Fulfill your Destiny… again.
Destiny 2 is the game everyone is talking about. After only spending about 10 hours in the original Destiny, I was planning on at least beating the campaign this time. My main hope was that the character controls and movement would be modernized a bit. The original Destiny was built on a great concept, but had always felt a bit dated to me.
Now it should be stated that I joined the Destiny train a bit late, and there had been a lot of new first person shooters released around the same time, but I just hadn’t cared much for it. To me a game has to stand the test of time, especially if it’s an MMO. I’d rather play a good game than a new game. But let’s get back to Destiny 2…
It’s like a weird MMO Shooter RPG thing.
The closest comparison I can think of is Borderlands 2, but it’s still not the best explanation. Imagine that Borderlands 2 had a child with Halo 5. The game consists of several small open worlds that unlock as you play through the campaign. The campaign quests are highlighted with a giant red symbol. There are also world events, side adventures, and general baddies just chilling around. Much of my game experience consisted of exploring side missions and repeating world events. I was max level prior to finishing the main story arc.
World events may be my favorite part of the game so far. They make it feel as if there is always something going on. No matter which planet you are on, you can rally the flag and join with players of various skills and levels to take on giant world bosses. These events take only a few minutes, but can be extended for heroic challenges. After each event a loot box drops, and the quality of its contents are decided by if you won or lost.
From start to finish players pick a class, play through a campaign, and do a few side things along the way. After you beat the game, something new unlocks and you go someplace cool. That’s when the “real fun”begins. Players begin to realize that Destiny 2 really is an MMO. There is a @#$& ton of grinding left to do! There are these things called “light levels”, and you aren’t cool until you have them all. Light levels are basically just your gear rating though, and they can go up almost infinitely.
One of the most puzzling aspects of the game for me, is that players have like 10 hours of grinding light levels before they can enter the games first raid. Most Destiny players say that Raids are the best part of the game, so why is it that Bungie decided to lock the first one behind 10 hours of grinding world missions?
But wait, there’s more!
Destiny 2 also features a PVP mode. The PVP mode unlocks really early on and provides a more competitive alternative to leveling up. I say leveling up only because it provides XP, but it’s definitely not the most efficient way to climb levels. Overall the PVP leaves something to be desired when compared to games like Titanfall 2, Halo 5, or Call of Duty.
I’ve played a lot more PVP than I thought I would, mainly because I generally have at least 4 friends online. The game modes are quite fun, and it’s kind of cool to use your personalized in game character. The load screens are also neat as they showcase everyone’s player spaceships flying side by side.
The game’s good, no doubts about it.
Destiny 2 is a solid shooter MMO. It would suck as a single player shooter RPG, but playing with friends makes the game what it is. As a person who plays a lot of MMO’s I have trouble providing excuses for the simple plot, basic character movement, and repetitiveness of this game, but somehow it’s still good.
The ability to easily play with friends makes this game special. Your character level, light level, and gear make no difference when playing with friends, except they kind of do. But Bungie did a great job of making the game “group friendly”. It can be your first night on the game, and within 30 minutes you can be playing with veteran players.
Destiny 2’s End Game
After beating the initial story Destiny 2 turns into a more traditional MMO. Players can start grinding gear in a variety of ways. World events, dailies, weeklies, strikes, and raids all become available at different “light levels”. I’ve beaten all 3 of the strikes available, and I’ve played through a good portion of the raid.
The developers did a good job on the end game content that exists. I wish there was more of it, but more will come in time. I didn’t find the story missions for Destiny 2 to be challenging in any way. They were all rather straight forward, and contained epic looking cut scenes.
I was not totally sure what to expect going into the end game, and I was happily surprised by what I found. Strikes come in a variety of modes and become rather difficult when time limits are added. The raid currently available has actual mechanics to it. I’ve heard many folks complain about the difficulty of the raid, but in my opinion it is just difficult enough. People have to pay attention, follow fight mechanics, and work together. I find the raid to be enjoyable and comedic at times.
Overall Destiny 2 is a great game. It does what you want it to, and it has a solid amount of content. New expansions for the game are already planned, and there will no doubt be even more added. The game play feels well polished, and I only noticed a couple minor bugs. I will continue to play Destiny 2 as long as the majority of my friends do.
