@smcn said:

I say "BOOOOOO" to this decision. I don't know why everyone gave them so much crap for this line and the voice acting from the Alpha. Moon Wizards are baller.

I'm going by memory, but pretty sure the enemies you fight there are level 6-8? The first time through your team was probably at or above level, then the second time you were all under leveled. Add one of your partners not playing well on top of that, and you've got a crappy experience. Look at the 2nd half of the alpha QL; I think Jeff goes in at level 4 and can do virtually nothing to the enemies.

I imagine this will be an issue for the first Strike mission or two, as the game seems to let you in no matter what your level is? But later on, people should (hopefully) have a better grasp of the game's level requirements.

@brianp: Your co-op experience sounds almost identical to my experience last night. Only difference is we had to restart once before I bailed. One of the guys just hid behind the crate on the walkway above the ghost. I died right beside him and he didn't do anything. Then the other guy died to the right of his location and again, nothing. So I bailed as soon as I respawned. In the Alpha, I was paired with 2 randoms and we still managed to get all the way through it and have a good time.

That was the best part of the game.

Can you do your goddamn job and give Lincoln Force a profile picture that isn't the default.

Thanks.

Dunno, still faily keen on trying out Dragon Age later this year. But yeah, that sure does play a role in it.

Didn't try the Alpha, but am enjoying the Beta. Seems very similar to Warframe but without the crazy grinding (as others have pointed out) which I don't mind, but I DO mind that loot chests seem really awkwardly spaced and are too rare for me; always feel like I'm missing out on loot if I don't check a certain section/room on the map, so would like to see some more chests in plain sight. Not too many, but at least a few.

Another thing annoying me is the grimoire lore stuff; I have a writing background, and love lore in any game, so I'm a bit disappointed that I can't read up on lore. Maybe I haven't reached a point in the beta where you can access lore pages or something, but I find it crappy that this world has got me so interested yet I can't read up on its history or mythology/lore.

Level 5 at the moment, so haven't tried the MP maps, apparently I can access PvP after level 6, so I'm really looking forward to that. I think it's good value for a Beta (maybe not for those who played the Alpha) and am looking forward to trying out the Titan and the other guy, as I'm currently a Warlock. I want to know more about these characters, just telling me I'm a Guardian isn't good enough. I. Need. More. Lore. Please.

That isn't the goddamn default you goddamn fool, and you can only pick from a select few images from the goddamn icon gallery goddamn it.

Thanks, god damn it.

Why don't you boot up goddamn Gaylo and make a logo to use instead DAMNIT

@wolfskind: im getting the ps3 version.

@ssully: Yeah, enemies definitely seem less bullet spongey but I found it easier because every enemy (even in hard) was very susceptible to headshots. I found myself aiming for "precise kills" much more since even the named enemies go down in three or four headshots. Maybe it was just the weapons I was picking up but the reload speeds seems slow as hell. There were a few scout rifles with 11 round clips and I found myself reloading every minute.

The faster ult is a lot better. I haven't tried it in MP but I hope it doesn't throw off the balance.

My main concern is the single player feels really disjointed like a collection of missions to skip between more than a cohesive narrative. What is there is very generic, find this generator, locate the guardians. There is no playlist style linking between missions, I assume because they want players to go back to the Tower between missions, but I honestly have no idea what is going on with the "story." I hope Bungie just has a traditional campaign, then let people replay the levels in a random order.

Players would drop in and out of my game (which is cool) but I got into a few cool coop areas to only lose connection with those folks when I entered the respawn restricted area. I know Diablo has this unlinked campaign structure and people seem to love that, but personally I have no fucking idea what is going in Diablo and I know Bungie is capable of writing a coherent story.

I'm really enjoying it so far, they've done a really good job of mixing a shooter with an MMO. I was pleasantly surprised about the existence of public events in the explore mode. Really awesome to have a giant spider tank to drop out of the sky and having everyone team up to take it down.

I can see this game being pretty big.

