We just got our first major look at 'Destiny 2' - here's what we learned

LOS ANGELES - On Thursday morning, in front of a packed crowd of journalists and YouTube personalities at Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles, Bungie finally gave fans their first real look at "Destiny 2," the sequel to the popular sci-sci shooter that's scheduled to launch in September.

Bungie, the company behind the original "Halo" games, released the first "Destiny" game in September 2014, but several expansions and major updates over the last three years radically changed how players experienced that game. Now that "Destiny" has received its final update, Bungie is focusing all its efforts on the full-game sequel, set to launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, as well as PC for the first time, on September 8.

Late last month, Bungie sent me a package filled with clues about "Destiny 2," which served as a lead-up to Thursday's big gameplay unveiling. But now we finally have the first real details about the game, how it will look, and more importantly, how it will play:

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• The event started off with a cinematic showing Zavala, one of the quest-givers in the first "Destiny" game, talks about what it means to be a Guardian. You watch him fight, die, and come back to life. He visits outposts, and greets characters from the first game. It's essentially showing the events that led up to everything in "Destiny 1."
• Luke Smith takes the stage after the cinematic. "'Destiny 2' is going to be a new experience for everyone," He says. "It's an opportunity to start fresh."
• There are three things Bungie focused on for "Destiny 2": a world that pulls you in (having a story you can relate to, having characters you want to hang out with, and enemies you want to face); amazing things to do, no matter your mood, for both solo players and people who like multiplayer, including 4v4 multiplayer; and cooperative experiences (public events, strikes, and raids).
• Smoth says 50% of "Destiny" players didn't experience a raid. "That's not good enough for 'Destiny 2,'" he says.
• The vision for "Destiny 2" boils down to a simple statement: "It's a world I want to be in," Smith says.

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