Gaming news: Destiny 2 announced

Destiny was a fantastic title, it wasn’t perfect and some areas were borderline infuriating but there were some great new features and the action came thick and fast. It will be interesting to see what areas Bungie expands on with the sequel. The game had a really good feel, in between the numerous loading screens that is, hopefully this spirit will be retained. It would be fair to say that with small adjustments, Destiny 2 will be a huge success.

Some personal favourite parts from Destiny

The level design, first and foremost, was a triumph. Maps for both online and campaign modes were meticulously designed. Campaign maps were filled with loot and areas to explore, they were expansive and filled with danger. The inclusion of real time events also gave the open world Patrol mode a sense of dynamism. This injected a fresh challenge to the occasionally mundane task of foraging for materials, or attempting to complete bounties outside of the Crucible. Online maps were designed very intelligently. Not conducive to Camping, the maps offered ample opportunity for flanking and rewarded the mobile player.

The cycle of weapon and armour upgrading added longevity where other shooters do not. Trading weapons and armour was not allowed in the original. That seems confusing given that the title had such obvious MMO and RPG influences. Despite an inability to trade, the weapons were fantastic. A personal favourite weapon class was the Fusion Rifle. Disintegrating a foe never got old.

Community was an integral part of the original Destiny; only a fool would attempt some of the modes single-handed. That’s not to say there is not room for improvement. As previously discussed it would be nice to see more sharing of weapons and armour, even if it degraded the gear slightly as a sort of trading tax.

Now, the opportunities for improvement

The storyline should be top priority to improve the single player experience. Recently, it has been confirmed that the lead writer of Mass Effect: Andromeda, Chris Schlerf, has joined the Bungie team. This is great news for Destiny 2, hinting that the lacklustre story of Destiny is not to be repeated. Although the Taken King DLC made more of an effort to flesh out the story, it would be nice to see a more developed story that comes as part of the core game. Alongside a greater story, having a more varied mission structure would immerse the player and would make for a deeper experience. Guarding your ghost while it unlocked something got pretty old, pretty fast.

Destiny could have benefitted from more online modes also as they were quite limited when compared to other shooters. Although Raid missions varied the action nicely and brought a fresh increase in difficulty. Fresh Crucible modes would have been a welcome addition.

All in all, the future looks bright for Destiny 2. With new team member, Chris Schlerf, on board hopes are high for a more engrossing single player experience. If Bungie expand on that aspect, bringing it up to the same standard as the online modes… well Destiny 2 will be a force to be reckoned with. We wait with baited breath…