Bungie was a little known game developer before the release of a little game called Halo for the original Xbox back in 2000. Since then, Bungie has grown into tremendous popularity with many gamers claiming the developer as their favorite of all-time. It's no surprise then Bungie's official announcement of Destiny in early 2013 was met with plenty of excitement from the gaming community, and with the massively online shooter scheduled for a September 2014 release, fans can't wait to get their hands on the upcoming release. We're definitely excited for the release of the game as well as longtime fans of the Halo series, and here are just a few of the most important things to know about Destiny as we get ever closer to the game's official release date.
5) Destiny's Beta Begins this Summer
Bungie has announced a closed beta testing period will arrive first for PlayStation owners this Summer. Fans can gain access to the beta be preordering the game on their favorite console and even reserve multiple copies of the game across different platforms if they so desire. For gamers that aren't sure if they want to preorder the game just yet, there are also occasional beta codes released on the official Facebook and Twitter pages for the game as well. Not a whole lot of details have been released about the upcoming beta for Destiny as of yet, but Bungie has went on record with several publications in stating that the company wants to pour plenty of the content that players can expect from the full game into the beta with enough content to give fans something they will want to play again and again and share with friends while also delivering all of the feedback the team needs to make final preparations before the game's launch. That all sounds pretty awesome to us!
4) Meet the Traveler
Despite having heavy influences from the Massively Online genre of games, Destiny promises to deliver a rich and interesting storyline that will make gamers want to learn more about the in-game world and its characters. The plot provides a futuristic setting where humans had once spread their reach around the entire galaxy by inhabiting other planets before an event known as the Collapse destroyed all of the new colonies before turning its gaze on Earth. A mysterious structure known as the Traveler resembling a gigantic floating white orb appeared in the sky over the planet to save it from sure destruction though, and now, the last remaining hope for mankind lives where humans first set foot on the land. A dangerous alien race threatens to wipe out mankind, and player controlled heroes known as Guardians have arrived to stop the new threat. We already can't wait to learn more about the game's storyline even before trying out the actual game itself.
3) Weapons Level with Guardians
Destiny will include far more weapons that any other Bungie release. The game will be more comparable to the likes of Borderlands than Halo in this regard, as players continue battling enemies to complete missions and unlock even better weapons. Switching to a new weapon just because it can deal a bit more base damage isn't always the best course of action in Destiny however, since the major difference for Destiny is the ability level up weapons and gain new perks and abilities. Guns in the game will have their own skill trees that allows the weapons to get better the longer characters are equipped with the same weapons. Other features for weapons in the game include rarities for guns from Common firearms to Exotic artifacts, and characters can equip three different types of guns at any one time that includes side arm, primary gun and heavy weapon to allow characters of any class to have the same flexibility in combat.
2) Choose Your Character
Destiny will feature plenty of customization options for player controlled characters in the game. There are three races available that includes the elf like creatures known as the Awoken, the Exo, which are similar to cyborgs in other forms of science fiction, and the humans. Race does not affect statistics and is purely to help separate one character from another, while the character class will further diversify characters in the game. Classes included in the game are the often showcased Hunter class that seems the most proficient with firearms, the Warlock that is capable of dealing damage with magical abilities gained from the Traveler and using a wide range of guns as well and the Titan, who is capable of dealing heavy melee damage, firing heavy weapons on enemies and withstanding incoming damage from enemies as well. Players will also need to carefully choose focuses and supers for their character that can be leveled along with equipment and the character to become more powerful and unleash even more devastating attacks the more the special moves are used in combat.
1) Destiny is a Truly Next Generation Title
Players that have already picked up a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will be in for a treat when they pick up a copy of Destiny on launch day. The game is easily one of the best looking games ever released if the marketing trailers and actual gameplay are even close to comparable. The game will also support numerous servers including separate servers for each players or servers dedicated to a single group of players to allow all players to have access to the always online world of Destiny with no latency and lag issues. Though Bungie heavily supports playing Destiny with a group of friends and other players, it's not necessary to enjoy the game, and all of the main campaign missions will be available in solo play for players looking to go this route instead. One other cool feature for Destiny will allow players to use the Companion app with both content available for the game while being used as a second screen for the game, or players can choose to use the app to gain access to content from the game even while away from their consoles. Gamers will all have different reasons for wanting to check out the title, but these are just some of the biggest reasons why we think this is a game all players should check out when it releases in September.
Destiny is now available for preorder from most major retailers for the MSRP of $59.99 and is scheduled to release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on September 8, 2014. Destiny is not yet rated. For more information on the game, check out the official Destiny website.