@demoskinos: Even so, Dragon Age is a VERY different thing. That's a single player only game, right? So even if both are RPG type games at heart, one's an MMO, the other is a story focused campaign thingy. Scratches different itches.

Loving it so far. They definitely have the bungie feel of weapons down. Worried it might get repetitive due to lack of variation in the mission design. Really digging the hunter, enjoying the sniping. Question though, can any of the other classes eventually use the sniper rifle? That might sway me to go titan cause I like their L1+R1 ability.

I dance whenever I get the chance. I'm making dance videos to sick beats. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=707037755998461&l=717418414563317657

I'm enjoying it but I'm kind of bummed to hear the level cap is 8. Any clue on how long the beta is for? Also, my only real complaint about this game is the lack of mohawks. I wanted my Awoken Warlock to have a mohawk.

I really love this game going by the Alpha and the Beta. I just love the way the game feels to play, really impressed with the visuals (particularly considering it's cross-gen) and I love what I've seen of its world and concepts. I can't wait for the full release.

Also, I've been really impressed with the sound. I've often had sound mix problems with games on PS4, but Destiny sounds fantastic. I'm also enjoying the general quality of the sound effects themselves and digging the new filter on Dinklage's voice (though I was one of the very few who actually liked Dinklage before).

Yup, all classes can use each kind of weapon. It's just that with their abilities and such you might find you'll prefer different weapons for different classes - I much prefer rolling with an assault rifle for a Titan, but prefer a scout rifle for a Hunter.

@mooseymcman: Indeed they do. Dragon Age Origins is also prob like my 2nd favorite game ever? So, if anything has a chance to pull me a way its Dragon Age.

@insane_shadowblade85: I was trying out a lady awoken warlock and one of the choices for her hair was prolly the craziest Mohawk I've seen in a while.

@demoskinos: I didn't realize you like the first Dragon Age so much! It's always been a franchise that I wanted to get into, but nothing about the combat seemed appealing to me at all, so I stayed away.

I own...4 copies of it. So Yeah. I enjoy it.

@demoskinos: Is that a copy on every platform? No, it's only on PC, PS3, and 360, right?

Question for anyone who has gotten deeper into the beta than I have; does the game open up? I'm only level 2 (starting the 3rd story mission) and whenever I start a missing, I just get dumped into a instance with 2 other people. Is that just quest specific? Am I eventually going to get into an open world with tons of people running around doing random events?

@lukeweizer: I think you get the explore mission at level 3 or 4. It will allow you to roam the same area that you've been doing story quests in, which is much larger than it seems at first. There will be other people roaming around too, but from what I've seen I would say it's still heavily instanced to maybe 25-50 people per instance.

@mooseymcman: Origin and Steam I'm guessing on PC

@meatball: good to know, I finally leveled high enough that I was picking up a bunch of different special weapons. This is good news.

Also, finished Devil's Lair, man destroying that spider tank felt good.

Better than 3! Thanks!

Yeah, although technically I have two different versions on PC.

This has probably been said already, but I got into the Alpha and the Beta isn't much different. Longer opening. starts you at level 1 instead of 3; voice acting is much better (Dinklage's robot is much better); guns feel good with a weight to the movement.

I've had fun, but may not play too much of it so as not to burn out on it prior to September. It gives a nice idea of what you will be in for, and really makes me look forward to when it opens up - if you run into the area with the Level 11 enemies, get ready to get beat on and get a good view of how things seem to change with the level opening up.

Not sure I can say much more that hasn't already been said - going to jump into Divinity till the release date.

So...

That moon level in the Crucible is terrible. Vehicle combat in this game is the opposite of fun.

I downloaded the Beta but haven't played cause it really isn't much more. I was hoping for it to be a bit more open so I can see some of the alternative powers but meh I can wait till September.

@turboman: I like it, mainly because it's a multiplayer game I'm actually good at. The vehicles are a bit overpowered though.

@zirilius: I've kind of reached that point, played a few hours last night and just came to the conclusion that I would rather wait till September.

It's a fun game, and the MMO aspects are right in the open as you play.

