Destiny: The Dark Below Reviews
I love the new weapons, gear and areas in Destiny the Dark Below but was not a big fan of starting that grind again in terms of my gear… but damn, they've got me hooked again!
The Dark Below is a great reminder of what Destiny could be, but isn't. Its best content is the raid, the gunplay is smooth and playing with friends is a great time. Unfortunately, Bungie doesn't seem to have any clue how to give players a sense of progress without giving them hundreds of hours of grinding and then releasing better gear.
Life with Destiny continues to be a vast range of meaningless numbers set up in a small but complex maze that breaks players will to fight before a way out is found. The core gunplay mechanic may be genre leading, but the wrapper that surrounds it continues to be irreparably broken.
So is it worth buying the pass to get the Dark Below expansion? Absolutely. And if the second expansion (which your purchase of the pass gets you as well) is anything like this one has been, I cannot wait to see what Bungie has up their sleeve for expansion number two of Destiny. So grab the expansion pass and then suit up in your favorite gear and become a legend, because the Dark Below will put your skills to the test.
The Dark Below is just More Of The Same, which will be good for hardcore fans of Destiny that have accepted the game for what it is, but will be a disappointing for those that had hoped the game would change its direction.
The Dark Below, and Destiny in a wider sense, specifically exploits the player's relationship to its systems. Like the processes of neo-liberalism that have clearly, through intentional design or not, been the inspiration for its various systems, Destiny asks one thing of players—that they are more productive. Through both reward and limitation, the game is constantly encouraging the player to commit more work and time to its processes, demanding constant attention.
Even after three months of back-and-forth with the community, Bungie is still 'Destiny's' worst enemy.
If you've enjoyed "Destiny" and are looking for more of what you've already enjoyed, then this will scratch your itch, though not very efficiently. But if you're looking for something new and interesting in the world of "Destiny," give this a pass.