Run time: 123mins Certificate: 12A Director: Gareth Edwards Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe. Release Date: October 27, 2014 (DVD)
Please let them fight.
Godzilla is back and arguably better than ever, but under Gareth Edwards direction he’s both a towering beast looming in the backdrop and an incredible spectacle that’s craving more of the spotlight. It doesn’t help that the human side of the story (the spotlight hog) doesn’t measure up either, offering some mild intrigue but ultimately failing to sell its characters plights. Gareth Edwards does however approach the film intelligently, effectively evoking the atmosphere of the original Japanese Godzilla films whilst throwing a fresh Western twist on it. Its all presented brilliantly as well, with some awe inspiring effects and jaw dropping designs that really add tangible scale to each and every monster scene. It may not be a triumphant return to Western cinema for Godzilla, but the strength of the titular monster and the world he’s introduced in make this iteration one worth checking out for fans of the big guy.
The plot is effectively simple, introducing the main cast of humans and monsters as they’re needed without inundating the viewer with excessive back stories or origins. There’s a lot at play here so its good to see Gareth Edwards focusing on the present action to ensure the viewers are never at a loss as to where things are headed. The origins of these beasts are explained (or potentially kept vague in Godzilla’s case) enough for us to understand them and their motivations in the first half of the film, and with Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe’s science types there to add weight to these revelations the intrigue is kept genuinely engaging. Its when the plot shifts its focus from those trying to deal with the monsters to Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s soldier trying to reach his wife and child that things begin to fall apart. Its a mission we’ve seen played out countless times before, and the lack of energy behind the performances and its set pieces put a stop to all the momentum the film had built in its opening act. The fact that this run of the mill human drama often steals the spotlight from Godzilla and his adversaries much of the time only emphasises the fact that its the weakest aspect of the film.
Cranston proves to be a far more engaging character.
The titular monster may be criminally shunned, but when Godzilla is given the stage he’s a sight to behold. Bigger and louder than ever he always impresses, and the stellar effects afford the beast a colossal presence. One scene that sees Godzilla crashing through the Golden Gate Bridge is particularly impressive; when Gareth Edwards does decide to show us the destruction first hand he certainly delivers. His direction ensures some jaw dropping visuals, whether you’re watching Godzilla swim alongside warships or crash through buildings, each and every shot has an ominous sense of scale to it. The fact that the monsters seem unconcerned with humanity, simply causing destruction by walking through cities, is a novel approach that also spares viewers many of the usual ‘army fruitlessly shooting monsters’ shots that seem to plague blockbusters of this scale. His MUTO adversaries, the new monsters on the block, aren’t as impressive however. While they’re given plenty of great moments both just aren’t awfully memorable, looking as if they could wander into any generic sci-fi film and be right at home.
Its odd then that the MUTO’s receive even more screen time than Godzilla himself, but all three are at odds with the human players when the camera’s focus is concerned. The most damming example of this is when Godzilla is first revealed in full and challenges one of these MUTO’s, a moment that is built up to painstakingly, but is then cut away from in order to focus on a hospital scene where we see the tail end of the fight on a TV screen in the backdrop. Cutting the battle with the hospital scene could have been effective, but omitting it completely seems unnecessary and detrimental to the build up for the final battle given that this first battle is pushed aside. Its not so much a case of the monsters not getting enough screen time however, but more an issue of their not getting the attention they deserve when they are there. When the big brawl does finally arrive however it more than delivers with some fan pleasing moments and striking visuals against the night sky of San Francisco, its just a shame the pacing stumbles so often getting there.
The scale of the action is epic.
Bryan Cranston’s conspiracy theorist Joe Brody is arguably the strongest character in the film, selling some genuine paranoia about the covered up events that have plagued his life. Like Ken Watanabe’s Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, there’s enough energy behind the performance to sell the grand spectacles they’re tackling. Its a shame they’re set aside for much of the film in favour of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Ford who lacks that energy to sell his personal plight, his sombre protagonist failing to engage on a personal level as intended. His performance isn’t all to blame however, as his unoriginal mission and uninspiring dialogue present him with little to make his own. The same drawbacks prevent Elizabeth Olsen’s Elle from ever impressing as well, again letting the human element of the film down in its second half. Lastly the soundtrack both impresses and deters, electrifying the action whilst also becoming almost overbearing in some of the subtler scenes. But the sound effects are however incredible across the board, and Godzilla’s roar will stay with you for quite some time.
