Marathon

Writing this as Vault Breaker (the experimental PvE mode) has been extended for testing Marathon is super addictive, the art direction is genuinely mind-boggling (especially if you are into a Y2K Cyberpunk / acid graphic style vibe), and the game feels genuinely challenging and rewarding at the same time. While an earlier review would have said something along the lines of a steep learning curve and unforgiving hardcore shooter elements—some people playing are genuinely cracked—the newly introduced PvE mode "Vault Breaker" has made it a fair bit easier to actually get into the game and test out the different (and incredibly enjoyable) shells and their abilities; all of which feels well-balanced. There is also a general understanding between players that looking for ways to parley and cooperate is nothing only privy to ARC Raiders, and Bungie has made an effort (e.g. Mercy Kits and shared exfil bonuses) to nurture this sort of playstyle. Bottom line: challenge and reward are in equal exchange, so if you're looking for a game that's both hard but super fun, Marathon is very much recommended. 9.5/10

難しすぎる。でも友達とやるのは楽しいのでギリギリ足し引きマイナスって感じです。

art

Fun, despite what people who hold a grudge against Bungie's other games think. Maybe a little too sweaty. It should develop a proper PvE experience for people who just want to chill.

賛否両論ありますが、初心者の身としてはめちゃくちゃおもろいです！！！ ルートシューターというジャンル自体に触れてこなかった身としてはその面白さに存分に触れられている気がします。 PvPについて、ソロでやることが多いのですが、立ち回りや知識で強い相手に打ち勝てる可能性が十二分にあるのが序盤から楽しいゲームになっている由縁でもあると感じています、収集要素のあるAPEXみたいな印象を受けました。 PvEについても自分にとってちょうどいいバランスで手ごたえのある戦闘になっています。囲まれると普通にボコされる...グレ使うと簡単に倒せることを知ってから積極的に戦いに行けるようになりました。 武器についても撃っている感覚が気持ちいいです。自分はvalorantメインでゲームしてますが全然違く、爽快感のあるものになっていると思います。APEXのプロがハマってたの見てて確かに似てるかも？と思いましたがそれともちょっと似つかない印象です。Destiny2やってない身からすると新鮮でした。 また、SFが好きな自分にとって世界観がぶっささりで特に6つのファクション（派閥？）が最初に見たときの衝撃やばかったです。また、マップデザインの根幹である鮮やかな色彩にも目を惹かれました。タスクで自然といろんな場所に行かされるので探検しているだけで楽しいです。(Youtubeにあるティザー等ご覧ください！) ベータテスト、S1の序盤やって離れてしまいましたがアウトポストのピンホイール基地(鍵部屋)に簡単に入る方法を知ってからまたS2でドはまりしました。(人口がちょっと落ち着いただけかもですが...) 買うの迷ってる方がいたらまたシーズンの始まりに無料の体験機関が来るかもしれないので是非触ってみてください。Youtube等にsasatikkさんや有志の方の解説動画がありますので何でもいいので見てみたら買うきっかけになるかと思います。

The game is absolutely gorgeous to look at, and the gameplay loop is so addictive that I forgot to eat dinner last night. 10/10, would ruin my sleep schedule again

[h1]It isn't as hard as you think[/h1] There's a narrative floating around that Marathon is a PvP sweatlord's playground and that everyone else is going to have a miserable time. That narrative just isn't true. I'm 500 hours in, I've barely touched Cryo, I have played a moderate amount of Outpost, and I'm VIP with every faction, my worm is fed, and I have a vault full of anything I could ever want. You can build a playstyle that avoids most of the friction people are scared of, and the game is far more generous than people give it credit for. [h1]It's more generous than the genre standard[/h1] Compare this to a typical extraction shooter: [list] [*] No crafting grind gatekeeping your loadout [*] No gear damage/degradation to manage or repair between raids [*] No wound system stacking debuffs on top of a bad extraction [*] You are showered in gear from contract/faction rewards [*] Scav (Rook)/free kits aren't punished by being locked to their free bag [/list] [h1]You have options for no risk combat or avoiding combat entirely[/h1] If you're worried about getting stomped by geared-out players, sponsored modes put everyone on a much more level playing field while you learn maps, rotations, and habits. It's basically a battle royale where everyone loads in with today's sponsored kit and then races to gear up and do map events, but you can also leave whenever you want if you get a contract done or find something good. It's a superb way to get better at using your shell of choice and learning how to make the most of everything you can scrape together. If you want a low-stress way to learn the maps, run Rook. I warm up almost every session this way, no team, no plan to fight anyone, just moving through a map picking up salvage and whatever else is worth selling, then getting out. You learn rotations, sightlines, and choke points without ever needing to win a gunfight, and it's a genuinely low stress way to play the game. Not every run needs to end with you wiping the other runners. Sometimes it's just you, your free blue bag, and a clean extract. [h1]Gear gap ≠ skill gap[/h1] The actual shield HP difference between tiers is smaller than people assume. [list] [*] Runner (no shield): 120 [*] Gray shield: 140 [*] Green shield: 160 [*] Blue shield: 180 [*] Purple shield: 200 [*] Gold shield: 200 [/list] Gold doesn't even add HP over purple. Its value is in its other perks, not raw survivability. So the actual swing between a totally under-geared runner and someone in top-tier shields is 80 points, not some insurmountable gulf. A better-geared team is absolutely winnable if they make a mistake, and they will make mistakes. Positioning, timing, and decision-making matter far more than the color of their shield. [h1]Where it could be better[/h1] I'm not going to pretend the game is flawless. Season 2 launched with rebalanced loot pools that gave access to endgame gear in the first few hours with minimal risk, largely through Sponsored Survival on Night Marsh. People understandably freaked out, and Bungie nerfed it quickly, but the damage to the economy was already done. Worse, the follow-up nerfs to drop rates and Cradle progression mostly just hurt casual players who hadn't had time to farm the new mode before the hammer came down, without actually undoing the advantage the early farmers had already banked. It should have just been a season of plenty, with different adjustments planned for the next season instead of a rushed walk-back mid-season. More broadly, Marathon needs to consistently guarantee modes for every kind of player, not just during a season's opening rush. There should always be at least one Sponsored Survival and one Sponsored map running on a daily/weekly basis, so casual players can keep working on a map's quests at their own pace, and newer players can always get PvP reps in on an even playing field, instead of that access coming and going at random. [h1]Bottom line[/h1] If the "you'll get sweat-stomped" narrative is the only thing keeping you off this game, don't let it. Marathon is far more forgiving, and far more flexible in how you can play it, than its reputation suggests, even if Bungie still has some work to do on consistently providing more relaxed modes (Vault Breakers is super cool). And none of that changes how good it feels to actually play: the gunplay is great, the sound design is spectacular, and the visual design is gorgeous, with style and worldbuilding oozing from every little detail. Don't miss out on this because you're scared there are better players who will beat you. You've got options, ways to learn, and ways to get better.