The Game's great, but I'm a lifelong FPS and Bungie fanatic so take my bias into consideration. Starting off, I'll begin by saying the RPG elements are slightly hokey, as with rank gained there are virtually no real customization options: you simply unlock preset abilities and stat increases for your character, and there are a few variations (choosing Armor over Agility, things of that nature) but nothing to really make you feel as though the character is yours to manipulate as you see fit. I think one of the most unique features is how the multiplayer compliments the singleplayer just as much as the singleplayer compliments the multiplayer. By this I mean that you have to do some grinding out in the singleplayer to acquire weapons powerful enough to remain competitive in the crucible. As you gain rank in the crucible you acquire valuable 'marks' that you can use to purchase unique and powerful weapons that you can then bring into your singleplayer game.
But on the same mark, I think Destiny's biggest pitfall is that it doesn't do one thing particularly well. The game itself is gorgeous, some of the best visuals I've ever seen from an FPS; the world is well designed, the characters and enemies are all triumphs and some of the missions (especially the strike missions) are difficult and rewarding. But the game is linear, and suffers (in my opinion) from a recycling of the same areas over and over and over. There are a variety of planets, but it seems like the storyline asks you to keep driving into the same area repeatedly, going a few more feet every time, until the planet is complete.
Then there's the mulitplayer. Fans of Halo can rejoice here as it does feel a lot like the classic games of Bungie's past, with some modern tweaks of course. Halo was never a game (at least the earliest ones) that had fallen into the 'XP' train like Call of Duty and basically every other modern shooter on the planet, meaning that there are no unlockables/ranks to gain with repeated play. It's a shame that someone like myself who detests Cal of Duty has become so spoiled, because I think that the track they created with the rank awards has created in FPS fans a control by which we measure competitive multiplayer games. And I guess the crucible marks I mentioned earlier kind of counteract that, but without all the flashy little XP candies blinking everywhere on the screen as you play and advance, it makes the Crucible mark system seem a bit dull, reducing the multiplayer matches to 'Play mission and repeat' for hours on end (Because the crucible marks are not easy to acquire).
The story starts off intriguing, but suffers from poor explanation down the road. It's not a convoluted story by any means (You're saving the planet here, folks, sorry for the spoiler) but when you set out on a new mission node you get a little pep talk from your ghost(Your Singleplayer guide---think Cortana) get thrown onto a planet then kill a bunch of things until you come up against a boss or defense mission of some kind. Now each planet does have a 'Patrol' mission which is essentially a free roam element that features a slew of side-mission nodes, the freedom to explore and look for the game's 'Golden Chests' and participate in Public Events, which are enjoyable to a degree but too can become repetitive.
But now you're saying, "But Val, your first sentence made me feel like this game was great! ;______;!!!!"---And that's because it is! I think the sheer effort put into the design of the worlds, characters and weapons (There really are some gnarly looking guns in this game, they're fucking outstanding) to go along with the melancholy soundtrack and atmosphere makes it an experience worth your time. Some people are complaining about the 'vacancy' of the worlds, but I like it, I like patrolling these worlds for all the little visual nuggets, be-it the vernal appropriation of Earth's waterfalls, the craggy cliffs of the moon and the crumbling, silver towers of mountains beyond in the background, I think the worlds are great. The co-op, however, is a bit clunky (Because most players never change their stupid fireteam setting to 'public' -___-) but is doable if you need to team up with some people and don't have many friends on at any given time.
All-in-all I recommend Destiny to any and all fans of sci-fi and FPS gaming. Although the multiplayer isn't a stand out, I find it a really fun and all most sandboxy with all the crazy character abilities being thrown around throughout the course of a match. The story won't be talked about for decades, but the world realizes it and does, overall, make you feel like the savior you're supposed to be.
I give it a VAL rating of 83 out of 100!
