During our "booth tour" with Activision at E3 2013, we were one of many who were dazzled by Bungie's gameplay footage of Destiny behind closed doors. The game felt familiar but different at the same time, peppered with Halo-like traits that have seemingly become the staple of Bungie's design philosophy over the last decade.
The game was undoubtedly one of my favorites during the show, and is expected to launch in 2014 for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It will have a huge, persistent, story-driven online world "filled with sweeping adventures". Players will take the roles of Guardians of the last city on Earth, and will have a choice of three player classes: Titan, Hunter and Warlock.
"Destiny’s saga unfolds through grand tales and epic adventures by immersing players in a bold new universe filled with cooperative, competitive, public, and social activities, all seamlessly connected," Activision said. "As the story grows and expands over time, so do the destinations you can access, the activities you experience, and the rewards you can earn."
Activision said that Destiny will be a "social experience", and will even conduct real-time dynamic public events in the game's public spaces that players and Fireteams can choose to engage in. These Public Events are short skirmishes where multiple players work together to defeat their common enemies and collect awesome loot.
"Personalize and upgrade every aspect of how you look and fight with an expansive combination of armor, weapons, and visual customizations," the company said. "Take it all with you into every mode, including Destiny’s story, competitive multiplayer, and public combat destinations."
Anyway, enough chatter. Below is the real-time gameplay footage filmed at E3 2013.
