Why 'Destiny 2' Is The Fresh Start Bungie Needs To Stay Relevant

The big gameplay reveal for Destiny 2 dropped last week and it was anything but a letdown, proving a defining moment for Bungie and signifying the start of a great year going forward for the FPS franchise. After all the issues, bugs and complaints with the first game in the series, Destiny was a fairly divisive game within the community. Some players loved it, some were indifferent, others found it abhorrent. I was somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed it on day one, but then once it became overpopulated and the raid/strike/Crucible grinds began, that's when I faded out because I'm very much a solo player.

And I wasn't alone. Many other gamers out there felt gypped because they couldn't experience the expansiveness of the game without finding other gamers outside the game.

We vented on subreddits, threads, blogs and social media. And you know what? Bungie did something that not all game developers do: It listened and did the unthinkable, wiping the slate clean in an effort to bring new and veteran players together with the promise of a fresh experience.

Bungie is making big promises.

Over the last three years, players have waited to discover what Bungie would deliver in the sequel that we all assumed was coming. Would it be a completely new story? Would it redefine the franchise? Would it become the next #Halo?

With all the questions floating around, the team at Bungie took the complaints of the players to heart in an effort to unify gamers — which, for any developer, would seem like a monumental task, considering the vast chasm between elite players and recreational ones. But with the changes that Bungie has claimed to be implementing, it sure as hell seems like its on the right path.

After watching the launch event via live stream, I was reminded of one over-arching theme: A new beginning. From the opening monologue to the first campaign mission, fans of the franchise saw very quickly that no matter who you are, Destiny 2 is going to appeal.

The fresh start is risky but looks like it will pay off.

Elegance is a word that isn't often paired with video games, but essentially Bungie came up with an elegant way to reset the curse of the #MMO. Current generation MMOs have been plagued with the same problem: How to get new players to join when the existing ones have such an obvious advantage.

Bungie's solution? Destroy everything that once was and rebuild from the ashes for #Destiny2. And that is an elegant way to reset the balance that will allow new players to join with elite players and start off fresh without feeling like we're all playing a different game.

With the first campaign mission an attempt to defend against Dominus Ghaul, a leader of one of the four races from the first Destiny game, this sets up players into the position of loss and rebirth. If you're new to the franchise, it will feel like you're stepping into a massive story as a young warrior. If you're a veteran player who put years into developing your character, the story will give you someone to hate and to rain down vengeance upon.

The story is the key, but it's not the only major change.

With Destiny 2, Bungie sought to create something engaging, which was one of the greatest complaints with Destiny — that the story didn't make sense and failed to end.

The plot of Destiny 2 is one of grandiose adventure, revival, and overcoming an enemy that is truly despicable and loathsome. Yet the quality that may be even more redeeming than the revamped story is the fact that Bungie has chosen to make Destiny 2 an open-world feel — a pre-release promise that was made with Destiny, but one that failed to capture the essence of a living world and of other characters doing their own thing and going about their lives.

In Destiny 2, players will be able to interact with characters to receive side quests, advance the main story and explore the largest world that Bungie has ever created. Rather than having to launch into orbit to select missions, players will interact real time with the game world to determine their path in the game, whether that's explore or advance.

Bungie wanted so much to make Destiny 2 a game that was a full experience, it's now been confirmed that the Grimoire cards will not be a part of Destiny 2. These cards were a way to expand the game's lore outside of Destiny, but Bungie wanted all the lore to be discoverable in game so that every player has equal footing when it comes to their journey.