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'Destiny 2' brings the interstellar MMO grind to PC in September
Destiny 2 will hit PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 8th, much to the delight of wannabe space hunters worldwide. The original Destiny was console-only, leaving PC players in the lurch, but pre-orders for the sequel went live today and confirmed the new game is coming to desktop.
Robot Nathan Fillion is here to make you think 'Destiny 2' is charming
You'd think with its shooter MMO Destiny receiving its final content addition today, its creator Bungie would give it a moment gracefully riding into the sunset before championing its replacement. But an image leaked earlier this week sparked rumors of a September 8th release date for its sequel, which is seriously called Destiny 2, might have forced the studio's hand to release...a teaser for the game's official trailer, coming out this Thursday at 10 AM ET. Yeah.
'Destiny 2' is expected to arrive this September
Destiny had a rocky start, but the first-person space shooter eventually ended up living up to the promise it showed back when it was announced. Time flies, though, and the original game is nearly three years old, and Bungie has promised a full sequel will be coming soon. Now, thanks to an poster image apparently leaked by an Italian retailer (and posted by Italian site Lega Network), we can be pretty sure that Destiny 2 will arrive this September. Friday, September 8th in Europe, to be precise -- which means the US release date could be the prior Tuesday, September 5th.
Final 'Destiny' add-on revives old raids on March 28th
At the end of this month, Bungie will release the last extra content for its shooter MMO Destiny before it moves on to the game's sequel. In a livestream today, the studio's developers and community manager Deej outlined what's coming for players in Age of Triumph: A return to old raids that have been boosted to the current max Light level. Guardians, get ready. Your free "victory lap" re-experiencing legacy content from the first three years of Destiny launches Tuesday, March 28th.
Bungie will reset everyone's 'Destiny' characters for the sequel
As the sun sets on Bungie's shooter MMO Destiny, its fans look ahead to a new dawn, when the old game hands its reign (and playerbase) over to its sequel coming sometime this year, currently called Destiny 2. Unfortunately, its loyal constituency had a bit of a rude awakening this morning when Bungie announced that every player character would be reset going into the new game. That's right, folks: All your Gjallarhorns, No Land Beyonds and skill points won't be coming along for the ride.
This is why 'Destiny' studio Bungie stopped making 'Halo' games
Destiny is a self-contained example of 21st-century video games: It's online, ever changing and beautifully built by a team of practiced veterans. Destiny represents the evolution of Bungie, the studio that created Halo, and it also encapsulates the shifting nature of video games as a whole. Modern AAA experiences take advantage of online functionality more than ever before, but this connected gaming ecosystem is still new for the industry as a whole. Destiny helped normalize the idea in 2014, when players weren't yet convinced they wanted an MMO-like experience on a living room console.
Bungie is banning Destiny's biggest cheaters
As video game makers continue to incorporate more online and multiplayer elements into their games, they need to give special consideration to how they deal with cheaters. Consoles are locked down by default, meaning players have fewer tools to manipulate their experience, but Bungie has confirmed it's (finally) ready to drop the banhammer in an attempt to stop people ruining Destiny's competitive multiplayer modes.
Bungie gives 'Destiny' streamers a signal boost
While it's never been easier for PC and console players to stream their Destiny exploits, finding players who provide insight and entertainment in equal measure isn't easy. Twitch provides a listing of top channels, but Destiny streams don't always figure in amongst popular League of Legends, DOTA 2 and Hearthstone broadcasts. To fix this, Bungie has taken Twitch's API, worked out when streamers are playing Destiny and will soon incorporate Twitch streams directly into its Companion website. Viewers can browse based on following, whether a streamer is trending or undertaking a specific raid or quest that might be particularly hard to beat.
Game studios go all-out with Halloween events and sales
Game developers thrive on seasonal events, and that's truer than ever this Halloween. It's not just themed skins and game modes, although there are plenty of those -- there are some serious bargains to be had, whether you're a Steam veteran or just getting into virtual reality. Even PlayStation Now has some Halloween goodies. We've rounded up some of the spookier events and sales to make sure you don't miss out.
Put your little Guardians to sleep with the 'Destiny' children's book
Days ago, Bungie released its third expansion, Rise of Iron, for its popular MMO shooter Destiny. A new short single-player campaign, multiplayer mode and six-person raid should keep players busy killing enemy aliens, and each other, for months. Undoubtedly, some of those gamers are parents, and while they pummel and gun down foes in-game, they might look wistfully at their kids sitting on the couch next to them. How can my progeny engage in this rich, bloody, grim universe with me, they'll ask? The answer, obviously, is a children's book.
'Destiny' to add private matches and user-hosted tournaments
The reasons for Destiny splitting paths between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions and their current-gen counterparts are becoming a lot clearer. With the "Rise of Iron" expansion, the team is adding private Crucible matches, support for clans and user-hosted tournaments with cash prizes.
