-release knowledge I feel like I've had to dial down my expectations a bit having played it. If people who did pour over the pre-release info with a fine tooth comb do feel dissapointed, then I can kind of see why.

Which is a shame because personally, I'm enjoying it a hell of a lot. I like almost everything about it, mechanically. Gameplay wise I think it's a very solid and well crafted experience. It looks good, the UI is lovely, I like the mission structure (even if the missions themselves are a little thin), I'm a fan of the weapon and armour loot and I'm enjoying the PVP immensly. And I like how all the modes and activities are persistent to your character. There's very little I can pick at or criticise regarding the actual gameplay experience with Destiny. Especially when playing it with friends.
 
Although I am in the Destiny is great camp, I do hope Bungle take the criticisms and suggestions in to account and make actual changes.

It is clear now that selling people the idea of the game is not difficult, its keeping them playing and competing for playing with other games that will prove testing. To do that they have implement better functions.

Awaiting several sizeable patches
 
Perhaps, you can say we had delusions of grandeur expecting Destiny to be a wonderful cross of Mass Effect/Borderlands with gameplay as strong as Halo's, but that's why there is so much backlash. It's not because it's necessarily a bad game, but it turned out to be merely a mediocre/average game that was a far cry from expectations.

This is a fair assessment.

6 months from now the game could be quite interesting. Not sure if MMO relaunches have faired well historically.
 
Again, like any game, why is everyone basing it on the initial portion, nobody has even done the raid yet! Have you done any of the heroic strikes? Most fun I've had in gaming in a long long time.

Well while it's fair to argue that your enjoyment of a game changes with time... at some point players are perfectly justified in calling it on not being as good as it could be in its opening portions. The "play 20 hours of Final Fantasy and it gets good!" excuse is in my opinion not a valid one; if the game can't entice you to play it, even in its early sections, that's its own fault. It's why after playing through the entire beta I decided not to pick up Destiny day one--there might be a lot more meaty story content and more fun locations but I tried their sampler and wasn't left wanting more.
 
Those things aren't what make a game an MMO, though.

If your game has all the mechanics, and game design that most MMO's have, it essentially is one. The only difference with Destiny is the size of the game, it's a smaller scaled MMO. Zones are smaller, amount of players in each instance are smaller, only one hub zone, etc. Even Phantasy Star Online was sold as a MMO, and it had exact same setup and only supported an even smaller number of players in zones/groups.

There is nothing wrong with it being a MMO, people are enjoying it but it really is also not an excuse to be used to cover for the flaws of the game. People are focusing on naming it a MMO or not as somehow trying to justify the games shortcomings?
 
I can't wait to see the fucking meltdowns when No Man's Sky comes out if this is what's happening for a game that mostly nailed it.

6 months from now the game could be quite interesting. Not sure if MMO relaunches have faired well historically.

FFXIV, from what I've heard is vastly improved since its initial launch.
 
Destiny is babby's first MMO. They tried their best to implement some of the best elements of the subgenre, but ended up being superficial and clumsy as a whole. I don't mind a hybrid, but it's clearly not even that. Bungie still knows how to make gunplay and enemy encounters fun though, especially with the addictive customization of your character; all the guns/equipment ( and their respective upgrades) you buy have their own strengths and can be utilized in different ways. It kinda makes this a little more disappointing.
 
I can't wait to see the fucking meltdowns when No Man's Sky comes out if this is what's happening for a game that mostly nailed it.

its funny because it seems forums = disappointment. In game and real world = damn this game is awesome.

Everyone I know at work right now is talking about this game and everyone seems to love it. Not hearing anything like what I read here. Pretty odd.
 
I think Destiny is a game which is always going to struggle in some circles because of what it isn't, rather than be praised for what it is.

There might be people going too far with the MMO or crazy stuff (space dog fights) where you could argue that, but most folks seem to be tackling exactly what the game is and offers.

Waking up this morning to find |OT| has spilled over here to keep pushing their 'you can't criticize my game', not necessarily you or everyone to be clear, pretty much killed the mood. Especially when the valid criticisms are still being lumped in with the obvious drive by stuff.
 
