Tuesday, August 12, 2014

"Should I buy Destiny or Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare?"

This is a question I've seen asked on forums and also seen in comment threads on random website articles as well as YouTube. It's also a question that I've been asking myself. Well, the struggle is real.

You may be asking, "Why not just buy both, you sack of shit?" There are plenty of answers to that question, but I'll give my two top reasons. First of all, and most simply, I don't have the time to fully enjoy one game (more than likely), so I certainly wouldn't have the time to enjoy both. Second, and it's sort of a continuation of that, there's a kind of obligation to purchase the "Season Pass" for any game that I get because I feel like I'm not getting the full game otherwise. I absolutely despise these obvious cash grabs, but I cave every time. Rather than spend about $220 on two games that are fairly similar (at least in that they're both FPS's), I'd rather buy one with its DLC, and then two other games -- preferably from a separate genre.

Anyway, Destiny. Blah, blah, blah, it's the same company that created Halo, it takes elements from Mass Effect and Borderlands, it's one of the most hyped games of the year. As for Advanced Warfare, you know what to expect from Call of Duty in general, so I doubt I need to explain. Assuming you came here knowing nothing, the big thing with Call of Duty this year is the addition of Exo Suits that allow you to essentially jet your way around the map, giving the ability to have vertical gunfights rather than just horizontal ones. I'll go ahead and help you guys (and hopefully myself) out with this simple chart:

Get Destiny if:
1.) You are a fan of MMO's on any level, as Destiny has a big open world (er, worlds) with the ability to customize your character with different armor and abilities.
2.) You enjoy playing single player. The great thing about Destiny is that there is only one ranking system. What I mean by that is it doesn't matter if you play more multiplayer than single player or vice versa, because your character's experience is cumulative. Destiny's single player is certain to be far less linear than Advanced Warfare's, with many more hours to be played in it.
3.) You have friends. While you can obviously play this or Call of Duty without friends, many games are made better with them -- especially Destiny, as you can do raids and quests with them and it just feels more unique and fun than the usual squadding up and playing matchmaking on a set-map in Call of Duty. If you do enjoy doing that, Destiny still allows that, because the game's deeper.
4.) You have a PS4. If you can't decide but have a PS4, maybe you should go with Destiny. It's been confirmed that the PS4 will get loads of timed exclusives (up to at least a year) for some of its DLC, and it's rubbed quite a few Xbox One owners the wrong way.

Get Advanced Warfare if:
1.) You prefer simplicity. Some people may actually be turned off by the amount of things to do in Destiny and just feel completely overwhelmed and unable to decide what they want to do.
2.) You like Call of Duty: Yes, you read that correctly. Sure, the Exo Suits will change things up a lot, but it's still Call of Duty at its core with likely the same feel from the guns and the usual perks. These past two "ifs" are the big conundrum I'm personally having. I have a love/hate personality with this franchise. I get on Call of Duty for not changing, but I'm almost wishing they didn't change this year. Kill me.
3.) You don't like Call of Duty. "Wait... what? Did I read that right?" Yeah, you did. The Exo Suit options ought to change the gameplay pretty significantly. I mean... just look at some gameplay. Call of Duty was always a fast paced game (depending on your lobby, anyway), but it's taken to the next level this year. Advanced Warfare should feel quite a lot more like an arena shooter and unlike any Call of Duty in recent memory.
4.) You have a One. Like number four in my last list, One owners should be getting better treatment with Advanced Warfare. The past few years, Xbox owners have gotten DLC about a month earlier in Call of Duty than the PlayStation has. Keep in mind that the timed DLC and DLC as a whole is likely to be less significant than what PlayStation gamers are getting with Destiny on the PS4, so this point isn't as strong as it is for PS4 owners considering Destiny. Are you following me?

There are a few things to help you out if you're having trouble deciding. Hey, maybe I made it harder, in which case, I'm sorry. It's really not as simple as putting a list together and figuring out what you want to do. I can't say, "If you want something that feels new, get Destiny" or "If you want something familiar, get Call of Duty." I suppose I could, but the truth is, Call of Duty ought to feel quite different this year for the first year since probably the original Modern Warfare.

For me, I think I'm starting to convince myself that Destiny's the game I should get (I tried not to be biased in this post, but I feel like it sounds like I am). As a PS4 owner, I'll get more content sooner, if I don't like the competitive multiplayer I can fall back on the quests/single player experience, and the game comes out in September rather than November, so I don't need to wait an extra two months to play a new game. I'm still not 100% sure, but if you see a review some time in September for Destiny (or don't), you know my decision. But, as always, it's a matter of personal preference. As more announcements are made and gameplay is released, a decision should be easier to make for all of us having this "first-world problem."

No comments: