‘Destiny 2’ entertains, but remains a generic space shooter

When “Halo” developer Bungie announced its next big property, fans were understandably excited. But then “Destiny” came along, and it proved an epically bland grind-and-lootathon that innovated less, and recycled the FPS genre’s most common elements more.

“Destiny 2” may boast significant improvements over its ho-hum predecessor, but the long-awaited sequel is, at its core, the same game. You still shoot hundreds upon hundreds of dumb, generic-looking space baddies, collect “Diablo”-esque mountains of loot, explore sci-fi settings you’ve seen a thousand times before in other franchises, and go toe-to-toe with players just as faceless as you.

Despite such obvious shortcomings, “Destiny 2” is mechanically sound. The shooting is entertaining, the levels are well-designed, and there are tons of activities to engage in. The pleasure you derive from this game is therefore dependent on how many of its failings you’re willing to forgive, and on the bare minimum you expect from a shooter.

Cracks

“Destiny 2” opens on appropriately bombastic tones, with exciting set pieces boasting enough fire, destruction, and slaughter to make your mind scream “blockbuster hit!” More importantly, there are genuine attempts at emotional storytelling. After all, the series’ most iconic location, the Tower, is on the verge of obliteration, and your fellow Guardians are on the receiving end of a massacre of Order 66 proportions. The Traveler, the source of your Light powers that serve as the last defense against humanity’s enemies, has been held hostage by nefarious alien technology. And at the heart of it all is Ghaul, a Darth Vader-like figure who is as imposing as he is diabolical.

The gravitas of the situation isn’t lost on you when you realize you’ve been stripped of your Light, making you as vulnerable as an ordinary gun-toting grunt. Danger suddenly means danger, and “Destiny 2” becomes even more gripping.

But it isn’t long before you regain those powers, and soon enough you’ll be tearing through foes as you swing around an overpowered weapon that makes lightsaber sounds.

It’s also revealed that Ghaul’s species, the Cabal, have faces that look like the unholy offspring of a mutated potato and a turd. After knowing what lies behind Ghaul’s mask, you’ll never be able to take him seriously again.

And thus “Destiny 2’s” cracks begin to appear.

So much to see and do

“Destiny 2’s” Red War campaign introduces you to the game’s numerous features and four main locations.

Along your journey, you’ll meet NPCs who’ll give you quests meant to drive the story along. They’ll also send you on Adventures—optional side quests that allow you to further explore the world. Additionally, they help flesh out specific characters and add to the lore of the “Destiny” universe.

The objectives of these Adventures are wonderfully varied. An early mission tasks you with braving a subterranean tunnel and killing a powerful enemy. Another has you setting up, then defending a device as monsters swarm your area. Later undertakings will have you infiltrating bases, sabotaging machines such as turrets and tanks, planting explosives in designated sites, and more.

As you explore game worlds, you’ll encounter Patrol missions, which are even shorter than Adventures. They usually involve area surveys and scans, item salvaging, horde kills, and assassinations.

You might also stumble upon Lost Sectors, which are secret or hard-to-find mini-dungeons. They’re filled with enemies and often culminate in boss fights, after which you’ll be awarded valuable loot.

As you progress through “Destiny 2,” you’ll unlock various multiplayer modes. Public Events invite players to combine their forces to defeat enemies. 3-player Strikes are long, challenging, and well-crafted ventures similar to story missions. The Crucible is a 4-versus-4 PvP mode. And finally, you’ve got 6-player Raids: high-level challenges revolving around puzzles and killing mighty bosses, and which can take multiple hours to finish.

Thankfully, finding other people to play with is now much easier thanks to the Guided Games matchmaking system. Joining a clan also provides benefits, including passive bonuses and regular support from clanmates.

To get far in “Destiny 2,” you’ll need to complete a great number of these activities. While they’ll often reward you with common junk, you can acquire exclusive items sure to give you an edge in the toughest situations. You’ll also gain experience points for leveling up, letting you improve your character and access new Guardian abilities.

Each of “Destiny 2’s” major regions is grand in scope and beautifully rendered. From the European Dead Zone’s majestic forests and abandoned, war-torn village, to the giant waves slamming against the foundations of a floating facility on one of Saturn’s moons, “Destiny 2’s” environments were clearly designed to elicit “oohs” and “aahs” from players. As gorgeous as these places are, you won’t be able to dodge the feeling you’ve already seen them in similar sci-fi franchises.

Guardian armor and weapon designs are almost indistinguishable from those found in other games. Even the enemies look uninspired, and soon you won’t be able to tell them apart. Simply put, “Destiny 2’s” visual design is generic.

It doesn’t help that the enemy A.I. is often dumb. Aliens will pop out of hiding to shoot at you, then run or walk around in the open to be shot at. Others will mindlessly rush at you as if their whole race had long ago abandoned every species’ natural tendency towards survival. To make matters worse, you’ll often have to gun down hordes of them, so much so that fighting becomes tedious.

Thankfully, the level design itself is good, providing lots of opportunities to approach conflict your own unique way. You can snipe victims from an elevated position, lob grenades from behind cover, stealthily sneak behind a target for a lethal melee attack, and more. Many environments boast satisfying verticality, as well as plenty of choke points for chaotic, close quarters shooting; twisting avenues for strategic ambushes; and wide, open areas for large-scale combat. If the bad guys exhibited less predictable behavior, “Destiny 2’s” combat would’ve been close to perfect.

Playing with a team does alleviate some of the tedium of the endless killing. Because the classes were designed to complement each other, “Destiny 2” works best as a multiplayer game. The sense of accomplishment after successfully executing strategies together is breathtaking, and it’s especially gratifying after a long, hard Strike or Raid.

“Destiny 2’s” dual nature as both good and just above average extends to two other aspects: the music and the writing.

The music, while expertly orchestrated, sounds so generic you can close your eyes and apply it to a wildly different universe—such as a sword and sorcery fantasy game, for instance. It’s also ridiculously epic—even when the situation doesn’t call for it—so that it grows exhausting quickly.

As for the writing, it dips into cringe-inducing territory more often than I’d like. This is unfortunate, as the voice actors are uniformly excellent. But it’s not always so bad. After all, Nathan Fillion’s Cayde-6 is quite memorable, thanks to his witty quips and infectious charisma.

Entertaining but generic

You’ve probably noticed I used the word “generic” several times in this review. That isn’t an accident, but by design. “Destiny 2” IS generic. There’s nothing about it that stands out; everything it does has been done before, some more effectively by other sci-fi properties. The grind-heavy, loot-driven gameplay can also get monotonous.

But “Destiny 2’s” gunplay, while not unparalleled, is solid. And it gets even better when you’ve got other Guardians to play with. Ultimately, the game shines when it’s treated as a multiplayer shooter. If that’s all you’re looking for in a game, “Destiny 2” will impress, entertain, and satisfy. Otherwise, you’ll be left wondering what all the fuss is about.

Rating: 7/10

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

— BM, GMA News