Features & News

Destiny is ‘Shown’ – Yet No-One’s Really ‘Seen’ Anything

February 18, 2013, Author: Matt Parker

Bungie have a new game and yesterday they allowed the world to see it. Destiny, your time has come.

I say ‘see’ it, but truly, there was nothing to really look at. Some footage of testers putting on a ‘oh wow, that’s cool’ face. An animated piece of concept art here and there. Talking heads? Oh, you better believe those heads did talk!

Let’s get what we know out in the open. Again, I say ‘know’, what I really mean is ‘told’.

Bungie are producing a shooter. Shocking, I know. It’ll be published by Activision (alarm bells anyone?) and they plan on, if the contract details are to be believed and haven’t changed, releasing a ‘Destiny‘ every other year. So far, so generic and so, so Activision.

Where things get interesting is that the game will be centered around MMO-esque ideals. Persistent worlds? Check. Characters that can be specced and have items equipped? Check. A class based system of characters that have their own strengths and weaknesses? Check. Oh, an iPhone app that lets you do this ‘speccing’ on the go? Checkiddy check check.

So, when I say ‘interesting’, what I really mean is ‘ideas borrowed from a well defined and tested genre of game’.

The video above is Adam Sessler giving his honest opinion on what he went to see at Bungie’s offices. In short, he saw as much as you. Which is practicaly nothing. He also mentioned that the embargo on all of this hot information went up at the same time that pre-orders are active. The whole ‘announcement’ that everyone’s been so keen to report on, big-up and generally shout about strikes me as nothing more than a very considered PR exercise.

 

 

I’ll try to end positively with this piece. Bungie do make solid shooting games, they’ve got the backing of a huge publisher and they seem to be saying the right things. The concept art seen looks interesting and the story of the world they’re creating could lend itself to something of really quality. There’s also mention that there’ll be no subscription fee, but in this day and age, what game can actually command a subscription fee? What game that isn’t called World of Warcraft, I mean.

So, when you’re reading GameSpot’s 12,000 word thesis on ‘Why Destiny Will Change the World’, or when you’re watching IGN’s 24 hour livestream of people talking about Destiny’s concept art, keep in mind that no one’s actually seen anything. Don’t get swept up in the hype, keep your hyperbole to yourself.

By all means, keep your hopes up and wish for the best. No one wants a disappointing game. No one wants to be fooled.

Feature Type: | Tagged , , , ,