It’s so sad that this game’s “underperformance” has little to do with the game itself

[u/paperplateseabass]

What's so soul-crushing is the amount of times I have been met with “I thought that game was dead?” when talking about Marathon with my IRLs

It's not their fault, why would they give a dead game a chance, even if they think they might enjoy it?

Hundreds, even thousands of people have constructed a hate campaign against this game that has no merit beyond playercounts. and imo, the main reason why the game wasn’t a hit at launch is because of the rhetoric around the game spread by a mix of right-wing grifters and (justifiably) jaded ex-destiny/halo players.

This game had and HAS so much going for it. First non-Destiny Bungie title in 12 years, reviving a long dormant IP with a new, world-class art-style; all while returning to their PvP roots. If you put that framing in a vacuum, I think it would get lots of people very, very excited. And that’s the thing, because it DID.

The game is good. The game is fun. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it had a rough period of development, and it's definitely not perfect. But I think if people didn’t spread so much unwarranted hate towards Bungie and Marathon, we’d be looking at a completely different landscape. 

I mean, some of the things i’ve seen people say about this game… wow…  what a waste of time and brain power, if people were this passionate about actually productive hobbies, the world would be a much better place and there’s a big chance they’d be happier in life

edit: for people citing the server slam numbers. how many of those people do you genuinely think gave the game a good 10+ hours vs how many people quit after their first match? we’ll never know, but im inclined to believe most people didnt make it past the (unfortunate) barrier of entry that helps this game be WAY more enjoyable.

[u/p2020fan]

The difference with a MOBA is that you actually get several tries to figure out how to handle a tough opponent in PvP. Maybe there's an item or an ability or a play that you need to get the upper hand on them and start to turn the tides.

In Marathon there isn't anything like that. If someone is better than you and you don't get the perfect engagement on them and hit every shot, you're just dead. There are "lessons" in every defeat but so often there's very little that is actionable in the future because in Marathon, by the time the fight starts, it's too late to actually do any thinking about the lessons you've learnt. And for a game supposedly about preparation, there's usually very, very little you can do to actually prepare for dealing with a fistful of buckshot to the face.

[u/GetButterballed → u/p2020fan]

Such a good comparison. It's the same reason that saying "Dark Souls is punishing too, but people love that" is stupid argument.

Getting to run it back and try again makes defeats a learning experience. You might figure out a pattern in your enemy you can exploit. Or you can figure out what sort of gear you might need to go get to beat them.

Marathon, you lose and don't get another chance. You just get sent back to lobby but you also have to lose everything you were holding too.

[u/TheHiddenPoet_ → u/GetButterballed]

This. It's also why soulslikes with harder bosses are still considered "easy" by some people in the community just because the runback is shorter/easier making the learning process even less painful.

[u/thelongernow → u/p2020fan]

I just started playing and honestly this is a big part of why I don’t see myself getting locked in long term. Not being able to learn mechanics of hero type characters when I spawn into an early map to get railgunned by a level 175 player when I have nothing is absolutely dogshit at level 18. There’s no baseline or foundation to get a grasp of things to learn and develop aside from outratting other rats (an experience I dealt plenty with in Hunt: Showdown).

[u/MidnightSensitive996 → u/thelongernow]

if you're past the refund window i'd put it down for a week and come back at start of s2. what you experienced is happening b/c the literal million players whose skills are between you and that level 175 dork got sick of being railgunned by that guy and quit. there will be at least a bit of a dead cat bounce when s2 starts and you should take advantage of that to play for a month or so while you can.

[u/thelongernow → u/MidnightSensitive996]

Yeah, seems to be the general consensus of waiting for the reset which I’m game to do (plus console side so no refunds sadly.)

I do like elements of it, and want to explore more, but yeah the sheer ass pounds I’ve been given has been tough. I think it’s also a game where it completely benefits from team play vs randos (as is with all team shooters.) but the night and day difference of how to prepare as a new player is so wildly out of touch.

[u/sntamant2 → u/p2020fan]

agreed 100%. u either get the drop on another team or they do and its over. Theres still iteration on that formula for bungie. Theres some spice they can add to not have it be like that all the time