Destiny's story has been rightfully lambasted for dozens of faults, but there is a more fundamental gap in its structure to blame for how flat it falls. From the Speaker's vague recollection of the allegedly gallant battles predating the game - amusingly and very literally recounted, "I could tell you..." - to the seemingly pointless acts of the Darkness' four factions, it's all talk and no walk. This is a video game we're talking about. Who cares what happened if we didn't play it as it happened, let alone see it happen via cut-scene? This problem is compounded by the fact that, perhaps due to a deadline-prompted gutting of the game, the only supporting lore and details to be had exist outside the game - buried in Bungie.net's mess of a Grimoire archive. A game can shout from the rooftops how great and epic it is, but it's just a variety of box blurbs unless we can engage with it. It's called interactive entertainment for a reason, after all. So what does Halo 5 - and most games, for that matter - need to do? Shut up and keep talking. Quit the fluff, show us what matters, and let us play it.
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.
