Second Runner Up: Destiny: Rise of Iron
A game released in a light vanilla form, Destiny has routinely been dependent on its expansions, occasional content payloads delivering to tiring players additional stories, missions, and plainly, just more things to do. Rise of Iron, the fourth expansion to Bungie’s space shooter universe, manages to hit all of these goals with a few notable highs.
Center to Rise of Iron’s conflict is SIVA, a forgotten nanobot virus breaking through the protective walls of Felwinter Peak. Undeniable are connections to Game of Thrones, as the snowy peaks and dutiful Iron Lords play as a dramatic and deceptively nostalgic backdrop.
SIVA-infected enemies fight with new fervor, especially within the thrilling Wrath of the Machine. Rise of Iron’s greatest accomplishment is a raid that rests entirely on complex combat scenarios and fresh tactical challenges. Similarly entrancing are the Gjallahorn quest line and the Archon’s Forge public arena. Their tight design in both scope and gameplay make for electrifying moments within a short story.
Though its length and range of novelty fell short of last year’s The Taken King, Rise of Iron receives our nod for its thrilling scenes, decidedly exciting additions, and success in bringing fun back for Guardians, even as Destiny moves into a third year.
