The public opinion on the shooter MMO Destiny seems to be changing. After the huge hype at release, meager reviews came in, seeing the 500 million project with ratings around 75%. Yet even some of the supposedly harshest critics are still playing it and can’t stop writing about it. Even after a month, gaming sites are still full of reports about Destiny. Non-players are slowly getting annoyed by this.
A few weeks ago we reported on the criticism of the MMO shooter Destiny. After the huge hype at release, some critics sharpened their knives: Destiny is at best an average game. The hype once again a trick. Bungie miscalculated, the game lacks too much story, soul, it feels incomplete.
Addiction factor is here: The Destiny virus
Now, however, a different mood is slowly building: because despite the weaknesses of the game, which are still being identified, even the critics can’t stop playing it. For instance, Paul Tassi reports on Forbes that despite its flaws, the game is remarkably playable and especially replayable: “About a week after launch, many of the 6/10 or 7/10 reviews were probably justified, as we entered a dead phase where the mechanics became boring. But now? I actually know many of the critics who judged so harshly, and I know they are still playing Destiny today. They have contracted Destiny like a virus.” Furthermore, Destiny is already significantly better after the first patches than it was at launch.
According to Tassi, the fascination of the game lies in its incredible accessibility, gradually introducing players to the numerous activities. In the end, there are so many possibilities to engage that one doesn’t even know what to do first.
Reporting on Destiny annoys some non-players
Ben Kuchera is dealing with another problem for the US magazine Polygon. In the article “We can’t stop writing about Destiny, but you can’t stop reading about it either” he addresses the enormous media attention that Destiny still receives a month after release. Many readers of the site, who are not Destiny fans, are slowly fed up and want to read more about other games. No Facebook post, no article goes by without someone complaining about giving free attention to the 500 million colossus.
But Kuchera defends Destiny: The interest in it is simply enormous. And there is so much to write about. Yes, Destiny is a mess. But it is an incredibly interesting mess!
At Polygon, they compare Destiny to the first Assassin’s Creed. That also drove fans to despair, but the potential of what a great game it could become was always visible. And with Assassin’s Creed 2 at the latest, that hope was fulfilled.
Other voices online compare Destiny more to Diablo 3. That also took some time to really find its form, but still kept players engaged despite its flaws. Something seems to be going right with Destiny.
Non-players can also annoy themselves with Destiny articles through this link.
