[i]The follow will be my opinion of Bungie's Destiny after experiencing 4 days of its Beta. Albeit long, I hope it's a good read and others can relate to some of my concerns or comments about it.[/i] Hmm. [url=http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA4LzEyLzFkL21pbmRibG93bi44ZWE0MC5naWYKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDk2MDA-/f76fbcf8/cdc/mind-blown.gif]That was some ride[/url]. As the end of the Beta draws near, I'd like to reflect on Bungie's new game before departing from it with my back turned (and Hunter's cape veered from the sides) until September 9th. In summary, my experience with the game was predominantly positive and every second was [i]just thrilling[/i], the loading screen excepted. However, like all games, Destiny has some major issues that can't escape the sovereign demand of players and some minor personal nitpicks I wish were heard. Yet, even with all these issues regarding the game, Destiny triumphed in being a massively addicting game I couldn't retract from; Destiny definitely redeems itself in being an “overhyped” game. But hear me out, DeeJ, Bungie, and fans alike— these issues still remain a threat to the success of Destiny in a long run. [b]Let's get started on this review.[/b]

 [u]Presentation[/u] There are a lot of comments on YouTube stating how unimpressive the graphics in Destiny are. Some reasoned back that the graphics aren’t amazing because it’s in Alpha/Beta stage, but Bungie will surely improve it in the final build. While there is no confirmation in improved graphics in the final build of Destiny, I personally thought the game looked [i]fantastic[/i] and its graphics, be it in-game or cinematic renders, looked stunning. Sure, Battlefield 4, Halo 4, Crysis 3, and some famous hit titles on PlayStation are graphically superior, but the overall tenor in viewing the Traveler in the beginning cutscene was as overwhelming as seeing the Halo in Combat Evolved and the Forerunner architecture in Halo 4. To pull such a feat with subtly inferior graphics reflects how unbelievably incredible Bungie is and how Destiny is the fruition of their dedicated hard and talented work. [b]So no worries[/b]. Destiny still holds up great graphically at 30 FPS. It can’t possibly hold you back from liking the game when [url=http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/8b/fc/8bfc9f39b6a4d19a454772352a95cd91.jpg?itok=BmhVsam7] shit like this sells billions[/url]. As for sound and OST, it’s simply [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pICsOvo9Li0]glorious[/url]. The music absolutely gets you pumped during missions or public events, and the faint soundtrack while exploring or on the menu/tower certainly adds to the mystical essence Bungie wanted to employ in their game. Marty O’Donnell strikes again, and his scores and composition are atmospheric. Here’s the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7E3_hWkWeA]Alpha playlist[/url], the[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93bjEF_mAwo&list=UU58eWl3Jzy1mmXLUd9shlvg&index=5] Last Array[/url] soundtrack, and [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSUKeDc6qN4&index=3&list=UU58eWl3Jzy1mmXLUd9shlvg]Defending the Ghost[/url] soundtrack. Aside from the soundtrack, the weapon sounds pale in comparison with other FPS games currently. Sound effects could certainly be beefed up as I agree with the complaints that the guns sound like laser weaponry ([url=http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/yh52afa62e.jpg]pew pew pew[/url]). However important the gun sounds are, it certainly doesn’t detract me from the experience Bungie delivered. [u]Content[/u] First off, before articulating the concern about the open-world element of Destiny, I have to address an assurance to all players that this game’s universe is [b]ginormous[/b]. There were some threads on the forum regarding the [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/66895835/0/0]dissapointing scale the world of Destiny is[/url]. While the original poster states the area impermissible in the Beta were glitched into, this is not true.

