A change of pace from the usual film related guff I spout. Today its time for some video-game guff. I’m quite a big gamer, I’m not totally hardcore but I can still boast that I completed Demons Souls. Recently I was invited to try out the alpha test for Bungie’s epic new game Destiny. These are the guys that created Halo so you know this is an important game. What did I think of the small slice of Destiny I got to try? Read on Littlekickers!

Gameplay

Excellent. Totally Halo-esque with recharging health and two swapable weapons. If you like Halo’s gunplay then you’ll love this. Also Bungie are the masters of enemy AI and its demonstrated beautifully here. Bad guys take cover, work in teams, and generally piss you off until you throw a grenade at their faces.

Graphics

Very good. I’m annoying myself comparing this to Halo so this will be the last time. Graphics are like a next-gen Halo. The villains are strange aliens and the environments are beautiful and massive with a lovely day and night cycle. Brilliant atmosphere.

Multiplayer

This is where Destiny gets complicated. While playing the main game you bump into other players who can help you with missions or save you from bad guys. However if you want to shoot your friends then you need to travel to a place called ‘The Crucible’ to take part in death matches etc. It feels like classic Bungie, beautifully balanced with none of the extraneous distractions in Call of Duty. Smooth and fun. Like me!

Overall

Destiny is fantastic even at the Alpha stage. It runs flawlessly and actually much better than Battlefield 4 does right now! Imagine Halo crossed with an MMO and you’re pretty close. The alpha test only had one planet to visit and do missions on and its huge. The full game will have many more so the scope of the project blows my mind. Also the alpha only allows you to level up to 8 so you’re using the basic weapons and armour but I’ll tell you now, the guns are very cool. You can use Auto-Rifles, Pulse Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Fusion Guns, shotguns and many more.

I came away from the alpha wanting more. Lots more. I only experienced one planet but put in 15 hours of playtime. The scope of the game is epic and there’s a good chance it’ll do for shooters what World of Warcraft did for RPGs. It seems that Bungie are making a game they’re passionate about, freed from the shackles of Halo. Whoops, I said I wouldn’t mention that again, OK its a bit like Borderlands. Anyway, if the whole game is as great as this small slice then sign me up and I’ll battle The Fallen anywhere in the galaxy. Even Uranus.

Are you looking forward to Destiny? Have you played it yet? Let me know below.