5 Impressions From the Destiny 2 Beta

Games Lists Destiny 2
5 Impressions From the Destiny 2 Beta

The Destiny 2 beta is upon us, a limited-time demo event leading up to the sequel’s release this upcoming fall. I got a chance to spend time with it yesterday, playing the entire solo mission the beta offers, and came away with some thoughts on the experience. Are you firing up the beta today? Here are some thoughts on what to expect, based on my gut-reaction first impressions.

5. Damn this game has a lot of charm

destiny 2 beta charm.jpg

I think with all the FPS games I’ve played in my day, I expected a more serious tone from Destiny 2. On the contrary, the game has a lot of personality, an almost Han Solo-ish, space cowboy type of charisma that improves every single cutscene. I’m also reminded of Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy. I like a hero that doesn’t take themselves too seriously.


4. I am diggin’ these guns

destiny 2 beta guns.jpg

Oh I like the sharp, staccato kickback of a quality videogame firearm. The rat tat tat of my Titan’s pulse rifle is tight and satisfying. That’s one advantage of playing the game on PlayStation 4—a keyboard just doesn’t give you the responsiveness that the PS4 controller can provide. The rumbles and vibrations have actually enhanced the experience.


3. Centurions can just eat my entire ass

destiny 2 beta code centurion.jpg

I’m sure my feelings on that will change as my skills improve but for now, but Centurions can eat my entire ass, with a spoon.


2. Holy crap this game is beautiful too

destiny 2 beta list beautiful.jpg

You can’t have a game set in a magic space land without setting an enormous, breathtaking stage, in my opinion. Other games with similar sci-fi inspired environments haven’t really done it for me, probably because they seem so uniform. While the sterility is a good thematic fit for the subject material, I want my space fantasies to blow my mind. Destiny 2, in that sense, completely delivers. Between the tension created by the fast pace of the combat, the beauty of its environments, the pomposity of its soundtrack, and the breezy personality of its dialogue, Destiny 2 is like if Borderlands had a much more attractive baby with Star Wars.


1. OK that was short

destiny 2 beta list short.jpg

The beta really wasn’t much longer than the demo I played at E3 2017, and repeated a lot of the same material. I could have played more if I had a PlayStation Plus account but I haven’t decided if I want to make that commitment yet. I do like Destiny 2 so far, but I’m not so into the conspicuous high-pressure stakes and scrutiny of playing in a group. Which means that the modern day FPS may just not be for me.

That being said, after playing an hour of Destiny 2, I want more. The game comes out in its full form on September 6, 2017 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.


Holly Green is the assistant editor of Paste Games and a reporter and semiprofessional photographer. She is also the author of Fry Scores: An Unofficial Guide To Video Game Grub. You can find her work at Gamasutra, Polygon, Unwinnable, and other videogame news publications.

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