Destiny

Destiny is a massively multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie, released on September 9, 2014 for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. .

Unlike typical FPS games, Destiny features role-playing elements and as such has been likened to "World of Warcraft in space," while Bungie refers to it as a "shared world shooter." It has been reported that sequels will be released every two years through 2020, with downloadable "Comet" expansions released in the years between the main Destiny titles.

Premise
Destiny is set in the 28th century in a post-apocalyptic setting. Humans had spread and colonized the Solar System with the help of a spherical entity known simply as "the Traveler" who reshaped planets and moons, and taught humanity new technologies and mystical powers that led to a time later called the Golden Age. An event known as "The Collapse", an attack from the Darkness, an unknown faction or entity, saw the dissolution of these colonies and left mankind on the brink of extinction. The only known survivors of the Collapse are those living on Earth, who were saved by the Traveler. The Traveler hovers above the last remaining human city as a large spherical body, and its presence gives the Guardians of the City—the last defenders of the human race—the ability to wield an unknown power.

Upon mankind's first attempt to repopulate and reconstruct after the Collapse, it was discovered that hostile alien races have occupied mankind's former colonies and civilizations. The player takes on the role of a Guardian of the City, and is tasked with investigating and destroying these threats before the remnants of humanity are completely wiped out.

Gameplay
Destiny includes the following game modes:


 * Social: Non-combat locations where players can store or acquire new gear, pick up bounties, or meet other Guardians.
 * Story Mission: 1-3 player activities, tie in with the main arc of the campaign.
 * Strike: 3 player activities based on fighting through an enemy encampment to reach a boss at the end.
 * Nightfall Strike - An Endgame, high-difficulty version of strikes that offer high rewards.


 * Patrol: General team-based exploration based on gathering of resources.
 * Raid: Endgame 6 player missions of high challenge, featuring multiple boss fights, deadly enemies, and puzzles.
 * Arena: Endgame 3 player challenges.
 * Crucible: Player vs. player gameplay. Multiple playlists ranging between score and objective-based gametypes are available.
 * Iron Banner - A special event in the Crucible available every other month for special rewards
 * Trials of Osiris - Endgame Crucible event that offers high rewards


 * Public Event: Optional cooperative multiplayer events that are dynamically generated in the game world. Can be found in public spaces in the game world.

Characters are the same across all game modes; players can bring items that they win in PVE content into the Crucible (and vice versa) to gain a competitive advantage. Players can save up to 3 characters and can share gear across all three of them. Characters are created by the player and can be one of three different classes: Hunter, Titan, or Warlock. Each class has its own unique abilities, ranging from melee attacks to grenades to their iconic Super Ability. Players can also choose race for aesthetic purposes, ranging from Humans, Awoken, and Exo.

Combat focuses mainly on typical FPS mechanics, with players able to carry one Primary Weapon, one Special Weapon, and one Heavy Weapon. In addition, they also have access to their class-specific abilities, which can dramatically change the tide of a fight. Leveling up a class unlocks new abilities and perks; gear can also provide unique perks, so acquiring loot to create the best combination of perks and abilities is desirable.

Ghost Edition
The Destiny Ghost Edition is the second-tier physical limited edition of Destiny; includes a Ghost replica, Golden Age relics, a letter, Steelbook, folio of story-based material and the Destiny Expansion Pass - as well as extra digital content.



Limited Edition
The Destiny Limited Edition is the first-tier physical limited edition of Destiny; includes a Steelbook, folio of story-based material and the Destiny Expansion Pass - as well as extra digital content.

Digital Guardian Edition
The Destiny Digital Guardian Edition is a digital only bundle; it includes a digital copy of Destiny, early access to Vanguard armory, the Destiny Expansion Pass and aforementioned digital content.

Support Apps
Players can access a number of free support apps, either on their smartphone or in a web browser. These support apps provide access to in-game content, as well as information regarding the game.

Companion App
The Destiny Companion App offers a condensed newsfeed from Bungie.net and access to the site forums, as well as the ability to access one's character and inventory and receive updates on special events.

Destiny Planet Viewer
The Destiny Planet Viewer allows players to explore areas in a Google Earth style browser app.

Expansions and bonus content
All three limited edition bundles were announced to ship with the Destiny Expansion Pass

The Dark Below was released to players on December 9, 2014.

The House of Wolves is set for release on May 19, 2015.

A Comet expansion pack for Destiny is expected to be released in 2015. Owners of the Playstation 4 version will receive timed exclusive content. The game will have different pre-order bonuses.

Destiny Alpha
The Destiny Alpha, a closed Destiny alpha test accessed by signing up after E3 2014, was live between June 12 and June 15, 2014 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 platforms only.

Destiny Beta
The Destiny Beta was a public Destiny beta test, accessed by pre-ordering the game from selected retailers. The beta was released on July 17, 2014 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 platforms, while Xbox One and Xbox 360 access began on July 23, 2014. The Beta became open to anyone, regardless if they pre-ordered, on July 25, 2014. The beta ended for all platforms on July 27, 2014.

Alpha Lupi
Alpha Lupi is the alternate reality game (ARG) that began on February 11, 2013, to herald the announcement and reveal of Destiny. Over the course of seven days, a forum account run by Bungie released cryptic images and messages to be solved by the community prior to the Febraury 17th public release of Destiny information.

Final results of the ARG, once solved included an mp3 track by Marty O'Donnell as the background music and a completed image of the entire solved puzzle.

Pathways Out of Darkness
The Pathways Out of Darkness ViDoc was released February 17, 2013. It is named in reference to Bungie's earliest first-person shooter, and first commercial success, Pathways Into Darkness.

PlayStation 4 Official Announcement
PlayStation 4 Official Announcement was released February 21, 2013, detailing its release on PlayStation 4 and featuring more in-game material.

Character Development
Character Development was released March 28, 2013. It was shown in Bungie's GDC 2013 presentation. This video provides a glimpse into the character art, development, and design of Destiny -- from early sketches and concept art, to animation and in-engine 3D character models.

The Law Of The Jungle
The Law Of The Jungle was released May 23, 2013. The trailer shows a Guardian recalling the moment when he was first taught the most important lesson of all – The Law of the Jungle.

Out Here in the Wild
Out Here in the Wild was the second Destiny ViDoc and was released on August 22, 2013. It is named in reference to the Crow's dialogue in the trailer.

The Devils' Lair
This gameplay trailer was released on April 28, 2014.

Development
When designing Destiny, Bungie wanted to push themselves away from their Halo series. While Halo gravitated towards the "hard" side of the sci-fi spectrum, Destiny was designed to be "mythic science fiction"&mdash;a world rooted in science, but with fantastical elements. Originally it was more akin to pure fantasy, with designs for knights, swords and sorcery in a white city on a hill. However, the designers thought they were denying themselves as per their preference for science fiction, so they decided to incorporate the elements together.

The series was first alluded to by a poster in Bungie's previous game Halo 3: ODST. The poster showed an image of the Earth and Moon (or possibly the Traveler), with the caption "Destiny Awaits".

Multiplayer
There will be online matchmaking as confirmed by Bungie in the Mail Sack.

Reception
Destiny has received mixed to positive reception:


 * GameSpot: 6/10
 * Giant Bomb: 3/5
 * IGN: 7.8/10
 * Official Xbox Magazine: 8/10
 * Polygon: 6/10
 * The Escapist: 3/5

The game sold $500 million worth of units within 24 hours of launch. One in five copies of the game have been sold digitally. Heavy criticism was leveled against the game's story and its style of delivery. As for February 2015, the game has had 16 million registered users.