This games story is worse than Diablo 3. Well, what little story it has anyway

If it wasn't for my love of Space Cowboyism I don't know if I'd put up with how bad it is
 
Diablo has excellent mechanics, especially D2. D3 has the best combat system for an isometric ARPG ever.

Destiny is most similar to D3 though although Destiny is not at the top in its genre when it comes to game play.
 
There might be people going to far with the MMO or crazy stuff (space dog fights) where you could argue that, but most folks seem to be tackling exactly what the game is arguing.

Waking up this morning to find |OT| has spilled over here to keep pushing their 'you can't criticize my game', not necessarily you or everyone to be clear, pretty much killed the mood. Especially when the valid criticisms are still being lumped in with he obvious drive by stuff.

The are just as many people blindly hating as there are blindly defending.
 
My friend and I have been playing through the game together since it came out. We've both come to thr conclusion that the game is good.

The gunplay is great and feels fun to play especially when fighting ai enemies. However there's this constant feeling of something missing that we cant seem to shake. And its very weird as we think the game is extremely polished.

It feels like Destiny should be much, much more than weve been given.

There's little gun variety. Just different damage output and color pallet swaps within the four classes. Some weapons are completely pointless to use in pvp while others are a bit overpowered. Pvp at times can feel very unbalanced due to the fact that at any moment without warning you can be OHKOd. But I guess its fine since you can do the same...these are things that can be fixed with subsequent updates I guess. But hell if I'm going to pay for it.

The horribly repetitive story missions. The garbage story. The lack of any interesting NPCs. I really feel if the story was stronger and gave people more of a motivational backbone and reason for their actions the amount of criticism would decrease.

I really don't know what it is. I didn't come into this game overly hyped at all. And yet i still feel a bit disappointed.

Its gone from a game i planned on owning for a very long time, since i rarely play competitive shooters anymore, to one ill trade in barring any major changes. 7.5-8/10 for me.
 
Well while it's fair to argue that your enjoyment of a game changes with time... at some point players are perfectly justified in calling it on not being as good as it could be in its opening portions. The "play 20 hours of Final Fantasy and it gets good!" excuse is in my opinion not a valid one; if the game can't entice you to play it, even in its early sections, that's its own fault. It's why after playing through the entire beta I decided not to pick up Destiny day one--there might be a lot more meaty story content and more fun locations but I tried their sampler and wasn't left wanting more.

The story is serviceable, and much better than the drivel that was diablo 3. And most of the strikes are very well made and polished. It feels hectic. And at least for me, though my buddies say I have a leprechaun in my pocket, I keep getting constant upgrades and gear since level 5 lol. I do agree with you need to play this game co op though, 100x better. Single isn't bad, it's just not on the same level. Lvl 23 now btw.
 
Got back to where I was with the Beta last night. I'm enjoying the game a lot, didn't even dip into the crucible since I really hate PvP. I'm looking forward to the raids and strikes with some buddies once I catch back up in level.

On that note I'll be playing for like 6-7 hours tonight with the girlfriend out of town. Level 8 right now on the moon so if anyone similarly leveled wants to form a strike team after work hours (EST) send me a PM. Casual pace, with fairly frequent visits to the tower to update bounties and decrypt weapons.
 
The are just as many people blindly hating as there are blindly defending.
I mentioned those people too. But maybe those should be the posts that are recognized as such instead of throwing everyone who has a critique of the game in the same pool?

And I don't know if I would go so far with blindly defending. They just use deflective straw mans or say they just want an echo chamber.
 
So what about the lotto numbers for this month? I can always use a few million bucks.

He can't predict the future, but I really believe on his statement. Destiny seems quite a forgettable experience.
It doesnt necessarily means it is a bad game.
 
If they'd stuck with your opinion of keeping it more traditional, it'd just be like every other shooter. Right now Destiny is actually pretty unique. It's essentially a simplified, more accessible mix of MMO/RPG elements infused in to a FPS. They just need to add a bit more variety to the content (though I'm not post level 20 yet, so I can't say this for sure) and mission structure. And improve the narrative delivery.
I like the idea of the MMO elements added to the game as a concept. I can think of a ton of cool things they could do with it. However as it actually exists, it is not that special. As I stated before, those MMO elements come with a cost. One of the big ones being the generic MMO style missions. Yes Destiny is unique, but it is also dull. Even you admit that it needs work. All the problems that you identify are directly attributable to the needs of the MMO added elements.

