Despite the mixed reception toward Destiny, I’ve been enjoying the game immensely. If you’ve followed media and analyst reports however, much of the criticism points to the gameplay being less than stellar, and is indicative of an industry that’s run out of fresh ideas. Ouch. Compared to other big releases, Destiny’s aggregate score suggests a hit-or-miss experience among gamers on various platforms (Xbox One reportedly held the highest score of 79 several weeks ago.)

Destiny might very well be one of the more entertaining titles I’ve played this year, there’s certainly room for improvement. That inspired me to come up with a list of suggestions. Now, here’s the thing – I know some of you could come up with an extensive list of ideas that would make it more fulfilling for you, please understand these are my personal opinions. And for the sake of time (and everyone’s attention span), I’ve narrowed the list down to five ideas that touch upon being fun, useful and in some instances, warranted.

5. A more expansive world 

Despite the official acknowledgement as an MMO, Destiny doesn’t seem to be all that vast and exciting to be explore in its current state. Recently, details leaked additional content that’s actually included on the native disc, sparking controversy over the revelation in similar fashion as the incident related to Street Fighter x Tekken. Personally, I want to take on more than a few DLC-based missions. I wish we could actually go deeper into exploring certain parts of Earth, Venus and the Reef.

There’s a bunch of NPCs scattered throughout the Tower – but they don’t really serve an actual purpose. I am all for leveling up and taking on PvP and PvE campaigns, but there’s so much untapped potential that Bungie could have included in this universe to keep players more actively engaged. I think a sandbox-type environment featured throughout each planet would make the Destiny more immersive for everyone.

4. Racing Mode

The Ghost’s ability to let you summon vehicles that appear virtually out of thin air spoke to the inner geek in me. I started thinking of how cool it would be if there was a specific game mode in which players could engage in races or perhaps tie-in specific missions that required you to reach a destination in a certain time.

If Bungie really wanted to have some fun with this, they could requip the Sparrow with certain weapons to help you disengage rival competitors from reaching the goal in time in addition to taking out specific obstacles you encounter along the way. And why stop there? Throw in some power-ups and maybe a boss battle at the end? Wishful thinking I know – but to me, using the Sparrow vehicles just screams Return of the Jedi whenever I get behind the controls of one.

3. Tighter Reward System

This might sound like a strange request since Bungie could easily argue they’re system is adequate, and they would be right if you’re content with how items are rolled out. Although I am definitely a far cry from being an expert sharpshooter, I can’t imagine most players who are have been satisfied with the manner in which they receive engrams and other types of gear. In its current form, the system still feels random. Iron Banner was a nice approach, but there was a great deal of criticism that the limited-time campaign didn’t have enough distinctive characteristics from the standard Control mode. Bungie acknowledged the following in their blog:

The goal for Level Advantages in PVP had been to create relatively small advantages that would suffice only to tilt the balance between players of equal skill towards the player of greater achievement, expressed in terms of his gear. But we now believe we have been too conservative, and that small tilts failed to meet anyone’s expectations.

I would agree. Players definitely aren’t rewarded based on skill alone, as there have been occurrences where I’ve fared at an average performance level during a multiplayer skirmish. Fortunately, I still managed to get something worthwhile, although there were others on my Fireteam who came up empty-handed. If I spend most of the mission camping, then I shouldn’t expect to get much, especially if my K/D ratio wasn’t impressive enough for bragging rights.

Bungie has also expressed huge concerns over players farming, such as the Loot Caves that were patched from endlessly granting players the ability to level up instead of spending hours grinding in PvP. My guess is this is still a work-in-progress that will eventually mature into something that will satiate the growing interest in reaching higher Guardian levels and beyond.

2. More Multiplayer Modes/Better Bounties

Of all the modes that’s available, Control happens to be my personal favorite. The standard PvP deathmatch just doesn’t do it for me, but remember, I haven’t graduated to the Elite caliber yet. So what else could they possibly throw in? Well, more PvP team-based missions would be awesome. I feel there isn’t enough diversity there and there are times when I just don’t have a lot of interest taking on a Strike/Nightfall mission. As for the bounty system, there needs to be a better refresh rate so I am not stuck with the same challenges in during one sitting and it really kills my desire to grind crucible, reputation and faction points.

1. A Richer Story (or at least, one that would seem less fragmented)

You know, even after I watched that clip – Destiny still doesn’t have me any more excited about the characters. Halo on the other hand was a far different story. That franchise left me wondering more about Master Chief’s origins, how did Earth end up going to war with the Covenant? With Destiny, everything just seems pretty blah and lacks that epic tone. Halo 2 made the sci-fi video game experience an art form, and I am sorry to say that I am not getting that same warm, action-packed buzz whenever I pick up the game. Even the soundtrack alone isn’t enough to hook me in. Cutting-edge graphics definitely aren’t enough and shame on anyone that thinks otherwise. Developers need to realize that if you’re going to boast about creating the next big thing, you better be prepared to deliver on those aspirations. And while I certainly understand the need to establish a game model that ensures the franchise’s longevity for years to come, but perhaps cutting the game up into pieces wasn’t the best idea? Well, the development studio recently had this to say:

Destiny is a thing that we wanted to be meaningful to people. Given how much it’s been played, we think we just might be on to something. We just need to bring on the next meal for you to devour with startling urgency.

Next meal eh? Well guess what Bungie? I am hungry, and I am sure the rest of your fan base is craving more stuff, so we beg of you to urgently roll out some more kickass stuff. Until then, I guess this would be a good time to get back to grinding so I am strong enough to raid the Vault of Glass.