Different Experience (Criticism)

by Robot Chickens, Wednesday, December 05, 2018, 10:46 (1973 days ago) @ cheapLEY

One thing that has always struck me as strange is the way Bungie appears to be completely tone-deaf when it comes to understanding the experience they've created. I just ranted about how much I love the Dreaming City. But when I first got there, all the wonder and amazement and desire to explore was immediately gut-checked by the realization that I was waaaaaay too under-leveled to do almost anything in that space. And I wasn't under-leveled because of some mistake I'd made. I just played the content that Bungie had put in front of me, and followed the path they laid out. I went to the Dreaming City when their game lead me to it.

That part of Forsaken really sticks out to me. It almost feels like there was something there to fill the gap that was cut. When I first got the quest to unlock the Dreaming City, I remember being surprised, because I still felt like I hadn’t spent that much time in the Tangled Shore. Then I got to the Dreaming City and it felt like I wasn’t even supposed to be there yet.

But maybe not. Maybe that was Bungie’s response to all the complaints about the D2 campaign being too easy.

I agree with most of Cruel's points, but having something to chase at the end of it all was fun for me. Everything in the Tangled Shore was within reach of the progression and it was fun for me. Then I got to the Dreaming City and it felt like I was trespassing and I LOVED it. I had the same experience going underleveled into Crota and the Shattered Throne. Something about those places just felt right when I was struggling to survive. I could explore and poke around, but it was dangerous and exciting to do so. And, there were plenty of things to do in Forsaken (not Crota) to get me to that next hurdle. I'm still exploring and finding new things in the City and I love that.

This new piece fails IMO because there isn't anything to chew on right away. There is an immediate content drought with a wall standing in the way of the fun. Maybe it will get better, but the initial experience isn't very fun to me.