Is Destiny the first ‘real’ console MMO? – part two

Destiny is in alpha right now, and VG247's Dave Cook continues his playtest with a look at co-op Strikes and the gauntlet that is the PvP Crucible.

Missed part one of this article? You can check it out here for fresh insight in Destiny's campaign, classes and more.

Strike me baby one more time

What Destiny bears in common with traditional MMOs more than anything is that you're never really playing alone. Sure, you can play through all of the solo missions without ever actively teaming up with another soul, but they're always there in your world. They'll help you out in fights, speed past you on their hover bike and if you're lucky, unleash their dance emote all over your face. It's just friendly like that.

”Coming from the team that created Halo, you’d like to think that Destiny’s competitive multiplayer is something quite special indeed, and for the best part I found that it stands up just fine, but it hasn’t exactly blown me away.”

But if you really want to get waist-deep in multiplayer, you can form a Fireteam of up to three people and co-op your way through the story and side-quests, or engage in Strikes. These are similar to MMO raids in that your group enters an isolated area designed specifically for cooperative play, and once there you'll attempt to complete an objective.

If you haven't got any friends to hand Destiny will match-make you with other Guardians out there in the world before dropping you into the Strike area. The mission offered in Bungie's Alpha takes place in Old Russia, amid the ruins of an old Cosmodrome colourfully referred to as The Devils Lair. The alien enemies inside have been drawing power from their leader Sepiks Prime, and your job is to execute him with prejudice.

So off we went, sprinting right past a whole area of enemies who - for some reason - didn't chase us as we ran past and inside the Cosmodrome. That was particularly weird, seeing as my experience of Destiny's AI in part one of this article was positive. Typically cunning and aggressive enemies just sort of stood there watching us win, but this is an alpha test of course, so it's possible there was some kind of hiccup on the server end. Either way, it deflated the urgency of gameplay.

”There was only one mode available in the alpha. Control is essentially Call of Duty’s Domination, in which both teams try to capture and hold three flags strewn throughout the environment.”

But that complacency didn't last long. Leaving the twisted shuttle wreckage and glistening snow of outside behind, we ventured into the dungeon's dark, stony interior only to be set upon much tougher foes. We blasted our way through packs of aliens, and I even scored a few kills with my newly-unlocked throwing knife, which is as hard to get on target as Call of Duty's hurled blades. Hitting your mark is just as satisfying though.

In fact, most weapons in Destiny have a chunky kick to them without feeling sluggish. It's a neat balance between heft and fluidity. Since my first Destiny blog, I've acquired a third gun slot which is reserved for special weapons. I'm currently packing a Cyrus-C machine gun which does 59 attack with burning flame damage. I also have a Tengoku FR2A Fusion Rifle in my secondary slot. It requires a charge, but once filled spews out a rapid volley of energy that pummels opponents. It's slow, but I like it.

Back to the Strike, our progress was eventually blocked by a laser fence at the mouth of a mine shaft. To proceed, one of us had to use our Ghost - which is Destiny's map device and AI guide, Cortana without personality basically - to hack the fence controls. This triggered a Horde mode style defence meta-game that saw us fending off three waves of alien attackers that quickly became brutal. Standard Hive zombies gave way to four-armed, sword-wielding badasses that cut through us in just a few hits.

”You can summon your Sparrow jet-bike at any point during battles and zoom across the terrain at speed. If it happens to get destroyed or you’re looking for something with firepower, you can commandeer one of the neutral Interceptor hovercrafts lying around.”

Every time one of us got downed by one of those sword troops or a blast from cloaked enemy snipers - they really hurt - we revived each other a few times until eventually, we all got killed and failed the Strike. Thankfully, we were able to retry from the first horde wave but we just could't pass the third tier. We eventually all backed out after realising that we simply weren't levelled up enough. It was disappointing but the action in that meta-mode was really intense, fast paced and required great teamwork.

After leaving the Strike I did some more side-quests in Old Russia and tried to complete a bounty I had acquired from a vendor in the Tower, which is Earth's last city. You can try to complete bounties one at a time or stack them for greater rewards. Right now I'm trying to earn 9,000 XP without dying which, on completion, will earn me 2,500 XP and 50 Vanguard Honour. These little side challenges are a neat way of giving you more to aim for.

