When you compare the popularity of various e-sport games — or all video games — you will easily find that all are still bowing down to the “PC Master Race,” a term that describes how gaming on a personal computer still holds the overwhelming majority share amongst gamers. This fact can be demonstrated when Ubisoft, the company behind the upcoming Triple-A title Tom Clancy’s The Division, originally made as a console exclusive, decided to support PCs after a massive fan outcry and petition. However, it is also noteworthy that console gaming still dominates an unique and expanding corner of the market beyond just 13-year olds playing Call of Duty.
Back at E3 last year, a new and ambitious game, Destiny, was revealed. As a joint effort between Bungie, the creator of Halo, and Activision, publisher of Call of Duty, both promised to explore a crazy category of video gaming never seen before. In this multiplayer first-person shooter game, players fulfill the role of “Guardians,” the last hope of humanity against dangerous savages, in series of epic battles with threats from different corners of the universe. In addition to discharging their firearms in a blaze of glory, these guardians are able to utilize a myriad of special abilities which depend on their classes and development. It is not the first time an online first-person shooter (FPS) game gained the spotlight. However, Destiny distinguished itself from traditional FPSs by having an open and persistent world traditionally belonging to sandbox and role-playing games.
In Destiny, players will engage in the Destiny universe through several different modes and enjoy a variety of open world content. There’s the usual “Story Mission,” which sings the tale of how players and their allies work together to save the world. “Strike Missions” provides a variety of highly challenging levels that provide high rewards and thrills, which is intensified by being escalated into the “Hard” difficulty. “Crucible” mode is this game’s player versus player (PVP) component, in which Guardians test their skills against each other and earn rewards. In addition to these varieties of contents, Destiny also offers public events and a plethora of other playable components.
Sounds familiar? As far as I can tell, individually, Destiny does not offer brand new and innovative features that often attracts the best players. Instead, this highly anticipated game weaved several popular elements from games of different genres in one. Obviously, coming from Bungie and Activision, this game’s primary feature is as a first-person shooter with its variety of arsenals. The featuring of Story Mode and online PVP modes is also a trademark of any modern FPS games. Many other elements, however, come from traditional MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), such as selection of classes, character developments, and the game economy and reward system. Additionally, Destiny’s “Strike Missions” give its players the feel of participating in a “raid” while playing a shooter game, challenging monsters, requiring supreme strategy and precision, and many other factors.
Online gaming was already revolutionized when the traditional MMORPG and MMORTS (Massive Multiplayer Online Real Time Strategy) games were threatened by brand new and popular genres like the MOBA. By remixing mechanics from different games that were once considered irreconcilable, Destiny has made its impact in the gaming market. It is safe to say that Destiny has achieved critical acclaim for being the first of its kind. Another game in the same genre, Tom Clancy’s The Division, was revealed at same time as Destiny but will be released at a much later time, symbolizing perhaps the dawn of Massive Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter (MMOFPS) games.
In the end, I am glad for the continual innovation of the video game industry — at this point, I do not know what we will see in a few years.
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