Yesterday I made a startling discovery. Amidst the forum raging and torrent of bad reviews, I found myself becoming distraught over the game I had come to love so quickly. I began to worry, what if all these negative reviews and annoyed Destiny gamers create a decline in the support and community of the game. Could this decline keep this groundbreaking and addictive game from developing into what Bungie promised? Ten years of story, expansion, and evolution? But then it happened, I figured out the one stumbling block in the path of so many gamers, the single obstacle between experiencing an average game and game that changes video games forever: BUNGIE.NET... With my excitement lulled by the negative outrage and attack on Destiny by internet communities and media companies alike, I needed answers. I started thinking about the excitement I had for adventuring and immersing myself into this brave, new universe even before it released. I checked responses to the theory video I created before release, Destiny Stories: The Traveler Exposed!, but I became even more disheartened when I thought about Bungie's approach to the story and lore of the Destiny game and universe. Most of the game I felt disconnected from the events on screen. I didn't know why I was performing the tasks I was given. I felt that there was no reason to the madness and urgency that was requested of me on missions. I wondered how much longer would a game with no immersion keep me in its grasp. I wasn't alone. Hundreds of reviews pointed at the lack of a compelling story or the absence of the lore required for an MMO universe. But then it happened. A single comment would lead me on a literary and educational journey. While reading forum topics related to my Destiny theory, someone pointed out how close my theory was to the Binary Star Cult theory of the Traveler. The bi-whatso who Cult??? What were they talking about? I had to find out. And lo and behold, it was grimoire card discussing theories defining viewpoints on the state of the universe. Is there lore so deep and so rich in Destiny? I had to know. So, I figured, "hey, what else is in these grimoire cards?" I remeber watching YouTube videos where a narrator would put some video clips in the background and read generic enemy type grimoire cards describing enemy classes, but I never saw a grimoire video with this depth. I had to check it out for myself. It was like I opened Pandora's Box. It was like living in a pitch black box with no lore and having the top ripped off to reveal a bright sun emitting an entire living, breathing world around me. Explanations began to flood in. Factions, classes, history, enemy motives, resource uses, faction bickering, scientific discoveries, gradual discoveries of the lives of humanity during the Golden Age, theories on the collapse, theories on the almost extinction of man, poems on the mysteries of Guardian resurrection, and so much more that dare not describe as to not ruin the surprises for readers! Needless to say, my fears of a blank, empty universe have been eased. I have a new appreciation for the game and the struggles within. I feel proud of my guardian's accomplishments, and I am nervous with anticipation for the continuation of the story. Where will it lead, will the theories I create in my head after reading grimoire cards or the theories debated on Bungie and Reddit forums be accurate? Only time will tell. To sum it up, I'm not saying the bad reviews are completely without merit. A lot of gamers have not visited bungie.net, let alone explored all of its offerings, primarily grimoire cards and forum discussions. Bungie should have relized that they were creating an experience that was so foreign to CONSOLE gamers that they should have provided more in-game experiences for lore, story, and background or advertised the importance of bungie.net a great deal more. You also see the issues with the social aspects of the game with gamers. Console gamers are used to being matchmaked into every online aspect of a game. Most did not venture to bungie.net to find a group or clan to prepare themselves for release. They are missing the most crucial component of an MMO, people. On the other hand, gamers who have delved into the MMOs on PC find that the lack of a complete social interaction with all nearby users frustrating. After playing the game for a week, I applaud the MMO hybrid social approach to social gaming. My clan and friends are great for missions and patrols, and I can always make new friends from the matchmaking in strikes and PvP. I think Bungie did create a very solid middle-ground. Since gamers usually fall into some of the categories I described above, lower scores and frustration can be expected. My biggest disappointment is with the "professional" media. One example is Shacknews. They reach millions of readers because of their connection with GameFly. Shacknews' Steve Watts writes a daily blog that is an ongoing review of his experience with Destiny. At first, I think, this is the perfect way to review a continually evolving game, but to my dismay, on the second or third blog, Steve writes that when he plays games like destiny, he only likes to play by himself. So, he only likes to play single player on MMOs. Shacknews does know that MMO stands for "Massively Multiplayer Online", right? He played the story and patrols alone, used matchmaking for strikes, and played a "few" PvP matches. Why would Shacknews choose a reviewer who doesn't like to play multiplayer games to review a hybrid MMO that would be completely different from what the console and PC gamer would be used too? I hate the word conspiracy, so I'm going to chock it up too editor incompetence. (Shacknews recently, in the last month or so, went through lay-off and management changes, so they could have changed for the worst). You can scour the internet for similare reviews by professionals and non-professionals alike, but until Bungie gets every gamer to experience what bungie.net has to offer, the negative reviews will continue to build. Hopefully, this is something they have recognized and are planning to address. One can only hope, because I can't wait to see what happens next.