Destiny: Don't Blame The Game

"Destiny's release has been one of the most controversial we've seen in a few years, splitting critics and players right down the middle. There's something a little bit Marmite about Bungie's latest sci-fi shooter - you either love it or you hate it.

The question we're asking is - does it deserve the hate? Sort of. Kinda. In a way. Not really." - TGC

[jockeynobler]

Shame its getting such hate its a blast online pvp with friends. I only have the 360 version but will be upgrading to xbox one this xmas!

[ScottyHoss]

I'm not being a fan boy here, but do you really want to wait a year for dlc? I don't know your reasons for next generation though, not pushing you to either because they're both justifiable purchases, but it'll be a long wait man

[76erz24]

You do realize the amount of content Sony has exclusively is very small. Like one strike, one crucible map, and some guns and gear. The main DLCs (the first being the Dark below) come out at the same time on all consoles.

[venom06]

it does in a way deserve the bashing it's getting, but the REAL kulprits in the mess are the IGNs, that hyped this game to hell and back and didn't bash Activision like that should have when they didn't send out review copies (first sign of issues), but let that had been EA or other publisher not sending out review copies and they would've been MURDERED in the press. People need to read up on IGN conflict of interest with Activision and the IGN ProLeague. Now we as gamers are left holding the bag and out of $60.

[ScottyHoss]

@76erz24 I didn't realize that, thank you for clarifying, I thought a year was a bit much. @venom06 I don't think it's a legitimate reason to bash a game because you don't get a review copy. Anyone who trusts Activision and IGN is a moron but bungie is very good at communication with gamers (bungie.net) and did make a masterpiece of a game. Games cost $70 where I live for next Gen and for the first time I feel like I spent $70 on something of equal, or in my opinion greater, value.

[equal_youth]

i think the game will be played a lot and all this hate will make it eventually just better. And therefore i find the critics are on the right way to force activision and bungie to step up their game and deliver something awesome to their new community. It clearly lacks a few mandatory things like a decent story and a living word. IMO it feels to empty and the Story besides the grimoir cards is just to hollow.

[warczar]

Maybe the world would have a higher player count if the review scores weren't so low. The real disgusting part of the whole situation is Destiny is being held to a higher standard than any game ever. Could you imagine if COD was rated based on its story line? If Destiny is 6 then Killzone, with its pimp walking enemies, is a solid 3.

[Mikelarry]

and i qoute

"Not to mention the claims that Destiny will be the shooter that redefines the genre, as spewed out by many publications in the run up to release"

I couldn't agree more with that extract. I think publishers and game developers should for their own good stop adding any sort of awards or extract from what these sites / journalist say to their marketing campaign advert because this could end up not benefiting them at all ending a franchise entirely because of " false hype"

[Kilo_Brown]

Good article. I think the game has been bashed at a higher standard. Surely the game has faults, but the gameplay is very enjoyable. Seriously, they think this game is worse than Titanfall? Titanfall isn't even bad but I cannot even compare the different level Bungie has designed their game on. Regardless, it is a great game and under appreciated in my opinion.

[maxxco]

Personally I don't love it - or hate it. It is a solid good game, not great, probably worth the money I spent tho.

I think people love (or hate it) based on the hype THEY believed. If someone truly believed this was going to be the best game ever then I'm pretty sure they were very disappointed.

Maybe people aren't used to seeing prime time ads for video games.

[Kid-Prodigy-KP]

"Either way, Destiny doesn’t deserve the flack, it’s a decent game in its own right. Blame the hype created by the industry and if you’ve not yet played it, go in with realistic expectations and you may just find you’ll be pleasantly surprised"

*Claps* Finally someone tells it like it is.

[InTheLab]

What they said the game is versus what it actually is, doesn't really line up. I knew I'd made a mistake in buying it early when my sparrow flew off the side of a hill and the game gave me 5 seconds to get back in bounds. Can't think of another MMO that is this small.

They really lied about the scope. They crippled the social experience as you can't really communicate with anyone. Towns are boring. I hate the cooldowns and think they make the game incredibly slow.

The game isn't bad. It's just built for Halo fans and sadly, it doesn't have the Single player that Halo has...as I can't stand the multiplayer.

