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[ArkkAngel007]

Still don't see why people care about the story. Do you buy cod for the magnificent story, or battlefield etc. Nobody cares about story in multiplayer online shooters.

People don't even follow the story in MMOs.

People actually do, so stop projecting.

And personally, I like to care about what I'm doing in a game. That what I'm doing actually serves a purpose.

I don't get that with Destiny at all. In COD and Battlefield, and countless other online shooter campaigns, I understand why and somewhat am immersed in why I am doing what I'm doing. I understand what that thing I'm getting to is, what it does, and where that fits in with everything else. It gives me a sense of progression and accomplishment.

I don't get that here with Destiny. Sure, I'm hooked on the core gameplay loop, but it feels dull and like I'm running on a treadmill. And while Bungie isn't known as narrative kings and queens, I never felt like I was merely going through the motions of gameplay for the sake of them, but that what I was doing served a purpose and advanced the narrative.

 

[Summer Haze]

Between the live-streams I've been watching, and people's impressions on GAF, I'm glad I didn't get this day one. I think I'll jump in when it gets to around £25.

 

[Griss]

I don't think Destiny can be equated to CoD at all. I think Bungie has also outdone themselves with making people think this is going to be some crazy space opera with mankind on the brink of destruction. I just think the way they conveyed the game didn't end up living up to people's expectations, so it's easy to see why people are quite disappointed in the story, myself included.

And while I do agree with you on the MMO front, the fact is, Destiny might have been designed with MMO features in mind, but implemented poorly. Just because we have factions and vendors and raids doesn't make this an MMO. The planets should have been populated with NPCs that gave out side quests and not been as empty as it was. There is no reason my trek on Mars from point A to point B in one mission should have taken 3 minutes with nothing to do in between. The Beacons in explore mode don't really alleviate any of this, as the quests are extremely generic. I would have much rather talked to the Hunter chick out on Mars or Venus and help her fight her way through a cavern, and that way learn more about her character perhaps.

Sigh, I'm going off on a tangent. The more I discuss this game, the more I get fired about it.

Basically, people thought it would be more like Borderlands when you're on the ground. Not that it's out, we realise that it would be so much better if that was the case.

Borderlands, you were ahead of your time...

 

[inpHilltr8r]

Apparently Bungie do because they wanted the story of Destiny to rival Star Wars...

Midichlorians.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

How is it not an MMO? Always online, it boasts a massive world with people that can hop in and out and join you, or you can run into people. It even has reputation grinds(Why is this a thing..) and daily missions. The only thing it's lacking to make it a true MMO is well..some support of communication in game.

As Shakespeare said...a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

The lack of social features, the comparatively small scale of the world and player count.

The social element is akin to finding players in journey or Ps home outside of your squad.

It's an online RPGx definitely not an mmo.

 

[Zeuanimals]

That's what's wrong with most people who play games. 7 = a 1 now, unfortunately

To me, 7 means possibly not worth my time. I just don't have the time to put into every average game anymore. A 7 can also mean the game is incredibly unique in what it's doing and some reviewers just don't get it or it's just not their cup of tea, therefore it may be worth trying out, but Destiny does not seem to be that game.

I've played the beta and everyone says the full game feels pretty much like the beta but with more content. If you enjoyed the beta, then you'll probably enjoy the full game, if you didn't, then you probably won't enjoy it.

 

[antitrop]

Between the live-streams I've been watching, and people's impressions on GAF, I'm glad I didn't get this day one. I think I'll jump in when it gets to around £25.

It's an Activision game, so that will be when Destiny 2 comes out.

 

[Dabanton]

It's crazy to think that this game is probably already out of the running for media GOTY.

 

[RK9039]

How is it not an MMO? Always online, it boasts a massive world with people that can hop in and out and join you, or you can run into people. It even has reputation grinds(Why is this a thing..) and daily missions. The only thing it's lacking to make it a true MMO is well..some support of communication in game.

As Shakespeare said...a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Except it isn't a Rose, it's a Dandelion. You blow away all the style and you're left with Peter Dinklage just leveling up his intellect on some random sci-fi crap.

 

[Sean]

Just hold your horses. No one expected the Halo story to get that big either. Bungie was always good in world building, not storytelling. The way I see it there is a lot of room here to tell an epic story and they just laid the foundation now. Could be that they'll use books to fill it with content like in Halo. We'll see.

The foundation they laid in Destiny is a hot pile of steaming garbage. 99% of players will have absolutely no clue what the fuck is going on in the story and probably won't care either.

