Destiny Debuts and Jumpstarts a Hype Machine that Will Not Quit (VIDEO)

This game will dominate. The pedigree of Activision (Call of Duty) and Bungie (Halo) is enough to instantly and forever put Destiny on the minds and in the hearts of gamers everywhere no matter what happens. That is, months from now, Destiny could be a steaming pile, but because of the history of the companies behind it, the franchise will still have a fighting chance and loyal apologists. That's what the official release on the game says, anyway.

The fact of the matter is these are companies who've invested, gambled and succeeded with two of the biggest first person shooter franchises in history and through osmosis alone you'd think Destiny would at least look and feel original, polished and with a robust multiplayer component. The basic premise seems to you're always developing and customizing your character as you play in the game's story, co-operative and community play modes. The main wrinkle being that community mode. Details are fuzzy but it seems World of Warcraft style posses of players can roll out together in this sci-fi shooter and overcome some overwhelming challenge as a team and reap rewards. From a gameplay stand point this could be something special if the deep space settings, gear and weapons of Destiny actually pan out as we travel to Venus and Mars. From a business perspective, Activision has been chomping at the bit for years to come up with a subscription-based FPS that will be as popular as Call of Duty and as lucrative as WoW. Setting up an arrangement with Bungie (makers of the only other game that can claim FPS supremacy) that will allow all parties to do what they do best sounds like the best shot at it.

Watch and learn, drink and enjoy the premise of Destiny before Activision does the other thing they do best: run successful franchises into the ground as soon as possible in pursuit of revenue.