Destiny: The Collection (PlayStation 4) Review

By Az Elias 12.01.2018

Review for Destiny: The Collection on PlayStation 4

There is a reason people are still flocking to play Destiny, and that's because its sequel has been quite a disappointment for many fans of Activision's Bungie-developed sci-fi first-person shooter. Players are dropping Destiny 2 and coming back to the original game for their online multiplayer competitive and co-operative matches, not least because this three-year-old title is still providing the goods with superior content and a wad of expansions already under its belt. Destiny 2 may yet still become the game fans expect it to be, but there is plenty of reason to dedicate some time to the full collection of the original game before it seems worth putting money into the latest title.

Destiny: The Collection includes all download content released for Destiny, including The Dark Below, House of Wolves, The Taken King, and Rise of Iron. Depending on how one wishes to approach it, level booster items packed into this edition can increase any Guardian's level to 25 and 40 (the max), enabling them to jump straight into the Taken King and Rise of Iron content, which each require you to be those specific levels, respectively. Although the base game has had its difficulty lowered now, it can be worth using the boosters to blast through the early content, as this is the weakest part of what Destiny's story has to offer.

It is surprising to play through the base story, and even the Dark Below and House of Wolves content, and realise this was made by the developer of the Halo series, because it really isn't very engaging, nor does it attempt to flesh out the lore and universe it has established in any meaningful ways. Destiny is set in the distant future, where humanity has spent generations travelling galaxies following a gift by a city-sized mysterious round floating object known only as "The Traveler," and yet the entire history is brushed aside as if nobody is interested in hearing about it. Worse yet, the actual origins and deeper details behind The Traveler are still unknown, as if a backstory wasn't even in the script to begin with. Destiny is set in the future, and that is that.

Screenshot for Destiny: The Collection on PlayStation 4

Thankfully, things finally get going once The Taken King expansion rolls around. A much darker plot and varied locations - unlike the repeated levels players are forced into in the early content - means Destiny picks up and becomes much more interesting halfway through, with diverse missions, more cutscenes, new areas, and better music. However, because of early-game Destiny's failure to actually use its main characters - or create more of them - it backfires with the sacrifice of one of the few faces in The Taken King's opening cinematic. This character was hardly seen before, so why would anyone care now? Is there meant to be some feeling of shock or overwhelming joy when/if they return in the future? It feels like too little, too late to try to add some relevance.

Rise of Iron goes one better again with regards to its fleshing out of narrative and level variety. Unfortunately, there are a couple of missions that have become unavailable to play completely, and it's unknown if Bungie will ever allow players to do so before servers go offline. As it stands, there is no word on when they may shut down, but given how popular Destiny still is, it's unlikely to be any time soon.

It's pleasing that the main campaign can be completed solo, so anyone looking at busting through the narrative can do so without fear - especially if using the level boosters that come with the Taken King and Rise of Iron DLC. Postgame content is solid, too, though, and this is why fans are still coming back to play. Challenging missions and multiplayer-focused raids, strikes, arenas, and PVP matches are addictive and going strong. If you can get a friend or two together, the full package of Destiny is well worth spending a couple of weeks with, at least.

Screenshot for Destiny: The Collection on PlayStation 4

Cubed3 Rating

7/10
Rated 7 out of 10

Very Good - Bronze Award

Rated 7 out of 10

It may not quite have lived up to its billing, but anyone who enjoyed the sci-fi universes of Halo and Metroid Prime will be at home with Destiny when taking the entirety of what it has to offer into account. The first half of the story is lacklustre, but picks up greatly with the two expansion packs, and it is all beatable solo, yet comes to life when played in a party, especially with all the postgame content on offer. If you're disappointed in current Destiny 2 and never tried this one, picking up Destiny: The Collection is a wise decision if only to see just why fans are dropping the sequel and flocking back to this.

Developer

Bungie

Publisher

Activision

Genre

First Person Shooter

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  7/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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