Marathon

[Mesai]

I've never found extraction shooters interesting but played plenty FPS, BRs, etc. Picked up Marathon a couple weeks back (looked like the more interesting one) and was pleasantly surprised.

Random fill squads is always going to be very hit or miss and matchmaking can be annoying (1 blue shield + 2 free kits vs full blue/purple squad) but they handle gear quite well that you don't feel too bad about it.

I don't know what the initial controversy was (probably maximising profits/greed) but the game is really well designed. The map design surprised me most - pretty complex but also thoughtful; props to that team.

PVE mode seems cool, especially for learning them maps and earning some low risk currency, otherwise it can be a bit of steep learning curve trying to figure things out while getting hunted by other players.

 

[mid_gen]

I've never found extraction shooters interesting but played plenty FPS, BRs, etc. Picked up Marathon a couple weeks back (looked like the more interesting one) and was pleasantly surprised.

Random fill squads is always going to be very hit or miss and matchmaking can be annoying (1 blue shield + 2 free kits vs full blue/purple squad) but they handle gear quite well that you don't feel too bad about it.

I don't know what the initial controversy was (probably maximising profits/greed) but the game is really well designed. The map design surprised me most - pretty complex but also thoughtful; props to that team.

PVE mode seems cool, especially for learning them maps and earning some low risk currency, otherwise it can be a bit of steep learning curve trying to figure things out while getting hunted by other players.

It’s really rough playing with random fills, I’ve never managed an extract.

Prefer playing solo. I saw someone say that to get the best out of the extraction mode, play it solo and treat it like a stealth game with ridiculously good AI I extract I reckon 2/3 of the time playing solo. Dire Marsh night is easiest as you can hide pretty well, and stalking other players is more fun.

I think I’d prefer it if the maps were a bit bigger, or solo numbers were a bit lower. As it is, you’re more or less guaranteed PvP and there is never any incentive to not shoot first and ask questions later.

I’m still properly hooked on it. Such a great world, the sound design is awesome.

Looking forward to actually being able to see Cryo as a solo. Random fills are probably fine for it too as you’re not under pressure from other squads.

I really hope the game keeps going and they can add more content to build it out, both PvE and PvP.

 

[Mesai]

It’s really rough playing with random fills, I’ve never managed an extract.

Prefer playing solo. I saw someone say that to get the best out of the extraction mode, play it solo and treat it like a stealth game with ridiculously good AI I extract I reckon 2/3 of the time playing solo. Dire Marsh night is easiest as you can hide pretty well, and stalking other players is more fun.

I think I’d prefer it if the maps were a bit bigger, or solo numbers were a bit lower. As it is, you’re more or less guaranteed PvP and there is never any incentive to not shoot first and ask questions later.

I’m still properly hooked on it. Such a great world, the sound design is awesome.

Looking forward to actually being able to see Cryo as a solo. Random fills are probably fine for it too as you’re not under pressure from other squads.

I really hope the game keeps going and they can add more content to build it out, both PvE and PvP.

I think in DM (night) you can also do the sneaky extracts, which helps, but agree that solo is an easier experience. Bit of a shame because I've had some fun games where people play as a team, but it's few and far between, more often than not someone is on the other side of the map dying to a full squad.

I've watched streamers play Cryo and they know exactly where to go, where they're hearing sounds from other squads, etc. but I'm sure they have hundreds of hours on the map. Like you said, PvE will be a nice quality of life to just chill and play/learn the game, especially for new players - I imagine they'll have to add more PvE bot variety at some point if it becomes a full feature.

The game definitely has its own identity vs just some generic extraction shooter so I hope they can hold an audience and keep going.

 

[mid_gen]

Well the update is pretty buggy. All faction rewards have been re-awarded so I got loads of salvage.

There's not actually a solo mode with easier bots on the PvE mode, although you can turn fills off. It's pretty nails solo, although I was making progress. Then I tried to use a self-revive and the game crashed. Think I'll leave it until they've fixed it up.