Does anyone else remember back when the first Halo: Reach trailer came out (which must have been in, like, 2009) how Jack Pattillo from Rooster Teeth / Achievement Hunter speculated during a Drunk Tank podcast that the new Halo campaign might include 6 player co-op? I recall him being excited by the prospect. I also recall the reaction from the others on the podcast as being decidedly negative. I certainly remember my reaction being, "Yeah, whatever, that's not happening." I also remember thinking on further reflection that 6 player co-op would be fine as long as it wasn't a requirement at any point in completing the game. And that pretty well sums up why Destiny didn't turn out to be the game I thought I was buying. I did not anticipate that an inability to complete the game on my own would irk me as much as it does. Complete, in the sense of 'becoming legend.' There is something inherently un-legendary in being one of a team of six fighting a boss monster (whose significance still isn't satisfactorily explained even after turning aside from the game to read the meager offerings of the grimoire) in a battle where there is a very real chance that, when it's over, my contribution will amount to some sniper rounds and standing in a circle. That doesn't feel very heroic to me. The hero is the relic holder or the sword bearer; the axis around which the battle turns. Standing in a bubble while mechanically plugging rounds into the boss's big glowing weak point does not a hero make. Hiding in cover until someone calls out for you to "fire on Crota" does not a hero make. Furthermore, there's a serious disconnect between what the lore tells us about this world and what we actually experience. My hunter was resurrected on Day One. I expected that the hunter would best fit my natural play style, and for the most part it does. But I find that the game provides very few instances in which I feel like I'm doing the job of a hunter. We all know at this point how the game's opening was homogenized so everyone starts outside the Cosmodrome, but I feel like more was lost. Every class progresses through the same set of story missions, which means that the acts of exploring, scouting, investigating, infiltrating, and assassinating are as applicable to the hunter as they are to a warlock or a titan. This universality of a guardian's utility is NOT supported by the lore, in game or otherwise. Scouting the Vault of Glass. Mapping the Gorgon's Labyrinth. Assassinating Draksis (instead of kicking in his front door, tripping every alarm, and dancing around his throne room, shooting him until he falls down, which I would define as 'assaulting'). These would have been amazing opportunities for more stylized gameplay specific to hunters. Instead, everything was homogenized to a single hallway with no deviation outside the guns you chose to use. What really irks me is something that occurred to me ages ago and has bothered me ever since. Where's the friendly AI? It doesn't exist, obviously. A team of friendly AI bots is all I would need to make this a viable solo experience. Remember again Halo: Reach. Remember the other members of Noble Team. Remember how they could actually hold their own even against the legendary difficulty? Remember how they contributed to your success in each mission while you were still very definitely the hero? Do you remember? Good. Now forget about all that because programming useful, friendly AI is hard work, and that's not what game development is about. No, the most important thing is dance emotes that are sold to you at a premium for no discernible reason. That's what's important. But wouldn't you rather play co-operatively with your friends anyway? No, actually I wouldn't. You see, Bungle, when I come home from a long day of interacting with people, I don't want to put on a stupid microphone (of lesser quality than those found in call centers) and continue interacting with people. When I wake up on Saturday after a long week of interacting with people, I don't want to spend my free time on my Xbox interacting with people, save through the anonymity of multiplayer matchmaking. Most of my friends don't play video games, and the ones that do live at least 5 hours behind me, so no matter when I'm online, they're usually not. Nor am I looking to make new friends through the game I'm playing. (I'm generally not looking to make new acquaintances in any context.) Nor am I willing to trawl through third-party, fan-made LFG sites or attempt recruiting players in the Tower. I'd be more than willing to plug myself into an in-game matchmaking service for whatever I want to do, including the raids, but my real solution would be some kind of in-game lobby that allows players to queue up for the activity they want to do and launch when enough players agree to play together. What if I could see everyone who wanted to raid the Vault of Glass while is was in orbit around Venus? And don't BS me about how communication and "teamwork" are vital to success in the raids. I've run VOG at least once with a team of randoms that never got around to inviting me to their Xbox live chat party. I couldn't hear them or talk to them, and it was the FASTEST VOG RUN I'VE EVER DONE. They might have been communicating, but it mattered not one wit to my experience. But the real problem is what happens once a few months have passed after each major update to the game. After a certain point, playing the game is no longer a rewarding experience. "The grind is real," as I've seen it rendered. How much time do you actually spend playing Destiny? In a one hour time frame, I probably spend 20 minutes between being in orbit, faffing about in the Tower, and waiting for the game to load whatever I punched into the director. And then, beyond a certain point there's really nothing for a solo player to do that has any real chance of dropping a reward with any substance. Tier 3 Court of Oryx? The raids? Nightfall? Trials? All of these represent a significant time sink in their own right (both to find a party and complete the task) and require the co-operation of others. Frankly, if I only have a hour or two to play, I'd rather play something that doesn't reset my progress on a daily and weekly basis or only makes certain activities available on a timed schedule. In short, I'd rather play something that rewards my hour of investment. So why did I write all this? Probably just to exorcise my feelings on Destiny and the cycle of disappointment in brings. I can't remember being as excited for a new game as I was for Destiny, and I really thought there was a place for me in this game. The reality is that there is a place, but only up to a certain point and no farther. This point is not dictated by my skill or my intelligence or my wallet, it is dictated by the deliberate design of the game. I like to think that Joe's dream for this game was a far grander dream than what we got, but maybe not. Maybe Activi$ion is to blame, maybe Bungle. The only person I'm willing to blame at this point is myself, so I'll cut my losses while I can and consider this a lesson well learned. Let me know how you feel about Destiny. Is the disappointment real? Am I just an anti-social git? Is there any hope for Destiny to redeem itself? Does it even need to do so? Are you walking away? Have you done so already? If so, is it for good or is it just a brief hiatus? I'll probably read what you've got to say, but I might not reply. That's just my way. Anyway, thanks for reading.