Destiny Reclaimed!

Bungie has come a long way since breaking away from Microsoft and their groundbreaking series, Halo. When they developed their new game Destiny back in 2014, it was clear that Bungie hadn’t lost its touch when it comes to creating a unique first person shooter experience. Destiny 2 delivers that same experience that will bring veterans deeper into the universe they’ve been accustomed with for three years. For people who are new to the Destiny universe, you may need to be brought up to speed, but that’s a minimal concern. This anticipated game delivers all the goods and goes beyond with new additions that better the gameplay.

For those who haven’t touched Destiny, here’s the quick rundown to help you understand this critique. Destiny revolves around a single guardian that can be one of three classes: Titan, Warlock and a Hunter. You can choose from various races and have options to choose other skin tones, facial scars, etc. Once you’ve selected, you’re brought to life by a machine called a Ghost that has the ability to resurrect you. This is because in the long future, mankind is brought to the brink of extinction until the arrival of an entity called The Traveler.

The Traveler brings it’s “Light” that brings forth a golden age until the light brings the attention of several threats. Three individuals known as the Vanguard, assemble a legion of protectors known as guardians to combat these threats.  I’ll end it there, so if you want to know more, then buy Destiny and it’ll only be a couple of bucks right now. This game takes off some time after the events of the expansion Age of Triumph and a new threat has brought the fight to the Vanguard’s front door. Ghaul, the leader of the Cabal empire which was introduced in the first game and has a deep understanding of the traveler.

The attack leaves the guardians without the ability to resurrect and it quickly cripples the Vanguard. This begins a new journey for your guardian to reclaim the light and retake the city that’s occupied by the Cabal. You’re taken to various worlds where you will reunite with old enemies that you may or may not like. The story is my favorite by far, next to The Taken King because it shows the guardians in a state never seen before. The ending of the game promises to close the door on some chapters and open a new one after the credits; that is something you don’t want to miss.

The game pays incredible attention to detail when it comes to the various planets and the villains you face both new and old. Water on one world looks more realistic, enemies have actual shields around them instead of just a glowing background, and the new powers are attractive. For veteran players who may not know, you have to beat the game in order to do the strikes, nightfall and crucible. My favorite feature about Destiny 2 is you don’t have to go to the tower every day to get new bounties because they’re posted automatically when you go to different worlds. I don’t have a high enough light level to play the nightfall which is 240, so I can’t comment on that.

Old enemies are given a makeover to look more realistic, especially if you have a Playstation Pro or Xbox One S and a 4k television. Engrams are easier to gain; Engrams are items that drop randomly from accomplishing missions and killing enemies. There’s different levels depending on the engram. It’s also a lot easier to go places both on a planet or switching to a new planet with the directory option. Bungie learned a lot from the flaws of the last game and has found a lot of ways to cut time, so gamers can keep playing. I can honestly say there’s nothing bad I found with the sequel to Bungie’s masterpiece.

I give this game a 9.5 out of 10 because of the lack of backstory for new gamers. Personally, this game is perfect in my opinion if you’re a fan of Destiny or first person shooters. The graphics are top notch, the gameplaying is faster, the missions are fun, the story is fantastic, and there’s much to look forward to in the future with D.L.C. expansions. If you’re a veteran, then you won’t be disappointed with the next chapter in Bungie’s Destiny Universe. If you’re a newbie, then buy this game and enjoy the experience that only Bungie can provide.  

The Defenders

The Defenders has been anticipated ever since the success of Daredevil that premiered back in 2015. With the continued success of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, it seemed that Iron Fist was going to foreshadow an epic saga. The tale of Danny Rand would turn out to be a stone around the neck of the fearsome foursome as Iron Fist was littered with flaws. Those flaws would carry over to the eight-episode season, but it wouldn’t damage the series too much. The Defenders first season was worthy of the hype, but it could’ve been better than what it was.

The show kicks off some time after the events of all four character seasons and some fans will be surprised by how some of the characters have moved on (spoiler alert). Matt Murdock has moved on without Foggy and has retired from being a vigilante to resume work as an attorney. Jessica Jones is still an angry, drunk private investigator who is trying to move on after killing her mind controlling stalker, Kilgrave. Luke Cage is freed thanks to certain help and finally gets the coffee that he’s been wanting for a while. Danny Rand, however, is continuing his fight against the hand and that’s what’s lead him back to New York.

 Each character has a sub story that would eventually lead them together and force them to work together to bring down The Hand, an organization that’s been a problem from the start. Things don’t go smoothly for several factors both externally and internally with the four heroes thanks to the leader of the Hand, Alexandra Reid (Sigourney Weaver). It’s a roller coaster ride that takes off after the third episode with great choreographed fights and a story that delivers plenty of twists and turns. The few problems that I have are mostly with the characters Matt Murdock and Danny Rand.

As mentioned, Matt Murdock has retired from being a vigilante but there wasn’t any real explanation given for leaving the mask locked up. It takes forever for him to finally put the suit back on and when he does, that’s when things picked up. To be honest, the first three episodes are boring, but that’s mostly because the story is setting up. Danny Rand’s dialogue was repetitive to the point it makes you want to fast forward his parts. Most of the time, he’s reminding everyone who he is, what his mission is and why he must complete his mission.

Most of the series focused on Iron Fist and it might be the last we see of this character in Netflix’s plans for the Marvel characters. The ending of this series closes a lot of doors related to his story the most, so it might be implied that Marvel and Netflix are moving on from this character because of the lousy reviews from fans and critics. Time will tell if Iron Fist survives, but right now Marvel and Netflix will be releasing The Punisher later this year. Fans of the famous anti-hero are chomping at the bits to see Jon Bernthal reprise the role. Jessica Jones will return for her own season, Luke Cage is starting production and Daredevil will begin filming soon.

The Defenders gets a 7.5 out of 10, it was a great show, but it could’ve been better by having more episodes. The fact that it’s only eight episodes and not 10 or 12 is a bummer, but the series is still worth watching; even if it starts off slow. The chemistry is spot on with the main characters, Sigourney Weaver plays a great antagonist, and the series brings closure to everyone. This will allow for a fresh start to everyone’s solo season and it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Daredevil in particular after the end of this series. If you want to know what I’m talking about, then start binge watching.