14 DAY TRIAL // Bungie's second entry in the Destiny series is approaching its release date, and the players were given the chance to feel things out before deciding on whether to make the switch or not. Sporting a handful of gameplay changes and a brand new story, Destiny 2 is a bold endeavor, even if it doesn't make everyone happy.
It’s difficult not to wonder what happens at the helm of a big video game studio when management decides to put resources into a new title, especially when we are talking about franchises with hundreds of thousands of players.
Replacing a product that works and has a consistent fan base is not easy, which is why companies like Blizzard have avoided this by releasing DLC and expansions instead of entirely new games.
Destiny’s success is undeniable, considering the fact that it basically owns the console market when it comes to online first-person shooters. Although Bungie released a few expansion packs for the first episode in the series, it is now time for a complete change, and they have the monumental task of convincing hundreds of thousands of players to drop the first game and move on to Destiny 2, which just had an open beta test to feel things out.
If you are a returning player, Destiny 2 feels like Destiny all over again in terms of missions, character classes and the experience as a whole. Newcomers are probably going to be impressed with the gunplay and the fast-paced mechanics, so there’s something for every category of gamers out there.
However, Bungie decided to change a few core elements for this sequel, some of which are not very well regarded by the veterans of the franchise.
First and foremost, the story is a bit of a letdown, considering the fact that the whole thing is written like a Die Hard sequel with aliens and spaceships. The cheesy one liners are funny for a few minutes, but then you realize that they are not meant to be ironic most of the time, and it really gets old after a couple of cutscenes.
The main cast is pretty unremarkable, especially since the characters appear to be classic archetypes with nothing new to offer. There's the relentless joker, the serious commander-in-chief and the terrible villain at the end, although the latter is actually pretty scary the first time you lay eyes on him.
To cut things short, the plot involves the usual Cabal villains, as well as the guardians that lead the war against them in order to save entire planets from being destroyed. Granted, the whole thing looks and feels very cinematic, but there’s barely any substance to the story and the characters that are part of it.
On the other hand, Destiny is about shooting things and collecting gear, so most players are more than happy to ignore the story aspect. Destiny 2 does not bring tremendous changes in this department, but Bungie has implemented a few new ideas to mix things around. Some of them work, others are basically irrelevant anyway, but most actually hurt the experience and make it more difficult to have a good time.
Probably the most disappointing aspect is the fact that there are no new classes, so you are still stuck with the original three: Titan, Warlock and Hunter. However, there are new subclasses to try out, and these can actually be pretty fun to experiment with for a while.
Even so, one would think that an entirely new episode in the Destiny saga would bring more changes in this department, if only to give the veterans something new to obsess about.
Thankfully, there are plenty of new weapons and abilities to enjoy, but as far as the weapons are concerned, Bungie managed to make things a tad worse. As such, snipers and shotguns are classified as powered weapons in Destiny 2, which means that there’s less ammo for them, and they cannot really be used as primary weapons anymore. This is definitely going to upset a few players, but that’s not all.
Most guns are also underpowered now, in spite of the fact that some have been upgraded to a new class and you can no longer carry both a shotgun and a sniper. However, enemies are now able to withstand sniper shots with ease, so besides the fact that you have been stripped down of your weapons, the ones that are left are much weaker as well. Because of this, grinding is now that much more annoying, especially when the rewards are barely worth the effort.
Special abilities have taken a hit as well, especially Supers, which now have significantly longer cooldown times. Although this is probably because Bungie wanted to make them more important, it turns out that waiting for minutes on end during a battle for your abilities to recharge is not very fun, especially for the veterans that are used to how things were.
Since the whole point is getting the old player base on board, the weapon and ability systems might need to be tweaked for the final version of the game.
Another big change comes in the form of a new 4v4 PVP mode, as opposed to the old 6v6 matches you might be used to from the original Destiny. Most fans are actually very excited about this mode, given the fact that it’s less confusing to have eight players running around instead of twelve.
The other modes should be familiar to veterans, since Strikes, Raids and the Crucible are making a comeback in this episode as well.
Mechanics-wise, it shouldn’t be difficult to get in tune with the slower movement speed and the slightly clunkier gunplay, but then again it’s a shame that you have to. It’s a mystery as to why Bungie messed with a system that worked so well, but it’s not as disastrous as some fans might have you think.
Your character still feels very nimble and controllable, and the PC version is actually about as enjoyable as it can get in terms of aiming and shooting.
Although most of what’s written above might lead you to believe that Destiny 2 is a fiasco, the truth is that most of the bad design and gameplay choices are only going to be noticed by those who put thousands of hours into the first episode. On the other hand, that should really be worrying Bungie, because they are banking on the fact that their fan base is going to make the switch.
Granted, this was only a beta version meant to put some stress on the servers and test the netcode, so the developers are probably going to patch most of these concerns by the time the full version rolls out.
In conclusion
To sum things up, Destiny 2 is just as gorgeous as ever, and it’s difficult to compete with its multiplayer appeal and the plethora of weapons and armors that can be gathered if you keep on grinding.
The new subclasses seem great, the campaign is very cinematic and enjoyable in spite of the childish writing, and the action is as addictive as ever.
Hence, it may not please everyone in this form, but it certainly does many things a lot better than its competition.