[quote] Makeshyft: As one of the people who HAS done said glitches, you're misinformed. The only solid gameplay area able to be glitched into was the Serephim Vault. The other glitches at King's Watch and Skywatch respectively showed none of the areas we were denied access to in the Beta.[/quote] Travel to the Forgotten Shore and move towards the right to face ?? level Fallen Dregs that blocks an entire unexplored region of the Cosmodrome. Head underground on the first shack to your left when you spawn in The Divide to face a Hive dungeon impenetrable with your current level. Move to the Skywatch and enter the Hive’s nest to reach the Jovian Complex, only to be blocked from further entry by rubble and doors. [url=http://i.imgur.com/zOh6jdG.jpg]These are only three examples of nonexplorable regions on Earth[/url], and we’re not even sure if there will be [url=https://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/inception/images/poster-large.jpg?lastmod=1]more regions further ahead of these unexplored locations[/url]; [url=http://www.weddingplannernc.com/wp-content/uploads/uploads/2012/04/unnamed.jpg]imagine the places we’ll visit in the full game and other planets[/url]. The only complaint I have in regards to the map is just how small each segment or region is. The Mothyard is probably the largest open area in the entire Cosmodrome, and its size is still just as limited as a large Big Team Battle map in Halo. I expected regions to be as large as ones in Battlefield, seeing that we can travel by Sparrow from one location to another. It’d be pretty sensational to see an entirely barren desert or moon surface to just unobstructedly cruise with your sparrow (perhaps even race with them; hint hint, Bungie). [u]Gameplay[/u] Now we’re at the important part. Ultimately, Destiny is successful being a shared-world first person shooter action role playing game. Yet, there are major problems that Bungie absolutely needs to fix (at the very least, consider) before releasing the final game. It’s evident that the net-code has been an issue in the PvP Crucible game mode: Melee hits won’t register in time (or register at all), some shots from auto rifles land but don’t deal damage, and [i]ridiculous[/i] head shots register even when they hit the torso. Net-codes aren’t the only problem in PvP. Essentially, there’s a lack of balanced game mechanic because of some (or [url=http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140726131603/destinypedia/images/5/50/Shingen-C.jpeg]one[/url]) overpowered weapons and class-specific supers during the Beta. I could see why people on forums were so frustrated that Titans and Warlocks had an instant AoE attack that gave them a slight of hand in multiplayer. I’ve heard some people using the Hunter’s super to snipe people, but it fundamentally requires precision skill to actually render the Golden Gun useful. Lastly, I’m unsure how the reward system works, but I rarely got good rewards from the Crucible even when I got first place (and it was frustrating to see someone with only one kill and two assists on my team getting a Legendary equipment). While Bungie stated that one could thoroughly enjoy Destiny by purely playing the Crucible or the Story Missions, it is too far from the truth when players aren’t rewarded with items that intrinsically impacts PvP matches: aside from the overpowered Shingen-C, the Iron Banner does not account for higher level weapon damage, so higher level weapons are significantly superior. Because of the disadvantages in using weaker weaponry or armor, players must enter PvE to practically farm in-game currency (glimmer) or weapons (in engrams or drops) in order to perform adequately against higher leveled players in PvP. This conclusively blisters the game’s enjoyment. But, unlike traditional massively multiplayer online role playing games, the level of grinding for experience in Destiny is [i]minimal[/i]. It only takes less than a few minutes to fully upgrade your weapon or level up your Guardian character, which I [i]sincerely[/i] applaud. Ranking up in the Crucible, Vanguard post, or in the Iron Banner is not difficult, even when you can only gain points by winning matches. It’s great to see that I don’t have to focus on getting my upgrades for my weapon when they manually develop from the [b]potential beast they are[/b] by simply securing missions or playing in the Crucible. The two things I found irritating with the weapon mechanics was that every weapon is unique— stats, sights, and upgrades are different for different copies of the same gun— and that the same gun and weapon tier required you to be at a higher level. It seemed to me that Bungie tried too hard in defining their “unique Guardian” approach here with all the different upgrades. Personally, I didn’t quite like that one Cydonia AR3 was better than another because of its initial base attack value and its upgrade being more useful. I hope this will never be the case for rare, legendary, and exotic weapons. Essentially, there should be a freedom for how to upgrade your gun instead of being limited to the available ones present on the gun you picked up (I want my damn Red Dot sight on my Jigoku SR3— [b]screw the truesight[/b]!). In regards for the weapon levels, I found it kind of weird to see two Shingen-C models with but one accessible at level 8 and the other 10. I can only hope the final build won't copy paste the same guns from the previous levels because they're out of ideas for next level weapons. [u]TL;DR[/u] Destiny is an amazing game with some flaws that can’t be overlooked. However, it will certainly deliver in the final build seeing how dedicated Bungie has been. I hope these addressed issues were heard. Please post away about your opinions (or critiques in my own opinions :P).