I think I will be picking it up at some point though, you all have persuaded me that it's at least worth a look.

PS You really don't think it's strange that the cryptarch is giving out old exotics? It just seems to go against how the other expansions worked. I mean, about 5 seconds later I got a 243 rocket launcher from an engram I got from a package... so it's not like he's withholding the good stuff til later.

I imagine it was for a lot of people that were missing one or two exotics from Year 1, kind of a way to finish off your Year 1 collection. And for those of us that had all of them, you got a PS exotic which now you can get the Year 2 version for Marks. He won't be giving out year 1 exotics from here on out unless you pick up a Year 1 engram from Xur.

I don't think any regular gamers knew about the free exotics.

I assumed it was to give all the XBOX folks a chance at the previously-PS4 exclusives.

That, and just as a nice thing. They don't want to give you a brand new exotic 30 seconds into the new content, I understand that. But it's a nice thank you for buying and a good chance to help complete a Year One Collection. I got MIDA, which I didn't have. Everyone I've talked to received something they didn't already have, unless they had everything already. And for Xbox users, that means if you had all exotics, you were guaranteed a Hawkmoon.

I assumed it was to give all the XBOX folks a chance at the previously-PS4 exclusives.

TDB and HoW were clearly "expansions" to me because they added new content that fit very much within the mold of the game, and added some tweaks and improvements to a few things here and there. I wouldn't say they were transformative... they just gave us more to do and fixed a few little things along the way.

TTK feels fundamentally different to me (within the same basic FPS mechanics, obviously).

You all have played it far more than me (I'm only ~3 hours in). I'm hoping I come around to your side of the fence.

PS You really don't think it's strange that the cryptarch is giving out old exotics? It just seems to go against how the other expansions worked. I mean, about 5 seconds later I got a 243 rocket launcher from an engram I got from a package... so it's not like he's withholding the good stuff til later.

PPS I didn't watch any of the preview streams to try to limit spoilers. Maybe they explained this and that's why it didn't surprise others?

I agree. The evolution from D1 to TTK is very comparable to the one from Halo 1 to Halo 2.

I don't understand.

TTK feels fundamentally different to me (within the same basic FPS mechanics, obviously).

To me, TTK felt like an enormous step forward. It felt more like a sequel than an expansion pack.

This is mostly due to the amount of new content (I've played two nights on only one character and haven't come close to completing the content), the new story missions/cutscenese/storylines blowing the old story out of the water.

I completely disagree with your critique of re-use of assets. Dreadnought is enormous and new. Going back through old spaces was used lightly enough and in novel ways to still feel fresh. I particularly liked going through the Crota raidspace solo.

I know a lot of people didn't like D1, and I have probably sounded like a Bungie apologist in the past--but wow. To me, these new cutscenes and story missions were jaw dropping. In my own dense way, playing through TTK made a light bulb go off in my head--I finally understood the disconnect between what people wanted out of Destiny and what it actually was. TTK made me excited about the present of Destiny and gave me "hope for the future."

It is a new game. Full stop.

Maybe it's my time away from the game, but this is absurd to me. It's the same old stuff, just a little different/better/worse.

How is this remotely the case? That's like saying Halo 2 is "the same old stuff" as Halo 1. We have boatloads of new content... but more importantly, the new content is substantially better than the old content. Bungie has learned valuable lessons and applied them across the board. Storytelling, mission design, weapon design, enemy behavior... it's all better.

To me it is very clearly a sequel, except it fits on top of the original game rather than replacing it.

I completely agree with you, but I will say: if someone didn't like the core shooter gameplay, or the fact that it's an RPG in addition to a shooter, this won't save it for them.

I love the core gameplay, that's why I've stuck around so long. TTK doesn't feel at all like a sequel. It seems like some "new" missions and UI changes more than anything else. You seriously think this is similar to the amount of game as from Halo 2 to Halo 3?

I didn't say that... H2 to H3 was a new generation of hardware. Bigger difference, for sure.

I think the story missions in TTK do not feel at all like the D1 story missions. It's still Destiny combat, so they have that in common, but there are actual set pieces now, story beats and character developments, segments with unique gameplay mechanics that don't repeat anywhere else in the campaign, genuine surprises, etc.

Almost all of the story missions in D1 were "go here, scan this, defend this area while enemies attack". Occasionally they'd throw a boss at you. TTK is on another level. And the new strikes take things a step further. I've only done 2 so far, but they're both fantastic. Interesting and unique mechanics, and more setpiece moments that make each strike feel like its own experience.

I love the core gameplay, that's why I've stuck around so long. TTK doesn't feel at all like a sequel. It seems like some "new" missions and UI changes more than anything else. You seriously think this is similar to the amount of game as from Halo 2 to Halo 3?

Halo 2 to Halo 3? No. Halo 1 to Halo 3? Yes.