Never has a game been so beautiful as Destiny. It's honestly inescapably gorgeous. So much so that during the hours I've dedicated to it so far, I often sit and admire my surroundings for a few minutes before getting on with saving the universe. It's really something to marvel.

Activision and Bungie have come together to form a space-set game a little like others, but utterly compelling and more engaging than most. There's even a Peter Dinklage-voiced character to top things off. Yes, Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones. What more could we ask for?

Tyrion Lannister voices a drone we call Ghost / Credit: Activision

Customisation of your character is a fun experience but what you'll really want to do is jump right into things and whilst you're forced to listen to the story - an aspect some gamers would prefer not to be present - this is a plot that's so well thought out and detailed you'd be a fool to let it slip by.

Three years of hype and build-up have felt more like three decades, and because we've been promised so much many are more than disappointed in what has actually been put across - blaming a lack of variety in missions and so forth - but it's something we're willing to forgive when you look at the sheer scale of things and work that must have gone into creating this new world.

Battles can get very explosive / Credit: Activision

Gameplay is easy to get into due to the simple and and early tutorials and you'll be used to the controls and functions of everything and everyone before you know it. Choose your class wisely and your weapons even more so - you don't want to be left bullet-less whilst the Hive surround you and tear you to shreds. (Those pesky Thralls!)

Earth is desolate and fallen, the Tower is the last remaining city, the Moon is becoming overrun by your adversaries and Venus is a stunning yet challenging place to be with lush terrain around every corner. What other planets there are to explore I do not quite know yet - I'm enjoying the patrols of these so much so that I'm levelling a little too high for the missions they offer, but it's all still good fun.

The Tower is your hub for everything / Credit: Activision

The mysteries of Earth's downfall are discovered as you travel around the solar system, battling through the story missions either alone or with a group of friends - though the game quite clearly wants you to tackle things with other players. So much so, that random events can occur meaning a 'big bad' appears and you'll likely need fellow Guardians to take them down and earn special rewards.

Yes I agree that there needs to be more ways to progress your player - there's only so much you can kill to level up with it staying an exciting experience - but with expansions coming and today a 'raid' launching for players who have already level capped, the Destiny team don't look ready to leave the game as is, and so should take all that and more into consideration when making expansions in the future.

Kill, collect, turn-in, repeat / Credit: Activision

And though I absolutely adore my purple-headed Awoken Hunter, I want to feel more emotionally invested in keeping her alive and find out more about her past. Perhaps that will come in the weeks and months ahead.

All in all I'm majorly impressed. Never has a shooter game grasped me so immediately and easily as Destiny and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the franchise. I'm hoping for lots of merchandise. Sign me up.

The settings are truly stunning / Credit: Activision

NOTE: Xbox One users be aware - there is a current sound glitch with the game which means when you load it up, everything could be silent. This can be easily fixed by a swift click of the dashboard button and re-enter into the game. It only takes a few seconds but is a little grating - expect a patch soon.

Destiny is out now.

by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
find me on and follow me on

Tagged in