Destiny Review | Gamespot

Kevin VanOrd:
It's called the Black Garden. You see it from a clifftop above, gazing across the blooming acres through a thick green haze, and imagine the sights that might be seen there, and the adventures you might have there. The reality of the garden is sadly never better than the stories you might make up in your head when you look down at it. What you see is a facade; the garden is a broken promise of adventures you never have and landscapes never explored, and it represents the whole of Destiny, a multiplayer shooter that cobbles together elements of massively multiplayer games but overlooks the lessons developers of such games learned many years ago. I dream of the tales that might one day be told in that sprawling expanse, but Destiny is not yet telling them.

[Walker]

wow, shot fired . what the hell is going on in bungie ? seriously !

i will not buy Destiny :/

[christocolus]

I'm surprised too. I've made a lot of purchases based on gamespot&cvg reviews and 85% of the time i made the right choice. Many of my friends have been waiting to see gamespot and igns reviews before making up their minds on destiny. My brother got the game at launch he says its a good game but i think i will skip it. If later in the future bungie is able to add more content&stir the game up in a good way then maybe i'll be ready to invest in it but for now ill spend my cash somewhere else. Still waiting to see what ign and cvg score the game though.

[GamingSinceThe80s]

Im kind of trapped into keeping it because I bought the LE for $100 with the two dlc expansions.So if I trade it back in at Gamestop by Oct 8th I will get $40 back.That said Im having fun with the game but fear it won't last once I beat it.I will most likely trade just the disc in and buy or rent it again sometime after the dlc comes out so I get some of my moneys worth out of it.But I am never buying dlc in advance ever again no matter what game it is thats for damn sure.

[KYPRIME]

people like you are destroying the gaming, waiting for other approval to buy a fking game, and you still call yourself a gamer?? you should be ashamed of yourself

[vishmarx]

ohkaayy everybody stay calm...theres gotta be an explanation

(goes back to playing FF14)........

[PSN-JeRzYzFyNeSt]

lol its a great game sad that ppl base their decision off of a single persons review.. or a couple websites.. just lol.. these guys arent PROs theyre just journalists.. its about having fun and this game delivers.

reviews dont just base it on fun factor.. but they look for every little error in the game or a missing feature. sad

[chazjamie]

The main problem with the game is that it is designed around DLC. If this game had the player in mind, it would of had split screen, it would of never had expansion passes. This game did not have the player in mind and that's pathetic considering the fact that bungie has a track record of being nothing but loyal to their fans. I'm sorry but i hope this game goes silent and follow's the route diablo 3 (meaning they create an ultimate evil edition). Even though i am pretty sure that wont save it.

[ABizzel1]

If you liked the beta, then that's pretty much what the game is.....but for hours and hours....over and over again.

I didn't pay anything for it, so I can't have buyer's remorse, but if I payed $60 for it I might. I don't think I'm going to review it, and I think a 6/10 is too low, but it's definitely in that 7 range IMO, at best 8.5.

It's a well put together game, it's just all around lackluster in story, epicness, and wow moments. It's like playing a quest game with no real progression besides seeing your character level up and getting new weapons.

I'll trade it in soon.

[Magnes]

Like I should care what gamespot rates a game all these review sites are corrupt getting paid off or scoring higher if their friends make the game. My personal opinion is all these sites are mad Bungie didn't give early review copies.

[Army_of_Darkness]

This game has seriously confusing mixed reviews.... Well, So much for COD killer. Do I have any takers??

[StanLee]

How does Titanfall have a metascore of 86 and Destiny get's slammed by critics for being hollow?? SMH, the gaming media continues to make itself a joke. Gamespot gave Titanfall a 9/10 but turns around and calls Destiny shallow! What a freaking joke!

[guitarded77]

GameSpot

FF XIII 8.5
CoD MW3 8.5
CoD Ghosts 8
CoD Black Ops 9

I hated FFXIII (personally). I thought every CoD game has been nothing more than DLC with more DLC. The interesting thing is when I compare Destiny to other shooters, it seems like I'm getting my money's worth so far.

It has amazing co-op, diverse locations (different planets), it looks good, it has great controls, and it has a lot of leveling, guns, armor, ships, side quests, etc. Sure I'd like all the future DLC in one $60 package, but Destiny offers more than CoD in game modes and enhancements, and CoD charges $60 for the game with another 4 DLC's at another $60.

To me, Destiny feels like a hybrid of Halo and Resistance with a social hub to alleviate the PTSD inducing missions. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm also not bum rushing through it like a lot of gamers seem to do now days.

[RedSky]

This is why you don't buy into publishers trying to make you preorder. Wait until the game comes out, decide if it looks good, THEN decide if you want to buy it.

[4Sh0w]

Damm I am really shocked right now. I mean 4 of my coworkers got the game day 1 and all them have been telling me how cool it is but its crazy to see it doing so poorly with reviews and I usually agree with Gamespot 8 out 10 times but there's just no way this game is a 6. What's going on?

[bouzebbal]

guys, rent the game if you are sceptical. It might just be a game that didn't live up to its hype and expectations were so high. Nothing says it's a bad game. i'm sure the media overdo it a little bit as always!

[donthate]

Against my reservations, I doubled down $90 on the digital edition for the Xbox One and greatly regret it.

This game is soooo soulless, the story bland, the game mechanics solid, but the enemies boring, and the entire experience is just unengaging.

Everytime I see a story about Destiny, I cringe at the $90 I wasted buying into the hype despite my reservation after the beta and sh!t treatment from Bungie.

That said, a 6 out of 10 is low, very low, but that is what happens when hype doesn't meet reality.

Stan:

Why does Titanfall has a score of 86? It is because it is a fantastic game that I have been playing since the beta.

The mechanics are fun! Destiny's mechanic is solid, but everything else makes it at best slightly above average game (and I am being generous).

[ForgottenProphecy]

Why are people so mad that some people base their purchases on reviews? Sure, one reviewer's opinion is understandable, but when every reviewer is saying the same thing (aka repetitive, nothing new, terrible story) than can you blame somebody for passing on this game?

[warczar]

Way to let some butthole lookin for hits on his website make decisions for you. I'm not saying the game is perfect but is in no way a 6 out of 10. I can't believe how whiny games journalism has gotten.

[PONTIAC08G8GT]

@stan

I love when people say "how did Titanfall score better, that game sucks!"

So since you think TF sucks it shouldn't be scored as high? The general reviews for Titanfall were 8-9's and some 10's. Most Destiny reviews have been 6-7 score with a few 8's. Sorry but I enjoyed playing TF way way more than Destiny which got old after a couple hours. Say what you want about TF not having a single player, graphics weren't phenomenal, but the gameplay was addictive, refreshing, and new. What about Desinty is truly new? Also, majority of those comparing Destiny to TF are probably PS users who are still sour that TF was only on Xbox.

[UltimateMaster]

Gamespot is a Xbox fanboy pool just like N4G is pro PS4.

[2cents]

Chris, there comes a time when we need to grow a back bone and make decisions for ourselves. Destiny is such a call. With such a unique game its hard to gain perception based on other opinions as this is a new experience for consoles. Try it if your a fan of fps's or mmo's. Its a mixture of the both. Buy it, play it. If you don't like it, trade it in for a small loss.

Personally as a fan of halo and bungie, I feel this is a good progression for them and me as a gamer. It feels sooooo halo, but has enough individuality to be judged as such. Its not a reinvention of the wheel but its fresh enough to feel 'different' and I'm pleased that bungie are shooting for the moon (literally:).

Fu@k the reviewers, they need clicks, we don't. We want to play games, they need to earn a living.
Jump in, or trade in.

[BinaryMind]

Websites like Gamespot and CVG have multiple reviewers, so following a site's reviews to make your purchasing decisions is foolish. Each reviewer is going to approach a review in a different way even if they work for the same site. Gamespot is not a hivemind and they have a mix between bad and good reviewers just like most other sites.

[Dee_91]

Seems like a rent from gamefly for me.I was going to pick this up next week.not too sure now after reviews and a few friends basically telling me it gets boring fast..

[wsoutlaw87]

i played the beta and liked it so I bought the game and like it. I dont care if gamestop doesnt. Most of the reasons for bad reviews is that they expected something else. I played and and enjoy it for what it is. It doesnt need to be the greatest game ever for me too play it but thats how some feel about destiny for what ever reason.

[BLuTheSecond]

I had a feeling this wasn't going to meet the hype based on the beta. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the beta, but I couldn't see myself playing the game for more than a week or two which is not worth the $60 price.

