In-depth review (Scroll down for TL:DR short version)



Warning: This is a game review, not an expectation or hype review. I will simply put, tell you if the game is worth buying based on my experience with multiple aspects of the game, so here goes. This is my first review and I hope this will answer many questions for those who are unsure about the game. This review is made up from a In-depth review (Scroll down for TL:DR short version)



Warning: This is a game review, not an expectation or hype review. I will simply put, tell you if the game is worth buying based on my experience with multiple aspects of the game, so here goes.



This is my first review and I hope this will answer many questions for those who are unsure about the game. This review is made up from a little over four hours of gameplay which I believe is enough to warrant a review on any game. I am separating the review based on six factors. story, gameplay, graphics, sound, replayability, and miscellaneous. I will NOT talk about the expectations of the game based on outside views or marketing.



Story: 4/10 Destiny's story seems rather absent. There is definitely a back-story involving a great evil and a mysterious savior (called the Traveller), but the specifics beyond that are hard to follow or just not there. This is not like Mass Effect or Divinity which has complex story arcs and side plots so if you were expecting a single player experience based on this factor I would not look forward to having a fun time playing Destiny. Main story missions are often voiced by your partner called Ghost, who explains the mission details as well as the backstory of what is going on. There are other characters involved besides the usual vendors or side mission npc's (like The Speaker) but the draw to the lore is barely existent. The story is there to keep everyone on the same track of battling the Darkness and that is pretty much it.



Gameplay: 9/10 This is where things are looking up. The gameplay is simply superb. Everything involving your character to the weapons you pick up to the tactics and AI you encounter all combine for a wonderful time. I am able to continue playing this game just on the gameplay alone. There is a lot here with different weapons, subclasses, leveling, skills, etc that enhance the gameplay in many ways.



Graphics: 9/10 Again this is where Destiny shines. The PS4 version will not disappoint. I will easily say this the best graphics to date for the new console. The textures are crisp, the parallaxing is impressive, the lighting and shadowing create amazing scenes. The frames per second seems capped at around 30-35 if I had to guess. There were no real drops or dips in the frames during my entire play. Your character also looks extremely detailed despite the fact you only see it when your at the Tower, when casting spells, or when on a vehicle. The effects are of a high graphic fidelity as well, with weapons, skills, ships, and vehicles clearly showing proof of this.



Sound: 8/10 I love my audio and Destiny does not disappoint in this front either. The soundtrack is impressive and helps paint the the game world Bungie has created. The environmental sounds paired with the sounds made by your character or weapons all account for a great unique experience. I noted in the game when shooting some Dreg I heard the muffled echoed sound of a sniper rifle far away followed by a couple explosions. I went to investigate and found a fellow Guardian tackling another group of Fallen. Each gun sounds distinct and different, each character skill sounds different. There is a lot of creativity heard in this game and adds to the mystery.



Replayability 8/10: There is a decent amount of end game content that is evidenced by the multiple vendors in the Tower, but I feel the replayability is in only the end game content, coop, and pvp material and not in the story content which I mentioned earlier. So in short this game will be fun to replay with a group of friends as it keep one's interest with the extra missions, pvp, and large group events.



Miscellaneous: 6/10 This is where I add details about aspects that add to the game and personal opinion. For example, seeing as it is a multiplayer game and one must play with a internet connection, I first have to note that I experienced no drops in connection or latency when playing Destiny which is impressive at launch date. There is a installation required for those, like me, who bought the disc but it did not take long. As a personal note, I felt like there was not enough added to the game. Sure it has side missions and beautiful landscape but there was not enough for me to draw to it. The world events and coop definitely helped but I feel like there are things about this game that Bungie could have expanded on, like ship upgrades, more story, vehicle equipment/research/attachments, side mission creativity (which could hopefully expand on the lore), and even more skill/weapon attachments/adjustments.



Overall / TL:DR version



Is this game worth buying for single player or story reasons: No

Is the game worth buying to play with friends or others online: Yes … Expand