‘Destiny’: Next evolution of entertainment, or just ‘Halo’ again?

On Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, Bungie showed off their new game, “Destiny”. They’re calling this game the “next evolution of entertainment”, and honestly, some of their ambitious plans seem like they might in fact be an evolution as far as first-person shooters are concerned, and one might even go so far as saying an evolution of console gaming. But entertainment? That’s a little presumptuous.

Especially when at its core, “Destiny” appears at least aesthetically similar to their past franchise, “Halo”. Both game series are science fiction epics, where the player controls a character who is wearing a special suit of armor that gives them special abilities, with futuristic machine guns, and the character fights aliens. From what can be seen in the video that Bungie released today, it appears that the flora and environments of the game world will be similar to “Halo” as well, as the game takes place on Earth, albeit in the future, and “Halo” takes place in Earth-like environments.

The video seems to hint at the possibility of spaceship combat, but this is unconfirmed. It’s a pretty safe assumption to make, as the game is expected to let players customize their own ships. Why do that if they can’t be used for anything? Even if this is true, there was a scene in “Halo: Reach” featuring spaceship combat, so in this respect they are not really presenting anything new. Yes, the game is an “always connected” experience, which is a very new concept for a first-person shooter, but many gamers absolutely would not count this as a good thing.

A great many consumers, even owners of current-gen video game consoles, do not have high speed internet. To release a game in which the player has to be connected to play it at all times excludes a significant portion of their customers. This smells like a decision on the part of the publisher, Activision, although this is obviously unconfirmed. Activision has had great success in the past with games requiring constant connection, like “World of Warcraft”, but “Destiny” isn’t “WoW”, as much as Activision would like it to be. The game won’t even pull the same crowd of consumers.

Perhaps “Destiny” will be a huge surprise, and actually revolutionize the face of entertainment. But with what’s been shown so far, don’t bet on it. If you’re a fan of first-person shooters, especially “Halo”, then there’s a lot here to be excited about. If you were looking for something truly original, keep looking.

Brian Arnold is a frequent contributor and "Promising Author" on the website GayAuthors.org, under the username "WrathOfMagneto". Follow him on his blog: Click Here!