From the makers of the acclaimed hit game Destiny, comes the much-anticipated sequel. An action shooter that takes you on an epic journey across the solar system.

Destiny 2

• A Streamlined Future by Matt Miller
• Concept: Rebuild your legend after a devastating attack, and join friends to explore a fantasy vision of the solar system's future
• Graphics: Astonishing art design in every direction
• Sound: An awe-inspiring soundtrack lends emotional depth, while the voice cast carries the weight of a playful script
• Playability: Bungie's gunplay continues to set the industry standard
• Entertainment: A riveting campaign adventure that ably transitions into a cyclical game of progression, cooperation, and competition
• Replay: High

Bungie took a big chance when it chose to reset three years of progress and start all players, new and returning alike, at ground zero for Destiny 2. The risk has allowed for a reinvention of troublesome systems and a new opportunity for players to climb the level curve, while still maintaining the successes learned across the many updates of the first Destiny. The result is a game that is more accessible, streamlined, and sensible, with a clear through line in both gameplay and story. However, this refined sophomore effort in the Destiny universe comes at the cost of flexibility to play how you want and fully customize the experience as you go.

Newcomers to Destiny 2 will discover the same core precepts that have kept others engaged for years. Hundreds of years in the future, humanity's fate has been reshaped by a powerful alien entity, spreading our reach across the solar system. A later inexplicable collapse has left a scattered people scrambling for survival, guided and protected by deathless Guardian warriors. The fiction seamlessly melds fantasy and sci-fi tropes into a richly imagined setting. Gameplay features remarkably taut FPS gunplay enhanced with seemingly magical powers. Your character grows in power alongside friends that inhabit the same public playspaces, and they join you in all manner of integrated exploits.

If the first Destiny introduced the universe, Destiny 2 is the story that begins to make meaningful changes to the status quo. With no mention of a nebulous Darkness to be found, we instead have a game all about Light, a power that sets humanity apart and represents concepts of hope, self-sacrifice, and resilience. That focus on Light and its meaning lends an optimistic tone to the plot. In the wake of a devastating opening in which The Last City is brought to ruin, the Guardians are scattered, and power lost. The dramatic setup leads to a coherent and straightforward tale that spans the solar system, and culminates in several stellar set piece confrontations, including a thoughtfully concocted central villain. Individual missions are varied and smartly paced, and I love that we get some more insight into the minds of our supporting cast.

I relished the adventure, but some of the magic and mystery I've come to expect is absent. Some of the most troublesome and cryptic story elements from the earlier game also made its universe feel bigger and stranger, and I'm not sure Bungie has managed to replace characters like the Awoken Queen, or design concepts like the Grimoire, with equally curious alternatives. Most enemy types return from Destiny 1 with only minor alteration, diminishing the disquiet of facing a new threat.

Humanity's last safe city has fallen to an overwhelming invasion force, led by Ghaul, the imposing commander of the brutal Red Legion. He has stripped the city's Guardians of their power, and forced the survivors to flee. You will venture to mysterious, unexplored worlds of our solar system to discover an arsenal of weapons and devastating new combat abilities. To defeat the Red Legion and confront Ghaul, you must reunite humanity's scattered heroes, stand together, and fight back to reclaim our home.