My feelings (Gaming)

by Coaxkez, Sunday, April 13, 2025, 07:45 (15 days ago) @ Kermit
edited by Coaxkez, Sunday, April 13, 2025, 07:53

So I don't know about the rest of you, but I came away from that preview feeling pretty excited for this game. The reaction online does not seem to match up with my own reaction in a lot of places. I'll briefly go through pros and cons as I see them:

PROS

1. The game looks incredibly fun. I don't know a lot about extraction shooters, so I was going into this reveal with fresh eyes and an open mind. It looks amazing. I love the tension of the concept -- the need to stay alive and extract from the LZ at all costs -- and I love what we've seen and heard of the gunplay.

2. Maybe a minority opinion, but I like the "hero" approach to runners. It's like choosing a class or something. Does every game need to be a hyper-specific customization nightmare? I really don't think so. Instead, you get to know the strengths and weaknesses or each runner so that you can pick the right one for any given mission.

3. Weapon sandbox looks great. I know they've been honing the balance very carefully through extensive playtesting. That's a great sign.

4. Dynamic weather that impacts gameplay? Whoa! I've always wanted that in a first-person shooter. In a more general sense as well, I really like the fact that this seems to be a truly living world in a much more tangible way than Destiny ever was.

5. I'm hearing very good things about faction and alliance systems in-game and that's super compelling to me. Another Destiny concept that was never quite realized -- now executed upon for Marathon.

CONS

1. Apparently the story hasn't been written yet? Not sure where this is coming from, as I'm only hearing about it here and have not been able to find a source for the information... but if true, that is a major red flag. Probably the single most worrying thing I've heard about this game. We're five months from launch, guys.

2. No PvE campaign mode. Look, I get it. I know it's not that type of game. They're wanting to commit fully to the extraction shooter idea. Still, I can't help but feel some disappointment in this area. I wouldn't expect a PvE campaign to be the main event here, but it'd still be nice to have it. The lack of Pfhor is an interesting design choice and I've been seeing a lot of criticism online, but to be honest, in light of the fact that we don't have a PvE mode anyway, I'm not sure it bothers me. If we did have a PvE mode, but still without Pfhor, then I might feel differently -- but that is not the case here.

3. The art style doesn't look quite as good as I was hoping it would in-engine. I still think the style itself is amazing, and it does look good in-engine, but it's not as clean or poppy as I was expecting it to be based on the CG preview and concept art from last year. Cody said it best: It feels much too flat and understated. Certain objects and enemies also seem difficult to read based on the footage we've seen, particularly in low-light areas, which is uh... not necessarily good for gameplay (unless that's what they're going for in those areas).

4. I'm really sorry to have to mention this because it's not actually a con for me, but I feel like it's going to be a significant hurdle for Bungie. $40 seems pretty steep for a PvP-only title. Players of that genre have grown accustomed to free-to-play monetization, so I am fearful that Marathon's price point will make it very difficult for Bungie to achieve any significant market penetration.