So I guess I won't be joining DBO *Beta thoughts* (Destiny)

by kapowaz, Friday, July 25, 2014, 08:50 (3774 days ago) @ davidfuchs

There's a lot here I agree with, and I think it's telling how many people are complaining about the story too. I'd not paused to think much about the characters yet, but you're right that they seem vague and uninvolved. Again, I find myself wondering if that's just because of the narrow scope of the beta, and if we'll be interacting with them a lot more later on in the game. You don't hire an actor of Bill Nighy's calibre and only give him a minor role.

I find I disagree about combat, at least in PvE settings. The Hive and Fallen don't look massively different (bipedal humanoids) but they're very distinct in behaviour and the settings they appear in. The green glowing eyes of the knights and acolytes are very distinctive at distance, whereas the Fallen tend to have blue lights on their helmets. I'd suggest you give the Strike another go, if you can; I found it one of the most exhilarating experiences in the game, a real thrill. The idea of teaming up with friends to do this, voice chat enabled, is really compelling. Maybe you've been unlucky with your weapon drops, but if you take the time to level one or two different uncommon weapons of the same type you'll find there's quite a lot of variation even between the same class of gun. It's a great touch that it actually gives you an opportunity to make interesting choices about weapons based on your own play style and preferences, rather than there being a 'right' choice based on numbers alone.

PvP is another matter. The combat in the original Halo was a breath of fresh air compared to the lightning reflexes needed in the Quakes, Unreal Tournaments and Counter-Strikes of the day; by slowing the pace down somewhat it made it a little more accessible and I found I could be pretty competitive. Since then the series has gotten progressively faster-paced and close-ranged (the days of finding a nice sniper spot in Blood Gulch are but a fond memory). The modern FPS multiplayer game seems to be about realism and guns that kill in two or three rounds.

Destiny embraces this philosophy wholeheartedly and (as Schooly D pointed out) this results in a very fast-paced game where getting the jump on somebody is almost the most crucial factor in a gunfight, and one that feels like being kicked repeatedly in the teeth for players like myself who yearn for a bit less speed and a bit more strategy. In years gone by I may not have been the most deadly marksman but I was pretty good at capturing flags and squatting inside the hill to win games for my team. With Destiny it feels like you need to be good at killing first and foremost, and if you're good at the rest so much the better. This probably means I'll only play it as much as I can stomach having my ass handed to me, but maybe with a bigger player base the normal distribution of player skill will make it more approachable. We'll have to wait for September to find that out!