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Destiny 2’s Mark Noseworthy on starting “with a real big bang”

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Destiny 2 is looking to capture the attention of new and returning fans with an explosive opening.

Destiny 2 is scheduled to land later this year. When it crashes onto shelves on 8 September (for Xbox One and PlayStation 4), Bungie hopes the subsequent explosion of new and returning players will carry over into Destiny 2’s campaign. One of the biggest criticisms of the original Destiny was the lack of a compelling storyline, which was compounded by the reality that players were implicitly asked to replay those same missions time and time again as part of the core gameplay loop, and without the option to skip cutscenes, no less.

At the time, amid rumours of massive narrative overhauls in the lead-up to Destiny’s fixed launch date, Bungie’s solution was to push most of the storytelling outside of the game as part of unlockable Grimoire Cards. Eager to avoid pushing players to external websites or an app to discover more about the Destiny universe’s rich lore, Bungie is hoping to capture player attention from the get-go with an explosive campaign starter in Destiny 2.

We played through the first section of the opening level and there’s no denying it starts with a bang. The Tower, that beloved once-safe space from the original Destiny, is under siege from Red Legion troops, as players are thrown into an impossible fight to save their home. It’s a battle that players are destined to lose.

The opening to Destiny 2 is a stark contrast to what was on offer in the original Destiny. Where the first game had a subdued but intriguing opening, Destiny 2 wants to let players know that this series is, first and foremost, a shooter. And that’s exactly the impression you get as you blast your way through the tight confines of the opening campaign mission.

We asked project lead Mark Noseworthy to paint a picture of how the launch of Destiny 2 compares to the launch of the original Destiny. Here’s what he had to say:

[How will the game look] in terms of the experience, compared to Destiny 1?

With Destiny 2, we are trying to start the game off with a real big bang. Destiny 2 is a fresh start for all players, so whether you’ve been playing a tonne of Destiny 1 before, or you’re brand new to the universe, we’re going to introduce you to this world as if you’re new.

The last big city on Earth has been attacked. We’re trying to tell a really cinematic campaign story that has rich characters and interesting plot twists and takes you on a real crazy tour of our solar system.

Someone coming back to Destiny would be aware of what was there in the original Destiny, prior to DLC, and now they’re coming into Destiny 2. What looks the same and what looks different in terms of content for Destiny 2?

I think it’s going to feel familiar but different. We try to take everything that was good about Destiny, the activities you enjoy, the lore from the past, story missions or three-player Strikes or just hanging out in the world doing patrols or the Raid. All of that content is coming back – meaning the type of content – it’s all new and improved. We’re also expanding on top of that.

The idea of being able to really, truly explore the world is something new that we’ve invested, really, a lot into and there are three features here I can detail for you. One is the Destination Map itself. When you’re boots on the ground, you can pull up this map every 2-25 minutes, if you want, and it’s going to say, "here’s something new for you to do". And you can see where the Public Events are now, it’s right there. "Oh, that one’s going to take place in this space over by the church in about five minutes. I’m going to hit that up before I do my next mission."

Also as part of exploring the world, there are Lost Sectors. Lost Sectors are these places that are essentially hidden dungeons that exist on the map that you can find, and as you go into them, you’ll find a boss who’s essentially defending treasure. He’s got the key to the treasure. So, these Lost Sectors exist all over the environment for you to find. If it looks like a door leads somewhere, it probably does.

And then we have Adventures. Adventures are a new type of activity that take place on the destinations, which tell the story of the destination itself. Instead of being part of the main Red War campaign arc, they’re telling the story more about the characters of the world and the story of the combatants and the history, the fiction of that world.

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