@CyrenII Halo actually deserved most of the hype, and the passage of time has only cemented its standing in the hearts of gamers. Halo turned into something more than the sum of its parts, and its parts were very very good.

@archav3n They weren't just looking for short-term profit here. They had big plans for this IP. Those plans are now damaged. No one is happy in Activision land.

@krstps Not to sound like a fanboy, but he always tells it like it is.

@krstps Titanfall had solid mechanics and didn't try to be something that it wasn't. Destiny has solid mechanics and tried to deceive us with a marketing blitz. Big difference.

@uninspiredcup Most people seem to be agreeing with him, though.

@subzer0w1ns @JRD1912 @DeKuip The Star Wars prequels had some pretty amazing actors, too. Liam Neeson, Ewan McGreggor, Natalie Portman. Guess how well received those films were? Good actors can't salvage crap writing.

@DeKuip So we need a year's worth of DLC just to get a compelling narrative for this new world? Sorry, but if you don't have a good story for your new IP at its inception, claiming that you'll have one later is just wishful thinking. We don't buy it.

@blast880 While I haven't played the game myself, I have always respected KVO's judgment. His reasoning is thoughtful and considered, whether you agree with his score or not.

@dgsion @JRLennis Good luck finding decent voice actors in the modding scene.

Well. I suspected bad news was coming when Bungie earlier said that reviews don't tell the whole story. That's never a good sign.

This game may make its money back, but Bungie - and Activision - cannot be happy with how their new high-profile IP is being received. They had a 10-year plan for this franchise, and right out of the gate it has stumbled. An existing IP could weather this storm, but a new one like Destiny will be struggling from this moment on just to remain relevant in the minds of gamers. Their vaunted 10-year plan may have just been cut in half, or worse.

Certainly, Destiny will get better with DLC add-ons, but no amount of patching will fix the apparently bland feel of the game's core content and the story that surrounds it. When the faceless Master Chief has more personality than the characters in this game, you have a problem. Wasn't Destiny supposed to be more ambitious than Halo?

Microsoft and 343 have to be doing backflips over this news. The door has been left wide open for Halo 5, and even a game that is only marginally better than Halo 4 will quickly surpass Destiny in sales - fueled by the pedigree of an established and respected IP.