I can’t imagine there are too many people not pumped about Destiny releasing this Tuesday. I’m sure most of you played the Beta and have been counting down the days to get the full product. For those of you who didn’t get Beta codes or for those of you still on the fence, I submit my anecdotal evidence as to why Destiny deserves your attention.
It all started in the middle of July. I came home from work during my lunch break to install my beta code so I’d be ready to game on Beta night one. Clay, my long time gaming compatriot, has an infant son, so our gaming has to adhere to a strict schedule. Later that night, somewhere in between “bottle cleaning” and diaper changing, it was time to become a legend.
LOOK AT ALL THESE BOTTLES
I booted up my PS4 and prepared to make my character. That didn’t happen. The following is a more or less accurate representation of my experience with Destiny that night and the conversation that took place.
Clay Freeman: Hurry and make your character! You can be a robot, an alien or a human.
Pat Rankin: yeah, I’m loading it up. At a game data transfer screen, says I’m at 59%
CF: This game is beautiful. PETER DINKLAGE!!!!
PR: Wait, what?
CF: Oh, he’s the voice of the ghost. Like Navi from Ocarina of Time only a robot.
PR: My headphones aren’t working.
CF: Are they charged?
PR: I’m an idiot, forgot to plug in the little USB guy.
CF: You’re the worst. Ready?
Finally and at long last, my game loaded. I was ready to take on whatever Destiny could throw at me. With few exceptions, I am neither of fan of Sci-Fi nor first person shooters. As such, I wasn’t expecting much, how wrong I was. The Beta opens with a beautiful cut scene. I know the PC Master Race has been enjoying graphics like this for some time, but on console it came as wonderful surprise. At the cold open we see a few intrepid explorers walking around the surface of Mars. In the first thirty seconds of game play, Bungie is showing off with a score that is only surpassed by their world building
There’s a bit of narration that sets the story in motion as we pan out and glimpse the cosmos before zooming in on earth, to “Old Russia.”
THIS IS CURRENT RUSSIA
A drone is flying past rusted cars and dilapidated buildings, shining its blue, scanning light here and there. Finally the drone settles on a specific heap of scrap and discovers your character. Mine was a human Hunter. I bypassed the Titan and Warlock classes as well as the Exo and Awoken races. Your corpse is reanimated and Dinklage gives you some back story before urging towards a ramshackle building.
The goal of this first bit is to act as a tutorial. Unlike most forced tutorial portions of games, this is a real treat. Not two minutes into the safety of the building you are directed to grab a gun, the Fallen have found you.
The shooting mechanics function almost identical to Halo and the melee as well. I knifed a gnarly looking humanoid in the face and sent it flying back ten feet before ducking behind a box and unleashing a torrent of gunfire down the hall. Below is a picture of how it feels to unleash a torrent of gunfire.
If you were looking for a reason to make the jump to next-gen, this is it. Sure, it’ll be available on the PS3 and the Xbox 360 but the PS4 and Xbox One are offering bundles! The first person shooter elements work well and the RPG/MMO feel of the game are a true delight. If you liked Halo or Borderlands, you’ll love Destiny.
So there you have it, get on the hype train with me.
THE HYPE TRAIN IS REAL!
Make sure you are ready Tuesday, September 9th to become a legend. I know I’ll be there.
What about y’all? Have you, like me, be excited for this game since Beta or before? Do you know what class you want to be? Be sure to let me know in the comments. Or find me on PSN: Patfish_Bengal.
If that’s not enough, check out my website www.limitbreak.us where we talk video games. We’ve also got a podcast in the iTunes store. You can find it by clicking here. Thanks for the support and remember, life is an RPG. Level up, y’all.
