WE managed to clock a few hours on the beta version of Bungie’s ambitious game, Destiny, on the PlayStation 4.
A chance encounter with a celestial object called the Traveler bought about a Golden Age that allowed mankind to spread across the solar system. However, the same object also brought about the wrath of the Darkness and other aliens, and Earth is on the brink of destruction.
You play as the Guardian, humanity’s last hope in this massively multiplayer first-person shooter videogame. At the start of the game, you are presented with three classes to choose from: Titans who specialise in heavy armour and weaponry; Hunters, the masters of stealth and long range guns; and Warlocks who use arcane powers with modern weapons.
We chose to play as a Warlock because it reminded us so much of Mass Effect’s Vanguard class. In the lonely world of Destiny, your companion and guide is Ghost, voiced by Peter Dinklage of Game of Throne’s fame.
Ghost will help you navigate the ruins of Earth, access long forgotten Golden Age technology and serve as mission adviser on the field.
Destiny’s combat will feel familiar to veteran Halo players. The controls were smooth, refined and shockingly accurate — it made us forget that we were playing a console shooter.
In the beta, the weapons didn't stray far from conventional guns found in modern shooters — you will find the standard variety of pistols, rifles, machine guns and rocket launchers. The weapons have modifiers that affect, for instance, the reload speed or grenade’s delay timer.
Oh yes, unlike other shooters, Destiny has a delay timer for grenades — after lobbing one, you have to wait a specified time before being able to toss another grenade. We found the delay too long, and died many times because of it.
Unlike Halo, Destiny incorporates a level progression system and you start out relatively weak with many abilities locked out. But as you progress, you get access to grenades at Level 2 and the ability to hover at Level 3, for instance.
Enemies also have “levels” in the game. You can attempt to take on enemies higher level than you in harder difficulty settings but it’s super difficult. You will need plenty of patience and persistence, and expect to die very often .
We also gained loot in the form of weapons and armour, as we discovered hidden chests and defeated enemies. However, we didn’t find Destiny as generous as Borderlands when it comes to loot.
Apart from the Fallen you will also face other threats like the Hive, an ancient race of undead aliens that thrive in the dark. Unlike the Fallen which favour guns, the Hive use melee and magic attacks.
Upon completing the area, the Guardian will gain access to a Jumpship that transports him to The Tower, your home base on the edge of the last human city on Earth.
Think of it as a hub where you can interact with other Guardians, store your gear, and buy weapons and armour, as well as receive new missions. As this is a Beta, there weren’t many players that we could interact with but we expect it to be bustling with players when the game launches.
From here on you are free to do as you please. Destiny’s Beta has several other missions, most of which can be completed solo.
If you prefer to hone your skills on the battlefield against human opponents, then the Crucible is the place for you but we couldn’t access it. However, we managed to test this feature at E3 — it was definitely a blast to play, as it had terrific maps, vehicles and weapons to master.
Fortunately you won’t have to wait too long to get your hands on Destiny as it will be available across a wide variety of platforms including the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, on Sept 9.
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