Conclusion after 100 hours

I write very rarely reviews, actually only when I make a real difference in the positive and negative sense. After nearly 100 hours invested play and life time Destiny has its review, however, more than deserved.

First of all I would like to say that I've never played a game like Destiny, a game that damned many things makes good and right and other things wrong colossal simultaneously. Destiny is a game that has me but rather disappointed from the start, frustrated towards the end even just annoyed and still captivated me for almost 100 hours on the screen - completely schizophrenic basically and the perfect social studies! It's incredible how much the addictive MMO rationale sparked its effect, our life is eating, spend our evenings in front of the screen, neglect social contacts and can cancel appointments, even if the game itself considered sober just bad and the personal yield Loot is -technical and emotionally basically miserable and frustrating.

I am now level 29 in Destiny and would like to explain my personal impressions of the different chapters of my legend:

1. The hype and anticipation

I have no time to explain why I can not explain anything. - The set of Destiny who embodies the absolute love affairs, soulless story. (: Had 1 filmed definitely deserves an Oscar what for me 1), must, since I'm actually a huge fan of epic stories like the Mass Effect series (I've played several times), the first Metal Gear Solid, or The Last of Us I say quite self-critical, that I had some false expectations and hopes that were but in turn fueled by the hype of the developer.
I would have liked a Mass Effect MMO played with huge, believable world and epic story, spiced with RPG elements, team play and events. I wish I had a dozen planets, space stations and moons of the solar system traveled with correct physics in terms of gravity, pressure, light and color display. Gladly I would have felt like an explorer and adventurer who made stories and missions of well-developed NPC counter and an endless wealth of content played with sidequests and varied tasks (see, eg, GTA 5 or Assassin's Creed).
I was of course aware that Destiny is all that can not offer and so I runtergeschraubt my expectations. But at least a little of the atmosphere described above should be able to create the game, so I hoped.
And what I got finally ?! 4 cards consisting of entangled Level hoses that can be completely exit the Sparrow are all within 3-5 minutes, without any NPCs, without interaction with the environment, without Anwechslung. Always the same opponent at exactly the same positions in each mission.

2. The beginning and the story missions

At the beginning of the story I immediately noticed a conspicuous break: The intro mission is bursting when compared to the other before cutscenes (the first flight to the tower), spirit-conversation and script sequences or staging as falling over towers in the background, laser light barriers, light anknipsen and remove out of opponents. But as early as the second mission is all abruptly over, no staging, absolutely nothing happens more until the end. Instead, you always get the same half-baked mission commanded to follow the waypoints to a destination, there 3 waves of enemies and as bonus sometimes even kill a boss. The planet start from all the missions of the exact same point that is 70 to 90 percent of each 5 missions on a planet are congruent. This seems to, as if the entire game thrown 3 weeks ago Publication overboard, so that had to be knitted together quickly any habgaren garbage missions under intense time pressure. Zero staging, nothing affected in one way or the world, no NPC and no opponent stands out from the monotony, no dialogue, no relation of missions, no explanation, hardly anything remains in the memory.
Fortunately, I had at that time a buddy who just also Destiny gambled so we moved together in the K (r) ampf. Through our conversations and tactical coordination, the whole thing made in spite of all a lot of fun, especially since the core of the game, the shooter gameplay and even the initial collecting loot and experience points are very well implemented.

3. First contact with Strikes

In the strikes I had initially neat fun. Although these are actually designed pretty lousy, but came up with the three-man team and the associated more tactical and more dynamic battles considerably more depth to the game. But here criticism is appropriate: The Strikes are taking place as all the missions in the open world that you have already traveled hundreds of times before, and are 80% also congruent with other, normal missions. Pamper only their raid bosses, big and largely immobile versions of normal enemies, insert the incredible amount of damage. Man shoots already times 20 minutes on them, while permanently repels common enemy masses. In addition to the required skill here no particular tactic is necessary. Times by keeping only in a free second a rocket on it, the whole 20 minutes and is good.