I just can't imagine anybody being interested enough in the lore of Destiny to buy a future novel or something.

 

[Griss]

Well, the thing is they were going for a 'non-traditional' plot system. They wanted you to read a bunch of stuff out of game. Hence, the huge push for cards and such. The thing is I'm betting the vast majority would have preferred a traditional delivery. Not to mention the fact that you should be able to read all about the cards in game. I'm not going to be bothered to constantly pull up a mobile app or open a browser to read about the lore/cards.

Yeah, the bolded is the stupidest and most offensive way to deliver plot in a game.

'Hey, you want the narrative? You spent 60 bucks on our game? Too bad, go buy a bunch of shitty books and collectibles and see if you can piece something coherent together.'

Actually no, fuck you. I have no interest in your high-margin licensed tat. I just won't bother with your game. Narrative games should be self-contained experiences.

 

[Arrogant Bastard]

The lack of social features, the comparatively small scale of the world and player count.

The social element is akin to finding players in journey or Ps home outside of your squad.

It's an online RPGx definitely not an mmo.

Not to mention the lack of Massively anything. Log onto WoW, there are more people in Goldshire than the Tower at peak times.

Yeah, the bolded is the stupidest and most offensive way to deliver plot in a game.

'Hey, you want the narrative? You spent 60 bucks on our game? Too bad, go buy a bunch of shitty books and collectibles and see if you can piece something coherent together.'

Actually no, fuck you. I have no interest in your high-margin licensed tat. I just won't bother with your game. Narrative games should be self-contained experiences.

I was referring to the cards that you get in game, that I have yet to check out...cause I have to read them through a mobile app or check them out at destiny.com or w/e.

Side note, what is the purpose of clans are they even functional at all?

 

[AHA-Lambda]

The foundation they laid in Destiny is a hot pile of steaming garbage. 99% of players will have absolutely no clue what the fuck is going on in the story and probably won't care either.

I just can't imagine anybody being interested enough in the lore of Destiny to buy a future novel or something.

Oh you'll always get obsessive fans who'll buy everything and mistake amount of story for quality and depth of story >_>

 

[-tetsuo-]

It is at 78% on gamerankings.

 

[Beer Monkey]

Bobby? Pshh... it's mission accomplished right now for him... money is already in the bank. It's the developers whose bonuses are contingent on the Metacritic average who are pissed right now.

Well, the goal is obviously to create an 'evergreen' franchise that is on the charts (sales and online player count) like Halo was for years, like CoD, etc.

 

[Cutebrute]

Design director and writer for the game. I doubt they just scrapped everything and magically spit out what we have now after his departure a year ago.

Maybe whatever he is working on at Microsoft is more suitable for him. I have mad respect for the guy, so I'll hold on to that until a pattern starts emerging.

In my opinion, Joe Staten's writing has never been particularly great in games. In Halo 2 and 3 in particular, the games don't convey the story in a particular cohesive way, and the reason I could care about the story or characters was because of the build up and attachment I had stemming from Halo 1. If you missed a line of dialogue or a cutscene, you were probably fucked when it came to following the Halo stories. Call me crazy, but I thought Halo 4 did a far better job of telling its story and I liked the characters a lot more in that game.

Kind of shocking TBH. Everyone who didn't like Halo 4 always echoed that Destiny would be Halo's real successor given Bungie were at the helm and now Destiny has released to a mixed to modestly positive reception people are saying the opposite to what everyone had expected. I read of so many people on GAF hoping that Destiny would be Halo's true spiritual successor matching the quality of the Halo games and now the game's out there the opposite has kind of happened; people prefer 343's Halo 4.

Shocked at that. I was almost certain Destiny would be the game getting the better critical reaction.

People are retroactively liking Halo 4 more in light of Bungie's new release. That sounds like the internet being the internet to me.

Oh, no doubt. I didn't buy that explanation for one second.

Yeah, I don't see how anyone could buy Bungie's excuse, given the player caps and what we've known and seen first-hand about the social experiences from the beta. It was a convenient cop out to not open up the servers until 9/9.

I think horsepower is irrelevant to the quality of the game. Skyrim, Far Cry 3, Borderlands 1 and 2, Halo 4 were all last gen games. They all have things in them far beyond what is going on in Destiny. I'd happily take Ubisofts run around and collect shit and do little tasks design than travel over the same terrain only to shot the same enemies over again.

 

[Mascot]

I'm confused.

Is this game any good or what?