I like it so far, myself! Feels good. I like that every level you gain is actually a new ability or new perk on an existing ability-- as opposed to Borderlands' boring "5% more damage with assault rifles" style.

On the other hand, like most games, I wish it would let you zoom/rotate the character you're creating to get a better idea of what it's really going to look like outside of the well-lit, high LoD character creation screen. My hunter looks a bit... uhh... sickly... when placed in the lighting model of the actual game.

Agree that the story could be presented a lot better, too, and I wonder if it's all in there yet. You're getting brought back to life at the beginning after being dead for 300 years, and assumedly you've been preserved somehow, but they don't really explain this to you?

And you're fighting "The Darkness?" Like, as a generalized concept? That part feels downright patronizing. (Especially compared to the item descriptions, which are full of amazing and very Bungie-esque lines like "Applied ontology is the art of convincing things they shouldn't exist.")

...Finally, is it just me, or does the recoil of the guns always go up and to the left? I've never seen that in a game, it's weird.

Same on the PS4. Also fun? Drinking crappy malt liquor at the same time!

@ares42:

This times a million. Still waiting for someone to prove me wrong though, I'd love to have my mind changed and subsequently blown by how rock-my-socks-off awesome this game is... just hasn't happened yet.

I'm only at level 4 but I'm liking what I've played so far. I didn't play the alpha so it's all new to me and I feel like I'm still getting to grips with how the game is structured. I'm playing on PS3 but don't have Plus right now so it sounds like I might be missing out on some of the more interesting content like the strike missions, although I generally prefer to play games solo and have absolutely zero interest in playing PvP.

A few observations/questions:

• I don't know if it's just the PS3 but the load times seem pretty long which makes going back to the tower for rewards and equipment and stuff a bit tedious.
• People are saying this is MMO like but I've never played an MMO, so I'm curious if it's common in these kinds of games for the player to be automatically pulled out after finishing a story mission? I'd rather keep exploring the area I'm in but there doesn't seem to be any way to stop it?
• At one point on Earth I was exploring an area underground when I came across a group of enemies that I couldn't seem to damage - it just said "Immune" when I fired at them. Is that a level thing or are they only vulnerable to a certain type of damage or something?
• So far I've had one "event" show up where I had to kill an enemy in a certain amount of time, but it seemed like I was the only one doing it. If I'm not on Plus will that same event show up for the other random people running around the map?

The load times aren't abnormally long on PS4, but it's enough to become bothersome considering how often you see them.

No, it's not an MMO thing. I'd actually say that most of the references to the game being an MMO is pretty far off base.

From what I've seen immune can both be damage type related and an indicator that you don't do enough damage to hurt the enemy. It doesn't necessarily have to be a level thing, can just as well be armor so you can still kill them by getting crits.

Yes, even without plus the explore mission should have other players around and they all see the same things you do.

I really like how it plays and the art direction is terrific, but the beta suffers from some pretty distracting micro-stutter which makes it kind of hard to enjoy. It was the same way in the technical alpha and the beta doesn't seem to improve things. Hopefully it'll be mitigated by the time the game goes gold.

Not commenting on story, since this is a Beta and the content that's ready is what we get. I'm sure the story will make sense when everything's in context, but there is one thing there that I am not sure how they'll overcome. It's that I am supposed to be a "Guardian." What if I want to be a pirate? Or just an intergalactic nuisance? I kind of expect some more interactive storytelling, with choices to make that will steer my Destiny.

Feels very sanitary. Textures are faux gritty and everything looks like it could use the dirt hose. Playing on PS4, and the look of a lot of objects is similar to Knack. Dented and kind of shimmery pounded looking metal, but still somehow not "lived in."