'Destiny: Rise of Iron' PS4 exclusives include a new map
Sony has landed more than a few Destiny exclusives in hopes of selling more PlayStation 4 consoles, and it's stopping as Bungie's shooter/MMO hybrid celebrates its second birthday. When Rise of Iron arrives on September 20th, it'll have a handful of PS4-only extras in a bid to help undecided console buyers. There's a special Crucible map (Languid Sea, on Mercury) for multiplayer fans, a whole quest line ("Show of Strength," a look into the Devil Splicers) and a ship (the appropriately blue Timeless Tereshkova). These perks probably won't tip the balance if you're only thinking about getting Destiny as one of your new console's first games, but they're worth considering if you're dead set on the title and aren't otherwise leaning toward a particular platform.
'Destiny' splits off from PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 today
If you're still playing Destiny on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, today's update is the last you'll see. That's aside from any emergency fixes, according to a post on Bungie.net. The patch also addresses a number of minor glitches involving loot, gear and quest items. From today forward, though, your progress won't be shared between last-gen hardware, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This patch also marks the cut-off for weekly events like Trials of Osiris and the Iron Banner on older hardware, and expansions like this fall's "Rise of Iron."
'Destiny' distances itself from PS3 and Xbox 360 in August
It was bound to happen, the question was just a matter of when. The "it" I'm referring to, of course, is developer Bungie cutting off support for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Destiny. In a post on Bungie.net, the company says that starting in August, progression won't be shared among last-gen hardware and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. "Characters progress separately on two parallel paths," an infographic reads. Importing your character from last-gen hardware to a PS4 or Xbox One and then going back to your old system to play a strike or two with friends means that the experience points and gear earned will no longer carry over.
'Destiny' Rise of Iron expansion hits PS4, Xbox One in September
Destiny's next expansion, Rise of Iron, hits PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 20th complete with a new raid, strike, weapons, gear, missions and competitive multiplayer mode. This is the first Destiny expansion to hit current-generation consoles only -- there's no word on Xbox 360 or PS3 releases. Rise of Iron brings back the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher, a weapon that was over-powered in the game's early days but fell off once Destiny entered Year Two. For those who pre-order the new content, the Gjallarhorn comes in an "Iron Black" color, fitting the whole ferrous theme. Rise of Iron also introduces a new social space called The Plaguelands Zone. The expansion costs $30 and requires players own the Destiny base game plus The Taken King.
Destiny's next expansion will be called 'Rise of Iron'
Ignoring a welcome update last month, things have been pretty quiet on the Destiny front. That's because Bungie has turned its attention to developing a sequel, which is slated to release next year. However, with E3 fast approaching, news of promised new, smaller expansion has started to slip out. According to a leaked poster shared on Reddit, the name of the next Destiny DLC will be called Rise of Iron and it's likely to land in September.
Amazon opens up its product recommendation tech to all
For a company like Amazon, product recommendations are hugely important. They can be the difference between a one-off order and an unexpected spending spree. The company has spent years adapting its algorithms to produce the most relevant suggestions, but now it wants help. It's taken the wraps off DSSTNE -- its Deep Scalable Sparse Tensor Network Engine (pronounced destiny) -- and is asking for companies, researchers and developers to make its artificial intelligence framework even more powerful.
'Destiny' trailer shows what's new in the big April update
Bungie has seemingly been teasing Destiny: The Taken King's April update for ages, but it's finally (almost) here -- and the studio has seen fit to release one last trailer that explains what all the fuss is about. The clip gives you a whirlwind tour of virtually everything that's new, including new quests, strikes and story missions, the increased Light level and new gear ranging from chroma trim (basically, shiny lighting) to Taken-themed armor.
Take a look at the April update for 'Destiny'
Developer Bungie held a livestream today adding further details to what you can expect from Destiny's next update. First up is an increase to Light level (the rating that denotes your defensive and offensive power, based on the gear you have equipped) to 335 from expansion pack The Taken King's 310. New loot and difficulty settings are coming to the Prison of Elders, Court of Oryx, heroic strikes, Nightfall strikes and the King's Fall raid in addition to Iron Banner and Trials of Osiris events, as well.
Popular 'Destiny' matchmaking site plans app for more games
Online multiplayer isn't just an afterthought for many of today's PC and console games -- it's central to the whole experience. Games like Destiny work best as massively multiplayer experiences, where you're part of focused squads taking down difficult opponents. Quickly finding a competent team can be difficult, however, which is why tools like DestinyLFG have flourished online. DestinyLFG (LFG = Looking For Group) is a website that allows Guardians to submit posts stating what quests they wish to complete, exactly the type of player they're looking for and list other in-game requirements. The site now counts over 6 million users from all over the world. With a dedicated user base using the site daily, the team behind it has decided to branch out. It's headed to Kickstarter to launch For The Win (FTW), a new app that incorporates all of the useful elements of DestinyLFG and makes them available to communities of other popular multiplayer games.