[DFray919]

halo story wasnt good!

[DFray919]

the game is fun.! buy the game. dont let other people determine weather or not you play a game,

[mananimal]

quote from:

http://www.mweb.co.za/games...

by gamer named: sony(:

quote#1

Yes it's a disaster because it's utterly soulless and dreadfully mediocre.
For the same reasons that Activision banked $500million on Bungie creating an instant master piece, I thought that Destiny would at least have all the flourishes and genius of the Halo franchise(which they spent 10+ years evolving and learning from). Instead, after all the massive hype and hot air, we get a mediocre game that brings tired old mechanics and tropes across it's art direction, music and game design. Given that Bungie does not innovate on any of it's past achievements, you would expect Destiny to be masterful in the areas it does attempt... but no, somehow they've made something utterly soulless and mediocre.
Agreed, it is indeed technically very sound and virtually bug free, which is a massive testament to the coders at Bungie, an astonishing job in the end... but it's still a soulless empty product. And the comparison to BF4 is a good one, now that BF4 is relatively bugfree(on Xbox One from my experience) it shows that BF4 has a massive edge on Destiny in it's gameplay, graphical prowess and technical features(Destinys engine is very old looking, how are they going to keep it relevant across 10 years?!).
So disappointed in Destiny... I really wanted it to be great... but nope... it failed(for me).

[mananimal]

quote from:

http://www.mweb.co.za/games...

by gamer named: sony(:

quote#2

Wow, hold on, you had that completely round the wrong way. The real problem is because Destiny brought nothing new to the genre. Destiny innovated in no area, that was it's ultimate downfall.
Here you go let me emphasis this:
Missions structures - same tasks I've played in a multitude of games for the last 10 years
Guns - seen them all before, felt and experienced them all before
Character designs - a muted amalgamation of previous SiFi games(Halo/Mass Effect)
Story - wow, this part just falls flat on it's face
Music - sorry peeps, but I can't remember any of it, unlike Halo where it gets under your skin and stays there
Multiplayer - been there and done that so many times, and it's better in other games
Environments - yeah kinda nice, but no dynamic elements, no destruction, it was just adequate

The problem with Destiny is that it brought nothing new, nothing, it's utterly soulless... completely and utterly soulless.

[hughlb]

Let’s not forget 6/10 is not a bad score. It’s a pass, it’s a quite satisfactory pass. In fact, one could argue that the scoring curve is usually a little too generous; an 8/10 is two small iterations from perfection, and not even recent universally acclaimed games like The Last of Us can be called perfect, as good as they are.

We also have to remember that by putting its eggs in so many genre baskets, Destiny sets itself up to be compared to some truly great games (Mass Effect was the first game to jump into my head when looking at the intricacies of a expansive universe).

That aside, I can understand why Destiny is splitting reviewers; it wants to succeed and its confidence has inspired us to believe it should; Destiny looks and feels the part. So if I could make one sweeping criticism for Destiny, and why its deserving of a mere ‘pass’, it would be that for all its polish, it actually LACKS confidence as a franchise, and in doing so feels condescending.

I chose ‘condescending’ carefully, because that’s what it feels like when you take your five hundred million dollar development cues from the Michael Bay doctrine on entertainment. It’s an well known trap, and as 28 year old gamer, I feel more than ever that the industry is playing to the lowest common denominator. I think in this instance however, it underestimated the value its audience place on innovation, particularly in a next-gen gaming world, where we are starting to see some really interesting ideas come to light.

People that have criticised Destiny for a lack of substance are on to something here, and it would be terrific if supporters of the game allowed themselves to raise their expectations for this franchise. I think we have every right to expect a more innovative and engaging product.

[Predaking77]

My reality is that I am enjoying every inch of Destiny alone with my friends. We are having a lot of fun and believe Destiny is one of the best games of 2014.

The most important factor to me is my experience and not some angry reviewers spreading so much hate for the game.

In fact, one thing that I can say I learned from all this is to have no trust in the reviews. What matters is if you have fun with the game and not the opinion of a reviewer. If I was influenced with the reviews, I would have missed an amazing game.