Hands-On with Destiny
What do you get when you put two of the biggest company names in gaming together on a project that is right down the middle of their focus, well, you get Destiny (quite literally and figuratively to be exact). Activision and Bungie unveiled the Destiny beta on Wednesday to gamers across both the Xbox and PlayStation consoles for the first time.
I spent a few hours hands on with the beta, and while it is not the exact representation of the finished product, I would be more than happy if it were.
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Bungie’s Destiny, the first game they have worked on since walking away from the heralded Halo series, takes cues from other giant titles like Halo, Mass Effect, and to a certain extent, Borderlands.
The experience has a very Halo like feel from the get go, if in nothing else but the nostalgia. An outer space type planet, futuristic looking costumes, everything right from Bungie’s past greatness. However, for me, that’s where the Halo references end. It is not a floaty experience, or one predicated on understanding the exact prowess of each weapon or tool.
Mass Effect and Borderlands came into play throughout the gameplay for me. Seeing the level of your foes, as well as their health bar, screamed role-playing game, while the graphical shading and undertones felt more like Borderlands.
Looking at the Destiny experience on its own however is where the game truly shines. Every single cut scene looks like it was a complete masterpiece, a work of art, put together with a great flow. At one point early in the beta, I found myself walking through a tunnel with a fan at the end. The water glistened and looked real enough to drink, while the shadows from the fan looked truly realistic.
From a gameplay standpoint, the guns all control tightly. As a shooter, you feel as if you have power over your weapon, and can feel the damage take place.
Traveling to the hub also brought out the size of the game. Not only are you enjoying the experience on your own, but there are hundreds of other gamers right there with you as well. The ability to travel through missions on your own or cooperatively, as well as play multiplayer games all from one place is a great touch.
I try to stay away from getting caught up in the hype of the next big title, and in doing so, hope to not have my expectations let down. With that being said, Destiny is the real deal, it would be right now as it is, and it will be in a few months when it officially launches.
Destiny comes to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on September 9. Don’t miss this one.