[Kidmyst]

I'm having fun with Destiny but have my gripes, like not being able to buy a vehicle with a gun on it, and leveling up in Vanguard Ranks and such takes forever. I wished what I did in the MP counted to my crucible rank more than completing tasks "kill 25 titans with melee" stuff like that. I'm a gamer who enjoys a game SP and MP and after playing it a bunch move on. I'll be done with Destiny well before I rank up in most everything, the repetitive grinding gets old to me. That'll be what does this game in for me.

[Sayai jin]

I would not let a review(s) stop me or make me buy a game. With that said, WOW! Thats not a good score at all, especially for the fact that this is supposed to be an AAA!

[ScottyHoss]

It's amazing, my friend compared it to how he felt about halo when it came out, he was in awe of everything about it from the world/universe to the gameplay, seriously 7/7 of my friends who have bought it (all consoles, ps or xb), have fallen in love with it.

GameStop, you're just angry they didn't give you "journalists" a review copy. What a joke.

[trancefreak]

I actually like this games co op mode, but I do not like the crucible MP tie in. I don't think it the ranking system should have a mix between crucible and the co op to increase rank. I believe this should be separated but assuming already that it is to late because this is the way the game is structured.

The Multiplayer portion is okay, but could get boring real quick.

[wsoutlaw87]

separating co op and crucible ranks would have been stupid. If you don't like the mp then it shouldn't matter to you but people that play both want to play with their own character they have been working on. After a certain point the rank doesn't matter too much.

[ikkokucrisis]

ouch, lol

[x_RadicalAura_x]

I can't quite put my finger on Destiny from the time I've played so far. I do love how dynamic the world is and it's seriously impressive to think about all of the matchmaking, hosting, etc. that underlies it all without getting in the way. But on the other hand, there's a meh part of it too. I guess it just gets a little repetitive maybe? I just need to keep playing it more... It's definitely a worthwhile experience or I would've stopped playing.

I'd say no less than a 7/10 at this point but whether it has the chance to be an 8/10 or 9/10, I can't tell until I sink more hours into it. 10/10 or even a 9.5/10 are out of the cards IMO.

[Sayai jin]

Good points.
The game is very ambitious, but it has a certain void at times.

[GamingSinceThe80s]

I hate that they make you repeat areas constantly.If not for that one thing I feel like I would be having a far better time.They say they spent years and hundreds of millions just to make me play in the same damn place over and over again.I kind of feel like we all got 'Punked'.

[TheWackyMan]

The game has a lot of good ideas and feel really polished, but the single worst thing about the game is the terrible mission structure. Go here, shoot enemies, deploy ghost, kill more enemies, mission complete. The story is pretty terrible, but it does have some nice lore written in the grimoire (spelling?) cards.

[ImmortalCarrot]

@Radical Aura it's true what u said. I've been playing and reached level 24 because of my straight hours playing. There's some faulty issues about the game, no doubt about it. but as the game progresses, it gets more and more addictive as you try to unlock more and more legendary gears.

With the raid is coming up, it is something to look forward to for leveling up your guardian. What maybe the reviewers didnt see is the future updates on the game. Like more events like raids, more strikes and the diverse PVP elements.

I juz got my first legendary weapon and noticed that theres some crafting elements available in the game. It's quite cool, and some of this things isn't mentioned in any of the YT videos posted by Bungie.

Not a buyer's remorse or anything, but it's been awhile since I got quite hooked on to a game ever since Guild Wars 2.

One thing that got me interested is the leveling system. once you've reached level 20, the only way to level up is by gathering 'Light' in your equipment. i think that is quite intuitive as it won't let people just grind for XP. People level up with their gears.

Well, back to Destiny. For it is mine.

[DanteVFenris666]

@immortal carrot. That level up with gear is in no way innovative man. You probably never played mmo. It's a standard in that genre

[dasbeer88]

I'm curious to know what Microsoft say to Bungie for them to make the Halo games so good. Activision must've left Bungie alone during their development process.

[CerealKiller]

Activision wasn't the publisher for Halo games, Microsoft was and they provided Bungie with essentially a blank check.

[Mystogan]

This is what I've been trying to tell everyone. I knew this game was boring ever since the beta. But everyone saying I'm just jealous that PS4 owners can also play a bungie game now. -_-

[donthate]

I had that feeling ever since the revealed Destiny footage, as game mechanics looked extremely bland! The beta was actually slightly better, but the entire game is just like the beta.

Well at least Xbox One owners get the exact same sh!tty experience as PS4 owners get according to Eurogamers latest analysis!

Going back to play Titanfall!!!

[Ashby_JC]

Myself before the beta never saw anything about Destiny that made me think "Wow ...I want to play that"

I played the BETA. And thought the look was solid and the gunplay was solid. But the areas felt lifeless....but I figured it was just the Beta.

I ended up renting the game. Havent gotten to far into it. Being that I rented I will put some time into it. I wont be grinding hours upon hours in one sitting.

But I will keep an open mind.

As for gamespot...they put a lot of time into the game and didnt care for it. It happens!

[chaoslh]

This game is amazingly fun, especially with friends. F the reviews, that's just their personal thoughts about the game, why let some guy ruin the fun for everyone.

[Ninver]

I erge people on the fence to wait it out and buy Destiny when all additional content has been added. In other words wait for the goty edition 10years from now lol /jks

[gamer4lifeyo]

Ya, what a letdown. I had a bad feeling after the beta anyway. this was supposed to be the game of 2014. Oh well, I'll keep busy playing TLOU multiplayer.

[Mithan]

I think your missing out really. I have 12 hours into this with the Hunter and I am enjoying the game.

The single player campaign is pretty good so far (I have about 12 hours into it, level 15) and I have a few missions left to finish on Mars and then a few more Strike Missions where you group up with 3 other people.

When you get to level 20, you get to start doing the upgrade stuff, so it becomes a bit like Diablo.

I think the biggest issue here is most of the reviewers are expecting it to be your normal single player experience OR like Borderlands, which has a Single Player game with a good co-op model bolted on top.

I think anybody who likes shooters should try it out.

It is great on certain levels (what it attempts) but I agree that it doesn't execute that well on story and co-hesiveness.

Still, I think its worth the money.

[shinrock]

Wait , Bungies biggest blunder is the SP!

[Ashby_JC]

I played the BETA and actually stopped playing because I didnt want to play to much before full retail release.

I rented. And havent gotten to far into the game but if the story is lacking that is very dissapointing. I was hoping to jump into a bungie game from day one and get into a deep story.

I remember getting into Mass Effect from the beginning even reading the books. That game had a great story.

I guess I was expecting the same from Destiny.

[3-4-5]

I've loved Destiny so far.....

Until I got to a mission in mars where there was just way too much gun fire happening and way too many enemies for me to handle solo.

I kind of "get it", where before this I was like " How can people complain ? ".

* Up until this point, I was able to Solo the game fine, but this certain mission wasn't even fun.

All the others before that, I enjoyed enough to keep going.

* The PvP on the other hand, is F ing Amazing IMO.

I love it, and there is so much more incentive to play with bounties and earning stuff towards gear, + the drops you get from playing as well.

* PvP is the replay value for me.

Well that and cruising on the moon doing patrols.

I love driving the sparrow around.

[destructo888]

This is such bullshit. Having put about 30 hours into this game I can already confirm it's my game of the year (unless Alien: Isolation ends up being mind blowing)

The only reason it's getting reviews like this is because it's 'cool' to hate on it. Review sites know they'll get more views this way.

I'm not saying it's perfect, but anything below an 8/10 is insane in my opinion. The game is basically WoW with much better gameplay minus the subscription fee. I mean that in the best possible way! I could see myself playing for years if they keep adding stuff every week like they are.

[hulk_bash1987]

You pay for PS Plus/Xbox Live to take full advantage of the game's features so technically yeah, there is a subscription fee. With that being said I personally believe this game deserves an 8/10.

[gamer7804]

A few non mainstream sites gave it a 8/10, but personally I think gamsepot, escapist, and polygon have it right ata 6/10

[Flamingweazel]

GOTY?? BWHAHAHA, it's not even the best shooter this year...it's poor in so many areas, please your standards are shit.

@THEKELRATH...the game lacks depth and is shallow..wtf are you talking about? It's dumbed down tripe/

[Ashby_JC]

I disagreed with you. Not because you like the game alot.

