Destiny 2 Review Diary
Destiny 2 is out now on Xbox One and PS4. I've played enough to put up a review in progress, but I still have a lot more to play before I can give my final review. Here I'll be detailing my day-by-day activities and impressions as I gear up for the Raid next Wednesday. Check back for impressions on the story, Strikes, PvP, and more, and keep an eye on our Destiny 2 news and guides roundup for everything else.
Day 1: The Replay Day
My review in progress is based on my experience at a Bungie event a few weeks ago, where I'd played Destiny 2 on a dummy account. My first day with the game at launch--with my own account and character--has mostly just been replaying the story missions and side activities I've already completed. It's… actually kind of nice.
I played the original on Xbox One and switched to PS4 for Destiny 2. I wouldn't call myself a hardcore Destiny 1 player, but I did play through Year One and all the expansions and spent a decent amount of time grinding. Leaving behind my old character wasn't as hard as I'd anticipated, though. I like having the opportunity to start fresh with a game that's already more compelling than its predecessor, one that I can see myself committing to in a more substantial way, without having to worry about catching up to the people who have been playing regularly this entire time. And surprisingly, replaying the story isn't the slog I thought it would be.
Part of that is due to using my own character and knowing that the loot and gear I get is mine to keep. But for the first time in my history with Destiny, I'm also properly invested in the story and characters. The dialogue can be a bit cheesy at times, but the characters are more three-dimensional and have more personality. There's also plenty of lore peppered in thanks to quips from your Ghost and items you can scan in the environment. Because the story missions (and in many cases, the side Adventure missions) give the proper background to contextualize your actions, it feels like you're doing something of substance, rather than running through missions as a means to an end.
I also tried the story and side missions with a Fireteam of myself and one other person, which worked seamlessly--neither of us lagged, and from what we could tell, we were watching the same cutscenes at the same time with no delays.
The coolest thing that came of of co-op, though, was the discovery that dialogue does indeed change if you import a Destiny 1 character rather than making a new one. My friend had imported his character (we're both Hunters), and certain conversations were slightly different between the two of us. Where my Ghost gave me a basic introduction to the Taken, for example, his reminded him of the time they beat Oryx and questioned why the Taken would have returned.
At the end of Day 1, I'm at level 15 and have a pretty sweet exotic pulse rifle courtesy of mad scientist Asher. (It's called the Graviton Lance, and it's a nice first exotic.) I otherwise kind of hate Asher.
Though I've only replayed things I've already done, I'm still excited about Destiny 2. I can't wait to find my next exotic weapon, but I'm also looking forward to completing more Adventure missions and learning more about the world. My next step is to finish the story, reach level 20, and run some Strikes, so check back soon for more impressions.