REVIEW: Destiny: The Collection

Destiny is an oddity. When it released, the game could be comparable to the broken promises of a recent title like No Man’s Sky. Since then, the developers have considerably balanced the mechanics and added a lot of content which adds replayability. If you look at the individual pieces in Destiny: The Collection, they don’t shine but let’s imagine that Destiny came out today. Now, what I’m about to suggest might seem radical but play Destiny: The Collection from the beginning with a new character. The title is expansive and never feels dull. You won’t even be bothered with the endless grind because by the time you get to the latest Rise of Iron content, you’ll already be powerful enough to tackle any challenge. Destiny: The Collection is the game that was promised to us—minus the main story portions—and Bungie have finally delivered what they initially wanted gamers to experience years ago.

Before we begin, it’s important to note how the individual pieces in the collection are mediocre and if you experienced them like me, with an old character that you just wanted to play the new missions with, they felt lackluster and somewhat boring. The following recounts how we felt about the original game and the pieces added to the puzzle as the years went on.

Destiny

Whilst I don’t begrudge those who enjoy Destiny—as the game does have a solid foundation—nothing about Destiny inspired me to continue with it. I find it to be a shame primarily because the game is conceptually incredible, gorgeous and features a great engine. Poor project management, the lack of testing, the odious content exclusivity deal and the slow pace of addressing concerns all scream at me to trade the game in, and with a new Call of Duty and Halo game around the corner, I may just do that.

Destiny: The Dark Below

The Dark Below does not have enough content to keep the majority of players hooked, even though it does introduce some new weapons, materials and armor to master. It is not the expansion everyone had come to expect. The term expansion generally implies at least dozens of hours of gameplay. The Dark Below does not even come close. Dedicated Destiny players can probably experience the new story, strike and raid in under five hours before the grind begins again. Apart from half of the raid, everything else in The Dark Below is disappointing. The expansion also adds no new achievements.

Destiny: House of Wolves

The House of Wolves expansion brings a range of new game modes, which please nearly every player. There is a healthy balance of mode, therefore every Destiny player will find something to play. Sadly, the replayability will fall off over time, similar to the core game. The core mechanics of Destiny are perfect, however this allows the whole game to focus on reusing that experience. Many players enjoy this, but the lack of content is always present. If Destiny had shipped with the content from The Dark Below and House of Wolves, Destiny would have been a much more compelling title. The idea behind Destiny’s ecosystem reminds me of slot machines, and teasing new content. Bungie never over-delivers with their releases for Destiny, which results in players constantly begging for more. This is a clever tactic, however still leaves the game worse off. House of Wolves delivers compared to previous content releases, but sadly still manages to leave us wanting more.

Destiny: The Taken King

In summation, Destiny: The Taken King builds upon the experience of the original game and expansions. The game is not perfect, yet it goes a long way to bring us the game that it seemed like we were getting all those months ago. The story is good, the character progression is a lot friendly and to the point. Most importantly, the endgame feels like it’s worth visiting a few times a week, to see what else can be discovered. Had the first two expansion sets been included with The Taken King, we would have no issue in recommending this to owners of any version of Destiny. Alas, the mismatched purchasing system really leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

Destiny: Rise of Iron

Overall, Destiny: Rise of Iron is an average experience due to its story. I tried to care about it considering it’s the last chapter in a good game but it disappoints. It feels like a major step back from The Taken King. It’s somewhat hilarious how Bungie said that Rise of Iron continues the tradition of great storytelling started with its predecessor but that’s not true at all. The expansion is shorter and much less interesting even though it offers a lot of standard quests after the main missions end. In The Taken King there was mystery and the story of a villain motivated by revenge was captivating. This expansion has none of that. It makes you feel indifferent about everything and its only redeeming quality is the way it addicts you better loot though clever endgame content. I would recommend picking it up when it’s on sale if you’re an avid Destiny player. Those hoping that the expansion would tie off events in a proper way will be disappointed because the story is an unnecessary tangent for the main game. I hope the developers offer more twists and turns in the sequel because the history of The Traveler needs to be explained to a greater degree. People want to love Destiny but significant changes in the storytelling department are required.

As you can see, the individual parts aren’t that great but when you look at how all of these changes, coupled with the patches impacted the experience, it becomes clear that Destiny is more than the sum of its parts. All of the changes improve general quality of life and when they’re all experienced together from the beginning, it elevates the title to one that features a lengthy campaign—despite the poor story—and an endgame that never gets boring due to its variety.

For example, let’s take the Rise of Iron content. While it didn’t add much, the game increases the level cap and adds weapons which make playing areas from House of Wolves that much more engaging because you can employ new powers and strategies to vanquish enemies. The content in the Rise of Iron expansion, including the good Raid (not as good as the Raid in The Taken King though), make it easier to level up and find better equipment. Going back to the House of Wolves arenas is a great way to find engrams and use them to find better gear for the new endgame content. I hope what I’m trying to say came across just now. When you go back and play everything from the beginning, with the new Ghost voice acting and other tweaks, Destiny becomes quite an amazing title.