Also bloodless so far, which adds to the overall PG feel of the game. MOBs popping out and hiding like shooting gallery ducks is also sort of 1995. The MOBs guarding the ship just stayed put while I flanked them right, then back left, and even if I rushed them. They seemed to have a very limited pool of actions and that made them pretty much sitting ducks. For example, like it or hate it, Killzone has some aggressive MOBs that come after you pretty hard, right out of the gate. If I fire a shotgun at point blank, even at a robot, or armored person, I want to see some indication that I just blasted em, other than a chunk out of their healthbar. A lot of this game feels like "live action Borderlands" rated PG. Glowing green loot boxes? Check.

What I do like is the UI. The HUD, inventory, NPC interaction/shopping, the skill trees. Very crisp and easy to figure out.

Oh also, at once point I got a speeder bike by holding down [ ]. Not sure why it won't seem to let me anymore, but that was kind of neat while it lasted.

I'll keep at it and see if it bites me.

I'm having fun with the Beta, at first it felt as though they had done something with the overall handling of the weapons. I had to move the sensitivity up 2 points until it felt right. And I am not really sure if the enemies are easier or if I'm just used to these missions, I am guessing it's more of the latter than anything. VO seems to have improved. But yeah, this is more or less the same content I've already seen and nothing is really arguing against getting it when it comes out.

There are a few places in the Beta where you'll find level 11 enemies. I can take them down at level 8 with decent weapons but if I recall correctly, at a certain level difference you're just not going to do anything to them. They could theoretically still be immune to a certain damage type, but chances are you're also under-leveled for them at level 4.

That strike mission was super fun.

That's not the game they ever pitched or said that it would be, if you expect every game to be Elder Scrolls you will be sorely disappointed.

Some of the enemies are very aggressive and run straight towards you, just not all of them.

You get the speeder at the beginning of the 4th story mission, and can grab it by pushing Select/Touchpad and then holding Square.

After the Alpha i jumped into Defiance which is the only thing i could find which is an MMO shooter to get a feel of what missions could be like, and of course budget and quality aside its fun but i grew bored quickly. Why? No cover, no environmental destructibility and the challenge just wasn't there(just like Destiny). It was very left trigger, right trigger reload. Destiny could be more than what its showing, but hanging onto last gen has limited itself, but made the sequel what it should be this year. Does graphic quality alone justify a full price game vs ftp, or does a high res Borderlands excite you is the question? As for me ill skip and pick it up it a year or 2 at half price.

why does everyone like this game so much but nobody likes rage

i'm having fun but i just don't know why i am supposed to care about what's happening

hopefully the story is strung together better in the retail release

and that open area part of old russia just isn't really that fun

Click in the Touch Pad first (or Select on PS3, I think).

I don't know if they are adding stuff to the beta, or if I am only now seeing stuff I never have before, but I just saw some area called "the grottos" that have level 20 enemies, and I saw enemies on speeder bikes that I was able to defeat and then ride around on their bikes (which can shoot, and are pretty fun/OP)

@me3639:

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I have a confession: I copy and pasted what you initially said all over in an attempt to open a dialogue with other open-minded but justifiably critical forum dwellers. I'm probably going to have to do the same thing with this new reply, because it really does hit the nail on the head.

I myself have played Defiance, and I'm sure Bungie is aware if it and the other games in the genre; the red flag pops up when they sell this as just another game of the genre. We all know the genre is almost impossible to do right because, like you said, there's no cover, dynamic environments or any other emergent qualities. I'll probably get it, for pc, and I'll probably love it. Hopefully by the time it comes out for PC, or in knowing PC gamer's have already had a taste of this and passed on it rather quickly, they choose to bring their magnum opus to bear, an example of what half a billion dollars can create, a testament to what the video game industry has become.

I have a feeling this game is going to be pretty small if all they are showing is one area with not a whole lot to do. Thats my biggest gripe right now, seems like if your not into pvp then the exploration and story stuff gets old pretty quick. The strike missions seemed ok, alot like mass effect but why is it limited to 3 players? Game seems pretty small compared to what i thought it was going to be.

@corruptedevil: I think you got it right. I played some more last night and enjoyed it more than I had before.

@oursin_360: I noticed 6 planets on the galaxy map so not that small. Especially if they have maps as big as the earth one.