 

[uncledonnie]

The foundation they laid in Destiny is a hot pile of steaming garbage. 99% of players will have absolutely no clue what the fuck is going on in the story and probably won't care either.

I just can't imagine anybody being interested enough in the lore of Destiny to buy a future novel or something.

That's a little extreme, but I do agree that a comparison to Halo is laughable. If the story in Destiny were anywhere near as good as what was in Halo CE you wouldn't have anyone complaining about it.

 

[Gorillaz]

The foundation they laid in Destiny is a hot pile of steaming garbage. 99% of players will have absolutely no clue what the fuck is going on in the story and probably won't care either.

I just can't imagine anybody being interested enough in the lore of Destiny to buy a future novel or something.

The foundation isn't the problem. They have the ground work. They just did a terrible ass job building up the foundation and lore.

The whole novel talk, media all that shit that halo has now (which I assume thats where you are coming from) can be worked on down the road. Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

[jetjevons]

It feels like a solid 4/5 to me (if playing with others). Maybe a 3/5 it you're going it solo.

 

[ClosingADoor]

I don't get the critics on the story. It's not hard to follow, it's just not going in depth that much. But isn't that what Bungie does? Halo: Combat Evolved was basicly: there are some alien dudes attacking you, there is some kind of wierd ring. Oh, it's a weapon, stop it!

Only in the sequels and surrounding books and stuff did everything get filled in. I expect the same for Destiny.

 

[breakfuss]

Destiny basically owned itself by being an MMO. The masses are just not ready for it.

This has been replied to several times already, but again, Desinty hardly qualifies as an MMO. If at all.

Honestly though, of the individuals who bought the game would a review have changed your mind?

I have been pretty vocal about the stuff that I do not like about the game, but at the end of the day it is the same complaints I had at the end of beta.

The only 'new' thing is I thought that the story part would have been fixed.

I'm pretty much the same as you. I honestly thought the story would have been fleshed out more (mind you, I still haven't finished). And as I mentioned before, I did not expect the campaign to be limited to fire teams. I remember specifically calling that out during the beta. Even thought it was an error on my end. So I'm shocked to see no matchmaking or even an easy way to link up with people when embarking on missions. Really, I just expected the social features to be more robust. For all its issues, I even think GTAO handled it better. Ehhh, still would have likely bought this on launch, though. I think, lol.

 

[ElMexiMerican]

Yeah, the bolded is the stupidest and most offensive way to deliver plot in a game.

'Hey, you want the narrative? You spent 60 bucks on our game? Too bad, go buy a bunch of shitty books and collectibles and see if you can piece something coherent together.'

Actually no, fuck you. I have no interest in your high-margin licensed tat. I just won't bother with your game. Narrative games should be self-contained experiences.

It seems like that's how most of Bungie's games have been, at least to me, which is my biggest problem with their games.

 

[Dabanton]

Apparently Bungie do because they wanted the story of Destiny to rival Star Wars, Garry Potter and Lords of the Ring.

That quote will haunt Bungie

"We like to tell big stories and we want people to put the Destiny universe on the same shelf they put Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or Star Wars; we've already seen they do that with Halo. We were extremely proud of what we achieved with Halo... I'm pretty convinced we are going to do it again with Destiny in a way that maybe even Halo never achieved before,"

Absolutely lulzy in hindsight.

Also I hate it when devs before the first game is even on shelves are talking about trilogies or 10 year plans as if it's a dead cert that people are actually going to want to take that journey with you.

 

[Arrogant Bastard]

I'm confused.

Is this game any good or what?

Did you play the Alpha or Beta? Did you enjoy that?

Yes the game is good, yes the game is fun, yes the game is flawed. The story...there isn't one.

 

[funkypie]

Cause it has so much potential. Comparing this to CoD/BF is really silly. Hell the majority probably don't even finish the campaign in those games, if they even touch them at all.



What did you honestly think was going to be different. You saw the explore mode, the strikes, the story mode. What were you really expecting?

Yeah had potential to be a great game regardless of the story.

A game can be great and have the worse story. I've had a good time and didn't care for the story. Same with diablo.

 

[Liamc723]

I'm confused.

Is this game any good or what?

It's a decent game, but it is also extremely disappointing.

 

[PanicFreak]

I'm confused.

Is this game any good or what?

IT'S TERRIBAD!!!!

In all honesty, it's pretty good. It's just not Halo 1 or Halo 3 good.

 

[ScouserPants]

Played the Alpha and Beta builds and was really excited about it, but got bored of it within a matter of a few hours. I know those builds had limited access to content, but if the whole game is exactly like the Alpha/Beta's then no, I don't want it.

