Yes, Destiny. I write the word with mixed emotions: elation and depression, excitement and irritation, hope and self-delusion.
Why the dichotomy? It might be easier to explain in list form, and the Internet loves lists, so here’s what I liked about the game:
- Rarely-explored genre (mythic science fiction)
- Shooter/RPG hybrid
- Cooperative story
- Seamless party system
Here’s what I didn’t like about the game:
- Limited amount of exploration
- Repetition
- Sense of personal insignificance
- Obsoletion of obtained equipment
Those are very short lists, but they cover the fundamental assets and detriments of the game. I will elaborate:
Rarely-explored genre (mythic science fiction)
I like science fiction. I also like fantasy. I also like not fully understanding the universe with which I’m presented–I like metaphysical conceptual abstractions. This game does these well, all while maintaining that trademark Bungie theme of hopelessness and self-annihilation. It’s as if a bunch of really smart people got old and jaded and wrote a story, and that’s something that resonates with me.
Shooter/RPG hybrid
Too often are RPGs reserved for the sword and sorcery genre. That’s a good match, but I want to build an arsenal of guns.
Cooperative story
Simply put, I want to play a game with friends. And I find that accomplishing an objective together is more rewarding that shooting my friends. Although shooting my wife does bring an odd sense of satisfaction….
Seamless party system
No one wants to mess around with the menu for a half hour, trying to figure out how to get a party going. And no one likes it if someone has to unexpectedly drop and it terminates the game.
Limited amount of exploration
In a fantastically-built universe, I want to go see it, not simply consume it passively while busy with an objective. Destiny offered some very minor rewards for doing this, but the explorable area was relatively small and didn’t do much to build upon the mystery. This really detracted from the sense of wonder.
Repetition
Shoot the guy and accomplish the objective. Then there’s daily missions, which involve going back and shooting that same guy. Then there’s difficulty multipliers and skull challenges, which involve going back and shooting that same guy under slightly different circumstances, all while he absorbs an absurd amount of bullets, which brings me to….
Sense of personal insignificance
No task remains as statically completed. Why an I going back and shooting that same guy and listening to that same story again? So doing that before meant nothing. Also, since it’s MMO-y, there’s the lingering knowledge that everyone else did that same thing. No adventure is unique to the individual, and with everyone doing the same adventure, it’s hard to feel as if me killing that guy did anything to impact the future.
Obsoletion of obtained equipment
So I killed that guy and got this really cool gun, which was cool for a week before the next expansion dropped. Now that gun does nothing, and I need the next and better one. It kills motivation to work for anything, knowing something better is coming, and it undermines the entire RPG system.
Ultimately, all these negative points are compounded by the fact that every expansion is NOT cheap. It’s an arms race against a universe that doesn’t value your time or personal contributions. It’s a time and money sink.
So what do I do when confronted with these contradictions, with Destiny 2 on the way? Well, I’ll buy it anyway and enjoy the good times with the bad.
–Simon