When Bungie and Activision announced Destiny as the next big shooter, the anticipation was greater than they could have ever hoped for. While the game itself was fun. It wasn’t without its faults. Too much grinding for gear, PvP that was improperly balanced, and a campaign that left way too much to the imagination were just a few of the complaints launched at their initial title. When the game was released, it was rumored there were 10 years of content for them to build on. Unfortunately for fans, it seemed as if they were saving too much for the later years and not enough was available upon launch. With the sequels launch getting closer on the horizon, did they listen enough to fans to win them back?
Inscriber’s own Robert Leo’s review (here) says it’ll be more of the same after playing the beta but there may be more to it than expected.
First and foremost, the game opened up to the public as part of their beta testing on July 21st. Anyone who preordered received early access but the majority of the community filed in to test before they buy. Compared to the initial game the beta for Destiny 2 ran a lot smoother than its predecessor. One of the largest flaws in the original game was how often players were booted from gameplay during the beta phase. Even when the game was launched, there were still a handful of bugs to correct in order to see continuous gameplay. This time around there were far fewer annoyances while playing.
So what about the game itself? Is it any better than the first?
When it comes to gameplay, Destiny’s sequel seems to have much smoother mechanics. Movement of your character seems a bit more fluid and natural. Navigating maps and terrain doesn’t drag as you pass over objects as much. Left to right motions are a bit more responsive. Overall, the user experience is better polished than the first time around.
When it comes to the main story there’s not much to go off of. While I agree with Robert Leo’s assessment of the beta’s only strike being too easy, that doesn’t mean the game misses its mark. More than likely The Inverted Spiral will be one of the low-level strikes early on in the story. Throw on a weapon with a large enough magazine and you should be able to burn through the boss battle. With that being said, there is a bit more of a challenge than expected. Where Destiny had plenty of spots for players to duck into to avoid combat, the strike in Destiny 2 seemed to pack in a few less hiding spots and a few more adds to battle. If The Inverted Spiral strike is any indication of the later strikes, the challenge for players to use their support boosts will change the dynamic of groups. Players will have to strategize weapon boosts vs heal vs shields to take down tougher enemies.
PvP for Destiny 2 changes the way players face each other as well. From Control being a 6v6 battle players can split up and dominate the map, the 4v4 aspect presents a little more of a challenge. To control points, players will have to choose more between splitting up and facing opponents 1 on 1 or running as a unit sacrificing at least one control point to the enemy. From there it becomes a foot race to who can get to each point the quickest and capture/defend. Strategy will be king in PvP this time around.
The power ups were the biggest let down of the beta. Cool downs for grenades/melee/support took way too long to recharge. With the new scoring system for PvP matches end much quicker than before. Unfortunately to the gamer, if the cool downs hold true they may only be able to use their abilities 1-2 times a game. Hopefully, this is resolved before the initial release. Be it gear upgrades or more in depth abilities, recharge rates for abilities might be the nail in the coffin for gamers who were already turned off by Destiny to begin with. In the beta, it’s more than likely the stock gear played a large part, if not heaven help them it could spell their doom.
All in all, Destiny 2’s beta was fun to play. With the game set to release on Sept 6th of 2017 the developers still have time to fix any minor mistakes. I wouldn’t rush out to buy it right away like the original, but enough of the game was changed to make it worth checking out. At least until Shadows of War comes out on October 10th.