Very few games can claim the title of “an event.” Sure, games like “Halo,” or “Grand Theft Auto” claim the title with each new release, but they’re established franchises with millions upon millions of fans.”Destiny,” the newest game from developer Bungie (the creators of “Halo”), is trying to be the “Next Big Thing” in the gaming industry. But did it live up to the hype? Well, yes and no.

   On one hand, the game has some of the best shooting mechanics in recent memory. The gunplay feels tight and responsive, and all of the guns have a solid kick to them. The game also features three classes which each have very distinct move sets, which set them apart from one another.

   Another great thing about the game is its graphics. This game is absolutely gorgeous. The characters are detailed, and the environments are varied and vast. All four of the planets in the game look unique and interesting, despite the moon being almost all white, and Mars being all red.

   Unfortunately, the graphics and gunplay can only take the game so far. Despite the heights that this game reaches in some areas, the game struggles to meet expectations in other areas.

   The biggest offender is the story of “Destiny,” or I should say, the lack of a story in “Destiny.”

   Coming off the “Halo” series of games, Bungie has proven themselves capable of telling an interesting story. “Destiny” seems like it was written by a seventh grader. In my nearly 20 hours of game time, I never had any idea what my character’s motivation for doing anything was. I’m not the only one with this problem either. Nearly every person I’ve talked to has been unable to tell me what is going on in the story. Even the “Call of Duty” games have a more coherent story than “Destiny,” despite the former getting constantly panned for bad storytelling.

   If the lack of a story wasn’t enough to turn you off the game, the repetitiveness of the game definitely will. There is one type of mission in the whole game. You protect your little robot companion while he hacks something. Sometimes you have a big boss to defeat, and sometimes you don’t, but you always have to hack something. Despite the near perfect gunplay, the game suffers due to lack of interesting things to do.

   Now, as of the time of this writing, the game mode “Raids” has not been released. Bungie has promised that the Raids in the game will add entirely new game mechanics, but that’s to be determined.

   While I’ve been harsh on “Destiny,” there is fun to be had, especially with friends. The problem is, Bungie is capable of so much more. They promised the world with this game, but only delivered a few small countries of it. The game feels like an empty shell, waiting to be filled. Hopefully, Bungie can use this base to make an amazing sequel. Maybe with “Destiny 2,” they can finally offer the world and actually deliver it.

Check out the game trailer below.