Between Activision acquiring Bungie and Halo “originally” ending, we’ve wondered what’s next for the company that pretty much revolutionized the modern FPS. With a damn good portfolio and a really great community, Bungie is still at the top of their game. Here’s everything they just revealed via an IGN live stream.
Introducing Destiny, an MMO-FPS from Bungie and Activision. The experience is confirmed to last ten damn years while not requiring a subscription at all (besides Xbox Live Gold probably). While it is confirmed for the Xbox 360, PS3, and next-gen, it will not be on PC. While PS players and Xbox players will not be able to interact as each network will its own world, the rumors are there and more than likely true that PS3 players will be able to play with PS4, and 360 to “720.”
The game takes place in our own world in the future. Earth is destroyed for some reason. Once civilization was able to explore the galaxy, there was peace, but it did not last.
From the Destiny website on Bungie,
“Everything changed with the arrival of the Traveler. It sparked a Golden Age when our civilization spanned our solar system, but it didn’t last. Something hit us, knocked us down.
The survivors built a city beneath the Traveler, and have begun to explore our old worlds, only to find them filled with deadly foes.
You are a Guardian of the last safe city on Earth, able to wield incredible power. Defend the City. Defeat our enemies. Reclaim all that we have lost. Fail and the last light of civilization will go out.
Be brave.”
You play as a Guardian of the last city. By unknown ways of the Traveler, you have crazy magic abilities. The game will have classes which allow the player to customize everything from armor to weapons and more. Because the game takes place on the same world, you will need an internet connection at all times whether you want to team up with your pals or hit it lone wolf. The game will indeed feature quests and an overall story. Bungie’s ideal situation is for people to socially interact at all times and make their own stories.
A scenario was given where two players meet up via a talking on a smartphone mobile app that works with the whole game world, go into a hangar where both have their own ships, and explore the universe together. That’s right, everybody in Destiny will have their own ship, which have their own classes as well. When the question of space combat was brought up, it was promptly dodged. But let’s be honest, if your SHIPS are going to have classes, that pretty much confirms space combat, doesn’t it?
The networking world that Bungie has created is actually rather awesome. It’s in theory just a bunch of public areas where players will run into each other whether you know them or not. When players who know each other are in the same region, the worlds automatically collide and the networking puts them in the same world. When they leave the same area, a friend avatar will disappear from your current world. The idea is Bungie wants to make a game with zero menus and to always, always be running.
The game will be an FPS but with traditional RPG elements. Bungie’s concept is for players to ultimately become legends via the quests they have done and what they have accomplished. So while you’re collecting new armor, capes, shotguns, snipers and what not, what you will eventually realize is that every single little piece of loot you collect is telling your own personal adventure and helping you build your own personal legacy.
The world of Destiny features a living, breathing world where the environment is always changing. There is a day and night cycle as well as weather.
Bungie has literally thrown out all of their world building tools and created a new one which will allow devs to collaborate and make new areas together on the fly. The new tool is called “Grognok.” Think of it sort of like a really advanced Forge Mode. A video was shown where devs made a complex moon base in very little time complete with all the bells and whistles of advanced lighting.
For what will surely be an amazing soundtrack to this new world we will surely come to love, Marty O’Donnell, Michael Salvatori and Sir Paul McCartney have come together to compose it.
While this seems like a lot to take in, Bungie has revealed very little. We can’t wait to see just exactly what Destiny has in store for us or when it will launch.
And yes, the word “raids” was used many times.
