The Sparrow Race in Destiny. What does it feel like to ride a Sparrow? A report.
Today is not a good day to die. Today, Oryx and his Taken are laughing, for today they are spared by my usually ruthless hand of justice. Today, the gun stays in the cabinet. Instead, the racing shoes are laced up and the sleekest helmet is put on. Since Tuesday evening, the “SRL” event is live and is attracting numerous Guardians from the raid to the Sparrow. Like me, for example.
I still regularly fulfill my duties as a Guardian, but – and I have to admit this – not nearly as often as before. After Oryx has fallen for the thirtieth time, the Strikes have been completed for the hundredth time, and thousands of Taken have been sent across the Jordan, one tends to prefer playing Fallout 4, the new Star Wars, or even FIFA. There really hasn’t been much new since the release of The Taken King.
The Sparrow Racing event comes at just the right moment, even bringing clan members back who have let their Destiny game gather dust for weeks. But how does the “SRL” event play? Can Destiny convincingly present itself as a racing game?
Where is the racetrack here?
As on most of my evenings, after the day’s work, I put on the most comfortable sweatpants and turn on the PS4. Like a schnitzel, I’ve been excited all day for the upcoming Sparrow race. Curiosity, but surely also doubts, drive me with the thought of this event. Nevertheless, I have decided to approach it completely unprejudiced.
Okay, the download is finished, the game starts, everything seems normal so far. In orbit, a notification informs me that the Sparrow event has now started. Pah! As if I didn’t already know that. Off we go to the Tower to Amanda Holliday, who will now probably have more to do than just chill in the hangar and look good. She gives me a quest to acquire the C-license in the SRL. Aha, presumably it all comes down to racing enough until you get the A-license. Let’s see. The bounties are also taken along without reading exactly what to do. Never mind. I’m excited, I’m already itching to get going, let’s get racing!
But hold on a second. How do I actually start this? Allegedly, the races are supposed to take place on Mars and Venus. However, I can’t find a new location to fly to on these planets. There’s nothing in the Crucible that looks like Sparrows. I scratch my head, whip out my phone to shamefully google it. But just in time, I notice a new icon on the bottom left of the screen. Well, look at that, I’m not too stupid to find the event, I think to myself, and start the player search. Five more players are found immediately.
Let’s go!
Let’s go! And off to Venus. “Infinite Descent” is what the track is called. At first, it sounds like it’s not going to be a very pleasant Sunday drive. First, the racers are shown and cool camera angles of Sparrows and Guardians are displayed. A few snappy remarks and questionable tips are given, a text on how to control the thing is crammed at the bottom of the screen, and the signal that the race has started sounds. I’m as excited as frying fat! But… I’m not moving!
Will our daring daredevil get his ride going? More on the next page!
