Despite its rough start, I enjoyed the first Destiny. I wasn’t a ravenous fan or anything, but I put in a good amount of time. I even managed to beat one of the Raids.
Bungie did a good job improving its online multiplayer shooter after Destiny debuted in 2014 through various updates and expansions.
Now, however, the time for iterative improvements are done. It’s time for Destiny 2, and ahead of its September 6 launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (a PC version follows October 24) I spent some time playing the closed beta on Xbox One. This test provides access to the opening story mission, a three-player cooperative Strike, and the team-based multiplayer.Was it enough to get me excited for the sequel? Eh.
An actual story
Let’s start with that story mission, which succeeded in actually telling a story (something the first Destiny often struggled with). It quickly set up the premise of the sequel — bad guys blow up your home and take away your powers — while reintroducing characters and bringing in new ones. It was also kind of fun (and a little sad) to see the main hub from the first Destiny surrounded in chaos and fire.
It also managed to introduce some fun elements and switch-ups. Missions in Destiny often only involved walking in a straight line and shooting things, with sequences of waiting for a door to open while fighting off waves of baddies being the only thing breaking up the monotony (although those sections became quickly monotonous themselves).
So it was nice to actually see a couple platforming sections in the mission, including one that had me running through a turbine.It was a flashy and exciting start for Destiny 2. If the rest of the game can maintain that level of quality, it’ll be a solid campaign.
But playing this mission also validated some fears I had going in. Destiny 2 does not feel very different from the first Destiny. And in a way, I get that. The mechanics and interface in the first game were never an issue. The shooting always felt satisfying and the menus were easy to navigate.
Image Credit: Activision Blizzard
What’s different
But even beyond that stuff, it’s kind of disappointing how little as changed. You can still only pick between one of three of classes: Hunter, Warlock, or Titan. I went with Hunter, as that’s what I played in the first Destiny. And it felt almost exactly…
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