UFG’s Brush With Destiny!
First off, we all know the hype surrounding this title and a huge amount of it stems from the development team that’s behind it. When you create some of the greatest gaming franchises of all time, you set yourself up for pretty high standards anytime you release a new title. Well Bungie and Activision didn’t back down from a challenge and gave us the opportunity to try out one of their newest, and possibly biggest, IPs yet!
Destiny puts you in the role of a guardian, a protector of what’s left of the human race, stationed on earth. After an event called the Collapse, most of humanity has been wiped out. Thankfully, the last remaining city on earth was saved by the Traveler – the being that bestowed the guardians with their amazing powers. Now in the alpha we were given a certain limit of where we could go, but the finished project is slated to take us all over the solar system to vanquish all different species of enemies and save other planets. It is an intergalactic first person shooter that allows you and two other friends to travel the galaxy hunting and scavenging for loot and bounty. For now, we will only focus on what I was able to sink my teeth into while being a part of the alpha.
You start off choosing between the three classes – a Titan, Hunter, or Warlock – all with unique traits and special abilities. You get to customize your characters sex, species, amongst other really detailed options to make your character just your own. After you have made your guardian, it’s off to earth for your first mission. Now, like you, I have read other sites involved in the alpha and their mention of how the game didn’t seem to pick up quickly; rather that it was boring at first. So upon starting the first mission, I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype. That said, I was pleasantly surprised to get thrown into some pretty heavy action right off the back and was instantly hooked. You see a great amount of different species of enemies within the first few minutes of playing, each with their own unique characteristics and weapons.
Take my word when I tell you, the enemy forces are no joke. Though you can go it alone, the game seems to promote playing with friends. What I found amazing was how simple it was to find other players and drop right into their game. With most alphas or betas, joining up with friends can be difficult to say the least. Fortunately for us, the dream team at Bungie and Activision made it extremely easy which hopefully gives us a sneak peak at what to expect once the game releases. I say hopefully because we all know the servers are going to get hit hard on launch day.
Now, anyone who has played in an alpha knows there is a time where it starts to get boring. Not that what’s presented is bad, just that being locked to a certain part of the game gets old after a few hours. I will say that this is the first alpha I have ever been in that felt huge. A major part of this has to do with the large, beautiful landscapes and unique characters/enemies that are featured in the game. There wasn’t a single moment during the alpha where I felt like I had seen the same place too many times. Even as you are able to fly off and go to the safe haven where you can buy upgrades for your character and weapons, bumping into other guardians along the way – it just makes you realize how big the potential is for this title. Kenneth, our Editor-in-Chief, and I have talked about many people expecting this to be Borderlands meets Halo, but you know what that blends? A PRETTY FREAKING AWESOME GAME!
I mean seriously, if that is the worse you can say about it, then you’ve only complimented the title. The multiplayer gives you a great feeling as well because these are two powerhouse developers for some the industries greatest first person multiplayer experiences. And from what we were able to play, this surely doesn’t disappoint. You are not only able to play with friends to complete the story, but there are also competitive online modes that allow you to take your created character online against other guardians. It has the speed and feeling of some of the original Halo titles, but a controlled weapon feeling as if it were Call of Duty. Though there are RPG elements, the shooting feels better than that of Borderlands; the weapons are more than just the same guns but with slight variations. The classes all feel fairly balanced throughout and when you get into the right team, you can feel the synergy between the characters. Now with limited leveling up on the characters it became repetitive playing the competitive multiplayer but it was awesome being able to continue to at least upgrade the weapons.
I have to be honest; I had my worries before this alpha with all the mixed previews coming from other gaming sites. But, after only moments into playing the alpha I am now impatiently waiting on the beta so that I can jump into this amazing world again. If this isn’t on your radar, you may want to get your money together because this so far feels like one of those next-gen essentials!
Editor’s Note: The screens above aren’t from the Alpha.
