As time goes on, the experiences shared by its community and its biggest events become lore that actually matters.

There’s a history to Destiny 2 that happened for real. In the case of Destiny 2, everything that surrounded the sudden and heart-shattering death of Lance Reddick made me realize how much I love online games that cultivate a wholesome culture. Their communities don’t suck and can be pretty helpful too, which is a nice bonus. If you want to play “numbers go up” games that don’t punish you for missing out and are actually enjoyable in solo or casual play, that alone reduces the options available by a lot.įor me, Destiny 2 and The Division 2 have felt awesome when it comes to looters, since they have both consistently offered solid endgame activities, the option to go try-hard if that’s your vibe, and, most importantly, plenty of chill casual play embellished by great settings and art directions. In my case, I like things that make my brain go happy, but I don’t do drugs, which means I don’t do digital drugs either. Indeed, not being obsessed with updates and what’s “hot” equals not being one of the cool kids, but that’s exactly how you avoid growing tired of your favorite grindfest and leaving for good. This might sound counterproductive, as these games usually seek player engagement through seasonal activities, battles passes, or, at the very least, progression systems and meta adjustments that require being a regular to stay on top of everything going on. Personally, I’ve averted the terrible feeling of hating an engrossing online title I used to love by jumping in and out regularly, never spending too many days in a row with them. However, avoiding burnout while playing games that you love is much harder. Put some hours in, and the design flaws and creative shortcomings stick out like a sore thumb. Dodging stinkers and derivative releases that try to replicate already proven hits without a voice of their own is rather easy. I haven’t become a live-service cynic… yet. When it’s done well, I think it offers some unique opportunities for developers and storytellers that’s why I’m always eager to check out a new, nice-looking “always online” title. The model can be great ( Destiny 2) or terrible ( Lost Ark) depending on how you tackle its main issues and try to keep up with demand for more content. My relationship with MMOs and now live-service games - across a number of genres - has always been complicated.

The wild case hints