I comment on the benefits you say the MMO elements add to the game below:

- A much greater sense of depth and scope
I question this. By making it like an MMO you are just one adventurer among many. You are no longer special with a tight narrative focused around your actions. The scope of the game consists of go over here and guard the bot. Go over there and guard the bot.

But ultimately the reality of the effects of the MMO elements were just that I'd see other players while I'm running to my mission. I helped other players out a little but I never felt that it was necessary. I'll admit that its possible that theis could change at higher level if the outside areas were more dangerous.​

- More of a community feel. Eg heading back to the Tower amongst so many others and having a nice break awayfrom the missions or crucible, and being able to do so many other tertiary tasks.
The Tower really didn't work for me, and I began to resent the extra time it took to go there because the game had to do its matchmaking. I think the Tower would be much better if they made it optional. That way you'd know that all the people you see there want to be social. When I just want to do some maintenance tasks after a mission, I'm just going to pop in. Run to the vendors, and then pop back out as fast as I can.​

- More items, weapons, equipment, abilities, options, tasks and so on.
This has nothing to do with MMO elements. Borderlands had more of all that yet it was a normal game​

- Having hubs or options to meet or join up with random players in a more organic manner.
Yet Destiny doesn't really give you the tools to do that. What are the odds that the few people I run into on the planet want to do missions with someone else and there is no easy way to find out? At the very least the game should allow you to say that you want to group up with others, and then use that information to put all those people on planets together. It should also have optional proximity chat and a way to auto join an instance if players have stated that they want to party up an enter an instance at the same time.​

- More overall content, and dynamic updates to it (e.g. future raids, events, missions, items etc).
This game has less content which is evident by the fact that there is so much retreading the same ground in the game. As for dynamic updates we'll have to see what they do, but judging by the quality of the content that is already in the game I'm expecting mission of the type: "The Vex have set up a camp on earth. Go to this location and scan their computer to help us determine their plans."

I'll also point out that Borderlands added quite a bit of content as normal DLC.​
 
I can't wait to see the fucking meltdowns when No Man's Sky comes out if this is what's happening for a game that mostly nailed it.



FFXIV, from what I've heard is vastly improved since its initial launch.

Anyone with two brain cells to rub together shouldn't expect grand things from no man's sky. It's coming from the creators of the completely-enjoyable-but-nothing-like-it Joe Danger games. It's a randomly generated world where you just, you know, kinda hang out and do some space stuff or something.

Essentially, it's very pie-in-the-sky, much like Destiny was. Only destiny is coming from the makers of the Halo 1 and most of the halo series, that series that is up there with COD4 and Goldeneye as part of the trifecta of FPS games that have helped to convert console gamers into the FPS genre. Halo especially helped given that Halo 2 was an introduction to online shooters for a large contingent of console gamers.

Let's just say that any decent person should be able to manage their expectation with NMS better than with Destiny, although i'd argue that no game is deserving of such prelaunch hype at all, regardless of the pedigree behind it.
 
Biggest complain is the loot and gun variety. We are a generation behind even the first Borderlands of gun variety and variations. All guns look the same... There isn't much that separate a lvl 1 scout than a lvl 15 scout rifle visually. And it's shame. In borderlands, there are different gun manufacturers and each gun you loot will be a base from that maker giving him it's look and it's base stats. Then, the gun randomisation will add a different grip, sight, stock, barrel of different maker (different design) and tweak both it's stats both visual. I never felt like having twice the same guns in Borderlands.

In Destiny It's a grey assault rifle, now it's a Shingen AR, it's blue. Now it's a Cydonia, it's blue, with a aim point. Yoohoo... Boring. What is a legendary gun if it look just like any other one ? Hope the legendary / exotic stuff are really different designs and not just paint jobs.