But because the reviewers opinion doesnt fall in line with yours then as you say its BS.

He laid out the reasons he didnt like the game as much as you.

Is he not entitled to an opinion on a game he put as much hours into as you??

There is no one game, movie, car etc that will be univerally praised by all. Once you except that and go based on your OWN opinion you will be better off.

[Magicite]

ouch, gamespot knows how to bite :(

[The_KELRaTH]

I feel the game was just too complex to review for the likes of Gamespot.

The game maps need to be small and players going round and around with minimal use of height, clever routes so there's no confusion as to where to go.

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

What he's complaining doesn't add up to a 6. It isn't the greatest FPS ever, but all fairness it would get an 8 if it wasn't hyped. Otherwise he's spot on.

[SharnOfTheDEAD]

After spending a lot of time with Destiny, I'm beginning to think there's a lot of dishonest games reviewing for this title, it's not perfect but it's no 6/10 game, for me it jumps between an 8 & 9, it's best played with friends, you can call it repetitive but for god sake Diablo 3 ended up with better scores and all you do is hold down a bloody button to attack, get loot and kill more enemies! There's much to see and do in Destiny, Raids are fun, plenty of customization and great PVP, public events can be brilliant, it worked DAY 1 unlike BF4 but 6/10? Quit fishing for clicks! Fed up of seeing these doom articles now, these writers seem to lack both honesty and integrity!

[purp13m0nk3y]

Agreed. I left the beta feeling a bit meh. But so far my bro and I are loving the full game.

It's fun, pretty, and polished. PvP is still not growing on me but I'm only at lv9 so heaps of SP coop goodness to enjoy.

Haters gunna hate. But in all seriousness it's an easy 8-9 out of 10.

Especially when Cod gets those types of scores and those games are huge piles of shite!

[Fez]

I think Kevin Van Ord does have integrity and honesty. I quite like most of his reviews since the points he makes always seem well thought out and are valid criticisms of the games. You have to remember these reviewers are playing hundreds of games a month and trying to objectively review them all. If a game doesn't stand out as exciting or fun, and instead repetitive then the score will suffer.

They're also not paying for the privilege of owning the game and that really does allow you to be more objective. I've found this with the PS+ service since buyers remorse is removed from the equation and you're judging a game on if it's worth your time to play rather than the money.

I have to say the competitive multiplayer does look great with Destiny but the story just seems like a grind.

[StrawberryDiesel420]

Wow, glad I didn't buy into the Destiny Hype, which was all it was apparently. I picked up a XBone with TitanFall instead and I'm so happy I went with my gut.

[Rickgrimes95]

Got sick of titanfall in less then 2 weeks haven't been bored a second in destiny

[Xi_Unborn_iX]

titan fall ? eww

[Remy_Chaos]

You didn't fall for the Destiny hype but you fell for the Titanfall hype, which basically falls into the same criticisms that Destiny suffered. It's just that MS definitely paid for all those scores, it's almost a certainty now.

[Rickgrimes95]

Gamespot gave COD GHOSTS an 8 out of 10 fuck you gamespot destiny is 10x better then ghosts

[GhostTurtle]

There is just no way a game like Destiny gets a 6 for being shallow yet Titanfall gets an 8. In all honesty this seems like a shock review to get hits. If Destiny didn't live up to your expectations its still a 7 minimum imo.

[lifeisgamesok]

Titanfall is fun Destiny not so much

[JBallerX]

I've seen a lot of reviewers state, "It's not what we hoped for," and, "We expected more." THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is part of your problem with low review scores. High expectations that go unmet. It seems more a problem with the reviewers than the game itself. We all have expectations that decide whether or not something is good. It's all so subjective anyway.

[SonyMontana]

In my opinion Bungie at least laid a solid foundation for what could be a superb follow up if they listen to feedback. At the end of the day Destiny does 1 thing and does it well: shooting. Personally I'd like to see more than that, add some life to these planets and give us a reason to care about saving it. I have fun with it but expected more, especially from Bungie. I give the game a 7.5.

[Evilsnuggle]

Here's my two cents . I have played Destiny beta and it was fun . I think that Destiny is a good game with a bad story and repetitive missions . I felted this away about GTA 4. Good game but the missions all felt the same to me. Sounds like Bungie working harder on dlc than the purchase game story. If you want more stories paid up !!!! When I heard that Destiny cost $500 000 000 million. I know that is would happen. How else are Bungie and Activision going to make a profit but excessive dlc. This is the future of the game industry if we keep buying dlcs.

I will buy Destiny when it gets cheap like 20 bucks.

[Vladplaya]

What the hell is going on, you ask? They made a very pretty but super generic, unimaginative shooter game, very similar to Halo which the only game that they really known by.

Anyone is surprised?

[Darrius Cole]

Right, I bought it. I'm loving it. I'm buying the DLC.

There is no way this game is a 6/10. No way in hell.

[Ch1d0r1]

Im sure he played it on easy to finish the review. I believe reviewers should stream their review so we can see how they react to the game and to see how much they actually dwell into the game.

[fr0sty]

Having played both the alpha and beta, Gamespot can eat a d***. This is a good game. I would have paid just to be able to keep playing what I had with the beta. I wouldn't rate this as a 10/10 groudbreaker, but it's definitely the best FPS on next gen consoles IMO.

[geddesmond]

After 8 hours with the game I can say it has a lot of potential but there is so many things awrong with the game. Controls are great for weapons but powers and gliding is crap. Also most weapons suck.

The 5 minute loading between each map or tower does my fricking head in. I haven't experienced any of this type of loading so far this gen until now. The crucible is over run with lvl 23s that can one hit kill while it takes 3 or for clips to kill them.

There is so much wrong with this game but nothing patches can;t fix. However I doubt they will patch even half the problems.

[zodiac909]

And i'm going to say whoever judges a game based off of someone elses "review/opinion" has no individuality about themselves. I find the game addictive, which is the main point of a game, so i could give a f*ck less about gamespot's review.

[Am-No-Hero]

"has no individuality about themselves"

thats right man

[Am-No-Hero]

Wow so you rely on them , and you don't want to buy it cuz
of the Gamespot review !!
thats weird man , cuz this game is really fun and awesome no matter what they say about it , i will never ever put my decision about buying a game on these sites

[ITPython]

I bet if this game was an Xbox exclusive or MS had the advertising rights and the timed exclusive content, the game would be getting solid 10's across the internet and everybody would be raving about how Destiny is revolutionizing the FPS genera and about how it is setting the new standard.

Lets face it, this game is being crapped on mainly because of Bungies deal with Sony. Don't forget, it's "cool" to hate on PlayStation games. And even though Destiny is multiplat, the deals they have with Sony make it more a Sony game than a MS game, and thus it becomes a target. Not only from fanboys, but MS themselves since the last thing they want is for Destiny to become a huge success, because that would mean a huge success for Sony as well.

For a game so many are saying is garbage, it's amazing how almost all of friends on my PSN list are playing the game nearly 24/7. You know how you can check the games stats to see how many friends have played it? Well Destiny has already become the #1 most played PS4 game that I have, with Killzone:SF coming in second and most other games barely even coming close in number.

The game is very fun and you can burn through hours without even realizing it. Sure the game isn't perfect, but as time goes on it will only get better and better. People can hate all they want, but that doesn't stop the game from being as good as it is, and it doesn't stop people who have actually bought the game from enjoying the heck out of it.

[KOIMOJO]

Me and my roommates bought destiny day one and played it 2-3 days straight and beat it and now I'm totally disappointed in it. I only played it as much as I did hoping it would get better towards the level cap and then it just ended abruptly.... It's totally based around waiting around for more content in the form of dlc... I feel like that's bogus. I lose interest in games if I have to shelve them for a while. Only sure what activisions 500 million was for, must have been mostly marketing...

[CerealKiller]

Its not the developers fault they have proven they have the talent but they must work within the budget and time frame provided to them by the publisher.

[-Alpha]

Kevin is my favourite reviewer at Gamespot. These criticisms are exactly the problems I had with the alpha and beta. I really did not like Destiny, but there was always the idea that the full game was miles more expansive in gameplay, variety, worlds, and storytelling. The fact that none of this is true, and that the beta was an accurate representation of the whole game makes me wonder what Bungie was thinking.

Reality is, the storytelling was vague and non-existent, the mission/map design was really terrible, and the enemy variety and gun designs had such limited variety. The best Loot games ace these aspects, but even in the beta, all of this felt incredibly uninteresting and dull to me.

