Category: games Page 1 of 5

My progress after five days of fun.

Ah, good times. The only problem is that with all good times … namely, they must come to an end. Bungie shut down the servers and they’re off to make things better for the Destiny release on September 9. I can hardly complain as they opened the beta to the Xbox players six hours early, and kept it going a day longer than planned.

So far, I’m quite pleased. I didn’t come into this pleased as it seems that the PlayStation 4 is getting all the perks and advantages. I’m sure they have their reasons, but it makes me feel like a steerage passenger, you know? Despite that, I’m feeling positive about Destiny.

It’s definitely not Halo, but its pedigree is obvious. It’s different but also comfortable. I’m hoping this impression carries over to the release version of the game.

One thing I am not impressed about is that even though the game is available for the newest generation consoles, the Xbox One and the PS 4, and the previous generation consoles, the Xbox 360 and the PS 3, but no multiplayer gaming is allowed between console generations. I wouldn’t normally care, but the two people with which I want to play are still using the Xbox 360. I’d feel silly buying a game for the 360 because I have a better console now, and I also would feel silly not playing with them because I bought the version for the Xbox One. And before you suggest it, I’ll also feel silly if I buy both! Happily, this is a very first-world problem.

So here’s to a quick arrival of September 9!

My progress after a day and a quarter. Three to go.

Bungie’s much anticipated game, Destiny, is in the midst of a public beta. For the Xbox, it started Tuesday evening and ends on Saturday. To be a part of it, you have to pre-order the game.

So far? It’s really good. Remember that this is merely a test, so the available missions, one’s progression, and the available maps are all very limited. It’s funny because I approached this game with more than a small amount of trepidation. I’ve been looking forward to both Destiny and Titan Fall. Happily, Titan Fall had an open beta that didn’t require pre-ordering the game. Happily because, to my great surprise, I didn’t like it at all. I like multiplayer just fine, but when there are no single player missions, and the whole game is based on death match playing, it’s not a game for me. Like Titan Fall, Destiny is entirely on-line, but there are still missions, and you can complete them yourself, or co-operatively with others. There is a death match portion, but it’s entirely separate.

Like Cortana in Halo, Destiny provides you with a disembodied electronic companion. For hours, the voice sounded familiar despite it being obviously electronically manipulated. Then it hit me. It’s Peter Dinklage! As good as he is, I dearly miss Jen Taylor.

I’m stuck at level 8 because they’ve limited progress for the beta, and without progress, the appeal is somewhat diminished, but I’m looking very forward to the Destiny release on September 9.