I have. It was called Destiny.
I know it isn’t fair to judge a game solely on the first hour and a half of playtime – but it is definitely fair to comment on that time as the “first impression”. And that is, sadly, that Destiny 2 feels like a poorly done expansion to Destiny 1. Somehow, the graphics feel worse. Everything else feels perfectly familiar except now you are starting from square one. Not sure how an expansion negates the total effort of the previous three years plus feels like a step back in the game overall. It actually kind of felt like a step back from the demo/beta. I don’t think I have felt this disappointed in a game I was very excited for at launch. At least not so quickly.
First off I ultimately decided to get Destiny 2 for PS4 although I was convinced I would save myself for PC. Â Not because I want to play it on all systems (I won’t – I don’t like the thought of going through all the same motions in 6 weeks when the PC launches. Cross saves / progression should be a thing by now). It was because when I did the ‘beta’ PC version something was missing that I really loved about playing Destiny on the PS4. The haptic feedback. It is missing from the PC version and I didn’t realize how much immersion that adds. So, in order to get all the shiny bonuses, I bought the Digital Deluxe version of the game and it pre-loaded last night when I was sleeping. I was up early this morning and booted up the game for a fresh start at 5am.
Except nothing was fresh about it. The introductory mission was the same we did, except we didn’t get to play with the new super / spec. The whole “you have lost your powers and are weak now” angle lasted for the whole entirety of the first hour. All that changed in the game is that you lost your loot and you lost your abilities. It’s like World of Warcraft deleting all of your character and forcing you to start from level one again, on the old graphics engine, as their new expansion premise. This doesn’t feel new or exciting  – it feels like an expansion – but one that does not build off of the past but replaces it. The first “mission” is a slow slog through a decimated city – which has some merit if you stop to look around, but the game forces you to a slow crawl. You shoot 10-15 dogs in the wilderness and then get “rescued”. The second “mission” is basically a reskin of the Destiny 1 mission where you unlock your third sub-spec. You get unlimited supers and get to bash around. That was fun! Except, again, I have already played that mission in Destiny 1 (which was a better, longer and more interesting version of it) It isn’t new. It was a step backwards.
The real kick in the jeans is that there is no new race, no new class, and actually less specializations to start. Â Again, backwards.
Those are my first impressions. I haven’t given up on the game but am preparing myself to just be playing a new version of Destiny 1. I have no clue how they are going to surprise or impress me at this point, or move away from that. I really hope they do and that it is just a slow start.
My tears aren’t the same as the Aggronaut’s, at this point. Unfortunately so.
It’s interesting if you consider that the original launch of Destiny was poorly received as well. It took 3 expansions (Taken King) before it was “good”. Sort of like D3 and the ROS expansion.. or the Division’s patch 18 months after launch.
Aside from perhaps Overwatch and Titanfall2, I can’t easily recall any recent multiplayer game that was considered a “success” on launch.
I’m waiting for the PC launch for that exact reason. Ideally in 6 weeks things will have been balanced some, or at least there will be a clearer picture of the quality of the game.
Still sucks to be disappointed.
I have another post coming up about my new time with the game, but my initial prgnosis still stands – they didn’t move this game forward enough to call it a true sequel (in my opinion). Will save the explanation for my post =)
Hi, first time commenting.
The first missions were a slog, true, but I actually find them sortof more interesting than what comes after, which all kind of feel like a reskin of the missions we playing in D1. Sure you might have a different voice in my head but you go hit triggers and fight a wave of the same aliens…
For me Destiny 1 started feeling stale around the last expansion, and coming back to Destiny 2 just felt like “Eh, more of this?”
Thanks for stopping by – just went and peeked at your blog and will add you to the blogroll. I agree with what you say here (and there) and my next post has a lot to do with what “should” have happened to make it a true sequel. Don’t want to spoil that in the comments =)
Sorry about your jeans. Hope you can kick back a bit.
cutoffs are en vogue again, no?
Huh. Glad I didn’t jump on this day one then. I honestly kind of wanted to, because I didn’t start playing Destiny until Taken King was out, and had heard the same things that the original game was pretty bad in comparison. You’d think they would have learned a lesson or two. Then again, I feel like they probably could have just kept expanding the first game and not made a sequel at all. Most MMOs do that, and they were trying to be a psuedo MMO, so why not?
I suppose putting it on PC where you could theoretically pump up the graphics has its appeal, but at the same time I’m used to it on PS4, so why would I want to change platforms? I see that you didn’t, but it doesn’t sound like you are impressed either.
Reminds me of my father telling me about how FF15 was coming to PC, like I’m really going to buy a second copy of a couple year old game just to see it in 4k? If this is just an expansion to a several year old game that comes to PC finally, I don’t see why anyone would jump ship, unless they’re master racers who haven’t played it at all. But I digress.
Wait for the PC version. The graphics were definitely a HUGE step up. I wish I had waited now. That alone might have been the difference maker in feeling good about this purchase