Destiny 2 Xbox One Review
Posted on: 2017-09-22
Our rating:
A huge step up from the first installment
It is safe to say that the original Destiny that was released back in 2014 was a bit of a disappointment, due to its lack of content. I remember reviewing it during the early days of my blog back in 2014 when I didn’t have a PS4 or Xbox One so I had to review the inferior version on the PS3 and let’s just say it left me cold at best. Destiny 2 on the other hand is fantastic; Bungie took all the criticism and fixed the issues we had with the original. They bothered to include an in-depth story campaign that is intense and funny, coupled with rewarding loot from raids.
Destiny 2 takes place shortly after the first game, where everything seems to be at peace until a new faction within the race of the Cabal called The Red Legion attack the city on Earth and capture the Traveller which is an immortal being that the Guardians gain their power of light. The head of the Red Legion captures The Speaker who is only one who can converse with The Traveller as the leader of the Red Legion wants to harness the power of light. If they succeed they will destroy the Solar System by causing a super nova within the sun killing everything within the system.
Destiny 2 starts off on a good note, for one it has a fully fleshed out campaign with a by the numbers but entertaining story with my new favourite character in gaming Cayde 6, played by Nathan Fillion. It has an instant draw compared to the first game that left me cold back in 2014, as it dropped you in with little context, unlike Destiny 2 which gives you a purpose to exist within the game’s world.
Before you do anything you must pick a class, the game goes for a mix of science fiction and standard fantasy with the classes. You have the Titan which is your tank class that can take major hits from enemies, you have the Warlock who specialise in magical based attacks and you have the Hunter which specialise in long range attacks with sniper rifles and revolvers. I went with the Titan as I like to be able to run around like a mad man with powerful attacks blasting my foes with shotguns and grenade launchers.
Gameplay is mostly left unchanged from the original with its gunplay with tight and responsive controls which is what I expect from Bungie, as they made the first three Halo games. You roam each planet completing missions whether they are main story missions or side missions, levelling up your character and gaining new weapons. You’ll have other players roaming around each area where you can kill enemies with them to gain loot or complete public events which can grant you bonus experience points for levelling up or gaining rare or even legendary weapons and armour.
You can partake in raids, where you and several players have to run through a challenging gauntlet of enemies where you can get legendary and exotic loot. These will really test your shooting and team working skills as you will have to be on point and communicate with your team mates. The end result is rewarding with powerful weapons and amour for your dedication, when I say dedication I mean it as these can take a while.
You have competitive multiplayer in the Crucible, which honestly I don’t like due to balancing issues. I made the mistake of entering the Crucible when I was only level 2 and I was pitted against people who were level 20, where they then proceed to thrash me. There is no skill based matchmaking and this really put me off the competitive side of Destiny 2, which is a shame as I usually like this type of multiplayer.
The graphics are fantastic as they are no longer hindered by the Xbox 360 and PS3 so they can push the visuals to the Xbox One and PS4’s limits. Each location on the four planets look amazing with bright and vibrant colours, coupled with rich vegetation with lush forests and fields. Character models have a decent amount of detail on them compared to the original, where they had this washed out look to them where they almost looked too clean with little to no blemishes at all.
Destiny 2 is a huge step up from the first game, with an engaging campaign with great characters and moments, coupled with rewarding gameplay with that just five more minutes mentality to it. Grab a group of friends and journey through the solar system as you will not regret buying this game.
Article by:
Sam has lived in Bristol all his life. A keen cyclist he speeds around the city but video games are his bread and butter. Whether the old Nes and Snes games or the XBox One and Playstation releases he loves them all. Sam runs his own gaming blog called Bristolian Gamer where he had been reviewing indie games, doing retro reviews and venting his anger at the industry when it does wrong since 2010. Sam joined the 365Bristol team in December 2014.
