Bungie’s ‘Destiny’: Our 5 Biggest Questions

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It was a long time coming, but the minds behind Halo have finally unveiled their newest endeavor, simply titled Destiny.

After the official announcement trailer, screenshots and details confirmed that Bungie wasn't setting themselves a simple task, but one that should set Destiny apart from most modern games, we've gotten to thinking.

As excited and willing as we are to explore the next world these developers create, some of their promises and the all-too-brief glimpses of gameplay have us curious.

So with that in mind, we present Bungie's Destiny: Our 5 Biggest Questions so far.

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It was a long time coming, but the minds behind Halo have finally unveiled their newest endeavor, simply titled Destiny. After the official announcement trailer, screenshots and details confirmed that Bungie wasn't setting themselves a simple task, but one that should set Destiny apart from most modern games, we've gotten to thinking. As excited and willing as we are to explore the next world these developers create, some of their promises and the all-too-brief glimpses of gameplay have us curious. So with that in mind, we present Bungie's Destiny: Our 5 Biggest Questions so far. Bungie Destiny Traveler

The plot: set 700 years in the future, a great threat nearly succeeded in extinguishing humanity from existence, before 'The Traveler' came to save what was left, sacrificing itself in the process. A city was built beneath the massive sphere's husk - the one safe place to survive and one day, rebuild. That's all well and good, but the first question that should come to anyone's mind is what that white ball actually is. Why is it called 'The Traveler'? Is it alive? Was it alive? Was it a machine? If so, can it be turned back on? And most how do we know it's actually on our side, not the enemy's? The fact that Bungie has simply mentioned the device as a throwaway plot detail implies that answering these questions will be a major part of the game, but we can't help but think that there's already more going on than there seems to be... Bungie Destiny Halo Marathon Connections

Bungie Destiny Halo Marathon Connections

We should explain that we don't mean this in a negative or skeptical way (not entirely, at least). Since Halo changed the games industry and the FPS in innumerable ways, trying to develop 'the next Halo' would be a welcome experiment. We'd just rather not have a re-tread. The basic plot of Destiny has been revealed, set in the rubble of mankind's once decadent civilization, surviving only due to an alien being's mercy, with new armies descending on Earth to wipe out humanity for good. Basically, the plot we now know Halo was following. If the studio is simply stating that they've found the kind of stories they wish to tell, that's fine by us, and no one is to blame for our false expectations but us. It would just be nice to know if this will be something genuinely new, or right at home in current science fiction. Bungie Destiny Vehicles Ships

The in-progress footage of Destiny proves that it will be a First-Person Shooter (as if it was in doubt). And for all intents and purposes, an extremely promising one, thanks to the technology it's drawing on (the PS4 is confirmed as a launch platform). But Bungie co-founder Jason Jones claims it will be 'turning the genre on its head,' and we can't help but wonder how that's possible anymore. The basic mechanics of a Bungie shooter are copied by many to this day, yet the screenshots and footage also have featured hover-bikes, armored tanks, and even fighter planes and spaceships. Are these the tools of the enemy, or the player? Bungie took their fight into space with Halo: Reach; will Destiny be going farther? We know the studio was planning Destiny long before that game, so will space battles and war machines be their potential game-changer? Bungie Destiny Multiplayer

Before the game was even shown, fans knew that Bungie wouldn't be letting anyone down with multiplayer. They single-handedly made Xbox Live a success, and for millions of gamers the term 'Halo' is synonymous with 'multiplayer.' But with Destiny promising to take things to even higher levels, what's that mean for the multiplayer offerings? The idea of cooperative story is a no-brainer after games like Borderlands made it a must-have experience, and Jones has confirmed as much himself. Is that the path that Bungie will follow, with larger 'hub cities' to come a bit closer to the massively-multiplayer experience? Or will Bungie deliver on the early rumors of a FPS MMO, and make the possibilities of games like DUST 514 a reality in the mainstream? Some are already claiming that Destiny will offer exactly that, but the scope of the game is still a mystery. Bungie Destiny Persistent Open World

Bungie showed their interest in persistence with Reach, blending appearances and leveling between the two traditionally separate single and multiplayer spheres. Destiny is now claiming to be built around "a persistent online world where players grow and customize their character." Since the game is seen as one of the first detailed 'next-gen' projects, it's presumed that those words mean something more than they used to. Does it really mean all aspects of the game will exist in one massive environment, with sandbox elements varying the experience? Or should everyone keep their expectations in check for now? We hope Bungie is crafting a FPS open world where friends can party up and impact the larger world, as was possible in Guild Wars 2. But we'd rather be amazed than disappointed. Bungie Destiny Questions

We look forward to finding out more about the people, places, and plot of Destiny, and hopefully having our questions answered sooner rather than later. Since the game is already accepting pre-orders, it will likely succeed even if our worst fears come true. We're hoping for the best, and at this point, Bungie's earned the benefit of the doubt. Any other questions you'd like to add to the conversation? Sound off in the comments. Destiny is without a release date, but expected to release on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 (so far). - Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Bungie’s ‘Destiny’: Our 5 Biggest Questions

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