For many titles, the first year in the video game industry can mean the difference between life and death. Countless games blink out of existence in this crucial timeframe, most of which turned out to be either nothing but hype, or simply not replayable enough to generate a community.
Destiny had a rough first year. It was criticized for its story (or lack thereof), its repetitive gameplay and absence of interesting characters. From Peter Dinklage’s poor voice acting, to the smaller-than-advertised worlds, Destiny’s first year didn’t seem to live up to its advertising. Usually, this would be enough to kill a game.
Despite these setbacks, the game sold rather well, keeping a loyal community of dedicated fans.
Now it looks as if Bungie and Activision (the talent behind the game) are seeking to right the wrongs of Destiny’s first year with the latest expansion: “The Taken King.”
There is more story in the first 30 minutes of The Taken King than can be found in the 20+ hours of playing Destiny’s campaign.
The enemies had purpose and were a true force to be reckoned with, a much appreciated change from the typical horde of alien cannon fodder with no discernable motive.
The Taken King also seems to have laid off the jargon, focusing on interpreting actual events and conveying useful dialogue which was relevant to the story, as opposed to indecipherable technobabble and lore.
With this change in dialogue comes something else new to the universe of Destiny: character development.
In the new expansion the three vanguards who act as the main source for quests have been upgraded from dull task givers to characters with personalities, interactions and witty banter.
Speaking of upgrades, Peter Dinklage’s dry delivery as Ghost, your floating robot companion, has been replaced in its entirety with a new and more charismatic narrative recorded by Nolan North.
The Taken King also features a list of gameplay tweaks and overhauls too numerous to cover in depth, but to sum these up: both long-time and new fans of Destiny won’t be seeing a shortage in gameplay anytime soon.
At the end of the day, The Taken King feels like the game Destiny should have been to begin with.
If you enjoyed Destiny’s first year, you’ll be ecstatic about the second.
If you weren’t part of the initial wave of fans, don’t worry. The time is right to jump online and start playing now, assuming you want to pay the 60 dollars to do so.
