The ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) has released their final verdict on Destiny 2, surprising no one with a T (Teen) rating. The rating description talks about characters who are “shot, electrocuted, and strangled” in cutscenes, though whether these methods of torture apply to the more prominent Destiny cast or background characters remains to be seen. The description also refers to cutscenes depicting “dramatic spaceship battles,” some of which we got to witness in the Beta’s opening mission. You can read the full ESRB description of Destiny 2 below:
“This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a group (Guardians) defending humanity against an alien force. Players travel across futuristic landscapes and planets to battle a horde of alien creatures. Players use pistols, machine guns, rocket launchers, and various elemental weapons (e.g., flame sword, lightning staff) to kill enemies. Battles are frenetic and are accompanied by realistic gunfire and large explosions.
Cutscenes sometimes depict dramatic spaceship battles and characters getting shot, electrocuted, and strangled. Splashes of red blood occasionally appear on the screen when players are injured, and some creatures emit splashes of black liquid when killed. The word “a*shole” is heard in the dialogue.”
Over on IGN they held a Q&A with Bungie’s Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy, with Smith talking about some of the changes that have been made to Destiny 2 since the beta build. While some of these changes have already been announced, Smith did reassure everyone that super regeneration will be faster than it was in the beta, where many players complained it felt like they rarely got to use their Guardians’ abilities.
“By the time beta was live, the team had already been playing a pretty different version of the PvE tuning from our couches (grenades are more powerful, kinetic/energy weapon damage improvements, power ammo economy refactor). We’ve also made tons and tons (and tons) of changes of varying sizes that is a function of closing down a video game (we’re almost done!). In the wake of the beta, we’ve made a few changes that will increase Super Regeneration across the game.”
The rest of the IGN Q&A doesn’t have anything groundbreaking, but there are some interesting small news tidbits and Luke Smith eccentricities if you would like to read the full thing.
Considering many of my primary complaints with the beta were around balancing, I’m happy that they have addressed these changes up front. How do you feel about the changes from the beta and the Destiny 2 ESRB rating?
[Source: Game Idealist, IGN]
Destiny 2 Reveal - Things you May Have Missed
-
Things You May Have Missed in the Destiny 2 Gameplay Reveal
Bungie is notorious for hiding secrets, so we took a look at some things in the Destiny 2 gameplay reveal stream that you may have missed your first time through.
-
The Traveler is Restrained
Ghaul wants to take away Guardians light, but he does not want to destroy the Traveler. He wants to prove that the Traveler chose wrong. So he restrains the Traveler, cutting Guardians off from its light. What implications will this restraint have? Will we be able to free it before the end of Destiny 2?
-
Luke Smith's Changing Hoodies
Luke Smith wore two different hoodies during the reveal, one during his first appearance and one after we get a look at the gameplay. Why did he change them? What do the symbols on each of these hoodies mean? Were there any other hidden symbols in the reveal stream?
-
Zavala's Gun is the Same as the Mars Astronauts'
In the opening Zavala trailer, we see Zavala pick up a white auto rifle. This is the same white auto rifle that we can see the astronauts on Mars carrying when they discover the Traveler in the opening cinematic for Destiny.
-
The Speaker, Shaxx, and Saladin in the Camp
When Zavala arrives at the human camp, the Speaker, Shaxx, and Saladin are already there. It appears that Cayde and Ikora arrive at a later time. What was everyone up to before their arrival at the refugee camp, and the building of the Last City.
-
Young Amanda Holliday
When a ship flies by, we see a young Amanda Holliday show her clear fascination for the spacecraft. It also looks like that ship is the same as the one that our Guardian finds and repairs shortly after we wake up in the opening moments of Destiny.
-
Zavala's Defender Shield
We may be losing the Defender subclass in Destiny 2, but Zavala makes use of this favorite Titan subclass in the opening mission and cinematic. We also briefly see Ikora use blink to take Cayde with her into the shield, and Cayde use Golden Gun (what is he shooting at? There are no enemies in the Tower yet...).
-
Hive and Fallen
Cabal and Vex were the main enemies we see and fight in the gameplay footage that was shown, but watch closely and you'll catch hints of Fallen and Hive. It's still not clear in what capacity these enemies will return, or if they will even still be foes, but they are definitely going to make an appearance.
-
Driving Tanks
Gameplay footage showed a couple of different tanks driving around, and one split second screen even shows what appears to be the Tank in gameplay, meaning that sparrows likely won't be the only vehicle we drive. We'll see if it's only a couple of missions or a wider spread thing.
-
Missing Subclasses?
During the reveal, Sunbreaker Titan, Nightstalker Hunter, and Stormcaller Warlocks were not shown, mentioned, or even hinted at. Given that other existing subclasses were either replaced or significantly changed, it's likely that if and when we do see the three missing subclasses, they will be quite different from the ones we're used to.
-
Shard of the Traveler
If Ghaul takes our light, how do we still have our Ghosts and powers in Destiny 2? The new social space, The Farm, is located in the shadow of a shard of the Traveler that broke off before it came to settle over the Last City. We will draw our powers from this shard.
-
New Strike Details
Steve Cotton mentioned only a single new strike, but that was just for the gameplay session. Brief shots in the stream reveal details of at least one additional Strike that will involve SIVA, and chances are there will be plenty more than just two strikes to run.
-
The Sun Explodes
A couple of brief shots show the explosion of a sun, and the destruction of what appears to be Mercury, though some of the lore hounds seem to think that maybe this is a scene from something that happened in the Cabal world, rather than our own solar system.
-
The Raid
It wouldn't be Bungie if they weren't teasing the Raid. A few screens show quick captures of six Guardians running through different environments, which can only be the Raid. Some have speculated that it will take place in the ruins of the Last City and Tower, but it's more likely that the final campaign mission will be in the Tower, with the Raid taking place somewhere of Cabal interest in the European Dead Zone. This is supported by the variety of environments shown during brief glimpses in the reveal.