Verdict
Godzilla is back and better than ever in a world that’s as equally well crafted. After an opening act that’s made by the likes of Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe the focus is unfortunately misplaced on a far less interesting human struggle, but under Edwards’ direction the looming presence of these beasts is always felt without the need for constant action. Astounding effects and design bring the towering monsters roaring to life, lets just hope that Godzilla is given the love he deserves the next time we need to let him fight.
Hits
+Godzilla is brilliantly realised in every sense +Effective camera work emphasises scale +Great scene setting sold by Cranston and Watanabe +Finale does deliver
Misses
–Underdeveloped human element –Reluctance to showcase Godzilla betrays the tension –Aaron Taylor-Johnson fails to drive the films second half
Platforms: Xbox One Developer: Access Games Publisher: Microsoft Studios Players: 1 Release Date: September 19, 2014
Revel in the details.
D4 is a bizarre game full of odd characters, but best of all its something new. A point and click adventure that sees you hoping back and forth through time to solve the murder of your wife, D4 is a refreshing experience that surprises at every turn with its oddball humour and interesting collectibles. You’ll only explore 3 rather small areas, but each one is crammed with so many things to see and do that it’ll make many full retail games look sparse with content. D4 is a truly unique experience, and therefore may not be for everyone, but for those looking for something completely different it’ll definitely impress.
D4 is built to be an episodic experience, giving us a prologue and the first two episodes in this package. David Young, our time travelling detective, wakes up in a bath tub and explains that this is where he ends up every time he travels back to the present. From here on you’re free to explore David’s apartment at you leisure or continue on with the next clue; this being the type of open scenario you’ll find yourself in throughout the episodes. The whole experience could probably be run through in 3 hours or so, but in doing so you’d be neglecting all the extra distractions D4 boasts that can easily double that playtime. For instance I found myself rooting through the apartment for various collectibles (these range from simple medals to more detailed scrapbook entries and old letters) for 20 minutes before I even got round to approaching the objective; if you’re a sucker for exploring every nook and cranny then you’re going to sink a lot of time into D4.
Conversations are an enjoyable time sink.
Hit that objective and you’ll be attacked by a woman who seems to believe she’s a cat in one of a handful of action scenarios that entertain as much as they do thrill. Its a crazy encounter that’s telling of what you should expect from there on in, there’s a sombre story of loss and mystery at its heart but D4 isn’t one to hold back when it comes to the bizarre. Merely being the opening few episodes of a season unfortunately prevents the story from doing anything but build some vague intrigue for a conspiracy you get the feeling you’re only scraping the surface of, tauntingly ending just as it gets to the good stuff. The conspiracy is brilliantly fleshed out however, with many of the scrapbook extras and old case files that at first seem to be purely auxiliary falling into place as parts of a bigger puzzle later on.
Most of the characters you’ll encounter however are anything but subtle. Whether its a panicked passenger on a doomed flight or your old time partner from the force, each and every character is brimming with personality. The ‘extra cases’ these characters can give you generally offer some tantalizing rewards and further dialogue options, many of which again can touch on the mystery you’re trying to solve in new ways. Just being given the option to interact with these quirky characters at length is rewarding enough; for instance I could laugh at the otherwise mild mannered Forrest Kaysen devouring his comedy sized portions all day. David Young himself is a compelling protagonist, his sarcastic wit and single minded approach to the case at hand clashing well with colourful host of players he’ll have to investigate. The voice cast do a great job of bringing the larger than life characters to life as well, the level enthusiasm thrown behind each line of dialogue ensuring there’s never any disparity between the straight talkers and the more eccentric personalities. The comically thick Boston accent Ben Pronsky gives our protagonist merges well where it could have been atrocious, giving us a refreshingly not-so-gruff hero that brings levity no matter how dark things get.
Kick ass and chew bubble gum.
Gameplay brings the usual point and click fare to the table, but there’s variety enough in terms of what actions you’ll need perform to ensure that looking at everything in a room never gets repetitive. D4 can be played entirely with Kinect or a controller, or a bit of both should you prefer to switch things up mid episode. While I personally prefer to have a controller in my hands, those who opt for Kinect will be pleased to know it works brilliantly besides the odd misreading. D4 always demands you’re attention as well, throwing inspection options in during its cut scenes and tasking you with managing three different resources; you’ll rarely be running short on these resources or failing its action scenarios but they all serve to keep you more involved with what’s going on. D4 can however be reluctant to let you flex your brain, with many of the cases boiling down to you collecting a series of clues and having David Young piece them together himself in a cut scene. Some activities will demand more of you, such as a memorable series of quizzes on aviation you’ll be faced with, but regardless D4 could do more to involve you in the actual detective work.
