Destiny, to say this is one of the most hotly anticipated games on the Next Generation console is an understatement. The expectation is huge for Bungie, developers of the highly successful Halo franchise, with everyone excited to see what there next steps outside of Halo will be. So this week gamers finally got to see a glimpse of that answer in the form of a Destiny Beta, open to all till Sunday night (27th). Let’s take a look shall we….
So what have we been given? The Destiny Beta is incredibly well presented and its layout is both impressive and welcoming, clearly outlining the available options from multiplayer to free roaming around ‘The Tower’. The main sections we have been given is 6 missions on Earth which integrates co-op as smooth as you could have wished for, as well as a mission on the moon which was penultimate date of the beta. Alongside this is the multiplayer section dubbed The Crucible, set over 2 maps and only one game mode, called Control (Domination).
The missions feature on a reasonably sizable landscape and each mission occurs in individual or same parts of the map. Missions can become difficult however they don’t particularly pose an impossible chance of progression. As previously mentioned the integration of other players is simplistic and you often find player running around on your map maybe ahead of you or behind, but they never seem to interfere with your story unless running directly alongside you. A nice twist!
Multiplayer performs well with little issues at all, the servers seem to cope very well especially for a beta, it’s fun to play and reasonably balanced with a variety of different attacking options. At first It can be a little frustrating but as you get into it and the feel comes it’s an exceptionally enjoyable game. Alongside this is the interaction facility Destiny has which is symbolized by ‘The Tower’ which is the Delta hub of activity and operates as cornerstone of the game providing weapons, missions and upgrades which you won’t find via the start button. But it seems to have a much bigger influence which Bungie has shown with its left hand and taken away with its right before you see the full scale of it all. Something which makes the beta give you that excitement of what is to come!
Its overall gameplay will always be compared to how Halo plays and the similarity is there, you can clear see elements which are similar but that is no surprise when you’ve been so successful with one project you’ll always get crossovers. But it’s important to point out this isn’t Halo and plays at a more rigid, faster pace than the Halo franchise which for me was a breath of fresh air.
Visuals and the Audio in the beta are a lot better than I expected at this stage of production with some stunning visuals in the game, some of the cutaways need some work and variety but its impressive where Bungie has this game at this point. For a beta its quite staggering how few flaws there in the game at this point some dodgy looking rocks and some iffy weapons are as close to bad as you get. What's given is both well presented and a good sample and once again Bungie has teased the player of whats to come, not really divulging a story nor giving us nothing to go on at all.
For the future Bungie in my opinion needs to keep on its current course, the beta supplies fans with a big glimpse of the future and its social integration alongside some fantastic visuals and cracking gameplay make Destiny for me an instant pick up. This is a far cry from someone who found himself disliking Halo a lot of the time. This is not like Halo and in my eyes plays much better, but fans of that franchise need not worry, it draws from its vast wealth of experiences to make this an enjoy activity for all.
The beta is currently open to all and runs till Sunday 27th and I would implore the gamer that you are to take a look at this before it ends, its certainly worth it!
Reviewed on Xbox One.
