Following the mixed reception of its predecessor, Destiny 2 was released for the Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 6th. The game is a first-person shooter where you take the role of a guardian, an explorer, and a soldier who journeys around the solar system fighting hordes of aliens. Despite its recent release, the game’s developers, Bungie, the developers of the famous Halo franchise, reported that there are already millions of people playing it.

In 2014, Bungie released a brand new online shooter called Destiny. The game cost $500 million to develop, and sold that same number at retail. The graphics, music, and combat were epic.

However, the first game had many flaws. Upon release, the online multiplayer was unbalanced, post-game content was scarce, and the plot was almost non-existent. The game did improve with later expansions, downloadable content, patches, and other fixes from the developers, but for many, the game was a bit of a mixed-bag.

Destiny 2 is a major improvement over the first destiny. It takes the formula from the first game and improves on it. It starts out in a similar fashion with you creating a character and choosing one of the three classes that you can play as: Hunter, Titan, or Warlock.

Each of the classes have their own special abilities and combat styles. The Hunter is a quick, rogue-like character who can wield a golden gun and a staff made of lightning. The Titan is a tank who can set up shields to protect teammates and wield a shield of their own that they can use Captain America style. The Warlock is a magical character that can glide, heal other players, and wield a flaming sword.

After you choose your class, you can explore the five different planets in the game: Earth, Titan, Nessus, and Io. On Earth, you have “The Farm,” a social hub where you can chill between missions, and even play a game of soccer. You can play solo and meet other players along the way, or you can join your friends and work together. The game is always online, so you’ll see other players all the time.

Destiny 2 improves upon its predecessor’s unbalanced multiplayer system and features new game modes to add a change of pace.

In the story of the original game, you are given a bit of backstory, a very broad and confusing goal, and not much else. The game’s setting is in the distant future, after mankind entered a golden age of space travel and technological advancement. This was thanks to “the Traveler,” a mysterious sphere that granted humans incredible power and wisdom. Planets could be turned into vibrant environments capable of sustaining life. However, the Traveler was followed by something known as “the darkness,” almost wiping out humanity along the way. The Traveler then almost destroyed itself to banish the darkness, and save the remaining humans.

It’s a great set-up, but there’s not much else after that. The characters are given little backstory, and the objectives are kind of unexplained. They never state what the Traveler is, or why you in particular were chosen as a Guardian.

In Destiny 2, you’re given a much clearer objective. In this game, the last human stronghold on Earth is attacked by an army of aliens seeking to control the Traveler. Humanity is dispersed across the solar system, and most of the Guardians are left without their powers.

You, on the other hand are still gifted with power, and it’s up to you to rally the rest of mankind to take back Earth and the rest of the solar system. Along the way, you’ll meet new characters and learn more about the lore of this world. The voice-acting in the game is well done, including Nathon Fillion (Castle, Firefly) who adds great humor as Cayde, the robotic hunter. One of the characters that’s especially interesting is the new main villain (whose name escapes me, so we’ll refer him as the alien version of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises).

The plot can still be a bit thin at times, but it at least has a clear goal and more developed characters. The music to this game is outstanding, with incredible orchestral symphonies playing over the intense battles. My favorite part of the game is its environments and backdrops. From the ruins of Earth to the forests of Nessus and the oceans of Titan, there’s a lot to look at.

New features are soon to be added, including raids, which are adventures that you and your friends can take on together. Information on new DLC has been leaked as well, but there’s no release date for that as of now.

I myself have been hooked on this game since I bought it, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming content, as well as being online with friends. Whether you liked the previous Destiny or not, or maybe never played it, I believe this new online-shooter is worth a try.

4 out of 5 Spurs.