AKA Bungie takes two steps forward and about eight back.
Considering how much I played the first, it was basically a given that I'd pick this up eventually. And to be honest, I'm not that impressed. The gunplay is just as tight as the first game, but it feels less satisfying somehow because they've reduced the number of guns by taking away the random roll aspect. All perks on a gun are unlocked from the beginning, but generally there's only two to choose between, with the rest being single-slot perks, which takes customization away. Similarly, classes have much fewer skill choices, so builds are much more formulaic. One could call it streamlined I guess, but meh.
The story is actually coherent this time, without relying on an app/website. It also differs slightly depending on whether your account has Destiny 1 data or not, which is a really cool touch.
Unfortunately, Bungie made a bunch of fuckups that really detract from the game experience. All cosmetics pretty much are now single-use. Ships and sparrows can't be vaulted or traded across characters, same goes for shaders. They're all tied to the Eververse, Bungie's cash shop. Fuckin' stupid idea. There are no strike-specific rewards either. No special weapons/ships/emblems, because again, it's all tied to the cash shop. They also got rid of the Three of Coins, replacing it with a very ambiguous (and cash shop only!) item that "boosts item drop rate".
The changes to the actual weapon loadouts are pretty dumb too, imo. Snipers and shotguns are now considered the same as rocket launchers and swords, but you can get primary sidearms, because fuck you.
Nightfalls are timed now, which enforces a mentality of 'cheese as much as possible'. I enjoyed nightfalls in Destiny because they put a bit more thought into how to do it, talking strategies and shit with your team. Now it's rush, rush, rush.
One thing I do like is how they've added "guided games", which is effectively a matchmaking system for the nightfall/raid. Unsure how good it is as I haven't used it yet, but it's a nice addition.