However, despite all of this, there are still issues when it comes to Xbox One. The performance in the newest areas is still troubling and can cause problems when aiming. Apart from that, the exclusivity agreement signed by the developers deprives gamers who prefer Xbox One for almost another year. I feel that is definitely unfair and Activision should’ve thought about this.

Summary

As I said before, Destiny: The Collection is more than the sum of its parts. While each part doesn’t add much to the package if you play it in the order they were released, experiencing it all together offers a fresh perspective on the game which I would urge all gamers to try. While Destiny might not be the game we wanted in terms of story, it’s definitely the game we wanted when it comes to gameplay. There may be issues with the business practices employed by the publisher but Destiny: The Collection is definitely worth your time especially if you’re new to the franchise. I have to admit that I’m excited for Destiny 2 because I’ve seen what this game can offer when the developers can fully realize their vision.

Additional Information

What I’m about to tell you will help you with the latest additions to the game, in particular, the Rise of Iron expansion and associated content. It’s not really a surprise that when Destiny initially launched, it was lacking when it came to story elements. The plot felt basic and it seemed like Bungie wanted to tell a much different and mature story than what was presented to the audience. However, where the game did succeed was the satisfying loot. While initially the drops were sparse and the Cryptarch was the most annoying entity on the planet, Bungie eventually listened to their fans and addressed all of these concerns. With the Rise of Iron expansion, leveling up your character and finding excellent gear is a trivial matter and the game is better off for it. However, these changes make a real difference when it comes to the content outside of the expansion because defeating already in-game Raid bosses and other Strike champions has become easier as well as more rewarding. As stated in our review of Rise of Iron, the game adds skeleton keys which can be used to open chests at the end of Strikes. The chests reveal amazing finds and it’s a sure-fire way to become stronger and gain additional light levels.

There are also special quests which open up after the short Rise of Iron campaign ends. They include finding special items like the preorder bonus Iron Gjallarhorn rocket launcher or the powerful Vohkstov exotic weapons. These quests require a lot of backtracking and are similar to the ones which were found in The Taken King. You can acquire weapons by completing certain tasks set forth by the leaders or other officers. If you loved them, you’ll love these but if you found them tedious, hope that you get lucky through one of the chests or guaranteed drops.

Another major edition which doesn’t really help you with Rise of Iron content is Archon’s Forge. It’s basically an arena scenario with Nightfall elements in it. Remember that Minecraft user-created map which features a waiting area where you had to use a diamond or other precious material to enter again once you died? Archon’s Forge is exactly the same. When you’re playing the missions, Hive Wizards—now know by a different name—will drop Splicer Keys. This is the currency here. You need Splicer Keys to return to combat so be sure to stock up on many of them. Luckily this can be done rather easily right now by replaying the mission which opens up after Rise of Iron ends. Farm the Hive Wizards over and over again and they’ll drop so many keys you’ll need a bigger storage container.

As mentioned above, Archon’s Forge is basically a modified version of other arenas and you’re given set objectives to complete. It’s a nice variation from what we’ve experienced before but it’s nothing revolutionary. Elements from past modes can clearly been seen here. However, what is it good for is to gain light levels. You get great gear and can level up quickly. For those that don’t know, when you level up you gain Motes of Light which can be consumed to upgrade your gear. This increases your light level and makes you more resistant to enemies. The best part is that the Archon’s Forge battles are quick so you can play them again and again.

I learned this the hard way but remember to stock up on the Splicer Keys. If you aren’t able to get back into the heat of combat, you won’t get any rewards and your teammates will likely die. Expect a lot of angry Xbox Live messages if you aren’t able to contribute.

Before I discuss what makes Destiny so addictive, let me mention some other changes that Rise of Iron brings. A new multiplayer mode called Supremacy has been added which is a free-for-all arena that requires you to pick up fallen crests. Whoever picks up the most wins. I was able to win many rounds in this mode because I waited for two Guardians to go at each other and when they were weak I would kill them both and pick up their crests. However, I was more devious than that. If there’s a fallen crest that hasn’t been picked up, you can see it on the map. Players tend to flock to it so you can set up ambush situations. I usually picked up one crest and waited for an unsuspecting chap to walk on by and I would eliminate them. It involves a lot of strategy and it’s a great way to gain Legendary Marks, the old currency required to buy gear from the leaders or merchants.

New maps have also been added if you’re looking for variety. However, I feel that many of these maps aren’t as complex and interesting as they could be. Many feel like they’re forcing you in a closed environment with narrow passages where shotguns reign supreme. This can be frustrating if you don’t like using them like me but remember to keep one handy when you’re playing the Rise of Iron Crucible content because it makes winning much easier. Usually the people who led in these matches were the one who carried shotguns.

Destiny is addictive because I think it’s in our nature to just be better. Gamers value perfection and attaining that highest level is part out our character. Finding better items is rewarding no matter what game you play and I bet many of you keep on the lookout for that upgrade no matter whether it be Destiny or BioShock: Infinite. Where Destiny failed initially was that it made upgrading too cumbersome and many people gave up, however, after all these years, the game has finally perfected its rewards model and while the Rise of Iron expansion might disappoint due to its story, Destiny: The Collection, the full game available now, shines. Expect our review soon.