Wolfenstein 2 vs. Destiny 2: Which Should You Buy?

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus vs. Destiny 2

These past few weeks have been trying times for a gamer’s bank account. As if Super Mario Odyssey, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus all getting released on the same day wasn’t enough, you can’t forget the fact that an onslaught of other highly anticipated titles all released shortly before that. One of those highly anticipated releases was also one of the most hyped games of the year so far — Destiny 2.

Upon first glance, two highly successful AAA shooter franchises releasing around the same time feels like a special treat for fans of the genre. If you don’t have enough spare cash or time to dedicate to both of these titles, however, it could leave you with a serious dilemma. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus and Destiny 2 have both erupted onto the gaming scene as highly rated successors to their respective franchises. Both games pick right up where its predecessor left off, continuing the story and offering some meaningful improvements to gameplay.

In terms of what these games manage to accomplish, they have a lot in common. In terms of their actual stories, environments, mechanics, social features and replay value, on the other hand, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus and Destiny 2 couldn’t be any more different. So if you want to find out which game deserves your hard earned cash, you’ll have to first figure out what elements of a shooter matter the most to you.

Story and Setting

If you are looking for a new shooter that has a compelling story both Destiny 2 and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus will be worth your money. Creating an immersive environment that serves as a great backdrop to a complex story is one thing that both of these games get right from beginning to end. While both of these worlds are crafted beautifully, however, the way they deliver the story and introduce players to their new environments are drastically different.

Destiny 2 continues an intergalactic journey across a vast solar system. The story picks up where the previous game left off — having players revisit the crumbled remains of the The Tower. A devastating invasion led by the Red Legion commander, Ghaul, has forced the Guardians to rebuild after humanity’s last safe city has fallen. The environments are still a dream come true for lovers of all things sci-fi and futuristic.

Wolfenstein 2 is on the other end of the spectrum, taking players back in time to 1961 and reimagining America as a country controlled by Nazi rule. There are no other worldly creatures here but there are certainly tons of monsters — and it won’t even take an hour of gameplay for you to see what I mean. Rather than create an entirely new world pulled strictly from a designer’s imagination, Wolfenstein 2 creates alternate versions of real American cities. That decision makes some of the game’s darker themes hit that much harder when you see familiar places suddenly riddled with hateful propaganda. Exploring in Destiny 2 will often leave you gushing over beautiful scenery but Wolfenstein 2 focuses far more on pulling you deeper and deeper into a dark world.

Gunplay

The gunplay featured in Destiny 2 and in Wolfenstein 2 will leave you with a wide grin on your face. The controls feel intuitive and smooth. Weapon recoil feels realistic without being overwhelming. The variety of different weapons at your disposal ensure that blasting through enemies will never become a monotonous task. Both of these games successfully accomplish what they set out to do. Destiny 2 offers a more technical shooter experience where there is a lot of thought behind what weapon you choose and how you decide to use it. Accuracy is extremely important and you won’t survive long if you’re not taking down enemies quickly and efficiently.

In this sense, it gives you the feel of a classic, technical shooter but Destiny 2 shines by still offering tons of customization options in gameplay. The different classes and abilities available in Destiny 2 mean players have far more control over how they want to play the game and how they want to approach combat. While Wolfenstein 2 also offers a variety of weapons and approaches to certain enemies and situations, the gameplay overall is far more uniform across the board than what you’ll have the chance to experience in Destiny 2.

B.J. Blazkowicz’s ability to dual wield full assault rifles and other powerful weapons means players can actually march through the game with a slight spray and pray mentality in certain situations. When you aren’t charging and blasting, plenty of opportunities for a more stealthy approach still take some of the pressure off of you in terms of weapon accuracy. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean accuracy doesn’t play a role at all in Wolfenstein 2. If you’re constantly missing shots your enemies will definitely capitalize on your mistakes unless you become a pro at taking cover and hunting down an abundance of ammo. There is simply more room for errors in Wolfenstein 2 and a system that doesn’t demand as much accuracy as Destiny 2 does.

Replay Value

If replay value is a make or break factor in your decision making process, the choice between Destiny 2 and Wolfenstein 2 is very clear. Wolfenstein 2 offers a great linear gaming experience and serves as a solid reminder that not every great game has to be accompanied by sandbox gameplay. Wolfenstein has a story that needs to be honed in and focused or else the entire narrative could have been at risk of being watered down. While this does offer a great narrative-driven experience, it doesn’t offer much for you to do after the credits start rolling. You’ll still get a ton of gameplay time out of Wolfenstein 2 before you reach the end of the game, but once you do, your options for replay value are to simply go back and see if you can beat the game on a higher difficulty.

Destiny 2 proves to be the exact opposite. The campaign is relatively short but it walks you through the game’s story in a way that is still meaningful. Once you complete the campaign, however, the story isn’t done being told. As you continue to explore and venture into a variety of other game modes you’ll still be peeling back more layers of the world around you. Even if you aren’t interested in discovering more of the story that the intricate world in Destiny 2 has to tell, you can still spend hours of gameplay just enjoying Destiny 2’s variety of multiplayer game modes. You can spend time competing against friends, teaming up for raids, or just hunting down the best gear for your Guardian so you can show off in the game’s social spaces.

Which Should You Buy?

In all honesty, I would easily recommend that you bring both Wolfenstein 2 and Destiny 2 into your life at some point. Both titles have plenty to praise with shortcomings that hardly take away from the overall product. This is a case where choosing which game to buy has nothing to do with picking which game is “better.” Instead it’s a matter of what you are really looking for in your next shooter.

If you are the player who wants to dedicate hours and hours into a shooter and constantly receive rewards for your progress, Destiny 2 is a clear winner. While its story and world building are also impressive, they are accompanied by game modes and multiplayer features that give Destiny 2 a much longer lifespan than a game that has a more linear focus. Destiny 2 is full of customization options and opportunities for you to create a Guardian that stands out in The Farm or The Tower. With gunplay that also feels very technical and delightfully smooth, it will appeal to a wide range of fans of this particular genre.

But if you aren’t in the mood for a long term commitment and couldn’t care less about multiplayer features, you may want to spend your money on Wolfenstein 2 this time around. The narrative will introduce you to a dynamic cast of characters that each bring their own complexities to the gaming experience. While some are sources of comedy, others shine through their moral ambiguity and others serve as necessary guides to just move the story forward. Wolfenstein 2 provides tons of content for your initial playthrough but once you reach the end of the game there won’t be much reason to keep the game in your library unless you just want to challenge yourself with higher difficulties.