Destiny is finally upon us. Legendary Halo developer, Bungie, claims to have pulled out all the stops in regards to the most highly anticipated game of 2014, but what do critics think of Destiny?
Is it what everyone has hoped for, or does it drift off into the gaping maws of the dreaded hype machine?
Let’s take a closer look.
Destiny Review Round-up: Critics’ Early Impressions
To start off, Destiny is a “shared-worlds shooter,” essentially meaning gamers who want the full Destiny experience need to always be connected online in order to take advantage of a fully populated world. The same applies to game reviewers, especially since Destiny‘s servers just went live yesterday, limiting the amount of time they would have to fully dissect the Destiny experience.
Critics are, as expected, still working on their full reviews of Destiny. Most opted to play the game as it was meant to be played, spending a bit more time shooting and exploring alongside other gamers.
Consequently, many gaming sites are writing “reviews-in-progress” or “review diaries” in order to better observe the intricacies of the game that would not likely appear in the first few hours of gameplay.
Keep in mind that these are game critics’ early impressions of Destiny, and have not yet assigned the game a numerical/letter score. Due to the inherent nature of Destiny, most gaming sites will likely post a final review later on in the week (and possibly even into the next).
Here’s what a few critics had to say about Destiny:
“Good news. Shooting–ie. the thing that you’ll be doing most of–feels great. Character handling is fluid yet weighty, gunshots are supremely satisfying, and the environments–enclosed or otherwise–offer a ton of inspiration for improvisational combat. … A few hours in, I’m becoming increasingly aware that I’m only skating on a very large surface. Exploring The Tower, Destiny’s safe, trading area, the magnitude of what’s really going on here is starting to dawn upon me.”
Gamespot –
“So in the most mechanical respects, Destiny feels absolutely fantastic. … As for the loot, the story, and world-building, the jury is still out, or if I want to be more appropriate, this particular jury of one has a ways to go before he knows where he stands. For now, however, Destiny has the look and feel of a big-budget shooter, and the structure of a lean, loot-driven role-playing game, a combination that Borderlands popularized, and Destiny greatly refines. At the same time, I have gone through these motions before, and I am looking forward to that moment when Destiny’s excellent mechanics are released into combat scenarios that rise to their greatness.”
IGN –
“I was surprised by the potential of the loot game in Destiny. It doesn’t seem like it will have the kaleidoscopic variety of a Borderlands, but the various mods and upgrades that can be unlocked and purchased over time lead to some surprisingly interesting gear decisions to make.”
“As for balancing – one of the main complaints I had with the alpha – the difficulty curve feels a little smoother. Enemies felt closer matched to my level, and were quicker to take down and more enjoyable to fight against as a result.”
“While I’d like to see more of the game before laying it out on the line, Bungie has issued one of the deepest shooters you’ll ever play.”
Many of the aforementioned sites are posting daily updates in regards to the reviews-in-progress of Destiny, so be sure to check back here for incremental updates.
Additionally, full reviews of the game will likely be coming in following few days, so keep an eye out for those as well.
If you’ve been spending the past few hours playing Destiny, what do you think about the game? If you’re not interested in the game, tell us why not.
Post your thoughts and gameplay impressions in the comments section below! We at GamerHeadlines.com would love to hear them.
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