All of this is presented in a visually striking cell-shaded style that makes each scene look as if its jumped off of the page of a comic. Areas are as detailed as the unique characters which makes jumping in time from one colourful scene to another, along with a nifty transition animation, an aesthetically awesome thing to do. If you have sufficient credits you can even change the outfits of the major characters or the music in your apartment, and again the options here range from subdued to bizarre and everything in between. Lastly there’s a great selection excellent music here, from its catchy intro music to the Irish rock track that plays during what’s arguably its best fight scene in a turbulent plane cabin.
Verdict
D4 is hard game to describe, it may sound ridiculous in writing but when experienced it arguably works, and it works very well. There may be little detective work involved in these first episodes, but the eccentric characters and intriguing premise will more than likely captivate you as you engage its lavishly crafted scenarios. There are few games that’ll see you batting a baseball with a mannequins leg as a plane enters chaotic turbulence, but even fewer that would have you enjoy these moments as much as a meal between two old friends discussing old cases. If you’re looking for something that stands out amongst the games on offer this fall then D4 is worth diving into, and it’ll only be a matter of time before its outlandish characters hook you in.
Hits
+Great cast of eccentric and hilarious characters +Stupendous amount of collectibles +Fun and rewarding distractions +Striking visuals +Excellent and diverse soundtrack
Destiny seemed like a sure bet, an esteemed developer with a ton of money behind it doing what they do best but on a grander scale than ever before. What could go wrong? It turns out a lot could. The story is barely there, its mission structure is repetitive, the RPG elements are too light and its online innovations often hinder the experience just as much as they enhance it. But despite all of this the core gameplay still wins out with Bungie’s gunplay at its most satisfying against the lavishly painted galactic backdrop. Destiny unfortunately, now at the beginning of its ’10 year’ life, is not all it could have been. However it is a top class shooter set within one of the most beautiful galaxies ever crafted, hardly the worst starting place for a franchise that’s set to see numerous expansions in the coming years.
Its perhaps best to start with what’s best about Destiny. The shooting is top notch, each action you take is responsive and has a visible impact on the enemy. Whether you’re peppering a towering Cabal from afar or introducing a Fallen dreg to your fist, the enemy will feel every hit, visibly reacting to attacks wherever they may land. On top of this each class has its own specific skills that add an extra layer of individuality to proceedings. A Hunter may double jump with blinding speed to avoid enemy fire where a Titan could instead opt to toss a stun grenade to blind his foes instead. Furthermore supers allow each class to throw down some instant devastation in tight situations. These options along with their their equal reactions are endlessly satisfying and ensure that the flow of combat never leans too heavily on statistics alone. The impressive shooting can however mask the Destiny’s shortcomings in the RPG department. Its skill trees are narrow to say the least, rarely giving you any input in your characters development besides selecting skills as they’re made available one by one. Subclasses are unlocked at level 15 and do offer satisfying variations on the characters skill sets, but arguably offer too little too late.
Each gun you’ll use is a delight to wield and can be upgraded in useful ways (albeit with a similar lack of options) but with only 9 base weapon types the room for variation is once more limited. The selection of vehicles available, though all fun to use, is also slim which further narrows the possibilities in combat. Couple these with your limited skill set and you’ll soon find yourself disappointed whenever another guardian of the same class as you joins your team as you’ll find yourselves fulfilling the same role via the same methods. Ultimately the sheer lack of options available mean that your guardian won’t play awfully differently whether he’s level 5 or 20, which is disappointing for an RPG no matter which way you cut it.
It may come up short when applying RPG elements to its gameplay, however Destiny does succeed in designing a world (or worlds) within which the grandest of RPG’s could take place. Even though each is wildly different in appearance they’re all a pleasure to look at and combine actual playable areas with impressive artistic backdrops flawlessly. There is an underlying problem however in that Destiny offers little reason for you to explore these planets besides the odd treasure chest and collectibles. Perhaps if there was more freedom in regards to how we explored and went about pursuing objectives within these areas the open world approach would be warranted, but once Destiny has dropped you off at the same starting point for the fifth time to travel to some other corner of the map its reuse of areas becomes repetitive rather than exploratory no matter how nice they look.
