First impressions are everything, especially in a huge RPG. So far I have sunk about 8 hours into Destiny 2 and in that time the game has made quite the impression. During the first several hours, Destiny 2 has managed to convince me that Bungie really did listen to their fans’ feedback. I couldn’t tell you any sort of narrative moment within the first Destiny, and quite honestly I pretty much played the majority of the game while listening to music since I could care less about what I was doing. I just wanted to shoot bad guys.
With Destiny 2, however, I actually feel motivation to continue on with the story. I mean I can tell this won’t be a Mass Effect quality storyline, but so far it’s just super entertaining. Ghost does have some funny banter in missions, specifically one example where he apparently insulted the Fallen’s leader in their language and he’d rather not repeat what he said.
I really enjoyed the moments directly after Destiny 2‘s opening sequence. Anyone who’s been following this game has most likely seen or played the Homecoming mission, but right after the mission is over is when the adventure was starting to kick in. Bungie also wasted no time showcasing how beautiful the game looks now. There’s a moment in the early hours of the game that made me think I was playing Skyrim due to the atmospheric music and snowy mountains.
So far I have only played on Earth and the planet Titan, each of which add a distinct feel and style to those missions. It seems as each new planet I entered, there was a mission that must be completed, and once done, the area opens up completely for exploration. The exploration has been greatly expanded upon, and gone are those boring and repetitive patrols. There are so many distractions while traversing the areas. I could be running to a new Adventure, which are the new side missions, but on the way I would always be encountering new situations. Some Adventures may be more fun than others, but each have had their own little side story that range from serious to humorous. The public events are brought back from the first game to get players in that server to come together and defeat waves of enemies. Then there are the Lost Sectors, which are essentially just secret areas that usually end in a boss fight and good loot.
All these distractions are the reason I’m currently addicted. I’m excited to get to the other 3 or 4 new areas later in the game since the first 2 have already impressed me.
Now Destiny has always been a game about loot, and I’m a huge fan of the way Destiny 2 has changed up their loot system. I’m grateful we do not need to deal with engrams anymore. Engrams would sometimes be frustrating as at times I could pick up a Legendary Engram, only to get rewarded with a blue-rarity weapon when turning it in (that’s just not right at all!). With the sequel, players automatically pick up a weapon.
The game does this awesome thing where as soon as a boss is defeated, a loot chest just appears in front of the players (because video games). I prefer this system of loot as it adds instant satisfaction when defeating a boss and getting a new weapon right away, instead of having to go all the way back to the Tower and turn it in. The guns are also way more diverse than the first in regards to their design.
All in all, I am thoroughly enjoying my time with Destiny 2 right now. The content I have experienced thus far has kept me interested and entertained. It is also a treat to look at this time, not being bound by the hardware of the PS3 and Xbox 360. In particular, the planet Titan is exceptionally gorgeous. I still have much to play in this big action RPG, and hopefully there will be more hours to sink in with the initial game. I have yet to test out multiplayer extensively, but I will include that in my upcoming full review.
For more information on Destiny 2, check out the official website. A digital copy of the game was provided for the purpose of review and other content.
