Want to play the Destiny Beta? Enter to win access codes now

By Adam Rosenberg Published March 3, 2016

destiny beta enter to win access codes v2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Read our full Destiny review.

Want to play the Destiny beta but didn’t pre-order it to get a code? Not to worry! We’ve got a whole mess of codes to give away!

Destiny isn’t out until September 9, but the PlayStation beta kicks off on July 17 and the Xbox beta on July 23. The tests are running on both versions of each console, and the codes you stand to win here work with any of them. You’ll need to sign up for an account on Bungie.net and enter the code in there, and that’s when you pick which console you want to play on. Simple.

Bungie’s first post-Halo effort has shown a lot of promise in what we’ve seen so far. It feels functionally similar in some ways to Master Chief’s adventures, with a fast pace to the action and hordes of aliens to blast, but all of it plays out against an online-connected universe that’s filled with other players. Each code, once redeemed on Bungie.net, gets you three download codes in all so you can get two friends in on the action in the game’s three-person Squads. Note that all players need to be running on the same console in order to play together.

For more on Destiny, check out our latest hands-on preview.

Destiny Beta Code Access contest details:

Starts: Now!
Ends: Monday July 14 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Codes we’re giving away: 35 beta access codes
Winners announced: Tuesday, July 15
Regions supported: You must live in the United States, UK, Suomi, Sverige, South Africa, or Poland
Systems supported: You must own a PS4, PS3, Xbox One, or Xbox 360
Accounts: Players must have a Bungie.net account and PSN/Xbox Live account
Beta Access: Access period begins at 7 a.m. ET on July 17 for PlayStation consoles and on July 23 for Xbox consoles
Random: Winners are chosen at random
Don’t get greedy: One entry per person

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don’t win, stay tuned! We have many more giveaways coming this summer! Next week, we’ll have 10 LG G3 Android phones to win.

(Go to DestinyTheGame.com/beta to pre-order Destiny and receive beta access.)

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

If you love game history, you need to try Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration

Video game collections are becoming more common these days as companies look back on their past. That’s great for game preservation, but collections like Super Mario 3D All-Stars can ultimately feel underwhelming when the end product is little more than a simple port. Atari’s classic lineup of games is no stranger to this treatment; you can play an Atari 2600 game collection on pretty much any platform you desire. Due to the overwhelming amount of Atari collections out there, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration might not seem like a compelling release at first.
That’s why it’s more of a surprise that it sets a new standard for this kind of game collection.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Trailer
In practice, Atari 50 feels like a museum exhibit-turned-video game. It made me feel like I was walking through the Smithsonian’s The Art of Video Games exhibit for the first time, except everything is about Atari's 50-year history. Not only does Atari 50 contain everything from Pong to some of the weirdest titles the Atari Jaguar had to offer, but it embellishes those games with trivia, scans of game-related material from the time, and video interviews with people connected to them. Anyone who loves gaming history owes it to themselves to check out Atari 50.
Eclipsing other collections
Digital Eclipse has been bringing old games to new platforms for years -- it made Atari game collections for the original PlayStation. Over time, it has slowly put more effort into its approach, moving beyond mere emulation. Earlier this year, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection included the Turtle’s Lair, which had boxes, manuals, ads, catalogs, comics, TV show clips, and development document. Atari 50 takes that one step further by transforming similar content into exhibit-like Interactive Timelines.
From its title screen, you can immediately access almost all of Atari 50’s 100-plus game lineup. The real draw, though, is choosing one of five Interactive Timelines recounting Atari’s 50-year history. Arcade Origins focuses on the founding of Atari, its earliest success, weird prototypes, and classic arcade games that were released from 1971 to 1984. “Birth of the Console” is about the creation, hits, and triumphs of the Atari 2600, while “High and Lows” discusses the video game crash of 1983 and how the Atari 5200 and 7800 fared during it.
The context art is created in and the legacy it leaves behind are as important as the art itself ...