Then, no maps. Game based on open world exploration but no map. Okay... To get a map, go out your level, have a + 1 minute loading to go to orbit, check the map, go down back to your level with another 1+ minute loading. Seriously, what is the point of orbit ? Couldn't we just had the Map anytime and skip the entire orbit part that is just USELESS time wasted loading twice longer than we should ?
 
He can't predict the future, but I really believe on his statement. Destiny seems quite a forgettable experience.
It doesnt necessarily means it is a bad game.

It all depends on what Bungie has planned for future content and updates I think.
 
its funny because it seems forums = disappointment. In game and real world = damn this game is awesome.

Everyone I know at work right now is talking about this game and everyone seems to love it. Not hearing anything like what I read here. Pretty odd.

Same. People at my job are hyping the game up "YOU HAVE TO PLAY THIS GAME!" Thanks to the marketing, Destiny is the FFVII of shooters.
 
I mentioned those people too. But maybe those should be the posts that are recognized as such instead of throwing everyone who has a critique of the game in the same pool?

Only a minority of people are doing that, the ones blindly defending. Just as the ones blindly hating are ignoring anyone wih anything positive to say.

The majority of people are open to actively discussing the game's short falls along side its strengths. You should probably just ignore the few times you've had your points swept aside like that by over zealous defenders and just engage with the rest of us.
 
What other game on consoles does what dentiny is doing, and then some?

None I can think of... it's a jack of all trades, master of none (except gunplay)

...the funny thing is, I'm OK with that since it's so much fun...which I think is all that should count anyway.
 
Biggest complain is the loot and gun variety. We are a generation behind even the first Borderlands of gun variety and variations. All guns look the same... There isn't much that separate a lvl 1 scout than a lvl 15 scout rifle visually. And it's shame. In borderlands, there are different gun manufacturers and each gun you loot will be a base from that maker giving him it's look and it's base stats. Then, the gun randomisation will add a different grip, sight, stock, barrel of different maker (different design) and tweak both it's stats both visual. I never felt like having twice the same guns in Borderlands.

In Destiny It's a grey assault rifle, now it's a Shingen AR, it's blue. Now it's a Cydonia, it's blue, with a aim point. Yoohoo... Boring. What is a legendary gun if it look just like any other one ? Hope the legendary / exotic stuff are really different designs and not just paint jobs.

Then, no maps. Game based on open world exploration but no map. Okay... To get a map, go out your level, have a + 1 minute loading to go to orbit, check the map, go down back to your level with another 1+ minute loading. Seriously, what is the point of orbit ? Couldn't we just had the Map anytime and skip the entire orbit part that is just USELESS time wasted loading twice longer than we should ?

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They get better as you progress. Also tons more abilities. This one is great for pvp since of of it's abilities is super fast aiming.
 
I don't understand the "ripoff" complaints.

Even if the game isn't your cup of tea, there is a lot of content in here.

10-15 single player campaign
Post-game raid content
Full multiplayer mode

How is that, in any sense, a "ripoff"?

That is a lot more content than most full price AAA shooters.

Even if you don't particularly like the game itself, it definitely has a decent amount of content.

To quote myself from earlier:

You could add even more copy-paste missions and make the game 100 hours long. That doesn't mean it will be worth even more money. Quantity and quality are not the same thing. If a game has 20 hours of the same content over and over then I'd consider it not worth my money.

On an unrelated note:

Also tons moe abilities. \

moe1.jpg
 
I wonder how it is selling despite any reviews. My guess is COD levels or better.
Because it's all from hype but the average person won't realize how lacking in content the game is. Bungie knew that the game wouldn't live up to the hype and that's why they didn't give early review copies. They don't actually want the consumer to be informed about what they are buying.

Judging by the reactions to the game on here, many were let down and probably would not have bought the game if reviews had informed them of this beforehand. Personally, I saw the disapointment from the Beta and the announcement of 5 areas for the whole game.
 
In terms of character progression, there seems to be a huge gap between level 1 until you get to level 15+. Level 1-13/14, most of your guns/armor indeed sound and feel the same, with differing stats. Physical appearance is a huge factor for a game like this, especially if they made the extra effort to include a third person mode for the social hub of the game.
 
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