I was never on the Destiny hype train, and I think a lot of people who were confused about what Destiny was put a lot of faith in Bungie as a developer, and the scope of Destiny being some epic, massively ambitious MMO/Loot hybrid of some kind. The mystery only added to the hype, and made it seem like the game was incredibly deep and content filled. It's incredible that the story is practically non existent. What was Bungie thinking?

The LoTR/Star Wars comparisons are also downright embarrassing. There's all this promise and hype, and this is the result, and it feels so pretentious.

Withholding reviews was also such a slimey move, and the excuse is even worse. Most of the reviews criticize the fundamentals of the gameplay (outside the solid gun play), so it's not like the content drops are going to necessarily fix this. People use reviews to judge the game on launch, and instead, Bungie/Activision want people to purchase blindly on hype. It makes me think that they saw these scores coming

Not surprising to hear people say that Bungie Molyneuxed this.

That's not to say that they can't pull a Diablo and fix this game, but it seems like such a poor title at launch, and it's inexcusable for the hype and caliber of the studio.

[christocolus]

I wasn't hyped for destiny either. My brother was though, he has been playing the game but i think he is gradually getting tired of it.I wonder how long this game will remain on top of the charts.

[Omnisonne]

That basically covers it, I see so much wasted opportunities with the game its a little sad

Im sure Bungie planned to expand on this but the first impression isnt very good, and unless they add alot of stuff (without asking $10 for every wee bit of content), its going to be hard earning back peoples faith for the series

[StrawberryDiesel420]

yup, this is bad for the inevitable sequel in 2016-17.

[Mithan]

-I agree with you on the storytelling not being that great.
-Mission design isn't the best, but map design is really good.
-Equipment is far too similar.

That all being said, I am enjoying the game so far at 12 hours into it.

[MegaSackman]

Although I think Destiny is a great game (no excellent) despite i agree with most of your points, i'll give a bubble for using the verb Molineux.

[Totoro17]

Really loved your comment. Well said.

[rmw2hot87]

Glad i didn't purchase this game. saving my $60 for far cry 4.

[konnerbllb]

This is kind of the opposite message I want to send publishers. I want to spend my money on new IP not the fourth game in a series. We just need new IP worth playing.

Not that fc4 is bad or anything, I loved fc3 and will look at fc4 too if it's received well.

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

Get a job.

[rmw2hot87]

I have a job i don't like wasting money on a game that suck.

[e-p-ayeaH]

far cry 4 isnt looking that great either tbh

[inf3cted1]

Hype train CHUUU CHUUU

[SockeyBoy]

i rode it :( wish i didn't.

[cell989]

I'm still on it enjoying it with friends tho, the moment they jump out so will I, I dont see my self playing this game solo, would be extremely boring

[N311V]

Agreed. I really don't think it was ever planned to be played solo. That said having a great time playing with friends. Love it.

[Flavor]

That is what people don't understand. Once they get your money, they win. No matter how bad the game is.

And suckers buying into hype just ensure that companies do it all over again.

[StrawberryDiesel420]

ya but it certainly makes it harder to sell the sequel

[RyujiDanma]

lol playstation fans were so happy to receive exclusive rights BAHWWAHWAHBWHABWHBWBHAAAHWHWH

[SonyMontana]

Kind of like Xbots with Titanfall, how'd that work out for you? XD

[iNFAMOUZ1]

dont believe them its an amazing game

[inf3cted1]

Sure it is. It has as many metascore now as The Sims 4. Even though Meta doesnt matter too much, according to people, that is an utter fail for a 500 million budget game and hype all over it.

[Snookies12]

Um, this game didn't have a $500 million dollar budget. They were estimating that as the amount they'd be putting into the franchise as a whole for the next 10 years. Not for the game itself...

[PhucSeeker]

And i'm pretty sure 250-300 million of that is for advertisement and building the hype train .

[linkenski]

Just reached level 20 and I have to agree. While it is true, I still think Destiny will stay as my go-to game when it comes to online-matchmaking until something better arrives on PS4. It's still worth playing IMO and likely it will get better with time. My biggest gripe was how sterile it felt story-wise and just how unnecessary the story was.

[N311V]

It's very unusual for me to really like a game and not care about the story at the same time but it's exactly how I feel about Destiny. The shooting mechanics are top notch, the atmosphere is great, levelling up and getting loot is fun, and it's a blast playing with friends. I couldn't tell you what the story is about yet I'm still loving Destiny, I'd say that's a first for me.

[Plagasx]

Mother of god...

This is not good...this is not good at all. User reviews may be better but this is terrible for Bungie and Activision. They have invested so much money into this game.

This will not last a franchise.

It's Too Human all over again.

[inf3cted1]

I dont think they care as they already profited from it

[jts1891]

Reviews don't make a franchise, sales do. Call of Duty proved that. And Destiny has made 500 million on it's first day alone.

[user367272]

So has wii sports and wii fit..that doesn't make it any good. I see this as Watch dog all over again. hype = intitial record sales but sales steeply decline with little legs and all but forgotten. Hope bungie get some much needed feedback and make their next sequel better.

[newflesh]

"I dont think they care as they already profited from it"
"And Destiny has made 500 million on it's first day alone."

Actually no. There was no such info.
From Eurogamer:

"Activision said that it has sold in more than $500m of Destiny worldwide as of day one. But when it says "sold in", it means copies of the game (shipped) to shops and first parties - Microsoft and Sony - not "sold through" to customers.

Activision Blizzard did not reveal how many copies were sold, however, which makes it hard to gauge exactly how successful it has been"

[Haru]

Wasn't the 500 million budget enough to pay the reviewrs too?

[gamerfan0909]

Right, big pubs pay for reviews. It's not like there's a law against paying media to do that at all right? It's not like you can go to jail for payola, right?

[paddy95]

They did. It would be 4 out of 10 otherwise.

[Blasphemy]

The 500 million was for destiny two sequels and their expansions

[aviator189]

holy....crap.

[Lionalliance]

Has anyone checked the Wiki Entry of Destiny lol? chekc the Reception part.

[christocolus]

Damn. I just did. It was 81 the last time I checked now its 73 and 74. At this rate it might keep dropping. But what the hell happened? Maybe bungie is yet to unlock the full game.

[Lionalliance]

I mean the description they put it.

[Omnisonne]

They probably will unlock it for you, for only $20 :D

[lolosgolos]

This review came from the moon

[Funantic1]

Gamespot is my favorite. It's confirmed now, which I already knew, that Destiny sucks. What other reason would they hold back reviews for 2 days? People in denial made up excuses why Destiny is ok or why reviews were held back. "The servers needed to be full to get the full experience". Yeah right. It's garbage plain and simple. I have too many links and reviews that say so. If you say Destiny is good then you're outnumbered...by a lot. I mean a whole lot. Lol. I'd like to thank the guy on N4G that gave me a PS4 beta code so I could play Destiny and know that it was a disappointment. That help me save $60 plus tax. Thanks bud.

[jts1891]

I really couldn't care less what reviewers have to say. Dark Souls got universally high scores, but it was easily the single worst game I've ever played. Destiny, on the other hand, has been amazingly fun so far.

[llxKonanxll]

You must mean Dark Souls 2... Dark Souls 1 was a masterpiece. Unless you don't like hard games. All i've been hearing is how easy Destiny is.

[newflesh]

Lol, just because you didn't have the balls to play Dark Souls for longer than 30 min, doesn't mean that the high scores are unjustified. Yes, it's a hardcore game but it's a one the best hardcore games ever

[UnwanteDreamz]

Dark Souls is a poor mans Demon Souls. Should have played the real thing.

[danthegamerfiend]

Sounds like you never got passed the undead asylum..... and dark souls is a entirely different type of game your comparing to.

[torchic]

man just take a look at how very relieved the Microsoft fans are that the game sucks! Bungie abandoned Xbox and now they're getting what they deserve! lol cmon guys

[MrCherry]

Me too

[desertpunk86]

sony bundles the ps4 with an average game lol i cant stop laughing a complete fail indeed.

[qwerty676]

destiny being a mediocre game is besides the point

the white ps4 bundle is selling amazing, not even close to being a fail.

[cyclindk]

It does make for a pretty box

And the White PS4 is pretty

Sell Destiny and it ain't a bad deal, that box is really nice.

[gootimes]

Sony's Destiny bundle is doing fantastic, they are happy campers.

Sony doesn't control what type of game Destiny is.

