Pre-order Destiny for exclusive access to the Vanguard Armory. There’s a proper handful of goodies available to pre-orders that the rest of the shmucks will have to pay for in February of 2015. Guns, gear, and the unique emblem of the Vanguard, all yours for pre-ordering …

For gamers, especially the shootery kind, Halo and the Master Chief have been companions for… well, all of this century so far. This means Bungie have been in our homes and hearts for more than a decade.  After creating one of the biggest games, and most recognizable protagonists in gaming, Bungie are at it again. Much has been made about this MMO(ish) shooter, Destiny, and just what sort of adventures await.

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Consoles: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3

Rating: T

It’s crazy to think, but, there was a time when a little studio called Bungie was a largely unknown developer working on a little project for Microsoft. Then of course, they changed the world with a little game called Halo. Think that’s too strong a phrase? Fair enough, and if it were the game alone, I might have agreed with you, however, given its importance to Microsoft, its purchase by Microsoft to pull it from what was going to be a PC/Mac title and basically announce the future of video games in the console form, not to mention completely changing the game when it came to first person shooters. I also personally feel that Halo was the first step in what would lead to video games essentially dominating the media dollar. Just shy of ten years on, after we’d finished the fight, did whatever ODST was about, and then saw how it all went down, it was time for a change. You can’t make Halo and then say, ‘Hey guys, we’re not going to make Halo anymore, we’re doing our own thing.’ without garnering some serious excitement. Which is why their next title, Destiny, might be one of the most anticipated games in videogame history ( one of… I think that title actually goes to The Last Guardian)

Calling it an FPS in a ‘shared world’, rather than an MMO (Personally, I don’t blame them from wanting to distance themselves from something as bland sounding as MMO shooter), with Destiny, Bungie is bringing to bear ten years experience creating one of the biggest intellectual properties there is. Perhaps you can see why everyone is so excited ? Bungie is also saying that the dynamic nature of the game means that uncontrolled and even unscripted events may occur. This is another vague sort of statement, but, given the crop of independent AI systems in games like Sims 5 and Shadow of Mordor, you can probably get a sense of where we’re going. Bungie takes place on a future Earth, where after the arrival of the ‘Traveler’ a giant, sentient white orb, mankind achieved new heights of civilization, branching out and taking to the stars. However, all parties must end, and the ‘Traveler’ had an ancient enemy that showed up and shut things down. Now, there’s but one human city left, and it needs guardians (that’d be you).

Already massively successful (long before the actual release date) pre-orders of the ‘Ghost ‘special editions have exceeded the actual units available leading to pre-order cancellation (and what I can only assume to be nerd rage and disappointment). That said, I think you can rest assured that there will be plenty of the regular editions for all those that want them, however, for those of you who want to make sure you have it in your hands day one, well, here’s some extra incentive. With Destiny, pre-orders get access to the Vanguard Armory, and all the goodies therein. No worries here folks, this isn’t some fluff skin, or single weapon.. .they didn’t use the word ‘Armory’ on accident. As evidenced by the trailer, there’s a proper handful of goodies available to pre-orders day one that the rest of the shmucks will have to pay for in February of 2015. Guns, gear, and the unique emblem of the Vanguard, all yours for pre-ordering a game you know you’re going to buy anyway.

While some folks might see futuristic earth people, fancy soldiers with lots of tech, alien fighting, space, and think ‘that sounds a lot like Halo!’ They aren’t wrong, It does, but at least they know the genre, and their pedigree can’t be denied. While questions remain about Destiny, and just whether or not it can live up to its predecessor. Much like their last outing, it’s quite possible that with Destiny, Bungie is changing things all over again.

Don’t forget to Pre-order Destiny for exclusive access to the Vanguard Armory and all its gear glory.

Pre-Order for the Xbox One, or the Xbox One Limited Edition

Pre-order for the Xbox 360,or the Xbox 360 Limited Edition,

Pre-order for the PlayStation3, or the PlayStation 3 Limited Edition

Pre-Order for the PlayStation 4, or the Playstation 4 Limited Edition

Want to play it on the new console hardware?  No problem, pre-order the very attractive PlayStation 4 Destiny Bundle

Kurtis Diston
A firm believer in "you have to get old, but you don't have to grow up," I've been an unabashed lover of nerdy things for a good long while and don't plan to stop anytime soon. With experience on both sides of the video game, both as a consumer and a producer, and a love of the written word, I've managed to combine all three right here with the Plug-in blog