Marathon Impressions (not a review)
A few hours into Marathon, and I say this will ALL respect, I REALLY want a Marathon single player campaign.
I waited a week before buying Marathon on the PS5. Not because I feared it would fail. As a fan of Bungie’s games since Halo: Combat Evolved on the Xbox, I enjoy the games and the “Bungie Gameplay” their first person shooters are known for. If this was a traditional shooter, it would be an automatic purchase. However Marathon isn’t like Halo or Destiny, it’s an extraction shooter.
Extraction shooters, the goal being to enter a world, get supplies/complete objectives, and leave before time is up, aren’t my normal jam. Save the Division games and Arc Raiders, I don’t have much experience in the genre.
Taking the week to read about the game and see people’s pros and cons, I made the decision to jump in. It’s also true I needed to have the coin to get the game. Stupid adulting and responsibilities… 🙂
In a time where everything is polarizing & too many scream doom and other fearmongering words I don’t care to write/type, the reports of Marathon being “horrible” is something I don’t share.Having played a micro-second of the pre-launch beta and nothing beforehand, many of the complaints and issues that were shared I haven’t experienced. I’m having a good time.
Marathon plays as sharp as to be expected from a Bungie game.. Like with Halo and in Destiny, the gameplay is exceptionally crisp. Engagement with enemies is controlled chaos and at times uncontrolled chaos with other players and the game’s NPCs reacting to your actions. Many times you are forced to constantly alter the plans you made. Bring plenty of supplies for your drop and save room for the loot you’ll bring back. Should you survive.
When you drop in Tau Ceti IV, you’ll have the choice of seven classes.
The Assassin, spy class with the ability to turn invisible.
The Destroyer, combat specialist with a wrist mounted shield and missiles.
The Recon class, armed with a tracker drone and can send out a sensor pulse to detect nearby foes.
The Thief, your loot specialist with grappling hook and drone that can pickpocket others.
The Triage, a field medic with a med-drone that can heal you & your team. Also can revive teammates or deliver an EMP on enemies.
The Vandal, the “combat anarchist” with arm mounted disruptor attack and the power to amplify their abilities.
The Rook, when you want to join a game solo without worrying about your gear or NPC enemies targeting you.
I find myself excited to drop in the Tau Ceti IV. Like I said before, the objective in Marathon is to get supplies, complete your contract, and leave. Alive. You may, as I have more than a few times, been extracted barely clinging to life. And that’s cool. As long as you make it back with air in your artificial lungs, that’s a victory.
Of course the downside is that for every success, you will fail. And fail often. And I mean, if you are like me, a lot. The enemy robots (all I’ve encountered so far save the nasty ticks) are intelligent and will come at you with everything that they have. They are sneaky enough to trap you with great tactics and will overpower you if you underestimate them. Should they hear a commotion, they will investigate. I swore a few times that one called for help and the help kicked my can.
Unlike the last two games, this Bungie title focuses a lot on stealth and keeping a cool head. Should you take part in combat, the rush of combat amps up the experience in the game world. Not paying attention to your surroundings or ignoring the audio cues can mean a win or loss. I want to give a huge thanks to the folks involved in the audio production in this game. I broke out my headset to deeply immerse myself in the game. From the lightning strikes and rain drops to the sound of combat in the distance that can quickly move in your direction, much of my enjoyment in the game is through my ears.
Keep your head on a swivel…
The world is also ripe with people who are also looting and completing missions. And there is one thing you must know, there is no safe space. You can play in a group of three or alone. I am a “solo” player. Groups are fine, IF people communicate and work as a team. Battlefield is built around working together and working smart (and more savvy) than your opponents. Call of Duty, a person can use no mic and be a valuable teammate. That was me, “Lone Wolf, Great Wet Work Kofi” was a problem. So far my experience in Marathon, you NEED to be a solid crew to be successful. No exceptions.
The one, maybe it was two times I was successful in a group was when all three of us talked to each other and had each other’s back. Something like sharing ammo can mean the difference between life and death. The other times were pretty rough. Being partnered with someone who ran off to start a firefight like they were in a Halo team deathmatch, people who don’t talk or communicate in the slightest, and another who disappeared when things got rough, I discovered playing with randoms isn’t my thing.
It’s truly dangerous to go alone…
And for me that makes playing Marathon thrilling. Solo is when my internal storyline about my experiences take center stage. I don’t have to worry about a random person not covering my six & I catch a hot one. I’m in control of myself, ultimately responsible for each time I play. And if I want to hop in and play to explore for a bit or loot for a few, I don’t want to worry about ruining someone else’s experience or someone doing the same for me.
Encounters in solo are extremely personal. Stealth is everything, even for the brute shell. Taking out a robot means another breath I can easily take without fear. When it comes to other runners, I have had moments when we tip our hats to each other and let each other go about our business. That’s rare. Most times we solve our problems in the most violent way. I take no joy in another Runner’s demise. At first I mistook them for a robot with my adrenaline on eleven. Lately when I do go after someone, it’s on purpose. At first I felt shame in taking down someone. However, completing my mission means more than someone’s loot or feelings.
What have I become?
Not every time out is a bowl of sunshine. This is a safe space and we are in the trust tree. Tau Ceti IV is a brutal world and life comes at you fast, death faster. When I press the square button, I understand I may not leave a winner. And my average right now shows it. I’ve been bumped off more times than I count. Recently I took out a building full of UESC robots, had a ton of great loot, set a path to the Exfil, only to be taken out because I didn’t look both ways when I exited a door. Another time I was collecting supplies, enjoying the art direction and forgot I was out in the open in an environment with other players who may have long range semi-automatic rifles.
That being said, a loss can still be as fun as a victory. Both are teachable moments if you allow them to be. For example, look both ways before leaving a building.
And finally, playing solo is as close to a single player experience that I’ll get. Like with Destiny while I played it, it’s how I like to explore game worlds like this. IF there was a single player campaign, in the vein of a Halo: CE, Halo Reach, or Halo 3: ODST, I would jump for a chance to play it. After unlocking the first three factions, having a title that would go deeper into their origins and personalities would be amazing.
Yes, any lore books will be bought.
The elephant in the room is Marathon being a live service game. In a time where so many videogames have some element of it, we have to be honest that the failure rate of these types of games is pretty high. Over the last year Concord and Highguard are two of the biggest games that opened and closed shop in record time. I do not feel that Marathon is in a space to fail. It’s also true companies are very concerned about the player count and the expectations of monetization. This will be a factor in the overall success of the game and in its future. Right now I’m enjoying the moment.
In a few I’ll pop back into Tau Ceti IV and take my chances. We’ll see how far and what I get done, maybe complete a contract. Most of all I’ll have fun. And that’s all that matters.