To Beta or Not To Beta: Waiting to Meet My Destiny

I popped on to the Destiny Beta long enough to make sure the "B" button worked.  I'm not really sure how far I got into the Beta, just enough to see other randoms walking about.  I did a quick look to see if I could find friends, but I think Xbox Live was feeling disagreeable and I wasn't able to join a party.  Or maybe it was the ghost of Titanfall that pulled me away.  I turned it off and decided I would wait until September 9 or somewhen thereabout to see what's all the ado.  I know Destiny will make its way to my Xbox One.

Issues of the pro-Sony treatment aside, I was reluctant to jump into the Destiny Beta and I'm not completely sure why.  I remember in the day thinking that Crackdown was a just a perk of my $60 Halo 3 Beta key.  Or that I couldn't wait to jump in my titan and wreak havoc on the puny pilots beneath my feet.

What I saw in that brief period with Destiny was something that felt different.  Certainly it was a bit confusing knowing what was happening, what everything meant.  I relish those moments of playing something new, getting acquainted with a new HUD or controls.  I like the familiarity of the controls too, knowing that RT would shoot and "B" button would, well... "B" button.

I've only a vague idea about what Destiny is.  I have not MMO'ed, but I think the idea of a persistent environment is enticing.  The one thing that will make Halo 2 always hold a special place in my gaming heart was the community it created.  And while MMOs are not new to PC users, as a largely console resident, I'm champing on the bit with the thought that the games I play can have a larger context beyond that moment in time where I shoot the other team until I'm shot, respawn and repeat -- no offense, Titanfall.

In those few minutes I was in Destiny, there was something beautiful about the depth the game appeared to offer.  And for that, I guess I want to see and play and experience the whole thing as it's meant to be seen, played, and experienced.  I don't know how much I'll get to play of Destiny when it does come out.  Maybe I'll regret not having a PS4.  What I do know is that I have a hope for Destiny that it will be the first true next-generation game and that the wait will finally be over.

A Cinderella Story: Hitting the Virtual Links Again

I picked up Mario Golf: World Tour yesterday.  This morning, I was watching credits after completing the Castle Club mode of the "campaign."  It wasn't my goal to burn through it, and by all accounts, the campaign is not really where the meat of the game is to be found.  Honestly, I'm perhaps more relieved than anything because now, I can turn to checking out the online options.  Ultimately, golf games (save Tiger Woods) have changed very little from the NES days.  The three-button-push mechanic is tried and true.  But however many -13 rounds or lower I post, the game, like real golf itself, is best enjoyed with others, preferably, friends.

I went to check -- it took me a little less than two months to earn the Platinum Trophy for Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational.  And yet even after that, I played HSG a lot.  In fact, I played it daily for a good long period to play in the daily tournament challenges.  I guess it helps to not suck, but I enjoyed competing, seeing how low I could score and how that fared versus others.  For whatever reason, the HSG online component was not quite up to speed when first released -- made even more odd considering it was a step back from the PSP version.  Eventually, the developers added modes including asynchronous play.  It was enough to get some people back into the game, but the opportunity was lost.  Online play became limited by the relatively small group of people playing and it was even less inviting for novices.

I downloaded Powerstar Golf at X1 launch.  I liked it though the overall content felt more limited compared to HSG.  Fewer characters and courses, its hook was two-fold: power-up items and online tracking.  For a next gen game, the multi-player suite was severely lacking.  There was no direct competitive multi-player.  I don't know whether that's still the case, but like many of the launch lineup titles, Powerstar Golf offered a multi-player feel even though you weren't playing at the same time with someone (e.g, racing against drivatars in Forza).  What the game did was create markers of where players had been before you as well as your own records.  I could see long drives and closest to the pins and do my best to best them.  It wasn't bad, but when you don't have a lot of friends playing, the feeling of accomplishment dwindles.

I liked when we played Tiger Woods and the notion of our own country club.  I'm not sure why I played that less than I did.  I know we had some folks that played and the competition was fun.  I think ultimately, the analogue swing was a bit too touchy and unreliable for me.  If I wanted to be frustrated by slicing the ball, I'd head to the real course.  But I'll say this, the online options were something that appealed to me.

So, here I am, new golf game in hand.  Come join me on the links.  It'll be a lot more fun with others.