The most expensive video game in history – and one of the most anticipated of all time – is finally available to players.

Queues formed outside stores as consumers waited for a minute past midnight to get a copy of Destiny.

We’re fortunate enough to have been given a copy of the game which we’ll be playing soon and reviewing in due course. We don’t want to rush anything half-baked out so we’ll give a measured and honest assessment of it when we can.

In the meantime, if you’re a little unsure of what the hype around Destiny is all about, here is our pocket guide with everything you need to know.

News Shopper:

  • With a budget of $500m US (£310m), the game is the most expensive ever made.
  • It was developed by studio Bungie, maker of the Halo franchise, and published by Activision, which is behind the Call Of Duty series.
  • Destiny is set 700 years in the future, with Earth and humanity in the midst of a war with a mysterious entity called The Darkness and its various alien allies.
  • Destiny is trying to fuse together several different genres of video game into one playable universe. While there is a main story mode, like other first-person shooter (FPS) games, a huge part of Destiny's appeal and mystery is found in the "shared world" aspect - online against other players. Destiny takes places within a single universe - containing every player - and gamers can meet up and interact with each other as they go about their missions.
  • Even once players have completed the central story mode, there will be a vast number of side missions to complete with friends and other gamers. In short, no one yet knows exactly how big the Destiny universe is.
  • The vast array of upgrades on offer to characters will probably please role-playing game (RPG) fans.
  • Kevin VanOrd has written on the GameSpot website the title "has the look and feel of a big-budget shooter" and "the structure of a lean, loot-driven role-playing game".

What Bungie says:

Bungie president Harold Ryan: "Destiny is the game we've always wanted to make. We've dreamt of this universe for years, so we couldn't be more thrilled to swing open the doors and let fans shape this experience as they tell their unique stories in the game.

“For us, the next generation of games is all about allowing players to collide and interact with each other as they take on epic, action-packed adventures all their own."

What Activision says:

Eric Hirshberg, chief executive of Activision: "Destiny has been a labour of love and a remarkable creative journey for everyone at Activision and Bungie.

"We feel that we have the opportunity to launch something huge - not just into the gaming landscape, but the pop cultural landscape. Arriving at our launch day with this much support and enthusiasm from fans and retailers is downright exciting. Moments like this just don't come around very often."

What do you say?

If you’ve played Destiny, what do you think of it so far? Is it meeting your expectations? Tell us your views on its release in the comments below.

Meanwhile, we’d love to see pictures of those late-night queues or of you with your hands on the game. Click here to email your snaps

Destiny is out now for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One