The Cabal are a force to be reckoned with.
Across these four worlds you’ll be shooting four different enemy races, each of which is a joy to encounter. Few of the enemies skill sets are truly original but all are combined well to create factions that act very much as coherent units that are unique when sized up against each other. Bosses however, while generally enjoyable and challenging, are almost always super powered versions of normal enemies that you’ve fought numerous times before. A mere glimpse at each race also gives the player an idea of their history, with the excellent art direction doing wonders for fleshing out these otherwise underdeveloped antagonists. The Cabal are a particular highlight, their imposing outline, brute force tactics and superb theme providing a fantastic challenge in the games final act. Martin O’Donnell’s soundtrack in fact contributes as much to the creation of the galaxy as the visuals do, its uplifting tracks throwing a more fantastical twist on the post apocalyptic sci-fi scene. From the oppressing tones that accompany the Vex to the Cabal’s imperialistic beats, this is some of O’Donnell’s best work to date.
Its a shame then, that given Destiny’s impressive galaxy, that every aspect of its story is lacklustre. Its central campaign barely attempts to give us a compelling reason to be rushing to our next objectives, our guiding ghost telling us to kill certain targets for no discernible reason at all. It does pick up in the second half of the campaign as the cast of characters, enemies and vistas are all expanded in different ways; but proceedings soon degrade back into vagueness before ending prematurely.
There’s been much criticism of the voice acting here, particularly in the case of Peter Dinklage’s Ghost, but its perhaps the writing that’s to blame as a performance can only be so good when you’ve clearly no idea what you’re talking about. No matter how epic the galaxy may be made out to be, you’ll only need to ask the question ‘why?’ after every sentence uttered and the illusion of depth soon falls apart. The reluctance to form any reason to press on in the campaign does unfortunately bleed into gameplay which often falls back on escorting your ghost companion from A to B and then defending him in wave based battles. Luckily the steady stream of new enemies and planets keeps this structure from ever becoming too much of a problem, but when you encounter a more memorable mission such as ‘Scourge of Winter’ it makes you wish the rest of the campaign could have that much energy behind it all the time.
There’s plenty to do outside of the campaign however. Patrol mode allows you to freely explore each of the four planets in pursuit of randomly generated missions and The Crucible is Destiny’s answer to competitive multiplayer, pitting guardians against each other on a surprisingly level playing field. Strikes challenge your fireteam of three to battle through some truly tough encounters that always end with great boss fights that demand team coordination. While they don’t escape the routine wave based scenarios, they do provide some of the best of what Destiny has to offer as the game is at its best when your overcoming the odds with friends. *I’ll be updating this review once I’ve fully completed the Raid mission.
It is true that Destiny is best when played with friends, but when it comes to doing anything but enabling people to play together its online features seem half finished. Matchmaking facilities set up games quickly and generally hold steady throughout your session, but weaker internet connections can really suffer when Destiny forces players into another ones world. The Tower is always loaded with other players despite there being no reason for it to be; you’ll have limited means of communication but you’ll still have to wait for its lengthy loading times every time you pay it a visit as a result. Its important to emphasise that these features will only be problematic for some players, but its hard to shake the feeling that Destiny does little to innovate with its much touted and sometimes invasive online components.
Venus sure is nice to look at.
Likewise the loot and customisation system seems to be content in doing enough and no more. Rarely did I find myself having to decide between two pieces of equipment as one was always better than the other. Vehicles and ships come off even worse, with your personal Sparrow vehicles boasting few noticeable upgrades and ships amounting to nothing but customisable loading screens. Destiny’s endgame just disappoints further as all your activities post campaign will involve replaying missions several times with hopes of unlocking rare level cap enhancing equipment. It turns what should have been Destiny’s main appeal over other shooters into an exercise in repetition which will either hook players in or turn them off completely. There’s a solid 20 hours of fun to be had without the need to replay any content already, but Destiny squeezes this content for all its worth in the worst possible way. Some element of randomness could have helped Destiny greatly here as even the best encounters can grow stale when you’ve run into them for the umpteenth time with no hint of change or meaningful reward.