Meanwhile, “The Dawn of PCs” recounts Atari’s efforts in the PC space from the Atari 400 and 800 in 1979 until the rare Atari Falcon’s release in 1992. Finally, “The 1990s and Beyond” covers everything else, emphasizing the Atari Lynx handheld and 32-bit Atari Jaguar home console. Games will pop up as players navigate these timelines, and you can play them at the press of a button. As is always the case with Digital Eclipse collections, the emulation is smooth, and players can access various visual filters and even the instruction manuals when pausing.
On top of that, almost every game included has some piece of trivia, scanned development document or ad, preserved commercial, or relevant interview to check out. Notable former Atari developers like Pong creator Al Alcorn and programmer Tod Frye frequently appear in these videos, but other prominent industry figures like Double Fine’s Tim Schafer and former Epic Games dev Cliff Bleszinski show up to offer their thoughts. The context art is created in and the legacy it leaves behind are as important as the art itself, so it’s incredible to see Digital Eclipse’s effort to include all this supplemental information.

Gaming

I can’t wait to go back to Street Fighter 6’s excellent Battle Hub

street fighter 6 battle hub preview arcade cabinet

Fighting games live or die on their online communities. Of course, basic functions like rollback netcode and cross-play are essential to a healthy fighting game, but Street Fighter 6 goes further by creating an online hub that celebrates the series and gives players somewhere to hang out between matches. Call it a metaverse if you must, but in reality, the Battle Hub is one-third of the Street Fighter 6 package and will likely be home to the communities and tournaments that ensure people will play the game for years to come.
It was also the focus of the Closed Beta for Street Fighter 6 this past weekend, which gave me a second chance to go hands-on with the game after falling in love with it at Summer Game Fest Play Days. The core 1-v-1 fights are still a joy to play and the beta’s new characters -- Juri, Kimberly, Guile, and Ken -- all come with the exciting combos and flashy animations. But really, I came away impressed with the groundwork Capcom is laying for Battle Hub and its implications for World Tour mode.
What’s the hubbub about?
The Battle Hub is one of three options players can choose right from the main menu of Street Fighter 6, and when selected, it tasks players with creating a character avatar that will represent them. I didn’t spend too much time with these options, but they seemed quite in-depth for those who enjoy a detailed character creator. After creating a blue-haired and face-tattooed fighter, I was thrust into the Battle Hub’s futuristic arcade.

Multiplayer hubs as a replacement for simple menus aren't a new concept for fighting games (Bandai Namco games like Dragon Ball FighterZ have done this for a while). Still, for Capcom’s first attempt at one, the Battle Hub is full of personality and things to do. Its stark blue colors, a plethora of screens, and many gameplay cabinets make it feel like the high-tech arcade Capcom wants it to be.
As soon as I entered, I could walk around, emote, and perform classic Street Fighter moves the Hadoken with button presses. I was also near two kiosks. At one, I could register and view tournaments and Street Fighter 6 events, although none were available for me during this Closed Beta. The other one was the Hub Goods Shop, where I could buy clothes and other gear to customize my character further with the currency I accrued while playing.
The other kiosks on the main level weren’t available in this Closed Beta outside a screen that showed which player in our server was performing the best. I then headed toward the arcade cabinets, most of which form a circle around the center of the Battle Hub. One person has to sit on each side to initiate a Street Fighter 6 match. While it’s a bit annoying to sit and wait for someone to play with you, I could always find an opponent if I looked around at every cabinet. Hopefully, the final game will have an option to get into fights slightly faster for those who want to simply jump into it.

Gaming

The best horror games of all time

The deranged doctor gets ready to mutilate someone in Outlast

The best horror games all have something in common: The ability to deliver a feeling of unease that someone or something is on your tail -- with sinister plans to take you out. Games have only become more frightening as technology has evolved, and with so many excellent horror games, it's time to put a spotlight on the scariest games we've ever played.

Luckily, there's no shortage of titles designed to send you into a heart-racing and adrenaline-pumping frenzy, and we've highlighted a few of our favorites below. Some of them lean into action, while others are more focused on survival, with a few options in between. The one thing they all share is that they're designed to make you feel like anything could be lurking around the next corner.