Watchdogs was hyped and I gave in. Never. Again.

 

[Coolwhip]

I like the Sterling review. 500 million and the writing is this bad?

I personally didnt expect anything special, Halo games are mediocre. Making the team explode in size never did anyone any favors either.

 

[Arrogant Bastard]

Yeah had potential to be a great game regardless of the story.

A game can be great and have the worse story. I've had a good time and didn't care for the story. Same with diablo.

Seems like for whatever reason you are trying to project this notion that story doesn't matter. No one is saying that it cannot be a great game and have a shit story. But you shouldn't have any problem whatsoever figuring out why tons of people thought the game was going to have a killer story/plot.

Played the Alpha and Beta builds and was really excited about it, but got bored of it within a matter of a few hours. I know those builds had limited access to content, but if the whole game is exactly like the Alpha/Beta's then no, I don't want it.

You played the Alpha and Beta, you were really excited about it...but you got bored of it within a few hours. So basically you got bored of it by the time you finished the Beta content that was in the final release...cause it takes a couple hours to get to level 8 again.

 

[golem]

I like a lot of what's there in Destiny. It's stunning, the UI is the best I've ever seen

Im still not sure what a cursor is doing in my console game

 

[VanWinkle]

Dunno, story was serious business with WoW. I knew a lot of people who stopped subbing after Lich King lol.

They have themselves to blame for it too, the original reveal of the game was big on story and world building, comparing it with Star Wars and more. I was really interested in the game for lore and story and the setting is still really really cool to me, there is just not much in it. The disjointed structure really hurts too. I don't even like Borderlands 2 but honestly that game does a lot better in this aspect.

Yeah I think Borderlands 2 did the campaign side of things better than Destiny in pretty much every way.

I really like the gunplay, art design, and Crucible in this game, though. Crucible just needs much more fleshed out. Right now it feels terribly barebones.

 

[epmode]

This has been replied to several times already, but again, Desinty hardly qualifies as an MMO. If at all.

Destiny is only an MMO when fans can use it to dismiss criticism from others.

 

[Dodecagon]

Apparently Bungie do because they wanted the story of Destiny to rival Star Wars, Garry Potter and Lords of the Ring.

It's definitely better than Garry Potter

 

[hiphopcr]

 

[digoutyoursoul]

It's definitely better than Garry Potter

Lol

 

[FunkyPajamas]

It's definitely better than Garry Potter

YER A SPACE WIZZERD GARRY!

 

[ArkkAngel007]

It's crazy to think that this game is probably already out of the running for media GOTY.

Eh...maybe, but I doubt it is just because there are often games put up on media GOTY lists that can be undeserved. Not that I'm saying Destiny doesn't deserve recognition as it is fun and I have no idea how the rest of the holiday lineup will turn out.

This year there's probably Smash and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare guaranteed. Dragon Age Inquisition is another likely candidate. So that leaves to my recollection:

Titanfall
Infamous Second Son
MGS Ground Zeroes
Wolfenstein
The Evil Within
Shadows of Mordor
Alien Isolation
Civilization Beyond Earth
Little Big Planet 3
Sunset Overdrive
Forza Horizon 2
Driveclub

Those are probably the likely GOTY capable candidates outside of remasters and my limited knowledge of what is in the PC space at the moment.

 

[Dunlop]

It's definitely better than Garry Potter

http://www.dystopiafilm.com/About Garry Potter.html

This says you are wrong, Gary knows how to write

 

[Cutebrute]

Apparently Bungie do because they wanted the story of Destiny to rival Star Wars, Garry Potter and Lords of the Ring.

 

[ethomaz]

I think reviewers are not getting the full story here.

I'm more used to Warframe to see how Bungie expected Destiny to be.

There won't be Destiny 2 but just expansions/updates... the story is just the beginning and it will grow with every chapter. New modes, news ways to play, new everything will be added year after year.

That is how I guess Bungie see Destiny.

The Destiny universe will get a hell of big... there are so much planets to be explored and even the one already existents can be increased like Earth.

His first points just support my guesses... the world of Destiny will never be finished... the story will grow with every new chapter.

 

[VanWinkle]

A lot of truth there.

 

[funkypie]

Seems like for whatever reason you are trying to project this notion that story doesn't matter. No one is saying that it cannot be a great game and have a shit story. But you shouldn't have any problem whatsoever figuring out why tons of people thought the game was going to have a killer story/plot.