Verdict
Taken for what it is, Destiny is an excellent shooter backed by solid new features that can be a blast with friends. But digging a little deeper into its features more often than not yields disappointment as it becomes apparent that Bungie is content with doing enough and no more. It offers a good roster of game modes in one cohesive package that all entertain, but its difficult to commend its gameplay for having overcome any rocky waters given that the boat is never pushed out in the first place. Destiny is very much a mediocre story told by a brilliant story teller, you’ll be drawn in by the wonderful galaxy and satisfying gameplay but its average features prevent it from ever fulfilling its potential. It may not be a perfect start, but if it can learn from these initial shortcomings Destiny could very well be destined for greatness down the line.
Hits
+Excellent core shooting experience +Beautiful galaxy full of jaw dropping vistas +Engaging and challenging enemy factions +Strikes offer some of the best co-op action this year
Misses
–RPG elements are too shallow across the board –Non-existent story lets down the galaxy and its inhabitants –Limited array of weapons and vehicles –Offers little reason to explore its open areas –Underdeveloped online components
Platforms: Playstation 3/4 & Xbox 360/One Developer: Bungie Publisher: Activision Players: 1, 1-6 Online Release Date: September 9, 2014
Shoot first, ask questions never.
Destiny seemed like a sure bet, an esteemed developer with a ton of money behind it doing what they do best but on a grander scale than ever before. What could go wrong? It turns out a lot could. The story is barely there, its mission structure is repetitive, the RPG elements are too light and its online innovations often hinder the experience just as much as they enhance it. But despite all of this the core gameplay still wins out with Bungie’s gunplay at its most satisfying against the lavishly painted galactic backdrop. Destiny unfortunately, now at the beginning of its ’10 year’ life, is not all it could have been. However it is a top class shooter set within one of the most beautiful galaxies ever crafted, hardly the worst starting place for a franchise that’s set to see numerous expansions in the coming years.
Its perhaps best to start with what’s best about Destiny. The shooting is top notch, each action you take is responsive and has a visible impact on the enemy. Whether you’re peppering a towering Cabal from afar or introducing a Fallen dreg to your fist, the enemy will feel every hit, visibly reacting to attacks wherever they may land. On top of this each class has its own specific skills that add an extra layer of individuality to proceedings. A Hunter may double jump with blinding speed to avoid enemy fire where a Titan could instead opt to toss a stun grenade to blind his foes instead. Furthermore supers allow each class to throw down some instant devastation in tight situations. These options along with their their equal reactions are endlessly satisfying and ensure that the flow of combat never leans too heavily on statistics alone.
Destiny is best enjoyed with others.
The impressive shooting can however mask the Destiny’s shortcomings in the RPG department. Its skill trees are narrow to say the least, rarely giving you any input in your characters development besides selecting skills as they’re made available one by one. Subclasses are unlocked at level 15 and do offer satisfying variations on the characters skill sets, but considering the level cap stands at 20 and the fact that you’ll be done with much of the games content by this point its arguably offering too little too late. The skills themselves each play a useful role in gunfights but often only offer different ways of achieving the same things. For instance across the 18 different grenade types available to all the classes, only a handful stand out as being anything but a different means of dealing the same damage. As a result skills are either too similar or used too infrequently to meaningfully change the way you play, which brings us to the similarly troubled weapon selection.
Each gun you’ll use is a delight to wield and can be upgraded in useful ways (albeit with a similar lack of options) but with only 9 base weapon types the room for variation is once more limited. Admittedly each weapon type can come in a multitude of varieties, but the differences between them are so subtle that you’ll rarely feel a tangible difference between one shotgun and another besides the obvious like magazine size. The selection of vehicles available, though all fun to use, is also slim which further narrows the possibilities in combat. Couple these with your limited skill set and you’ll soon find yourself disappointed whenever another guardian of the same class as you joins your team as you’ll find yourselves fulfilling the same role via the same methods. Ultimately as a first person shooter Destiny is a resounding success in terms of mechanics, but the sheer lack of options available means that your guardian won’t play awfully differently whether he’s level 5 or 20, which is disappointing for an RPG no matter which way you cut it.