[ImmortalCarrot]

Microsoft bundled with Ryse which kind of a big failure as well. Run around hacking people and repeat till the end credits. Ohh what good fun! /s

[qwerty676]

reviews dont matter at this point

people have already horded and bought this game.

[cyclindk]

Waiting for someone special to my heart to come in here and unjustly defend the game again for all the things you can do once you reach level 20 "it really opens up after level 20."

....

And it's crazy, same comment was made to someone on IGN DEFENDING the game as it "opens up after level 20" !!!

YOU SHOOT STUFF, play with armor and stats and that's it!!! Come on!!!!

[Kid-Prodigy-KP]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! !!!!!!!!

[gamerfan0909]

Lesson to people. When Pubs hold back games like this when they know there won't be any early or day 1 reviews they do that for a reason. They do this all the time in the movie business all the time. They knew the game was mediocre so they refused to allow reviewers early access or allowed them to put out day 1 reviews. It's a marketing strategy.

[HeWhoWalks]

I just have a feeling you'd say no such thing if this were an X1 exclusive. In fact, I remember how much you defended Titanfall when it released. Tell me, what makes Destiny so much worse? Have you even played it? Oops, out of bubs. Never mind ;)

OT: I; sure everyone won't enjoy it, like ever video game ever made, but I do. Not the best, not the worst.

[SpiralTear]

Man, with this, Watch_Dogs, and Titanfall it's like it's the Year of Not Living Up to the Hype.

[bloop]

It's beginning to look more likely that the Last of Us has a very good chance of getting GOTY again. Not that it wouldn't be deserving as it's a masterpiece, but it's still not a good thing. So far this gen has been a completely underwhelming experience. I really hope some of the big hitters to come in the next few months live up to expectations.

[MrChicagoWind]

GOTY will be GTA V

[ALLWRONG]

Only Titanfall is actually good, and so far best game of the year.

[gootimes]

Best game of the year on Xbox maybe. Not the best game out.

[ImmortalCarrot]

Played on the PC, reached Gen 5 and stopped playing. Not much to do but jump, run, gun and call a mech. And again, shoot people and the dumb AI but at a slower pace.
Titanfall could've been more but the lack of single player campaign and low PVP headcount kind of killed Titanfall.

From my point of view, there's some faulty aspects on both games. It's on which of it you enjoy the most that matters. But to call Titanfall the GOTY, it's kind of pathetic.

[DigitalRaptor]

Hahah…. No.

Titanfall suffers from the same issues as does Destiny. Severe lack of content, unappealing story mode, and rings hollow after you've played it for a few hours. Tell me Titanfall doesn't have those issues, and you'd be lying. Not only that, it suffered from technical problems too, yet Destiny didn't.

Guess what? Titanfall didn't get judged on the same merits as Destiny, and it's not hard to see why. The worse Sony did was stop reviewers from publishing their reviews early.

Microsoft obviously paid people to give Titanfall the scores it got, with the double standards I'm witnessing right now.

[MALVAD0]

🙈 ALLWRONG🙉

[Gore-Content]

I wanted to buy this game after watching a live stream for coupla hours. Then, the next day I watched another live stream. All I saw was shooting... shooting... shooting... with generic weapons on spongy enemies.

Long story short, I didn't buy the game.

[user367272]

Wow..that is pretty bad score and I always trust Gamespot score...oh well, I played it for a few days now and I would give it a 6-7 myself as the repetitive nature of this game really gets boring quickly..moreso than Titanfall IMO. Oh well, at least Halo MCC is coming and that game will tie my over on the FPS genre this year.

[LightDiego]

Gamespot reviews are crap, the same site that complains about three male characters on GTA V and that The Last of Us review it was really pathetic. No way i will decide a purchase because of them.
Yes, maybe Destiny is not perfect, but i will try it and have an opinion, also i like Bungie games.
Edit: look at the comments of @Funantic1, he is still mad that Bungie left Microsoft, lol.

[FsterThnFTL]

GOTY..........sorry could not resist.

[cyclindk]

Who knows... every other game coming out could suck-a$$ :)

[Drakul]

i am sooo happy to purchase BF4 premium instead of Destiy, YAY!

[cyclindk]

Was there a price drop? I haven't touched BF4 since TLOU, but didn't want to invest full price since it took so long for them to fix BF4's online component.

[Drakul]

no mate there is no price drop, i just picked my gift ;)

[voodoogts]

Thats what happens when you leave the power of Microsoft.

[Tedakin]

All the best Bungie people stayed at 343 ;) Which is why this game is kinda bad.

[TheGamez100]

I think people expected too much from Destiny. Loving the game so far. Everybody should at least try the game (borrowing/renting) before smacking it. Only bad things I have to say are the content/plyr cnt/ and story, but the great gameplay matters to me only. Obviously it'll be repetitive...its a damn FPS, waddaya expect? tea party and pooping missions?

[Alicornium]

yeah, this game is amazing fun when with friends. i don't understand why everybody is running around, screaming "IT'S THE END! THE END OF DAYS!"

[Bonkerz]

Destiny has no backbone at all. Characters dont have any personality, no story, severe lack of content, repetitive worlds, same stuff over and over again. I truly feel like Bungie either got really worn out with the game and released a product just to do it and get it over with or they severely just dropped the ball. Im already seeing my friends list dropping it off, launch day my entire list was full of Destiny and now i barely have a third or less playing the game.

They could of done so much more, why not add side things? Professions that boost your character? How about things with your ship? Why cant the environments be affected? Its kind of outrageous when you look at it. Destiny could go down as one of the biggest gaming disappointments. They are extremely lucky that they spent so much on advertising or Destiny would of been a miserable loss.

[DigitalRaptor]

Aren't you the same guy that praises Titanfall? Yet, your second sentence also sums up Titanfall to its core.

Aren't double standards wonderful?

[Adolph Fitler]

I bought & love the game.. I think many are going into the game with expectations that this is THE NEW HALO...It is not... The game is a brilliantly playing shooter, but the fact that Bungie made it ONLINE ONLY is my biggest gripe, & what I see as a HUGE reason for disapproval from the console gaming community.... This is what ALWAYS ONLINE means people, it means our games become coasters if we have bad, no or problems with online connectivity.. This is a real & valid problem for console gamers, & low scores should apply to this type of sabotage to my beloved game addiction.... Unfortunately, I was unable to help myself from buying the game, as it is THE BEST PLAYING FPS on new consoles...I mean from a strictly control based level, as 60fps just feels so much superior & smoother than lower frame rate FPS's & racers.... Not that anything below feels crap, or means a bad game, BUT, anyone who is honest & not in complete denial knows the difference in feel, play & smoothness of certain first person type games, when they run at 60fps...

The fact is though, I have a little collection of PS3 games, that are now unplayable, due to this criminal business practice, of selling me a game, that relies on being online, on console, & once that developers closes shop on the servers, for said game, I now have a game I bought, that feels like I paid for a rental game.. And the fact I didn't invest near enough time in said games, hardens the impact & makes me feel more ripped off...But, even if I spent every waking moment on Socom Confrontation, or Socom 4, or MAG, or any of the others, I'd still feel totally ripped off that my game was all of a sudden rendered completely un-re-sellable, & was now just a piece of useless plastic that offered me no way of replaying, reselling, or firing up, 5yrs down the road for nostalgia purposes. Now, stupidly, for me, I have added Destiny to that pile of games, knowing one day, servers will be closed, & Bungie will be asking me to re-pull out my wallet for there next big scam.

The game is far from average desertpunk86, you may not like it, but then you probably like COD, & are another one of the sheep that has ignored some awesome titles over the years, & put your money into yearly updates & overated, samely, blockbusters.... each to there own... But don't bother calling the game average, call it out for real reasons, like this online only crap.....something TitanCall is also guilty of.

[Ark_]

Agree. Online requirements are mostly about datamining and authentification of purchases. It has no (direct) value to the customer.
Imo online requirement is only acceptable for online games - naturally - or the online parts of a game. (Multiplayer shootouts and such.)

It's a bad trend, but hard to cicumvent as a gamer.

[PaleMoonDeath]

Bugger, was going to give this one another shot after the beta ended.

[Drakul]

congrats Kevin, you could say "the emperor has no clothes".

[Petebloodyonion]

Why are ppl suprised by this review?

