I’m a fan of epic storytelling, and that’s something Activision and Bungie‘s Destiny has in spades. The basic premise is the stuff of great science fiction: Mankind discovers a source of power that lets it cross to the boundaries of the universe over the course of several centuries. Unfortunately, an enemy force seeks out that same power, and in the course of trying to possess it, humanity suffers a terrible downfall, leaving entire planets in ruins.
Your avatar awakens on just such a desolate graveyard of a world. Then, a flying robot sidekick informs you that you are a Guardian, and you have a mission to complete. The story unfolds gradually, and during the course of my demo, I’m sure I only managed to touch on a fraction of it; however, what I managed to live through included fighting a small army of enemy soldiers in a warehouse, and then across an airfield lying in the shadow of starships and crawling with more hostile combatants, and even malevolent flying droids.
Starting out in Destiny, players can customize their avatar to an impressive degree. Along with being able to choose among three types of Guardians with their own traits and abilities—for example, one can shoot energy from his hands—players can also pick between genders, playing as a humanoid or a robot, and countless features and markings. As for game play, learning how to use the controls and triggers becomes fairly intuitive after a short time. Meanwhile, as far as the game’s propensity for eye candy, there definitely seems to be an effort to make the game’s universe visually interesting (and that includes the character designs; I already want the small flying robot that helps out your avatar), and the play of light and shadow throughout is on par with the best of modern cinema.
Having said all that, I would warn casual gamers that Destiny does require a certain amount of physical dexterity, the kind of reflexes that veteran players of first-person shooters such as Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed may possess, but less committed gamers need time to acquire. The potential learning curve makes the T for Teen rating absolutely appropriate. Still, the opening sequences are so well done, and the visual elements are so strong, that I almost want to recommend that gamers of all ages answer Destiny‘s call, even if that means some lumps along the way. The good news: The game has a multiplayer component so that gamers can share adventures together, meaning you never have to face your destiny alone.
