PS5

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

Destiny 2 is a free-to-play online first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie. The sequel to 2014's Destiny and its subsequent expansions, it was originally released as a paid title in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows before transitioning to a free-to-play live service game under the New Light title on October 1, 2019, followed by the game's release on Stadia the following month, and then PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms in December 2020.

ShooterRole-playing (RPG)TacticalAdventure

Time to beat: about 11.5 hours

Overview

Set in a "mythic science fiction" world, the game features a multiplayer "shared-world" environment with elements of role-playing games. Like the original, activities in Destiny 2 are divided among player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) game types. In addition to normal story missions, PvE features three-player "strikes" and dungeons and six-player raids. A free roam patrol mode is also available for most destinations which feature public events as well as activities not available in the original. These activities have an emphasis on exploration of the destinations and interactions with non-player characters (NPCs); the original Destiny only featured NPCs in social spaces. PvP features objective-based modes, as well as traditional deathmatch game modes. Players assume the role of a Guardian, protectors of Earth's last safe city as they wield a power called Light to protect humanity from different alien races and combat the looming threat of the Darkness: later on, players also learn to wield the power of Darkness.

Upon release, Destiny 2 received generally favorable reviews from critics. Praise focused on its improvements, particularly with regards to its initial story, as well as its gameplay, visuals, exploration focus, multiplayer, and public occasions. Reviews were divided on the recategorization of the weapons, the Leviathan raid, and new modes. Destiny 2 was nominated for and won various awards, such as at The Game Awards 2017 and Game Critics Awards.