The MMO shooter Destiny launched with a huge boost, and now the first criticism is breaking. The game wants to please everyone and pleases no one. The production costs are said to be far too high for what comes out of it. There is too little to do.
What does Backlash mean in English?
Backlash refers to the snapping back of a rope that has been stretched too tightly. It happens when someone who was previously on top has everything blow up in their face. This is increasingly common in our media world. Something is first praised to the skies and then roughly thrown back to the ground.
A few months ago, it was even set to hit Jennifer Lawrence, the actress from the Hunger Games and Silver Linings. Everyone liked her, her career was going smoothly, not only beautiful but also clever, talented, and funny – that was too much for some. She did everything right, everyone thought she was great, so she faced backlash: somehow she was now supposed to annoy everyone. The world must have had enough of this grinning darling with the smoky voice, right? Nope, they hadn’t. The world decided to continue to find Jennifer Lawrence simply great.
Usually, however, it turns out differently: see Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, or the former Doctor zu Guttenberg.
In video games, such a backlash is quite normal: Until release, almost only the manufacturer talks about its game. And the manufacturer keeps a protective hand over the cradle, growling at anyone who comes too close with unholy hands. But sooner or later, even the most loyal developer, the most caring publisher, has to let their darling into the world, and then mean people come and write mean things about it.
With Destiny, the giant MMO that has been released for half a week, the hype was particularly high, the rope stretched to the breaking point. When it was said that Destiny would have the most successful launch of an IP in the history of video games, it became clear that the hype was worth it.
So how does the backlash, how does the criticism turn out? The first media outlets have dealt with the shooter.
Not the Bungie of old: Innovation is missing
In a long commentary on 4players.de editor-in-chief of the magazine, Jörg Luibl, extensively discusses the lack of innovative performance of the premium shooter. In the past, he writes, Bungie would have sweetened his gaming days, innovative genre gems like Myth would have advanced their genres, and risks were taken.
Today, Bugie is so tightly bound by a contract with Activision that it cuts off the studio’s creative vein. Everything in Destiny is designed to satisfy the masses. Destiny is destined for maximum financial success. And with the attempt and the burden of having to please everyone, no great achievement can be made.
Where has all the money gone?
At mmosite, they wonder: Where has the 500 million dollars gone? Time and again in a video, they touch upon the stark reality of Destiny and hold the good, but not outstanding shooter accountable for its high production costs. “They could have done that with 60 million,” they say.
Even Star Wars: The Old Republic with the outrageously expensive and lavish voice acting only cost 200 million – and with Destiny they only hired Dinklage as the big name. And to make matters worse, they are also disappointed with him.
Is there too little Destiny for the money?
Already at mmosite, the criticism arises that the content is somewhat lacking. A few maps, a few PvP arenas, that all seems rather standard, there isn’t much to do after the initial hours.
Polygon also blows the same horn. For an MMO, in which players invest hours upon hours, days upon days, there simply isn’t enough to do. Although Polygon wants to wait until the 16th of September for the first raid to go live, they are not really convinced by Destiny. They only award 6 out of 10 points – and Polygon is not exactly known for scathing reviews.
Apparently, Bungie expects, the test states, that players will play the little content over and over again, in search of ever better weapons. Without the story depth typical of MMORPGs, there is alarmingly little to do in Destiny, and Polygon apparently has no desire to grind light levels through better gear past level 20.
