Destiny 2 Review

The only real gripes I can level with the new game is how much it borrows from its predecessor. Destiny 1 built a great universe with some interesting species and characters, but for the most part these players are unchanged in the sequel. I would have loved to see a new race or more new enemies within the ranks of existing armies, but Destiny 2 feels perfectly content with sticking what we already know. Once you’re knee deep in the dead you won’t care too much about which alien race your bullets are making new homes in, but when you stop for a breather the lack of variety does set in.

Multiplayer:

Destiny 2 is, of course, an online-centric game. Whether you’re playing solo or in a fireteam, you’ll always know you’re not alone out there on those alien planets. That’s a pretty cool feeling, and the natural comradery that builds within public events is palpable. That said, Destiny 2 transcends from great to fantastic when you buddy up with some pals and get chatting. Playing with a dedicated raid group kept Destiny 1 alive for three whole years, within which I accumulated nearly 1500 hours of playtime. From my experiences this week with the old group, I can’t see Destiny 2 being any different.

Destiny 2 finally feels like it values those dedicated groups. Whilst it was neat grabbing some clan-based trophies the first time round, the sequel actively urges you to join a group that you’ll play with often. Clans are a huge deal now, offering rewards you slowly unlock as a group as you all play – separately or alone. These tiers include getting more EXP or upping your chances of finding engrams, and they’re perfect carrots-on-a-stick to get everyone to muck in. When a team made of clanmates achieves something, whether you’re there or not, you’re sent rewards and engrams to celebrate their success. My clan is tirelessly working towards these as we speak, and I’m itching to get back and add my points to the tally.

The Crucible – Destiny’s version of PvP – is here too and in full swing. I’ve clocked about ten hours in there already, and had some absolutely fantastic matches. Destiny is one of the few games I really got involved with the PvP side of things, and I find it a pretty perfect bag. It helps that you also get PvE rewards and fairly lengthy questlines to keep your interest between the murder sprees. The maps are a mixed bag, with some absolutely killer ones brought down by a couple of uninspired arenas, but the core gameplay feels tight and fun.

Balance is predictably squiffy at the moment; not all supers are born equal, Titans feel OP and the pre-order bonus Exotic weapon Coldheart is currently wrecking shop on most matches I participate in. I complained bitterly about it until the moment I unlocked mine, at which point I became one of the monsters abusing its power. That said, expect continuous nerfs and buffs to make PvP the ever-changing beast we all know it to be very soon, along with timed events to keep things interesting.

Presentation:

Stopping support for 360 and PS3 seems to have done Destiny 2 no end of favours, visually speaking. Playing on my PS4 Pro, I was absolutely floored by how stunning the game looks. When there are a million effects raining down on you, with an army of enemies storming in and your fireteam desperately using every super they have to keep them at bay, Destiny 2, quite literally, shines. The art design is also brilliant, spewing out gorgeous worlds that feel genuinely different.

Titan’s rig-like structure, jutting out from an electrical sea, looks phenomenal, whilst a final assault late in the game’s story is too good to spoil – I’ll just say it knocked my socks off.

I did however run into some really game-ruining issues on my PS4 version of the game, however. Over the last few days the game has frozen completely on me about ten times, and it seems to be a known issue that PS4 Pro users are encountering quite frequently across all game types. It’s absolutely aggravating – especially when you’re just about to beat a ridiculously tough Nightfall boss, for instance – and I really hope it gets ironed out soon.

The true star of Destiny 2’s presentation is the score. The music in this game is second to none. Within the first hour of playing I was absolutely in love, and really impressed by the variety and volume of what’s here. It’s brimming with music from a multitude of different talents, and each one of them manages to channel that core Bungie feel and tie the whole score together thematically. The voices are excellent too – especially some of the new characters – but the soundtrack is where Destiny appropriately sings.

Conclusion:

“Destiny 2” is a fantastic achievement, and the result of a developer that has worked tirelessly to fix something intrinsically broken. It feels overly familiar and brand new all at once, and succeeds in realizing a vision three years in the making. It’s initially jarring for a number of reasons, but whether you’re a veteran or a Kinderguardian I urge you to stick with it until its myriad systems begin to gel – because when they do, Destiny 2 evolves into one of the slickest, content-rich, interconnected exercises in fun I’ve played in years.