As much as I'm enamored with the game, I can't argue with anything Jim said. I'm most certainly a Halo fanboy, and I was on board from the moment they announced it, but after 10 hours in game and hitting the level cap I think I'm past my hopes for the game and comfortable with what it is.
Destiny is a good MMO. It is not a great MMO. It does not redefine what an MMO should be, and it does play it safe. That said, this is the first time in a very very long time an MMO hooked me and its because Bungie are grade A masters of gameplay that is moment to moment fun. Is this their best outing? No, that's probably either Halo 2 or Halo Reach. Are they still showing off their ability to make their, quote, "30 seconds of fun" carry an entire game. Destiny subscribes to Bungie's golden triangle from halo (whereby combat flows between the three points of guns melee and grenades seamlessly.
Is the game a grindy MMO? You bet your ass it is and I'm disappointed by it. However unlike most its an MMO with gameplay oozing out its ears so I'll still enjoy the grind.
The feeling it gives me, and while I'm on board with it a lot of people wont be, is that the base game is meant as a jumping off point. A chunk of worldbuilding instead of a complete game. An MMO can't have an end. Not really. Unless you do what the Runescape guys are currently trying to do, but they've been running that game for more than a decade now and have worked towards that point. MMOs are made for longevity and so is Destiny. Unfortunately the mix was hit wrong and the base game was too short so the game, given its $60 price tag and being billed as a triple A shooter, feels like a DLC cash grab, or will feel like that once the DLC begins being released.
Is there a way to remedy this? Well the way that comes to mind for me is for Bungie to build actual expansion packs instead of small DLC chunks. Build an actual narrative within the already existing game (using new and preexisting areas) create a full campaign and toss in new weapons and maps and a raised level cap, and release that for $20-$30.
However Activision has a long history with shooters and map packs.
Maybe the Blizzard side of Activision Blizzard will bleed through and the smart choice will be made. I don't like WoW at all, but I appreciate that those guys know how to make an MMO.