This post has been a long time coming! With so much time I’ve put into Destiny, I can’t believe I’ve slacked around so much to the point where I haven’t written anything about it. Sure, with more than 100 hours total since the game released last fall, there are plenty out there who have invested way more than I have. But still, those are just numbers. And numbers don’t mean squat if you’re enjoying the game.
But I’m not really going to be talking about the game itself just yet. I wanted to build up to it. Give you the rundown on a few things first. I know everyone isn’t into Destiny, so the things I say here might be able to shed some light on some misconceptions. For those reasons, I’ve decided to do a little series of sorts about all things Destiny. Give you some info and insight, and hopefully make clear why myself and countless others are still playing this game that most say is a waste of time.
So where do I start? How about from the beginning.
Going back to the beta, it was my first foray into the world of Destiny, and it opened my eyes to what it offered. I was instantly hooked with the setting, the universe, the gameplay. Everything had me intrigued to the point where I sought out the elusive Ghost Edition which pre-orders sold out for in minutes.
I got extremely lucky and got a hold of a pre-order through Amazon about a week before launch, and unlike other Collector Editions I’ve acquired throughout the years, I still have zero regrets for picking it up. Which is bizarre considering its price tag of $150! I’m pretty sure that’s the most I’ve spent on a single game. That light up and talking Ghost feels completely worth it for me though, with it being voiced by Peter Dinklage who was later replaced as the voice actor for the character. It’s funny with it being such a collectible how I still let my kid play with it and hold it when he wants.
I loved and enjoyed everything about Destiny despite the shortcomings. And all was well for a few months, but like all games, you get burnt out after a while. So when when I got back into playing it after taking a few months off, I did the unthinkable and accidentally traded it in! I know! How can that happen?! Well, long story short, I was excited to start playing it again and there was a sale on PSN. I always wanted it digitally for easy game sessions that didn’t involve switching out discs, so I traded in my hard copy to only get home and find the sale had ended while I was out! It was a few days of agony and despair, mixed with self-hate for being foolish enough to not think about the PSN reset on Tuesdays. I’m usually a lot more mindful of such things, which should go to show you I was pretty blinded by the excitement. I had the money in my wallet to buy it digitally, but the cheap ass gamer in me just couldn’t buy it for full price (even though i had to stop myself from doing so a few times). So I waited until a sale popped up for it again. And this sucked because after months of not caring about it at all, the urge came back and all I wanted to do was play Destiny.
So a few weeks go by and Best Buy knocked it down to $20. With GCU I managed to pick it up again for $15. It was an easy decision and I knew once it went on sale on PSN again I’d just trade in this copy AFTER I bought it digitally.
Fast forward another few weeks to E3 and PSN has another sale (smh). This time, it was only for the Deluxe Guardian Edition which had the 2 expansions and the game for $40. I already had the expansions but that digital version was still haunting me. I knew I could get about $18 for the physical copy I had soooooooo I went for it.
So far up to this point, I spent a total of $205 on this freaking game.
But wait, there’s more…
I’m sitting happy. Despite spending so much for just one game, I’m still thoroughly enjoying myself so I have no problem admitting it. Then the announcement of The Taken King comes, and with it, a Collector’s Edition. Son of a …
Sadly, there’s no version of the Collector’s Edition with the physical goodies that’s for someone who already owns the game. So since I loved the little trinkets and whatever from the Ghost Edition, I didn’t even think twice about getting the Collector’s Edition of The Taken King… Even though it has a copy of the original game, and the first 2 expansions… Which I’ve already bought twice.
How many times have I bought what within the first year? Let’s see the final tally:
- The Ghost Edition at launch (game and both expansions) – $150
- Game to replace the disc I sold – $15
- Digital Guardian Edition (game and both expansions [which I knew I didn’t need and couldn’t sell]) – $40
- The Taken King Collector’s Edition – $80
So between the original release, and The Taken King, I have spent a grand total of $285 on the Destiny experience. That’s three physical copies of the vanilla game, one digital copy, three copies of each of The Dark Below Expansion and The House of Wolves expansion (a pair I used, a pair I couldn’t sell because digital, and a pair that I maaaaaay have plans to do something with), and one copy of The Taken King expansion.
I know, I’m a freaking nutjob. And that’s not even including whatever microtransactions I’ve purchased just to look cool in the game. Yikes.
But you know what? I truly have absolutely no regrets on any of it. I know many of you are probably shaking your head, wondering what would lead me to do such insane things for a game that “isn’t worth it.” But to me, what Destiny offers is a universe where I can explore and enjoy. Discover and destroy. And I can do it with friends by my side. I have no problems admitting or looking back at the ridiculous amount of money I spent to play one game. On top of that, the first year it was out was rough and an absolute grind. But I’ll get to that in another post. To be honest though, I probably could’ve spent more. Destiny is an experience and it’s something that I am proud to say I was in on from the beginning.
And to be honest, you could pay the $15 or $20 it’s going for these days and have hours and hours of fun with the base game. You could get into the world and get a taste for what it has to offer. With the 2.0 update dropping around the first week of September, you’ll be able to have a much deeper experience with the base game of Destiny than I ever did. So don’t think you need the expansions right away. Though, be warned, you’ll probably want them once it gets its hooks in you.
I said I’m going to try and do a series on Destiny. In this series, I hope to touch on many points when it comes to the game. Why it’s so fun to me, my understanding for its negative feedback with gamers, explaining the competitive and cooperative multiplayer elements, and much, much more. So stick around and get ready for it. And whether you’re a dedicated Guardian or someone who is curious about the universe, I really hope you interact and give me your thoughts on everything I cover.
Update: This article was published in 2015. Currently, it is October of 2018 and Destiny 2: Forsaken is about a month or so old. I have not touched the game since a few months after Destiny 2 launched, but I still have respect for what it is. Knowing how much I adored the franchise before makes it easy to say I’ll get back into it again. Maybe soon? Who knows, but I’m not done with Destiny.
