Recent reviews by Iraxia

If you're a long term fan of this franchise and are still on the fence about this title: Get it. Just get it.

There isn't a whole lot I can say about this game that probably hasn't already been said numerous times elsewhere. It's good. It's so good, in fact, that it has re-ignited hopes for quality 'remake's' of other titles or franchises.
Simply put, this is how a remake or a reboot -should- be. Just enough new features and areas to keep it feeling fresh and engaging for even highly seasoned players, and more than enough of the many aspects of the original to make sure that you know what you're playing, all wrapped up in a ground-up modernized package.

Some things are of course absent; ie, the zero-g 'jumping' mechanics, which have been replaced by Dead Space 2/3's '3D Flight' mechanics, certain weapon alt-fire modes which have been re-imagined (goodbye water-sprinkler Pulse Rifle), or certain RIG system aspects such as the original 3D map. Despite this, I feel like these small changes are perfectly fine, even if it may stray away from the original.

The Circuit and Clearance systems are a welcome addition in my opinion, and give a good reason to continue to adventure around the increasingly decaying Ishimura, even to places you've already ran through before, or for adding another level of puzzle-gameplay to the mix. Need that door open or that elevator on? It'll come at the cost of TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS.

Side objectives are one of my favorite additions to this latest installment to the Dead Space franchise, exposing the player to new and interesting side-stories, tasks, or passively progressing objectives (such as the clearance system), most of which reward the player for completion.

The new weapon upgrade system is a WELCOME addition, as is the inability to buy many of your weapons right off the bat, instead having to locate them as you progress logically in the game's story, though thankfully these neither come too late, or too early. Atop this, locating weapon upgrades as you progress or by finding them in special 'Master Clearance' crates felt like a compelling and reasonable way to keep weapon node upgrades behind a system of progression whilst allowing the player to add often highly effective modifications to their weapons, such as the Weighted Blades for the Plasma Cutter.

The high price point of this title is honestly a big point of contention for myself, and I think I would concur that it is a bit high, especially for a game that, largely, we already may know the plot of. Despite that, the amount of polish and the amount of care that seems to have gone into this is impressive, and it shows for itself.

Good game over-all; great shooter-mechanics, fairly decent story which at times can be stellar, jaw-dropping environmental design (I'm looking at you, Dreaming City). Unfortunately my ability to recommend this game is.. somewhat degraded from a permanent place among my 'grab-this-immediately-list'. With continuous operating costs (Paid DLC, Paid Seasonal Content, albeit much of it tends to be good), Destiny 2 tends to become prohibitively expensive for many players, especially those who cannot readily drop sixty dollars every few months on content they may never actually have time to play/experience before it is vaulted forever. I can easily recall many-a-time where a lack of access to some extraneous paid content has prevented my friends and I from having fun together. This game is not friendly to people who can become easily burnt out on games, as taking a hiatus may mean you will miss out on rewards, loot, and critical or fun story. That being said, despite the high price-tag and a number of other glaring issues here and there, Destiny 2 -is- still a -good- game, even with it's shortcomings. Do you like being a space-magic-wielding bad-ass? Do you like exploring intimate and extensive lore? Do you.. crave violence? Of course you do. It's a part of you.

A vast and inspiring land of wonder, mystery, and dragons.