Future 2: Lightfall Assessment | TheXboxHub

The present story arc present in Future 2 appears to have been occurring for an age, and the newest chapter of it, entitled Lightfall, is now right here, promising to maneuver the narrative alongside. However can it match the highs of the final enlargement, The Witch Queen, or is it extra of a humid squib? Properly, there’s just one solution to discover out, and that’s to dive in headlong. Seize your ghosts Guardian, we’re moving into. 

Let’s take a look on the narrative first, as right here the information is – sadly – fairly dangerous. With none spoilers, I can reveal that we have now an entire new planet to go and go to this time, as there’s a metropolis known as Neomuna that has popped up on Neptune; one which we had been utterly unaware of. Sure, that’s proper, in a galaxy that it appeared we had explored to the final asteroid, we one way or the other managed to overlook a complete metropolis. 

After all, the information that it’s there was shared with not solely the Witness, the large dangerous of this story, however with Emperor Calus and his Shadow Legion. What this implies is that the as soon as peaceable metropolis is about to have a number of unwelcome guests, and at first, as at all times, that features us Gentle Bearers. We now have to cease Calus and The Witness, save the world (once more) and attempt to hold the Traveller protected. Can we do it? Will anybody ever care?

To be brutally sincere, the story present in Future 2: Lightfall is terrible. It is filled with cliches, it is rather exhausting to care in regards to the destiny of the one two individuals we are able to work together with, and far, far more. The entire recreation this time round appears to be like an prolonged coaching montage from an 1980’s motion movie, as we try to be taught to make use of the brand new subclass, known as Strand. We now have to be taught to drift, to not attempt to management the subclass, however to maneuver in concord with it. All in all, it’s fairly painful to play by way of. Osiris, probably the most highly effective Warlock ever, keep in mind, appears to have was a needy type of emo child, continually doubting his personal powers and making an attempt to information us; this will get previous fairly quick too. Nonetheless, the story, whereas a significant half, isn’t the entire enlargement. Fortunately. 

The brand new location, Neomuna, is fairly sufficient in a neon, Tron type of approach, with a really cool quantity of verticality in-built. However why, within the identify of all that’s holy, is there a metropolis with solely two dwelling individuals in it? Rohan and Nimbus are Cloudstriders, an ideal title, and they’re cybernetically enhanced guardians of the entire planet. Sure, that’s proper, a metropolis so large that we have to experience our Sparrows to get wherever, has a grand complete of two defenders. The remainder of the inhabitants? They’ve been uploaded into the cloud. Sure, actually. 

After all, the Vex have a go at this too, so when the Taken flip up, the one factor lacking is the Fallen to actually make it a celebration. Nonetheless, all of it appears good, and whereas the voice work isn’t going to win any awards, all of it works fairly nicely. Nonetheless, with Rohan being the grizzled veteran, and Nimbus in place because the younger and reckless character, Lightfall may have been known as Future 2: Deadly Weapon and nobody would have batted an eyelid – it seems the writers have been watching far too many buddy motion pictures when penning this travesty. And Nimbus is so unrelentingly cheerful it makes your set off finger itch…

So, what else does the Lightfall enlargement introduce? Properly, there’s a new Raid promised for later down the road (you’re March tenth) and to be sincere it will need to be an excellent one to make up for the frustration thus far. It additionally brings in an entire new Darkness subclass, Strand, which for some weird cause, regardless of coaching with it for just about the entire recreation, you may’t even have and use till after the narrative is full. 

There are a few new actions too, particularly Defiant Battlegrounds, which is just about the identical as all the opposite flavours of Battleground which can be within the recreation, and Terminal Overload, a type of large occasion in Neomuna that sees you chasing about all over making an attempt to defeat waves of Vex and Cabal – whereas this can be a little bit of enjoyable, it’s punishingly exhausting. 

There may be additionally one new Strike added, however to be sincere it’s fairly unforgettable. The brand new enlargement raises our Gentle to 1600, and to be able to even make a dent in a number of the enemies wandering in regards to the metropolis, you might want to have no less than 1780 Gentle. To place that in context, after ending the marketing campaign and grinding as many occasions as attainable, I’m at 1759 Gentle; the enemies within the metropolis can fairly one shot me, even now, and that is considerably galling. The grind is actually actual right here, that’s for rattling certain. 

There’s a new season included within the enlargement too – the Season of the Defiant – and this brings with it the standard type of quests that you’d count on; enjoying the brand new occasions and so forth to earn season rank, which may give you some good gear, together with a brand new Unique bow known as Vergals Curve. Apart from that, it’s fairly enterprise as standard, and in case you have performed any of the earlier seasons in Future 2 you can be proper at residence. 

The general feeling I’m left with after enjoying Future 2: Lightfall is certainly one of disappointment. The Witch Queen set a really excessive bar for this to reside as much as, and it simply doesn’t. The gunplay and traversal are pretty much as good as ever, nevertheless it have to be mentioned that if they’d messed that up, then Bungie might have had a revolt on their palms. I’m not utterly satisfied by Strand simply but, nonetheless preferring to maintain my hammers (I play primarily as a Titan, as everyone knows Titan’s are the perfect, proper?), however I can see with a little bit of apply it may turn into a great tool within the arsenal. I feel the perfect level I could make in regards to the story right here is that I really don’t need to play it with my different characters as it’s such a slog and never very a lot enjoyable. 

Being blunt, Future 2: Lightfall is a let down. The blessing is that the gunplay and motion are pretty much as good as ever, however silly problem spikes (I spawned again into town after a mission straight right into a public occasion that I had no approach of surviving) and poor writing make Lightfall a chore to play. Even the brand new enemies, Tormentors, seem at random intervals within the story however are by no means used to their full potential, and all of it combines to imply that there are extra misses than hits on this enlargement. 

Future 2: Lightfall is on the Xbox Retailer