A benevolent alien intelligence arrives on Earth to gift humanity with its wisdom, and leads us into an unprecedented period of… ah, who gives a fuck. The storyline that envelopes Destiny is utter crap, but does give a good enough excuse for the player to visit some stunning locations, ravaged by a massive war in earths future recent history.

Destiny, the first independent game from Bungie since Microsoft highjacked it’s new IP, and made it an Xbox exclusive. Set free from the constraints of having to created one Halo after another, Bungie have come up with an epic, first person shooter, set in the future, on and off world, against an alien race. I went from being excited about what Bungie was going to produced to annoyed that they were (seemingly) making a Halo clone.

Halo is a game franchise that I detest. As such, I approached Destiny with caution. I played the first mission solo, and whilst it was stunningly detailed, it didn’t grab me. Then I had to deal with the RPG elements of beginning to build my character with some of the XP and unlocks I had acquired in my first mission. This took a little getting used to, but soon became second nature.

My second outing with Destiny was with two mates, making up the standard three man fireteam. This, I was about to find out, is Destiny’s strength. Working as a team, whilst talking shit, made for a fun and engrossing evening that soon spilled into the early hours of the morning. The following night we were at it again. Whilst teaming up with friends is not essential, it is the best way to play, assuming you are all around the same level.

For me Destiny reminds me of the first Bungie game I ever played, Marathon, with a healthy dose of Rage. It’s a huge game, that whilst it is quite linear, never makes you feel like you are constrained. The battlefields are epically designed ruins that demand your attention, and the use of vertical ganmeplay. When the action kicks in, it kicks in with a massive dose of attitude, getting the adrenaline pumping through you in no time. Destiny at it’s high points – of which there are plenty – is pretty much the best first person shooter you’ve ever played.

It’s got the action nailed, the weapons and customisation are solid, the sound is freaken awesome, and the level design and graphics, stunning.

If there is anything wrong with Destiny, it’s that it’s space opera feel, pulling you back from the action to upgrade your character and go shopping is a major distraction from the adrenaline shot it gives you every time you do a mission. It also suffers from some of the usual constraints of first person shooters, in that from time tpo time, you’ll feel like you’re just doing the same mission in a different location.

And of course the long loading times.

But it’s all worth it as you explore fantastic worlds, and engage in epic battles, fighting side by side with you friends, and occasionally strangers, in this open world game that is always online.

I can’t wait to see what Bungie does next.

Reviewed on: XBox One

Rating: M Fantasy violence.

Reviewed by: Jonathan

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The original Destiny was one of those games that promised a lot, but failed to deliver on everything. Pretty much like your average National Party Election Campaign. Bungie’s first post XBox, post Halo game was a chance for the company to break free and do something different. Such was the anticipation that my mate pre-ordered Destiny. And whilst we had some fun times playing, a lot of the fun was through savagely mocking the games faults.

And so we come to Destiny 2, and this time I was going to have to fly solo. My wingman so burnt by Destiny that he’s staying far away from this second installment. Which is sad, because games like Destiny are designed to be playing alongside friends. Of course, they work just as well as a solo experience.

Right off the bat Destiny 2 feels like a much more solid single player experience, with a decent storyline to follow. Of course these first few missions are sort of your training missions, are very linear and are really just setting the scene and leading you towards where the real game begins.

Overall the game has been simplified i think, without loosing any of it’s depth. It’s more straightforward and not so confusing. Your power level is everything, with your weapons and armour pieces that you loot or buy all tie together to give your Guardian an overall rating – basically telling you how badass (or not) you are.

Loot is plentiful in Destiny 2, enemies drop loot, chests are everywhere and you’ll even get rewarded for completing missions. You’ll be constantly changing your loadout. Leveling up unlocks new skills and such.

Destiny 2 is a pretty damn solid shooter.

The storyline is what drives you in Destiny 2, though the game encourages you to vary your experience, prodding you towards crucible matches and such between missions.

Overall, whilst I do miss my wingman, Destiny 2 is a far more enjoyable and rewarding experience, opening new challenges and opportunities as you level up. It’s a game that want’s you to commit for the long haul, so be prepared to put in the hours, to get sucked in and to loose yourself in what is probably Bungies best work yet.

Rating: M Contains Violence.

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