We here at Canadian Online Gamers have been closely keeping an eye on Bungie’s latest massive undertaking, “Destiny”. While at E3 in LA a couple of weeks ago, we were blown away with the hands-off gameplay demo and to say there was a little Destiny fever on the E3 show floor would be an understatement. We are certainly excited about Bungie’s next venture and for good reason, it looks great so far. Not to mention it is clearly an ambitious game having been in development for approximately 7-years or so. The expectations are undoubtedly high as Activision has gone ‘all in’ with Bungie signing them for 10-years which suggests we may see several Destiny games. At this point, the prognosis is very good for Destiny so we thought we would give you five reasons why we believe Destiny will be the biggest new IP launch of all time:
1.) It is a Massive Game!
No offence Call of Duty fans, but Destiny will be a little more than a 6-hour single player campaign and 10 multiplayer maps out of the box. Bungie has already let it be known that Destiny will be a massive open world shooter containing MMO elements. Bungie has been careful not to define their game as strictly MMO but there is no question Destiny will have an MMO feel to it to go along with its core shooter elements. The Destiny universe will contain on the fly matchmaking unlike we have seen on consoles before. Its universe, as Bungie states, will “take on a life of its own”. It is an ambitious undertaking but if anyone can pull it off it is Bungie. We all know how huge World of Warcraft was. Could we have a Halo meets World of Warcraft scenario? Maybe we do.
2.) Bungie’s Track Record
Let’s face it, Halo put the Xbox on the map and the reality is Xbox would not be what it is today without the Halo franchise. The original Halo game sold a boat load of copies. Halo 2 made more than $125 million on release day and at the time set a record in the entertainment industry. Yes, I still recall waiting in line in wet rainy weather outside my local EB games looking forward to that midnight release. But it didn’t stop there. Halo 3 was even bigger and made over $170 million in its first 24-hours. Besides the dump trucks full of money the franchise made and continues to make, Halo was a silky smooth shooter and offered up some of the best multiplayer experiences to date. There is really no reason to think Destiny will be unable to at least match the success Halo has had in nearly every department. Now take the fact, we will see Destiny on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4. Can you say Cha-Ching?
3.) Activision’s Sizable Investment
Love em’ or hate em’, Activision knows what it takes to build a winner. When it comes to throwing money at Call of Duty, Skylanders or World of Warcraft, Activision generally takes a ‘spare no expense’ kind of approach. More often than not it works. This time around Activision has opened up the coffers and is significantly backing Destiny in the financial department. According to Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg, Activision’s investment in Destiny is probably one of the biggest investments in a new IP that’s ever been made in this industry. It is statements like this that put the gaming industry on notice and whenever Activision sees a hit, they tend to dump a lot of money towards it. They also know seem to know when to back off (see Activision’s Walking Dead game).
4.) Destiny’s Unmatched Social Presence
Bungie has already revealed they plan to incorporate social media into Destiny. They want players to remain connected with one another even when offline. Now let’s not forget what Bungie was able to do with Bungie.net. Unlike any other console game before, that site kept detailed statistics on each player in the game. It was a place where fans congregated and talked about their Halo experiences. I expect something similar but more advanced. I would not be surprised at all if we see Destiny have mobile app where you can see what your friends are up to in Destiny’s universe while on the go. Destiny should not only be a game but it could very well become part of our social networking fabric.
5.) Destiny’s Stunning E3 Demo
Most of the world had a glimpse of Destiny’s massive universe during Sony’s E3 press conference. During the course of the week, the E3 awards piled up. We had a chance to get a behind closed doors look at the game and we walked away impressed. Not only did the game look like a visual masterpiece with detailed original character animations but the picturesque open landscapes left me feeling like I was in a completely realized world. It was massive and jaw dropping. The E3 demo really showcased how good games should be able to look on next generation consoles. We had a chance to see the ‘on the fly’ cooperative and team based gameplay at work and it showed plenty of potential. The combat looked fluid and enjoyable. We also had a glimpse of the class system, weapons and character customization. There is no doubt the games soundtrack will be a big hit with many as Marty O’Donnell (known for his work on the Halo franchise) will lead the original score. It was a dynamic experience that did not appear all that predictable. Whether it is alone, with a friend or your entire gaming community, Destiny will be a game that should suit your lifestyle and gaming needs.
Destiny will be released on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One video game consoles in 2014.