Honestly it was clear as day that this game would get tank the moment that
1) Bungies warn us about media lowering the game low
2) All media suddenly making sure that ppl buy the game due to hype before giving their score (Don't you find it funny that they can all game a review on day 1 but they all need the whole week to make up their mind for this game)

[typittt69]

I like it a lot. Been playing since tuesday. Its not revolutionary, but its a hell of a lot of fun

[Remy_Chaos]

Agreed, apparently people forgot what fun is and replaced it with expectations of the return of Jesus.

[The_KELRaTH]

lol nicely put!!

[HappyWithOneBubble]

If reviews were done earlier it would have hurt sales. Smart move Bungie. I don't buy games by reviews but others do. It's really shocking cause Bungie is among the best in the business. Gamespot is reliable at reviews too.

[Twinblade]

Somebody forgot to write a check to Gamespot.

[DimensionalSound]

Unfortunately, this is not a game where you can ignore the critical reception.

I'm sure there are games that each of us can point to, games which didn't get very high scores, but we still enjoy--and that's fine. In fact it's a good thing.

But where it's troubling for Destiny is the fact that the game can Only be played online and is designed, for the most part, to have this quasi-mmo identity.

These review scores, if they keep coming in (so far Polygon and The Escapist agree), they WILL influence people from either not purchasing the game, or losing interest. This is not good for an online-only game. We've all seen what happened to titles like MAG and current Socom games.

If the population doesn't grow, or withers, which can happen as a result of the scores it's getting (again this is what happened to the games I mentioned before) it risks serious support. DLC might not be as funded (a HUGE problem for this game based on what people are saying) or worse, it might only be online for a short while.

So even if you LOVE Destiny, and you have every right to, even you find something to cherish in it that Gamespot, Polygon, or the Escapist don't, that's fine and with most games, it's a great thing and you can enjoy that game forever. But since these reviews will make people avoid the game, its life is in jeopardy.

[poppinslops]

Yeah, that 10 year plan is getting hazier by the day...

The contract pertaining to said plan is likely riddled with conditional clauses, loopholes and hopefully something to prevent another 'West/Zampella' situation.

Such a shame. I wanted it to be great,but it appears that Destiny's greatest strength (outside of INCREDIBLE marketing) was simply not being delayed...

[DimensionalSound]

It will also make publishers less likely to gamble on new IPs. It's also one of the first big titles for PS4/X1 since launch. Even if you don't ever care to buy Destiny, this is an issue for gaming overall.

[Kingoftherodeo]

i like destiny even though i found borderlands 2 boring because of its repatative gameplay. for some reason destiny makes it less boring even though all you do is in fact shoot anything that moves. there story to this point i don't know what it is even though I'm a level 20. the multiplayer is mehh, in terms of multiplayer this is worse than cod. mainly because its unbalanced. this game however still fun this game had so much hype going for it did it deliver on gameplay idk yet. i know the multiplayer falls flat

[Realplaya]

Here's the thing. People are getting mad at reviewers but they don't get it. No one has the right to get mad or insult anyone who bases their buying decision on reviews weather they be site or user reviews. 60 bucks is not chump change and people value their money.

Now if reviews don't define a game then explain to me why they wouldn't let the game be reviewed early. If it's a good game you have nothing to hide and you know the reviews will be favorable and help your game sell.

It seems now that the next gen games coming out are built to sell on hype alone. The way this game was hyped I feel like bungie totally pulled a pimp move. Played with everyone's mind and emotions. I think that in the future gamers should stop pre ordering games and stop buying unfinished games for 60 bucks then purchasing 60 bucks worth of DLC. It's ridiculous it's the reason why the gaming market is not flourishing. People stop buying games based off of a short demo buy completed products that your not required to purchase DLC to complete the game.

[Gamer777]

Why did the very positive reviews of Destiny show up first followed by the mixed and negative ones?

[Qwagy UK]

The review is on the money, glad I picked this up cheap, if you've played and enjoyed the beta get the game if you were on the fence don't bother or up it up cheap, the DLC should of been released free of charge after all when you buy a game you expect the whole game after all. BUNGIE R.I.P.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I watched my buddy play his Xbox 1 copy of Destiny for about 15 minutes... All I can say is... Thank God I saved my $60 (not including DLC gouging over the future of the game)... My PS4 is still damn fine with TLOU!

[dafegamer]

Man if someone had told me two Months ago, that Destiny would get a Score in the 70s on Metacritic, I would have told him to GTFO. Genuinely surprised by the reception so far. Well I still have hope, since the Halo series for me is a masterpiece

[brotherlymoses]

Greatness awaits

[lolosgolos]

Become Legend

[marioJP87]

The boring, mediocre gameplay of the beta was the EXACT reason I didn't reserve or buy this game.

[Remy_Chaos]

If Destiny is "Hollow" then what the hell is GameSpot? Seriously why hasn't that site been banned off the internet, someone please expose those phonies.

[Randostar]

Honestly i would feel like this game deserved a 6/10 if the story wasn't completely coop. That being said, when you play this with a few friends it becomes really fun. The only down side to this game is that it feels like stuff was purposely left out so they would have DLC content. Its fun, just not the experience that Bungie promised us it would be back in 2011.

[x_RadicalAura_x]

When they originally started teasing this game back in the day, I was envisioning a Halo-style FPS MMO akin to Defiance (but of course more refined with that Bungie production value). The reality is it's just not really like that.

Doesn't mean it's bad though, just different than I think the expectation that people built up in their head prior to launch.

[kratoz1209]

I think the game deserves an 8 they should release the planets ofr free and charge for story driven(story is pretty weak imo) dlc

[Clown_Syndr0me]

To be honest this is the most accurate and true review Ive read so far.

[nub_cakes101]

I was really looking forward to Destiny but.... Borderlands 2 completely smokes this game and it came out 2 years ago. I'm not even trolling. This has been a pretty terrible year for games.

[metalgod88]

I thought Destiny was pretty fun. I kind of wish there were more loot chests though. But, I do feel there's plenty to do and more things will be added as time goes on.

[tigertron]

I wouldn't give Destiny a 6/10. I played the alpha and beta and they were enjoyable but I did cancel my pre-order as Destiny wasn't the game it was hyped up to be, and I knew I wouldn't be playing this game much after launch.

Still, a 6/10 from Gamespot and Polygon is silly. I would give it a 7.5 at least. Destiny is a solid shooter and incredibly polished. Still, opinions are opinions I guess.

[Tedakin]

hate to say I agree, but this game is not good. It's not fun. It's boring. You do the same mission over and over and over again. There's zero variety. You have ships that you can get, yet you have zero control over them. They're just load screen graphics. If I didn't have friends to play with, I would already have quit. All 3 of us agree it's a struggle to stay interested in already. And the PVP stuff is TERRIBLE. I don't see anyone on Xbone moving from Titanfall, or skipping Halo MCC to play Destiny's Crucible.

[Jihaad_cpt]

I'm not that into FPS but I have really been enjoying Destiny. It's not the best game but it's a whole lot better than a lot of ages GS has rated higher. Personally I think these sights are just looking for traffic which is why I wont be going near it. I think the best way to review games is to have it reviewed by 3/4 people and take the average for all games not only one persons opinion

[Kingoftherodeo]

can we agree that titanfall is the best multiplayer shooter of the year?

[RyujiDanma]

MICROSOFT WAS SMART TO LET THESE GUYS GO, NOTHING SPECIAL THE HALO BRAND MADE BUNGIE

[iistuii]

Got to say I am at level 15 & can honestly say that I haven't enjoyed a single mission yet. It's pretty much go to point A, get out the ghost to scan & defend from hordes of enamies. That's it, it's dull. I agree totally with Gamestops review but I made my own mind up ages ago. That's also why I don't like digital & never will, as I'm selling my hard copy on eBay to recoup most of my money for another game coming out.

[Nodoze]

I blame Activision for this. I can almost guarantee they forced cuts to the content to pad DLC. I am sure they had a hand in removing all focus on story.

We have seen Bungies work and they are very good at storytelling, lore, and gameplay. This effort makes them seem pressured to release.

I do not think Destiny will be around in 10 months, let alone 10 years unless Bungie do something.

[mhunterjr]

Watching people play on twitch confirmed that this game isn't for me. For all the comparisons to halo, Bungie clearly forgot their "ten seconds of fun" mantra.

It starts with the enemies. Bullet sponges suck. It's poor design. At the very least, give me a visual indication as to WHY this guy, who looks exactly like they guy just easily killed, will take several minutes of direct headshots to kill. I understand it's an RPG, and there are dice rolls and stats to consider, but there is such a disconnect between, the players skill an what happens on screen.