4. reaching the level cap and the total messed Loot System

After completion of the tired story reached my pal and I shared the level cap of 20. We went from there only with special equipment. But the endgame does not contain what the developers promise. Our first idea was naturally Loot Drops of opponents and rewards to Strike missions (For many players this is extremely degenerated, see loot Caves). However, one can completely forget Loot Drops unfortunately. In my nearly 100 hours of play just 3 legendary weapons and armor and an exotic weapon are gedropt outside of raids. All weapons did not meet my style of play and the armor I had even erfarmt or bought at that time laboriously.
So how we arrived at the coveted Legendarys? Correct: farms, ranches and farms again, what we would have arrived at the patrol missions. Use the same old 10 raids (boring additional orders as games for the umpteenth time Mission y or Kill 30 enemies in close combat or games normally any garbage and collect 9,000 XP experience without dying or Defeat 100 enemies with headshots) it was reputation for to farm the Vanguard Group and to collect so-called vanguard brands. The latter one gets in daily missions for the same old 6 Strikes the Strike-a playlist in the loop and the most lucrative by Abfarmen random events on the planet. Find every 30 minutes at certain places the card events take place as Destroy a spinning tank or 3 Defeat waves of enemies. These events are indeed still the most exciting thing about the patrol and bring some variety and quick sense of achievement.
If you then made the whole thing for 2 weeks almost every night, you can buy the first two of four legendary armor for each 65 brands. Juhu! Even after 2 weeks mindless repeating the same old missions. The Madness! Sorry
Here I was to acknowledge for the first time on the point of the game, but drew me just playing together with friends over again. Back in the small world of Destiny and the minute-long load times between Orbit and tower

5. level up to level 27

At some point I had together all 4 required legendary armor and a legendary primary weapon and began with the high levels of equipment to continue to rise in the overall level. For this purpose, it was on the one hand again abzufarmen the lame forays, over and over again, but where I could spice up the whole thing, after all, by new team members in the Fire Team and the very serious weekly Strikes. The purchase of the first exotic items from the merchants Xur weekend also presented a small highlight.
When permanent farms in the patrol I realized then what the sterile world was designed by Destiny actually: Here can be just perfect experience (because the enemy spawn so every 30 seconds), material (spawn after 1-2 minutes again prescribed courses) and random events farms (for brands). DAS is Destiny! That is the essence of the game that really works great, an Asia-Grind festival par excellence! Everything is designed to give you a continuous operation, but extremely slowly approaching a self-imposed goal, over days and weeks in utter monotony, only supported by his fellow sufferers, the teammates. And yet the gunplay made still fun and chat about the headset was entertaining, although that would certainly have been in real life somehow possible.

6. The Raid

After all the preparations, it was finally over. At level 27 I ventured to the raid, the most complex in the unanimous opinion of Mission of the game that requires both skill and tactical agreements and a controlled procedure. MMOs I did not know before. That is why I was entirely new, this type of interaction. But then came the question of how to take part in the raid? The raid has unlike Strikes no automatic Matchmaking and is only with exactly 6 players in Fireteam playable. So thinking times fast ... 5 friends in the PSN friends list, which also all just playing Destiny, to at least Level 27 and one evening despite family and work all at the same time 4 to 7 hours have in the night until late? Hmm ... Nope!
So I personally went totally absurd way for me. In various forums I curried favor me clans and collected about 20 me completely foreign friends on PSN, with whom I finally was able to gamble the absolute Endcontent of Destiny. Eventually me and my group spread even over two evenings, the raid to successfully complete. Although I got none of the coveted raid armor, the only option in the game to eventually reach the current light level cap of 30, but several legendary weapons.
As expected, the wild ragtag groups verkrachten again sometime. Some were now also just still frustrated by Destiny and acknowledged the communities service, but a total of 5 times I was able to complete the raid to date, most recently even once with my real friends.
Unfortunately failed Destinys Loot system even during raid, so my motivation now continue to play close to zero. The only thing that counts in addition to the collection of weapons from level 28 are Raid Armor parts to eventually reach level 30. Unfortunately, one can make the raid only once a week, with the chance of the armor is downright absurd low. In 5 trials, I have received not a single piece of armor, but only legendary weapon that I already have and therefore are useless (an exchange or trading system between players are not in Destiny) and consolation prizes in the form of upgrade material. Other MMOs have here obviously better solutions: Raid brands, with which one can buy the coveted equipment after several passages also. Thus week were the preparations, the joint appointment Find, the time invested, the chum and argue that fatigue on the job and everything else completely for the ass for a week.

