‘Destiny’ Cinematic Trailer: Star Wars Without Lightsabers (That We Know Of)

Bungie is no stranger to designing pulse-pounding cinematic trailers, and the first extended look at Destiny is no exception. It may not contain any actual gameplay, but it will definitely get fans excited for the Halo-developers next journey into deep space.

Stunning screenshots and inspired concept art prove that the studio’s desire to build movie-level settings and environments, but nothing compares to a highly-polished CG cinematic. A dusty landscape reminiscent of Star Wars and an emphasis on pack-hunting take center stage in this minute-long trailer, giving gamers an introductory lesson to ‘the law of the jungle.’

While it’s true that we would like an extended look at Destiny gameplay – now that it’s confirmed to be releasing on both the PS4 and Xbox One – the cinematic certainly succeeds at its main goal. That is, getting gamers anticipating the chance to see what it’s like to navigate alien environments as whatever type of playable character class they choose. The trailer gets us so excited, we almost forgot that Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Revolution) is reading from Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book.” Fame doesn’t mean power in the jungle, friend.

All of the bits and pieces that have been either alluded to in screenshots or talked about in great detail in past interviews are present in the trailer, from speeder-bikes to the massive armored enemies that players will be encountering. While the trailer certainly puts style over substance in terms of differentiating one character type from another, it gets one point across: working with other players isn’t just central to the gameplay, it’s central to the marketing as well.

The developers at Bungie aren’t exactly strangers to cooperative gameplay, in singleplayer or multiplayer, but how the studio plans to live up to their claims that Destiny will revolutionize the shooter genre remains to be seen. Obviously the ability to group up with other players and head into the chaotic wastelands (and sands) will be a large factor in gameplay; but we’ve done all that before.

At this point Bungie has earned the benefit of the doubt, so we’re willing to just enjoy this trailer for what it is: a not-too-subtle statement that the same kind of sci-fi/cowboy wonder and setting that made us all love the original Star Warstrilogy is alive and well. Particularly in the developer’s offices.

Given that “the strength of the wolf is the pack,” it’s obvious that Bungie is doing their best to subtly push more and more of their fans into online cooperative gameplay; an interesting request since their previous game was one story that many players preferred to experience on their own. Besides encouraging player interaction and teamwork, it also seems that the ‘story’ of Destiny will be much less restricted by the idea of a ‘beginning, middle and end’ than shooter fans may be used to. If not, at least we still get to go to Mars, right?

What do you think of the trailer? Does this look to be another hit for the studio in your eyes, or will you wait to see how the developer handles the shift from current consoles to next-gen before passing judgement? Sound off in the comments.

The trailer also promises a full reveal during Sony’s press conference at E3 2013, so stay tuned to Game Rant for that and more.

Destiny is without a launch date, but expected to release on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.