In Halo, as you progress through the game, enemies also increase in difficulty. And this is accompanied by varied appearances, varied armor, more intelligent battle tactics, and more complex interactions with the lower level enemies in the battle. They're bullets inexplicably stronger, they are a more formidable for because they are visibly more skilled. So it makes sense from a visual stand point why this particular enemy takes more time to kill. Better design in this area would have gone a long way.

I can overlook the bland story, and the repetitiveness if the core game was fun.

[iistuii]

Yeah that's what I was looking for, bullet sponges. It took us nearly 20 mins to take down one boss, it's just tedious. If people enjoy that sort of thing, good for them, but I'm finished with it...it's no Halo beater, not in the same class..

[mhunterjr]

Right, don't just make the boss take ridiculous amount of damage, while dishing out a ridiculous amount as well...

Make him smarter, and/or more accurate. Make him less predictable. Much just making him stronger is lame.

[shmeedy24685]

Bungie plan on supporting Destiny for a long time so I can see myself still playing it if the content is good. I've created 3 characters so but two of those are still level 1 so I can come back and level them both up as well.

[SliceOfTruth888]

Bahahahhaahah are people really judging if they buy the game or not from a review???

[metalhead]

Personally I like this game a lot. I don't understand the hatred behind it. But opinions are opinions.

[kevnb]

i dont think its quite that bad, but its not as great as it was supposed to be.

[Maxor]

This review is DEAD ON. I spent a crap ton of time playing this game because the mechanics are so good. But that doesn't change the fact that this game a souless grind fest in the worst way possible.

[mochachino]

I've put some time into the game too and also feel it's a soulless grindfest but any game that is addictive enough to make me put more than 16hrs into it (or you a crap ton of time) deserves more than a 6/10. With friends I had some really fun moments but the game is hollow. I'm torn by what I should review it, probably a 7.5/10.

I wouldn't be able to put more than 2 hours into a 6/10.

[PsylentKiller]

You know, these sites claim to base their review on what the game has to offer right now and not I the future. Yet, they put lines like this in their article "The disappointment of Destiny is that it fails to capitalize on the possibilities".
I think the reason why this game isn't getting close to perfect scores is because of the reviewers are judging Destiny as a regular military FPS. Review scores are supposed to be based off other games in their genre and generation. What other FPS/RPG/MMO exists in the current gen or last gen?
How is CoD getting 8 and 9 scores? What is so different about their level structure? Right, it's not the story that's gaining the score. It's the mp. Destiny has mp, sp, and online co-op. The sp story is weak but what Game of this type has a strong story?
I never played WoW but I can't imagine the story is a 10/10. The lore is strong but is the story? What about Diablo 3? Is that story strong? I've played it. It is not.
There are very few mp maps but they are designed well. The balancing of weapons is done well. The mp is great but ere just isn't enough content on that side of things. However, maps are the only thing that mp can offer. All your weapons and armor come in the form of loot which can be obtained throughout the different modes.
I think that people should judge the game for what it is and not what they wanted it to be. We had the same problem with WatchDogs and Titanfall. The secs didn't come all the way through on their promise but the games still came out pretty solid.
Thank god movies aren't criticized In the same way, 99% of movies would be a flop at the box office.

[DC777]

Christ people. Terrible review and terrible "journalism". Review a game based on what it is not what you dreamed it to be.

[kingliam3]

Exactly!

[kingliam3]

Bit of a hash review really.. Games with much less content have been given much higher scores. Guess some people love to hate anything with hype attached. Why should bungie be criticised for someone being over imaginative as they wait for the game to be released?

[socialkarma]

Best 6/10 I ever played.

[brandonb21]

i been playing this game with my friends i have been enjoying it i would give it a 8/10 the music director needs a raise LOL. the story is horrible, i love the boss battles and i cant wait for the raids to start next week. but i do find that the missions are repetitive. i love the fact when you reach level 20 you have to grind rep for gear almost like world of Warcraft. but im a world of Warcraft player, maybe its just my type of game i dunno but im really enjoying it

[Einhert]

THANK YOU

Finally big media outlets are stepping up and calling hyped AAA games on their BS.

Giantbomb & Jim Sterling on the escapist already gave this game the perfect review and they are the two outlets I trust the most.

6/10 is the perfect score for this game because while it has good shooting mechanics and an interesting world/lore....

It just does NOT have a compelling narrative, good characters, well thought out missions, enemy variety or a great amount of content.

6/10 flop of the year confirmed.

How about these people coming to post comments in defence of this game? They are all just here to defend their purchases and make themselves feel like they did not waste money. "I give it 8/10", "Best 6/10 I ever played."

Burthurt people angry and annoyed Sony and Bungie hyped this game up and it was a disappointment so they feel the need to defend their purchases so valiantly.

Tough luck fellas but you won't be defending it come next month, this game will be forgotten.

Sorry to all the Sony fans who genuinely thought this was going to be an experience on par with Halo, Sony dun goofed hyping this game on PS like it was an exclusive only for it to flop and flop hard.

[DafunkyRebel]

Keep telling yourself that, geez you're a bigger idiot then most of the people clicking on GameSpot. Use your brains its a click bait review and the guy is notorious for giving fake reviews to spike his web page clicks. And this game deserves an 8 or better because its fun and thats what REALLY matters, all the other stuff can be fixed later on with patches but the launch product is solid. You obviously didn't play the game and just running your fucking mouth. Its a good game period, so stfu and go play it or just die.

[Xi_Unborn_iX]

let me guess xbot ? u are

[SilentNegotiator]

Yeah, shocker, all the negative reviews getting the clicks. People out looking to play a fun game already played the beta and don't need reviews, but xbox fanboys still want to be told how terrible it is.

[anwe]

The game is fairly bland, and the areas are far too small and locked down. An entire planet and I can visit one area? Seriously?

[KillerPwned]

The game is fun but their does need to be more diversity in the missions. You are pretty much doing the same thing over and over again. That's the only beef I have with the game other then that its great to me.

[DanaBlack]

lol i don't get it a 6? at least 7.5 or 8 geez . I use to go to Gamespot all the time but after giving Last of Us AN 8 and Second Son an 8, it seems like they to give good popular games lower than it should to be the cool hipster different guy

[DafunkyRebel]

Gamespot always seem to have stick up their butts when it comes to reviews. Apparently fun factor don't count for shit anymore and its all about taking off points just for the heck of getting attention from readers

[Macdaddy71]

I have to agree with some, if you buy a game off what others think of it you are not much of a gamer, I bought 100 of games reviews didn't like n I loved,
Just goes to show you what is wrong with our world... people can't be there own Man..have to follow n lead....I'm a leader

[Xi_Unborn_iX]

why are ppl hating on destiny ? cod ghost got 8s and 9s along with watch dogs and some other bullshit... destiny is good and should get an 9 ..not to mention the other mmo games that dont have good stories its clearly that mmo games dont have good stories and are repetitive. it just makes me sick that ghost was such a bad game and this one is good and gets bashed. i think yall just suck in the crucible lol

[MrBobSugar]

I will never pre-order a game again. If everyone did this, this hype nonsense would stop cold. The industry treats gamers like sheep. The more we act like sheep, the more the industry will deceive gamers. The solution to make them change their ways is to not pre-order games. It's that simple.

[dreamed]

Exactly,pre orders and season passes are just anti consumer shit.

Jim sterling says it best,when talking about alien isolation..."a game based on the 1st alien film,that holds the cast of said film back as a preorder bonus"

This is whats fooked with the industry and will only get worse the more people preorder.

Seriously just w8 a day or 2 and see how it goes.

Im not saying take reviews as gospel,just let the likes of ign/gamespot stream the games on youtube first,seeing as they dont have to pay £55-£65 per game.

But tbh as for destiny the beta bored me to tears,and the twitch streams look meh imo,but i cant stand run n gun shooters anyway especialy sci fi shooters,only my opinion.

[doomtrain]

what a load of contrived horseshit ...........

[Baka-akaB]

So many band wagon hitchers . The same press that was constantly overpsyched and positive to a suspicious degree , even after trying out the beta ... now have so much to criticize about the game ? And now they are pumping article about the negative effects of the hype they themselve created ?

Yes previews and reports arent reviews , but the constrast and polarity doesnt make sense , sometimes from the very same authors , just like it didnt make sense for Assassin Creed 1 to be so beloved before release , and at launch so hated .

