Held up as a prime example of вЂњmissing the point,вЂќ and lately, retconned into representing some kind of fictional anti-gamer conspiracy, it is widely disliked. This infamous line from Edge magazineвЂ™s low-scoring review of DOOM has become something of a running joke. The death of your enemies is so mathematically brilliant No, this cinematic is little more than the animation of a bowling computer, a setting-up of the pins before the next strike. After all, the player never gets to pick her way amongst flurries of snow, stalking alongside the Fallen just as they quest on an unknown purpose. ItвЂ™s a promising start, recalling that first mysterious bit of concept art, but it is also a false promise. The opening cinematic of the gameвЂ™s new expansion, House of Wolves, begins with Fallen soldiers stalking through an icefield, in darkness now, lit by a ominously hovering Servitor. Perhaps it is something Bungie have noticed too, as they have chosen to revisit that first image, to fill in the sketch a little more. Perhaps it has something to do with the distance between that first image and the final headshot: a gulf between the promise of a mysterious alien race, fed by ornate technology, clothed in ragged scraps, stalking through the snows of a distant world, and their long and endless genocide at your very capable hands. Yet, there is also something distinctly unsatisfying about the Fallen. Even after the thousandth time, a Fallen headshot, snatched in just the right moment, can emanate a feeling of simple satisfaction. This kinesthetic combination of sound and image, the result of many hours of work by a team of skilled artists, has the feel of being tuned to perfection. All this is scored to the creatureвЂ™s four arms clutching at their now-absent faces, before they slump dramatically to the floor. This crisp shiiink is followed swiftly by the unmistakable whine of a soul being released from its material bindings to dance among currents of pure energy. The sound that accompanies this uncorking is like the sound Coke bottles make on hot summer days. Put a bullet between their four wormy eyes and their heads pop off like champagne corks, releasing a chemical-white burst of ether. ThatвЂ™s not an insult-the Fallen are among the best things you can ever shoot in the head in a videogame. ThatвЂ™s because the most interesting thing you can do with one of the Fallen is shoot them in the head. Despite their long history, detailed lore, and strong design, the Fallen are at their best when they are simply targets arranged in just the right configuration. Their organizational structures, military tactics, beliefs, and desires were all detailed.Дespite this, in Destiny the Fallen mostly hang around in tight formation waiting for a player to turn up and gun them down. Thousands of words were written to expand their history, hint at their grand origins, their great fall. Their arachnid tanks marched across EarthвЂ™s shattered remains, their foot soldiers swarmed the MoonвЂ™s ghostly craters, and their captains hid in the dappled light of unearthly Venusian palms. They were modeled, designed, textured and scored, then delivered unto the muzzles of a million eager Guardians. It shows the kind of sophisticated and distinctive science fiction styling that often never makes it out of the concept design stage, remaining tantalisingly distant, a sketch yet to be filled in. There are hints of Warhammer 40kвЂ™s Tau in its design, shades of Half Life 2вЂ™s striders. Is there a person beneath that mask, we wonder, or a monster? Behind this figure a bulbous tank sits in the snow, its tan carapace suggesting an overgrown beetle, weaponised and marked for war. Like Tusken Raiders in arctic garb, their cloaked shapes and concealed faces draw us in. The figure closest to us has tubes and straps loomed around his chest it looks out with dimly glowing eyes. In this early image they are picking their way across a winter landscape, hidden beneath domed helmets, long cloaks, and fur collars. Long before the gameвЂ™s release, and longer still before the Fallen-themed expansion, House of Wolves, it was these four-armed aliens that were the vanguard. It was a simple reveal, but a careful one, with Bungie knowing well enough that the Fallen would come to be one of the gameвЂ™s most compelling races. Appearing in a lone piece of concept art, trickled out by Bungie in response to a leak.

The Fallen were the first thing we saw of Destiny.

Destiny house of wolves quest line