There's an uncanny tightness to Halo multiplayer. Far from the brief and intermittent conflicts of its brown-and-gray peers, Halo is about constant conflict, an unending and ever-changing battle between two sides. This is reflected in the series' almost claustrophobic map design: corridors align to have players repeatedly stumble upon and square off with one another, verticality lends otherwise condensed spaces new vantages and approaches, and you're almost never completely out of enemy line-of-sight. Destiny multiplayer, on the other hand, can feel like a reenactment of Cast Away. Bastion and First Light, the most bloated of the Crucible's maps, could hold 20 players without breaking a sweat but, like all other maps (excluding 3v3 bouts in Skirmish), support only 12. This makes for a tedious experience; even respawning becomes a chore as you hike your way back to the action. It feels less like a battle and more like taking inventory. "Are they there? No. There? No," you'll say, mentally checking a box for each ghost town you find and immediately desert. "There? No. The-" Thankfully a sniper cut off your rambling. Start hiking.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