Gaming media and press at its finest , again .

[menghina]

Was sure it wont live up to the hype , but still I got it for PS4 cuz I loved Halo and Borderlands.

[unjust75]

The game is great not spectacular, but one thing that boggles my mind is how Titanfall received a better review than Destiny. Titanfall clearly lacks content only presenting MP maps and no story. Destiny clearly offers more, but gets a weaker review. Don't get me wrong I loved Titanfall, but after getting to Gen5 I'm really not interested in playing anymore. This next gen gaming is not looking good for the industry when reviewers bash games with poor scores. It's okay to say a game isn't that great, but clearly think about what your putting down when you write. It may not be at your level of expectations, but someone else may love the game. Though a 6 is considered Fair Gamespot has given games that were horrible this type of score. I consider a 6 on my scale a possible rental.Destiny is at least an 8. It may have its flaws, but the game plays wonderful and looks amazing.

[BabyTownFrolics]

I'm enjoying the game

[Blueraven316]

It's your typical shooter

[mochachino]

I played about 16 hrs and wouldn't review the game a 6/10, more like an 8/10. There's something about the game that keeps you playing but I do agree Bungie messed up big time. I can't see myself putting in another 50 hrs into the game but the 16 I put in already had some amazing moments with my friends.

Everything though seems very bland or restricted. I wanted to explore the maps and find need caves and places, nope, can't do it and tit's filled with invisible walls. I though exploration would have been much more fleshed out. The only thing to do now are strikes and raids, which will get boring.

The only thing the game does well is the gunplay but now that I've passed the HORRIBLE story, I'm not sure if there's enough endgame content to keep the game.

So far the only reason I keep playing is because my friends haven't passed the story yet.

[finite]

It's a reviewers opinion of the game, any everyone's opinion is different :)

[iRobotGaming]

I give it a 4 out of 10.....#Overhyped

[CertifiedGamer]

Bungie: We spent $500 million to make Destiny.

User: Where did it all go?

Bungie: Drugs, Alcohol, and Whores. We needed to feel like Rock stars while developing this game.

What is currently happening is all thanks to bungie for releasing it on PS3/360. Hopefully they sell well on PS3/360 because if not then they plan backfired on them. Bungie sold out for the masses. I bet it was activision that pushed them to do that and when Bungie and Activision deal is over, you can bet your ass Bungie will come out and talk about why the game didn't meet their artistic goal.

[dreamed]

Drugs alcohol & whores.......sounds like last weekend in holland!!!!woot woot!!!!

[Tzuno]

G-spot reviews are "WORD" believe that, or you ca go out and buy the desired game and cry later, either way your 60$ are long gone :)

[Sheikah]

I'm glad these reviews come after the release. Gives us a chance to have unbiased opinions on the game. This review strongly opposes my personal opinion on the game.

[Jag-T1000]

Good thing I waited. I'll pick this up when its cheap or on sale during BlackFriday.

[g4n]

But DONT review this day one! Wait a few days and it still stinks.

[AKS]

Kind of amazed how much I'm seeing the story and writing criticized. Where were these criticism when Halo games continuously received GOTY nominations? Personally, seems like a 7 or 8 out of 10. Not perfect but pretty solid.

I've had a pretty good experience with it. It's an attempt to blend multiple genres, and I've enjoyed it for the most part. I especially like the more challenging bosses, which you do kind of need some friends because you often get wiped out with one hit with limited respawn. It's a type of boss that is familiar in MMOs, but I haven't had a chance to use Halo controls and mechanics in dealing with that type of enemy, which is quite fun.

Some of the criticisms are legit, but I think they could actually correct some of them with updates. They could certainly make spontaneous events/ attacks happen more frequently, for example, which I think would be a good idea. I'd like to see a few more classes added with expansions. Perhaps some of these things are planned. I really didn't read much about it so I could enjoy the game for myself. I didn't even know about the sleds before I played it myself. I think it was actually a spolier-y GameSpot review of Uncharted 2 years ago that led to go media blackout for every game that interested me since that time, which was the right move for me. Game previews have gotten as bad as movie trailers, giving away practically everything.

[Kos-Mos]

What first made me doubt this game was the name of it. When I first heard about it I knew what kind of people it was aimed for....the masses.

[dreamed]

Omg i couldnt agree anymore.

[kingmushroom]

this game is so repetitive i know it s a shooter but come on. Besides leveling up, finding armor and weapons its like shoot this enemy and this other one then repeat that every where you go. The boss fights are weak. Also the story mode sets it self to be something epic but ends up being anticlimactic.

this game could be so much more.

[DeadManMMX]

I am enjoying playing this game right now but the reviews I've read make some very valid points. A lot of the time it feels like a sterile Borderlands without the personality . Still I feel it's more of an 8 but I'm only a few hours in so far.

[ThatOneGuyThere]

The main problem I'm seeing with the reviews is that a lot of reviewers are reviewing it as if it is an MMO or an RPG. Its neither. It is a shooter. It says so on the back of the case. All of the other stuff is just gravy. If you go into it expecting it to be a shooter, it's very impressive. Huge levels, lots of action, finely tuned gunplay, unique character classes, beautiful vistas, the entire thing is co-op, several versus game modes, character progression, etc. If you go into it thinking its an RPG, you see that there arent that many NPCs, the story isnt deep enough, there arent enough player interactions, loot is somewhat unexciting most of the time.

TL;DR
review the game for the proper genre and it's fantastic.

[fr3d0]

I wasnt going to buy Destiny, but this bull$h1t review changed my mind. Downloading now.

[Hammtweezy2192]

I just purchased it for my Xbox One and am looking forward to trying it out. I have read the mixed reviews on it but I will try it for myself. Brand new here fellas so figured I would start with Destiny lol.

[tenacious_b]

The bad reviews are overhyped... Its a great game. Solid 8.75 for me

[Hammtweezy2192]

Ya I agree, after playing it for a bit now I am enjoying it. Only thing I'm not liking so far is the repetitive land scape at the beginning but as you move to different areas it's ok. Alot of different abilities in this game though is pretty cool. I usually run through games really fast, but this time I'm trying to find all the different things, play tactfully, and take my time. Pretty enjoyable this way.

[tenacious_b]

Destiny has given me more hrs of fun than a $60 dinner. In that sense, it wins

[ramza04]

Just finished the campaign last night and have to admit it was lacking. I just couldn't get into the story and characters. The guy voicing ghost reminded me of the laughable voice actors from the house of the dead games, unenthusiastic and bored. But the game itself is undeniably fun. The gunplay is tight and it feels great killing enemies and scoring those critical hit shots. The game really shines with its coop gameplay during public events and strike missions. The patrol missions are god awful generic and dull and is comparable to most filler fetch type quests in other mmos. The loot system isn't too bad. I like how ur individual items level up and get upgrades. Lengendary gear is there but only attainable through lots of grinding but fortunately I don't mind grinding as I grew up playing games like that (Everquest). I've played a little bit of pvp a and really enjoyed it. I've only played a couple modes so it's kinda too early to judge it thoroughly. This game definitely screams DLC and where this is activision I'm not surprised. It seems like they gave us just enough to wet our whistles, like dangling a carrot to make us want to purchase the dlc to get the most out of this game. Right now I'm quite happy with destiny but I'm one who wasn't on the hype wagon to begin with so didn't really have much expectations. I foresee this game growing over the next few years into something seriously great but I understand if some people were expecting more the way this game was hyped up to be.

[hiawa23]

I am enjoying the game. Could give a damn what the reviews say.

[bobdog626]

A 6 Really r u Mad 8 is what I give it its a good game

[e-p-ayeaH]

"Kevin VanOrd
Kevin spent about 40 hours playing Destiny, playing every story mission, every strike mission many times, every competitive match type many many many times, and being glad he had such good friends--and found such nice strangers--to play with."

And he was unhappy with the game GTFO

[arbitor365]

keep in mind, that this is the same site that gave halo ODST and perfect dark zero 9/10s. clearly they have consistent standards

[CerealKiller]

I can't wait to pick this game up on black friday for $15.

[Hammtweezy2192]

Well I started playing it and so far so good. I am really enjoying it and I haven't even played multilayer yet. Visually I think it looks good, nothing earth shattering but it looks great! Should keep me entertained until COD AW or Forza 5 comes out. Well done Bungie hope the add on's will build up the game.

[asadachi]

I think gamespot needs to learn how to honestly review and not fall for hype and other bullshit. For what this games is and does, it is excellent