At last, Destiny is playable. And I've seen it. Is this what a billion-dollar game looks like?

Destiny is receiving billing as one of biggest new titles of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) video game tradeshow this week. After years of hype, this sci-fi shooter is finally playable in its alpha-testing form. That could mean that the game is on track for its Sept. 9 release.

Activision believes that Bungie‘s new game is destined to be its next billion-dollar franchise. Chief exec Bobby Kotick said so in a recent call with analysts. Soon enough, gamers will be able to decide that for themselves. In the meantime, the few of us who have played it will have to decide whether the experience is truly unique. I got a good look at it over the past few days. It looks beautiful, and it plays well, but it isn’t quite as fun as some other shooter games on the market.