So I caved and got Destiny. I was still undecided on release day but then all the local retailers slashed about a third off the price so I decided to pick it up.

I think a lot of people were expecting something completely different and I'd say that Bungie have done a pretty poor job of explaining things.

I've just hit level 20 in Destiny and it looks like you can go back and do the story missions at much harder settings, initially there were two skill settings per mission and now there are about 5.

I'm not exactly clear in progression at this point either, it seems to be more based on what you're wearing.

I've also unlocked weekly and daily challenges. Not sure if it will be a mix of things or just strike missions.

on a team is fun but 4 would be better. I've played thru solo and with friends [including the o'fives] and it works well as a co-op experience.

I've been playing it pretty solid for a week and i'm yet to finish the main story. I'd say that's decent value so far given that I can finish a HALO game inside of a day.

With Multiplayer it looks like there is no ranking system so you wind up with players of wildly varying skill levels. There will always be somebody running around with better gear than you. And even if a low level player is good, they just wont have access to good resources yet.