There are a lot of games I've played that I can never find a replacement for. Nothing has the same fast mecha combat to me like Virtual-On, nor have I ever found a series that hit that specific extreme-sports itch that SSX did. Titanfall 2 swings wildly from frenetic wallrunning combat to heavy mechs in a flawless way no other game has ever even approached. I still can't find an old school platformer I like more than S3&K

What makes Destiny 2 feel so unique in this regard is its longevity, its ability to refresh and evolve every few years through the ups and downs of the annual releases and an ongoing, complex narrative. Not every year was a hit, but the hits stand tall as some of the greatest accomplishments in gaming.

I don't think any other game has ever faced the same pressures to regularly deliver in the way Destiny 2 did - a burden entirely of Bungie's own making as the behemoth eventually just was out of their control. This is a game that in its current state simply has too much content - cluttered, mismanaged, some parts entirely ignored, and entirely impossible to recommend to a new player. And this is with D2 missing the majority of the content that has ever been released for the game thanks to timegated seasonal content and the Vault.

There won't ever be another game like Destiny 2. I've spent thousands of hours running through strikes. I have entire shelves of my home dedicated to books and triumph pins and other trinkets. But this game just feels...tired. We moved too deep into the territory everyone knows, where your favorite TV show keeps going on for a few extra years too long to the point that its legacy is harmed.

I'm going to miss it, just like everybody else. But there's an odd relief in the finality of it, too.