No one can dispute that the original Destiny was released as an incomplete game. In fact, this is why I waited so long to get it. The campaign was a mess and it wasn’t until The Taken King (a whole new game within itself) came out that Destiny was able to come into its own. Destiny is, of course, Bungie’s next big franchise after they decided to part ways from Microsoft, freeing themselves of both Halo and Microsoft. Destiny 2 is their masterpiece and proves that they were right to have taken on this massive undertaking, combining the first-person shooter genre with the MMORPG genre. It’s even inspired games like The Division who tried to emulate and overtake Destiny, but it failed, miserably (despite very good sales numbers.) The Halo franchise is now developed by 343 industries and the results have been…less than stellar. Actually, I believe it’s the reason why Halo 6 is nowhere to be found right now. The franchise is, for all intents and purposes, dead, while Destiny is thriving. In fact, Destiny is why I bought a PlayStation 4, given their exclusive content and wonderful community. Bungie has taken their game to a whole new level and has surpassed what was allegedly their crowning achievement. They don’t settle. They’re not complacent. That’s why they are such a fantastic developer.
Story
There is no doubt that the first Destiny’s campaign was a mess. In fact, it was downright confusing. When The Taken King expansion came out though, the entire series began to shift. The story was actually pretty good, and the lore was even more impressive. This was all a build-up to Destiny 2. As we talked about in our story review of Destiny 2, the story is solid, but the cutscenes and production value are really where Destiny 2’s narrative shine. You’re not on a set path like, say, in Halo. Halo has some somewhat interesting lore, but the Destiny franchise takes it to a whole new level. There are so many great characters in Destiny 2, like Cayde-6 (my favorite), or Devrim Kay. It’s very well written. Halo’s characters are so boring, although Cortana is one of the more interesting characters in video game history and I do admit Master Chief is up there as one of gaming’s most storied characters, but there’s no one else. The story is incredibly simplistic, the lore is mediocre at best, and for an early-2000s game that’s fine, but it’s 2017 now. The backstory and the covenant were boring. Even Halo 4 and Halo 5 did not impress. Do you wonder why we haven’t heard a peep about Halo 6?
Multiplayer
God did 343 Industries screw up Halo’s multiplayer. I originally enjoyed 4’s multiplayer, but they just couldn’t stop getting rid of and adding modes. It was a joke. Halo’s original multiplayer was great and tons of fun, but times have changed. Plus the weapon balance wasn’t all that great. Pull out a pistol in the original Halo and you’re good to go. Bungie is now always tweaking Destiny to make the PVP weapon balance the best it can be. They have allowed themselves to expand their horizons and the results have been glorious. PVP in Destiny is some of the best in the industry. Bungie actually cares about their fan community and they are constantly tweaking the weapon balance to make the game the best it can be, as noted. Destiny 2 doesn’t even just have PVP, it has great co-op play as well: raids (in MMO fashion), strikes and nightfalls (players journey together through a stage to fight a boss and gain better gear/loot), and you can even play the campaign co-op. There are so many options and Destiny 2 builds on the foundation that the original set. It is a beautiful thing to see. Destiny is thriving as a franchise whereas Halo is faltering; in fact, you could probably say that Gears of War is probably Microsoft’s flagship series now.
Community
To be quite frank, the Halo fan community has always been complete crap. It’s been nothing more than a bunch of kids screaming expletives through their mics thinking that somehow makes them edge lords. Newsflash: It doesn’t. And this isn’t just the first Halo. I experienced this through Halo 4; I didn’t bother with 5 (although I played a little at a friend’s) because it just didn’t look very good. It’s atrocious. Whereas in the Destiny community people actually want to help each other and co-operate, Halo fans still haven’t grown up. It’s beyond pathetic. I bought the PS4 simply for the exclusive content Destiny has on the PlayStation 4. That, and the fact that a good friend of mine TheGeekChic (check out her Twitch and follow her on Twitter; she’s a fantastic Destiny streamer!) essentially convinced me to start playing it when we met up at E3 a few years ago. So I started playing. I barely knew anyone in the community. Guess what? They welcomed me with open arms. They were super supportive and actually wanted to help me out. Quite the contrast to the Halo community, huh? Honestly, the Destiny community, along with the fact that Destiny 2 looked so good, is the reason I stuck with the franchise.
There is no contest. Halo has become a mess. Bungie made the right choice to ditch the franchise. Yes, Halo got them started, but Destiny has challenged them and broadened their horizons. They are dedicated to their fans. They are passionate. They’re everything you want in a developer. It’s really sad to see a once-great series like Halo go down the toilet, because I really do wish it success. Halo revolutionized and defined the FPS genre for consoles and that is quite an accomplishment. Halo 2 is the pinnacle of console FPS games. Times have changed though and Halo hasn’t evolved. Unless Microsoft is holding off on Halo 6 because it’s just so good (not likely given the fact they have almost nothing coming out for the Xbox One this year; it’s incredibly sad), they’re in serious trouble. Halo is what made them, but it also what may break them as well.
I also want to give a huge shoutout to Luke Smith of Bungie who directed Destiny 2. He was formerly of the 1up Network, and he, Garnett Lee, Mark MacDonald, and Shane Bettenhausen are the people who inspired me to do what I do today. Thank you so much.