You played the Alpha and Beta, you were really excited about it...but you got bored of it within a few hours. So basically you got bored of it by the time you finished the Beta content that was in the final release...cause it takes a couple hours to get to level 8 again.

You're right I cant figure it out. Not once was the story hyped up for this game by bungie, the media or people. The game itself was hyped for apparently be delivering a next gen experience. Big difference.

 

[Zeuanimals]

I think reviewers are not getting the full story here.

I'm more used to Warframe to see how Bungie expected Destiny to be.

There won't be Destiny 2 but just expansions/updates... the story is just the beginning and it will grow with every chapter. New modes, news ways to play, new everything will be added year after year.

That is how I guess Bungie see Destiny.

The Destiny universe will get a hell of big... there are so much planets to be explored and even the one already existents can be increased like Earth.

Activision's not gonna let that happen. I expect atleast one sequel. But yes, there will likely be tons of DLC.

 

[Serick]

You're right I cant figure it out. Not once was the story hyped up for this game by bungie, the media or people. The game itself was hyped for apparently be delivering a next gen experience. Big difference.

Did you miss where Bungie hyped it to be the next StarWars or Lord of the Rings?

 

[Ollie Pooch]

I must say despite the flaws, that loop of leveling/grinding still appeals to me just as much as in other games. The flaws and lack of depth are glaringly obvious, though.

Few things, which I'm sure were covered already.

- I saw a flock of birds take off out in the Old Russia wasteland when going back and doing an older mission (!) So they do exist outside the tower!
- The tower is so unpopulated - i think at most I've seen about 6 people in it at once. It feels so barren and lifeless, but the views are pretty. Out in the world I've probably seen 3-4 people wandering around at a time.
- I've found numerous caves/grottos that wind down into the earth a bit before ending at a dead end with nothing. No enemies, loot, chests beyond a bland rock texture. It's nothing like say, Skyrim in that regard - there's zero exploration.
- This game feels like they couldn't finish it in time but the massive marketing gave them no other option to release it in its current state.
- Forcing you to farm glimmer for hours to purchase some outrageously expensive ship that's really just window dressing for the numerous loading screens is pretty clever.
- I'm sure DLC will flesh it out substantially, and I'm actually holding out til the first expansion. I want to see what the real plan for this game was (beyond 'bare bones release with paid DLC to finish the game'). Surely this isn't it (Though maybe it is)
- Like everyone has said, the core gameplay segments of shooting/cover etc are strong, they just forgot to create an actual game or story arc around it. It all comes off as incredibly heavy handed and pretentious.
- The worst critique that can be leveled at a game, I think, is that it's dull. Destiny is just incredibly bland. In colour palette, enemy design, encounter design, and the bored tone in which everything is presented (though I do love the quite minimal, smooth and informative inventory screen).
- I really had dreams of this being like Halo 3, my absolute favourite online co-op experience. My memories of playing that with friends across the country are so good. Was fun, hilarious and challenging. But Destiny's just so disjointed. You don't feel like you are exploring a world, just a boring museum landscape with absolutely nothing happening in it. Then you're beamed back to the ship. Rinse, repeat. It's not an adventure or anything close to grand or epic.
- The dialogue given to Peter Dinklage is so terrible. Right at the start you come across a pack of Fallen, clearly visible. He tells you to prepare for a firefight then there's a noise and he says 'What was that'. HMM I WONDER. "It's in the walls" is another clunker. The best that can be said for him is that you just end up ignoring his chatter as it always ends up the same - protect him while he flits around like a camp painter unlocking/hacking or whatever he's doing.

The potential is there. Hope this game improves as the core suggests something heaps better.

 

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

Amazing post and some of it was why I didn't preorder or purchase after playing the Alpha and the Beta. I'm glad I held off for impressions and will not buy until it's cheaper.

 

[MormaPope]

You're right I cant figure it out. Not once was the story hyped up for this game by bungie, the media or people. The game itself was hyped for apparently be delivering a next gen experience. Big difference.

"We like to tell big stories and we want people to put the Destiny universe on the same shelf they put Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or Star Wars; we've already seen they do that with Halo. We were extremely proud of what we achieved with Halo... I'm pretty convinced we are going to do it again with Destiny in a way that maybe even Halo never achieved before,"

Right.

 

[gamechanger87]

You're right I cant figure it out. Not once was the story hyped up for this game by bungie, the media or people. The game itself was hyped for apparently be delivering a next gen experience. Big difference.

Hmmmmmmm

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-08-23-bungie-destiny-can-surpass-halo-sit-alongside-star-wars