There’s always been something pretty amusing about the nature of hype culture in AAA gaming. Far from the excitement that endears one to a title when viewing a labor of love like Sonic Mania, or Oddworld: New n’ Tasty, there always seems to be that element of Michael Bay-esque spectacle that follows the WORLDWIDE REVEAL of any new, highly anticipated title. The best parts of the game are shown off, the developers take to the stage in order to prove themselves to the fanbase, and at the end of the day, everyone walks away just a little bit happier, a little more confident about the intellectual property they’ve now attached their very identity to.
I cannot pretend to be any different, as today’s Destiny 2 reveal completely knocked my socks off. For a good hour (and smidges of the one preceeding it), I was locked in. Interviews! Countdown! The energy from the Twitch stream chat was palpable, as revealed in our liveblog of the livestream:
The Campaign
The campaign looks about as great as expected since 2015’s The Taken King expansion. Bungie has once again infused the previously static campaign missions with their signature approach to staging large-scale battles popularized by the Halo franchise, and looks all the better for it. An unashamedly epic, cinematic presentation that evokes the feeling of war, the “Homecoming” mission hits all of the right beats. The tower is under siege by Cabal trying to usurp the Traveler’s light, and what was previously a safe space for guardians has become a scene of chaos. For fans of the series, it’s completely unthinkable to think of a safe haven as a combat zone, but here it is. The central tower is under attack, the Vanguard have relinquished their previously benign activities to active combat roles, and all you have come to know is about to be destroyed. It’s a fantastic mission statement, and immediately sets the stage for Bungie’s intended drama.
The Expanded World
After promising players the world over that they would explore the solar system in the original Destiny, to say that they fell just a bit short of that claim would be an understatement. Whether it was because the game was bound to the technical limitations of the previous generation of consoles or not is up to debate, but nevertheless, to say that they missed the mark on those ambitions would be putting it lightly. Now, the areas to be explored are wider, more open, and require a map to keep track of the variety of activities and events occuring at any given moment.
Better yet, they’re not only as visually unique as the worlds in the previous game, but they all have narrative significance outside of missions. Keeping in line with the “scattered forces” vibe, the EDZ or European Dead Zone is the place where the recovering guardians call home. But in a twist, it isn’t where you’ll find the former Vanguard members. They’ve set up shop on the other explorable planets. Titan for example is the waterlogged planet where Commander Zavala took refuge to begin anew, and Nessus is a Vex planet where Cayde-6 is holed up, trying to uncover it’s secrets. The final planet, named Io, is a place considered sacred ground to those who hold the Traveler in reverance, so it’s only fitting that it is the place Ikora Rey calls home.
New Character Classes!
Ghaul’s assault on the Traveler has robbed all standing guardians of the light that used to power them all, and as such, they’ve had to seek out a new source, which means new classes! While they were only able to show off one of each new class, there’s no word on if, or how the original ones will make a return. Staying true to the Solar, Void, and Arc elements that defined the different playstyles of the original, each new class looks like a blast.
The Warlock’s new class is called the Dawnblade, a sword weilding powerhouse that prefers explosive close range combat when slinging flaming projectiles from a distance won’t cut it. The Titans have a new void class called Sentinel, which for lack of a better comparison turns them into Captain America. They’re fitted with a void shield that can not only absorb damage, but be thrown like a projectile that bounces off walls (and enemies!). And arguably, the Hunters once again seem to come out on top as Arcstriders, a bladed staff-wielding class that could teach the former Bladedancer class a thing or two about what a knife actually looks like.
Guns, Guns, Guns!
Because there is no such thing as too many weapons or loot, all armaments have now been remixed, and recategorized into three new types to add variety to player’s loadouts. All of the familiar weapons have made a return, but have now been reclassified to Kinetic, Energy, and Power, a departure from the “Primary/Secondary/Heavy” structure of the original. Veterans taking a quick glance can already see how this affects the way weapons will be used in the sequel, as Hand Cannons can be either classified as Kinetic, or Energy, which may lead to some interesting combinations down the line. Director Luke Smith stated during the reveal: “The new weapon plan was designed to provide more freedom, and more choice to use the stuff that they love”.
Playing Together, Staying Together
For the last three years of Destiny, a major issue within the game was the fact that for such a socially oriented title, it had a few unusual restrictions when it came to drawing players together. Sure, there were social spaces, and automatic matchmaking for certain PvE activities like 3-player strikes, but if you were feeling ambitious enough to try one of the game’s much lauded Raids, you had limited options. Either you had to venture outside of the game to 3rd party websites, or rely on your personal circle of friends to fill in the blanks.
“We deliberately kept [Raids, Nightfalls, Trials] exclusive to dedicated groups of people because we feel that challenge is what fuels the memories between you and your lifelong friends,” said M.E. Chung, Social Lead at Bungie. “We didn’t think matchmaking was a great solution because of just how toxic gaming communities can get when you throw strangers into these challenging situations.”
True as that may be, (as anyone who has stayed up far too late finding the right combination of temperaments to finish a late-night Raid can attest) it would seem that they’ve at least met the cries of the community halfway, completely retooling the way Clans work for Destiny 2. With a new feature called Guided Games, players can start their own Clans, or find one that suits them best in the moment, so virtually no player can be excluded from any activity.
Remaining Legend
When all of this was announced, I was stoked. Then, reality kicked in just a bit. Even as a primary Xbox One Destiny player, I even took the not-so-subtle allusion that there would once again be exclusive Playstation content right to the jugular. Sure, no specifics were mentioned, but it’s not exactly a secret at this point which is the favored platform, and we all know more arbitrarily gated-off content is coming. PC owners using Battle.Net won’t really feel the burn this implies, though it affects them as well.
Is it too early to ask, having been shown so much, yet so little? Will the ships be useful outside of loading screens? Will the endgame eventually stagnate, or has Bungie found a way to consistently populate the world with new content? How often? Will it require a season pass?
Perhaps the beta will enlighten us more. Perhaps, more hands-on time is needed, which is an issue that will be solved by the eventual summer beta. For now, I’m operating from a place of cautiously optimistic hype, and for the sake of my fellow fans, I hope you do the same.
