Destiny 2: 5 Ups & 5 Downs
An unbelievably gorgeous game with an insidiously ugly side.
Have you realised just how many formerly naff franchises have not only saved themselves from total obscurity, but actually released/been patched into incredible games?
No Man's Sky is now an enjoyable space-exploration romp with mission boards and base-building (I know!), Watch Dogs 2 had some of the best characters and enjoyable gameplay in recent memory, and now Destiny 2 sees Bungie righting almost every major wrong from that initial 2014 release.
Gone is the maudlin, self-serious tone (for the most part) and in is an actual story. A story with characters, villains, plot and motivation! Now don't get too carried away - such things are as basic as they come - and it remains a spectacular misfire that the original Destiny shipped as more of a glorified empty filing cabinet awaiting content through DLC, but it's a start.
Indeed, the Bungie of 2017 are a completely different beast to that of the 2000s - one ensnared by Activision's corporate whims and microtransaction-loving ways, resulting in something that CAN feel genuinely phenomenal when everything clicks into place, but will just as easily exploit your lizard brain-love for shiny things and instant satisfaction the next.