It may come up short when applying RPG elements to its gameplay, however Destiny does succeed in designing a world (or worlds) within which the grandest of RPG’s could take place. Even though each is wildly different in appearance they’re all a pleasure to look at and combine actual playable areas with impressive artistic backdrops flawlessly. Terrain also plays its part in differentiating the four playable worlds, with Earth’s larger debris filled planes contrasting well with the likes of Venus’ more vertically orientated ruin filled canyons. There is an underlying problem however in that Destiny offers little reason for you to explore these planets besides the odd treasure chest and collectibles; furthermore few of the areas feel truly alive as there’s little sign of any of the locales having actually been lived in despite every area being rife with enemy forces. Its difficult however to truly criticise Destiny on this point as the areas serve their purpose as a backdrop for its action perfectly, its just that the open world nature of the game feels unneeded much of the time. Perhaps if there was more freedom in regards to how we explored and went about pursuing objectives within these areas the open world approach would be warranted, but once Destiny has dropped you off at the same starting point for the fifth time to travel to some other corner of the map its reuse of areas becomes repetitive rather than exploratory no matter how nice they look.
The Cabal are a force to be reckoned with.
Across these four worlds you’ll be shooting four different enemy races, each of which is a joy to encounter. Each faction behaves differently in combat and have interesting hierarchies that shift your priorities in battle. Fallen vandals may cloak and rush you forcing you out of your comfort zone if you’re sniping whereas shield wielding Cabal can create an impassable wall that can make a shotgun assault difficult to achieve. Few of the enemies skill sets are truly original but all are combined well to create factions that act very much as coherent units that are unique when sized up against each other. Bosses however, while generally enjoyable and challenging, are almost always super powered versions of normal enemies that you’ve fought numerous times before. Furthermore almost every boss boasts an aggravating ground pound attack that discourages getting up close; bosses that force you to change tactics are always appreciated but to have every boss exercise the same counter measure can grow tiring.
A mere glimpse at each race also gives the player an idea of their history, with the excellent art direction doing wonders for fleshing out these otherwise underdeveloped antagonists. The Cabal are a particular highlight, their imposing outline, brute force tactics and superb theme providing a fantastic challenge in the games final act. Martin O’Donnell’s soundtrack in fact contributes as much to the creation of the galaxy as the visuals do, its uplifting tracks throwing a more fantastical twist on the post apocalyptic sci-fi scene. From the oppressing tones that accompany the Vex to the Cabal’s imperialistic beats, this is some of O’Donnell’s best work to date.
Its a shame then, that given Destiny’s impressive galaxy, that every aspect of its story is lacklustre. Its central campaign barely attempts to give us a compelling reason to be rushing to our next objectives, our guiding ghost telling us to kill certain targets for no discernible reason at all. It does pick up in the second half of the campaign as the cast of characters, enemies and vistas are all expanded in different ways; but proceedings soon degrade back into vagueness before ending prematurely. Games don’t necessarily need brilliant stories to drive them if the core gameplay is strong enough, but Destiny makes out as if it is telling a grand tale whilst throwing out terms you’ll never learn the meaning of. The two driving forces of its galaxy, the heroic ‘Traveler’ and its opposite ‘Darkness’ are constantly referred to but are never explained in the least, not even to the extent where they could be enticing mysteries. You’ll be gunning down four races with little reason as to why you must, and its never clear whether they’re acting on behalf of the Darkness as they’re clearly not acting as one. The Cabal wage war against the Vex on Mars, but rather than even entertain the idea of an alliance (or explaining why one wouldn’t be possible) with one to defeat the other you’re simply instructed once more to kill everything that moves.
There’s some real character behind enemy design.
There’s been much criticism of the voice acting here, particularly in the case of Peter Dinklage’s Ghost, but its perhaps the writing that’s to blame as a performance can only be so good when you’ve clearly no idea what you’re talking about. The Queen of the Reef stops you from attacking her Fallen bodyguards (a usual victim of your guns) declaring that “It does understand these ones are mine” – we’ll never learn why, and its hard to shake the feeling that Destiny often doesn’t know why either. Grimoire cards can be unlocked (oddly these aren’t visible within the actual game) to flesh out the lore of the universe, but they generally fail to shed any light on any of the more important questions raised throughout Destiny’s campaign. No matter how epic the galaxy may be made out to be, you’ll only need to ask the question ‘why?’ after every sentence uttered and the illusion of depth soon falls apart. The reluctance to form any reason to press on in the campaign does unfortunately bleed into gameplay which often falls back on escorting your ghost companion from A to B and then defending him in wave based battles. Luckily the steady stream of new enemies and planets keeps this structure from ever becoming too much of a problem, but when you encounter a more memorable mission such as ‘Scourge of Winter’ it makes you wish the rest of the campaign could have that much energy behind it all the time.
