Earlier tonight I watched Bungie’s GDC presentation, which explored some of the inspiration behind the art direction of the studio’s forthcoming Destiny. By the end of it, my only complete thought was, ‘Finally’. If we all go back and scroll through our own autogameography, we’ll be able to pick out those few and rare special moments, where the universes in which we played took on new meaning. Those points from which we never looked back.

Sadly, with the current state of gaming, where Geoff Keighley swoons over sequels with better graphics, these moments are rather few and far between. Take the recent footage from Battlefield 4. Aside from the better graphics (which are to be expected), it looks like a second attempt at Battlefield 3. As if the developers wanted another shot at it. The gameplay seems mind-numbing, recycled, and repetitive. And fucking old. Does it look pretty? Sure. But isn’t it supposed to? We’re at the point where graphics are a terrible crutch.

I think back to that moment in Halo: Combat Evolved when I first turned the camera to the (seemingly) endless sky. I was greeted with an entirely new world, an entirely new universe. And that universe spawned of the greatest franchises and story arcs in the history of gaming. And one that, on a deeply personal level, has always meant very much to me.

In absorbing all of Destiny’s early content, I get a fantastic feeling that Bungie can – and will – do it again. This time, in a massive, persistent universe, the likes of which we’ve never seen on consoles.

The thing is that we not only need new IPs, but we need new worlds – places that we’ve never been before. Places that we can explore with an incredible sense of curiosity and dedication. Places in which we can have more of those unforgettable moments (and blow shit up, too). I believe (and hope) that Bungie’s Destiny is that new world that we’ve all (well, that I have) been waiting for.

Because I don’t think I can continue debating whether or not the next Call of Duty installment will take place in the past, present, or future. I no longer give a shit.