When that isn't enough, there's always PvP to master...

Have we met before?

Coming from the team that created Halo, you'd like to think that Destiny's competitive multiplayer is something quite special indeed, and for the best part I found that it stands up just fine, but it hasn't exactly blown me away. I mean - yes - it blew me away in that I've died a lot, but you know what I mean. In short, I'd say it has a lot in common with Halo's multiplayer but with a few differences.

”For all of its Halo comparisons, Destiny still manages to feel different enough due to the scaling back of those floaty jumps, the ability to ADS with every weapon and its darker aesthetic.”

Destiny's PvP mode is called The Crucible, and it's here that all of Bungie's game modes live. To access competitive play you simply hit the DualShock 4's touchpad and select it from the fast-travel menu, which enters you into matchmaking. In a neat touch, you'll see your ship zooming through space towards the next battle as your match-made comrades fly alongside you in a squadron. It beats listening to dick heads play music over their microphone in drab lobbies any day.

There was only one mode available in the alpha. Control is essentially Call of Duty's Domination, in which both teams try to capture and hold three flags strewn throughout the environment. Flags need to be neutralised before they can be claimed so as you'd expect, teams must defend the surrounding area to safely capture each point. The maps are big though, so sprinting towards each flag to aid your squad on foot isn't advised.

It's lucky, then, that you can summon your Sparrow jet-bike at any point during battles and zoom across the terrain at speed. If it happens to get destroyed or you're looking for something with firepower, you can commandeer one of the neutral Interceptor hovercrafts lying around the Moon map First Light, and use their rocket turrets to dish out some hurt. This particular map also had fixed gun turrets dotted around its central lunar base, making the middle of the environment incredibly heated.

”Rusted Lands feels more like a hybrid between a Call of Duty map and the terrains of Titanfall, with tighter walkways and elevated spots that favour those who double jump. It’s more constricted and demands that players check their corners.”

First Light is a big map full of rocky outcrops and tunnels made out of downed shuttles. It feels very Halo given its grand scale and capacity for vehicular combat, while one-on-one gunplay feels familiar to those who have ever played Bungie's previous series. This is thanks in large part to the presence of shields, which must first be burned through before you can inflict damage on opponents. I didn't have a shield at level six, so I got utterly destroyed. I should have known better to be fair.

For all of its Halo comparisons, Destiny still manages to feel different enough - well, I thought so anyway - due to the scaling back of those floaty jumps, the ability to ADS with every weapon and its darker aesthetic. First Light looks superb too, with a horizon peppered with distant stars and shadowy rock structures around its flanks. Even Earthen map Rusted Lands manages to impress, with its hazy, snow-filled air and dilapidated freighter yards.

In fact, Rusted Lands feels more like a hybrid between a Call of Duty map and the terrains of Titanfall, with tighter walkways and elevated spots that favour those who double jump. It's more constricted and demands that players check their corners and be mindful of when they are visible. As a CoD fan, I like it, and I'll admit that I fared better here than on the Halo-esque lunar plains of First Light.

”Many people have downplayed comparisons between Destiny and MMOs, but it seriously can be compared without it being derogatory. It’s a bold, interesting mix between massively multiplayer sensibilities along with a classic shooter campaign.”

Seriously, I sucked bad on the Moon map, but I earned a Crucible Mark for completing the game. These marks serve as currency for use in the main campaign. If you fast travel to the Tower, you'll find a vendor who dispenses gear to those who excel at PvP, and let me tell you, some of these armour parts are serious business. It means that those who really want to stand out will at least give the Crucible a try, yet I never felt forced into it. Competitive play is entirely optional.

So am I liking Destiny? Yeah, but I'll admit that I prefer solo and Fireteam play in the campaign more than PvP right now. Many people have downplayed comparisons between Destiny and MMOs, but it seriously can be compared without it being derogatory. It's a bold, interesting mix between massively multiplayer sensibilities like a shared, connected world, raids, looting and all of those other staples, along with a classic shooter campaign for those who want to play alone or with friends.

Or let's just call it Borderlands if it were an MMO. How does that sound?

Disclosure: to assist in writing this article, Activision sent Dave a Destiny alpha code for PS4.