7. Twilight Strike

Even the extremely difficult weekly twilight Strikes I would like to say a few words, because here is revealed as nowhere else miserable Mission Design of Destiny. The boss fights are namely such imbalanced that they themselves can conventionally as extreme players do not manage: In continuous fire of the final boss and surrounded by felt 40 adds one must self inject with the best and full aufgelevelten exotic weapons at least 10 minutes to the final boss, to this fall. Here are two consecutive hits for a self-lethal and you have the complete Strike from the beginning. Although this is challenging on a grotesque kind, however. Schaffbar only by taking advantage of so-called Cheese-spots where you can not be met, oneself the enemy but already Good gameplay challenges look different.

Conclusion

First of all I would like Activision and Bungie congratulate that they have created such a fascinating piece of work! I have never spent a game that constantly disappointed and frustrated me so much time. So there must be something to Destiny and I can quite understand that it is able to entertain people for quite some time. The approaches are good, but I do not believe that the upcoming add-ons will enhance the basic gameplay. There come just added a couple of new, disjointed missions and Strikes. What personally unfortunately prevails in me is the boundless disappointment about the untapped potential in terms of the game scale, the story, the universe and variety, and also the last ever greater frustration. I stopped to play Destiny. Why should I continue to farm the raid, if you can level up from 9 December with the add-on to Level 32 eh and therefore every effort with respect to the hitherto _vielleicht_ gained and hochgelevelten equipment is back for nothing ?!
For the good approaches that great graphics and the fun that I had some with Destiny, I forgive 2 stars. More soberly considered the game has not earned. I am still shocked how little was made of the attractive concept.

--- Update ---

Despite the very long review a few words to the numerous on the net compacted hints how Activision here put pressure on Bungie's really good work. Anyone googling and looking in English-speaking forums, takes this massive information. Clear these can not prove 100%, but they form a whole a strangely coherent picture.

First and foremost the story: Apparently had Destiny times a much more complex story with several twists and many lively NPCs. But since Activision wanted to sell off large parts of the game as DLC, the crippled rest was no longer viable and totally disjointed and so it was decided that the same completely omit the story. Also completely nonsensical Cuts came here to bear. Have you noticed that the intro in the Martian sequence compared to the corresponding trailer a few seconds were excised her example ?! It is a very crass break because no longer will be shown how the traveler sends rain there, the astronauts but suddenly stopped in the mud at the end. This is completely incomprehensible to me, and in the form as it is now, it is extremely cheap. The role of the Queen of the reef and the political groups in the tower were obviously times worked out really well and had a meaning. To avoid spoilers here, I advise anyone interested, Just looking more closely googling ...

Then the poor mission design: It condense evidence that Activision purpose even greater Reibachs really wanted to achieve a Teen rating in the US, which is rather unusual for a shooter. To ensure that small children can play the missions, their claim was reduced to grouse level.

The loot system fits very well to actually planned trading system between players, because only with a completely random system with programmed rarities or drop probabilities makes a simulated economic system sense. With a guaranteed rare or legendary Loot all players would simply abfarmen the appropriate mission and the prey sell high. So this would be in the economic system but no longer rare, inasmuch as their price would fall and the system would collapse. The loot system is therefore designed to match a trading system and just does not fit for the game, what we have today.

The crucible was actually times Fraction Wars, as the now useless factions and their motives once had an important role in the game. One of them was to attach a statement and the fighting between the factions should feel significant in the political world of Destiny.

The first DLC announced for a full 20 is a joke! Just 3 new missions in known areas (the areas are all already on the disc and have been achieved by players already by Glitch), to 2 strikes (one of them even PlayStation exclusive, which is also a nerve in my eyes at the puny scope so far. One user also pay 20 for less!) and a new raid (the only truly worth mentioning, but I did thanks to the complicated clan search not really going to be able to play). For me, therefore, it is clear that I will not buy the add-on for 20 and thus Destiny is dead to me.

In my eyes Destiny, as the last messed end of Mass Effect 3, another victim of absolute morons in the upper management of the publisher. Once again, a work of art with gigantic potential of money was taken due to the grave. And was it worth it? Had Destiny in the original version not selling well? Had 400 million instead of 500 not been great on the first day? And above all, would have long not even deserve more? Anyway, I'm out.