There’s plenty to do outside of the campaign however. Patrol mode allows you to freely explore each of the four planets in pursuit of randomly generated missions, but the repetitive objectives and aforementioned lack of motivation for exploration will likely make this the mission mode you’ll spend the least time in by far. The Crucible is Destiny’s answer to competitive multiplayer, pitting guardians against each other on a surprisingly level playing field. The objective based modes place just as much emphasis on defending as they do killing which ensures any build of guardian can find an important place in their team, and playing long enough will make you appreciate your skills just as much as other classes.
Strikes challenge your fireteam of three to battle through some truly tough encounters that always end with great boss fights that demand team coordination. While they don’t escape the routine wave based scenarios, they do provide some of the best of what Destiny has to offer as the game is at its best when your overcoming the odds with friends. The boss battles, though still disappointingly just powered up versions of certain enemies, are far better than any you’ll encounter in the campaign due to some smart arena design. The bosses themselves still do little to change things up, but steady streams of reinforcements that force you to move and tightly designed arenas with plenty of cover make these lengthy encounters exciting where they could have easily become grating wars of attrition. *I’ll be updating this review once I’ve fully completed the Raid mission.
It is true that Destiny is best when played with friends, but when it comes to doing anything but enabling people to play together its online features seem half finished. Matchmaking facilities set up games quickly and generally hold steady throughout your session, but weaker internet connections can really suffer when Destiny forces players into another ones world. Slow down rarely occurs but you can expect to be booted when numerous players join to complete a public event, and the fact that Destiny will opt to break your existing team apart to allow you to play with strangers seems backwards. The Tower is always loaded with other players despite there being no reason for it to be; you’ll have limited means of communication and no facilities to organise groups within this hub but you’ll still have to wait for its lengthy loading times every time you pay it a visit as a result. Its important to emphasise that these features will only be problematic for some players and that communicating with other players can be fun despite it having little substance, but its hard to shake the feeling that Destiny does little to innovate with its much touted and sometimes invasive online components.
Venus sure is nice to look at.
Likewise the loot and customisation system seems to be content in doing enough and no more. You’ll be treated to a slow trickle of loot throughout the game that rarely excites no matter how powerful it is. Rarely did I find myself having to decide between two pieces of equipment as one was always better than the other, and I couldn’t even make use of good weapons I didn’t use since trading between players isn’t possible. Vehicles and ships come off even worse, with your personal Sparrow vehicles boasting few noticeable upgrades and ships amounting to nothing but customisable loading screens. Character customisation even feels unneeded, with its small selection of faces and hairstyles doing little to inspire creativity.
Destiny’s endgame just disappoints further beginning with its reward of a single mote of light, an item you’ll need plenty more of before you can purchase anything of worth. Its a sign of things to come, as all your activities post campaign will involve replaying missions several times with hopes of unlocking rare level cap enhancing equipment. It turns what should have been Destiny’s main appeal over other shooters into an exercise in repetition which will either hook players in or turn them off completely. There’s a solid 20 hours of fun to be had without the need to replay any content already, but Destiny squeezes this content for all its worth in the worst possible way. Some element of randomness could have helped Destiny greatly here as even the best encounters can grow stale when you’ve run into them for the umpteenth time with no hint of change or meaningful reward.
Verdict
Taken for what it is, Destiny is an excellent shooter backed by solid new features that can be a blast with friends. But digging a little deeper into its features more often than not yields disappointment as it becomes apparent that Bungie is content with doing enough and no more. It offers a good roster of game modes in one cohesive package that all entertain, but its difficult to commend its gameplay for having overcome any rocky waters given that the boat is never pushed out in the first place. Destiny is very much a mediocre story told by a brilliant story teller, you’ll be drawn in by the wonderful galaxy and satisfying gameplay but its average features prevent it from ever fulfilling its potential. It may not be a perfect start, but if it can learn from these initial shortcomings Destiny could very well be destined for greatness down the line.
Hits
+Excellent core shooting experience +Beautiful galaxy full of jaw dropping vistas +Engaging and challenging enemy factions +Strikes offer some of the best co-op action this year
Misses
-RPG elements are too shallow across the board –Non-existent story lets down the galaxy and its inhabitants –Limited array of weapons and vehicles –Offers little reason to explore its open areas –Underdeveloped online components
CRITICAL HIT REVIEWS 