I played many hours of Destiny at launch. During my time with it there was a side of me that wanted to believe that it was the game that I dreamed it would be. Sadly, it wasn't.
Heading into my Destiny: The Taken King appointment at E3 2015 I was convinced that the game's first major expansion would captivate me. I'm the perfect target for this game, after all; I love shooters, I'm a big fan of sci-fi and space, and I enjoy grinding for loot. I've played many MMORPGs over the years, and sometimes all it's taken is a single expansion to turn a game from good to outstanding. Based on what I played, Destiny: The Taken King will not be a magical solution to the problem.
My adventure began with myself selecting which class to play as, to which I chose the Titan since I was excited to try out its new sub-class. Following that, I found myself listening to Commander Zavala before heading through corridors devoid of enemies, attempting to draw me into the experience. It wasn't until I encountered my first Taken that I felt any sense of immersion, and a lot of that was due to the outstanding audio design of Destiny.
The Taken are, admittedly, a cool new type of enemy. They're foreign both in terms of mechanics and visual style, sometimes breaking off into two separate entities after being shot. There were a few different types of Taken shown in the demo. Although the large Taken carrying a Dark Souls-esque shield were the most intimidating of their kind, the agile smaller guys were the highlight of the show.
Shortly thereafter I engaged the level's boss. Unlike the other Taken, this fellow was very similar to what Destiny fans have combated before. He was set up in a large circular room where he was supported with a large volume of smaller enemies who chase you down. Of course, he was slow and equipped with heavy damaging attacks. Countering the boss design was quite simple, and the deja vu of engaging in a battle I feel that I've completed numerous times before drowned out the experience. Although, once again, the audio design was absolutely phenomenal.
I did get to try out the new Titan subclass called Sunbreaker while fighting the boss. The super move Hammer of Sol summons a massive flaming hammer that is particularly adept at smashing grouped enemies. It's a nice addition to the game, but after playing 2K's Battleborn minutes earlier I was underwhelmed by the skill design.
In total I played Destiny: The Taken King for 20 minutes, completing one portion of a mission in the process. On one hand that's certain to mean that I've only barely scratched the surface of what the expansion will entail. On the other I couldn't help but feel that if anything Bungie had just showed me one of its best showpieces, and I didn't care much for it.
When it comes to determining if Destiny: The Taken King will be worthy of a $40 purchase, that decision will largely rest on whether or not you already find the current state of the game fulfilling. If you get a lot of the little that Destiny offers, its minor addition of skills and one new raid might warrant the high asking price. As someone used to seeing $40 expansions include a whole lot more, I walked away with a bad impression.
