As a combination of several genres, Destiny is a truly epic experience in every way. One moment, players could be blasting away aliens on the scattered remains of a once thriving earth, then the next fighting side-by-side with other players against an invading ship, then sifting through loot and checking out gear, and finally back up on the Tower hanging out with friends before beaming down for some PvP matches in the Crucible. The systems are far from perfect, but this was an alpha after all. While at the Tower, the interactive functions were severely limited (not even a chat system!) but hopefully that gets ironed out. Destiny seems to truly be a game that, while fun in each section, should be judged by the sum of its parts. If Bungie released just the competitive multiplayer portion as a game by itself (looking at you, Titanfall) that would probably be enough to justify a purchase, but it's so much more than that. The game has a fully fleshed out FPS gameplay system, but under the hood is a competent RPG infrastructure holding it all together. Players can get new gear, level up their abilities, upgrade items, acquire stat bonuses, and truly see characters grow and progress over time. All of this is wrapped up with a shiny pseudo-MMO bow on top that seamlessly stirs all the ingredients together to make what we know as Destiny. It's no Planetside and it's no World of Warcraft, but it is quite fun in its own right.
David is a freelance game journalist that has been writing in the industry for several years. You might not agree with him all of the time, but he does have a pretty awesome last name. Follow his tweetings on Twitter - @David_Jagneaux
