DESTIN Y 2

A sure-fire sequel that’s for everyone

Format PS4 ETA 8 Sep Pub Activision Dev Bungie

Bungie’s inevitable space MMO shooter sequel might not be a drastic reinvention, but it’s certainly the best we’ve ever seen the Destiny formula look. An impressive feat, given everything in the world’s now rubble. And on fire.

Narratively and structurally, everything’s been burnt to the ground, so old players and new can start on a level playing field. A long and hard-fought journey lies ahead: to regain your stolen powers, acquire new guns, and stick it to the invading Cabal. There’ll be more in-game lore to delve into via side-quests called Adventures; significantly larger world areas means more exploration. Dungeon-style Lost Sector missions will pit players against bosses for rewards, and we’ll even get standalone treasure maps to follow.

TEAM COME TRUE

It all means more content than ever for those PVE players who prefer a mostly solo Destiny experience. Also geared toward lone wolves is the new ‘Guided Games’ feature. (It’s matchmaking for Raids, basically. Finally.) You’ll go shopping through Destiny 2’s new Clans, choosing a group that seem like nice folks to join temporarily. Voilà – an evening of co-op puzzling and shooting can be yours, hassle-free. The idea is that you might end up making more online friends this way – and that those who missed out on Destiny 1’s best content can be more involved in things this time around.

So far, Destiny 2’s making a great case for itself. Some might say it doesn’t look innovative enough, but why reinvent when you’ve got a phenomenon to build on?