July 26th 2024.
As I was perusing the Friday letters page, a question caught my eye: how often do you revisit your favorite video game? This sparked a debate about the success of the MultiVersus relaunch, with one reader expressing their concern over its potential failure. If you want to join in on the discussion, feel free to email us at the provided email address.
As a fan of the shooter genre, I recently decided to give Destiny 2 another shot after more than a year of not playing. I used to be a regular player, but eventually, I moved on to other games simply because I didn't want to get stuck playing one game forever. However, upon my return, I was met with a strange and overwhelming amount of cut scenes and information dumps, followed by being thrown straight into a mission. It wasn't the best first impression, but as I played, I was reminded of one thing: this game has the best gunplay I've ever experienced. The satisfaction of landing a perfect shot is unmatched, and even after all these years, I don't think any other game has topped it.
Now, I'm not saying that Destiny 2 is perfect. It still feels a bit bare-bones, even after all these years. But when it comes to the action, it's hard to find a flaw. Halo comes close, but that's just Bungie again. And maybe Resident Evil 4 or Doom could compete, but it's hard to say for sure. It's clear that Destiny 2 holds a special place in my heart and in the shooter genre as a whole.
Shifting focus, I'd like to discuss a new game on the market: Concord. While I appreciate the developers' decision to not have a battle pass, I fear it may not be enough to draw in players. It reminds me of when Nintendo released a Super Mario game for mobile, promising no microtransactions but still charging a small fee. It didn't do well, as players are used to getting everything for free and consider any price to be a rip-off. Unfortunately, Concord has already been labeled as unoriginal and expensive, and it may be hard for it to shake off those criticisms. It's not entirely fair, as similar games like Helldivers 2 have avoided the same criticism, but sometimes labels stick, whether they're deserved or not.
On a more positive note, I recently read about Fallout London and the work put into it. I'm excited to give it a try, as it seems like it could be just as good as a new release. However, I do hope it has a proper British sense of humor, rather than the dry humor often found in Bethesda games. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy their games, but their scripts have always been lacking and they made the mistake of removing the humor from the original 2D games. The TV show, on the other hand, had proper screenwriters and showcased a great sense of humor. I believe incorporating more humor into the franchise could have a positive influence, much like how Fallout London could bring something new to the table.
I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I recently picked up Suicide Squad for a steal during the Amazon sale. I was curious to see what all the fuss was about and to finally understand what kind of game it was. After playing for a few days, I still don't quite get it. Why was this game based on DC Comics? Everyone is using guns and the city is designed in a strange, BioShock-esque manner that doesn't quite feel like a comic book world. The characters lack personality, and there's nothing particularly appealing about the game aside from the decent action. It's a decent third-person shooter, but it's hard to see the connection to a superhero game. It's no surprise that it ended up being a flop.
Moving on to the topic of hero shooters, I've noticed a trend in games like Concord and Marvel Rivals. While a lot of effort goes into creating unique characters, not much is done to make the game itself stand out. Of course, the characters are a big draw, but they still have to work within a set framework. This is evident in the similar modes and map styles seen in these games, with no significant changes to the core gameplay. This may be true for other popular genres as well, but in hero shooters, it's particularly noticeable.
Lastly, I want to touch on Modern Warfare 3. Despite being deemed the worst Call of Duty game by many, I decided to give it a chance since it's now available on Game Pass. However, after seven hours of downloading, I was disappointed to see that it was only a third of the way finished. And to make things worse, it was marked as playable when it was only three-quarters done. Looks like my wait wasn't worth it after all.
Is Destiny 2 still the most satisfying shooter? The Friday letters page recently posed a question about replaying favorite video games, sparking discussions about different games and their updates. One reader even questioned the success of a recent relaunch. If you want to join in on the conversation, be sure to email the provided address.
Speaking of favorite games, I recently went back to Destiny 2 after not playing for more than a year. I used to play regularly, but eventually fell off because I didn't want to solely focus on one game. My first impressions weren't great, as the game didn't exactly welcome me back with open arms. But as I continued playing, I realized that the gunplay in Destiny 2 is still unmatched by any other game. The satisfaction of landing a perfect shot is unparalleled and I don't think any other game will ever beat it. While Destiny 2 may not be the best game overall, its action is near perfect. I can't even think of a second best option, except maybe Halo or Resident Evil 4 or Doom.
I appreciate the developers' attempt at having no battle pass for their new game, Concord, but I have my doubts about its success. It reminds me of when Nintendo released a mobile version of Super Mario without microtransactions, but with a price tag of £5. No one bought it, as they were accustomed to getting everything for free. Similarly, Concord has been criticized for being unoriginal and expensive, and I don't think it will be easy for it to shake off those labels. Maybe it's not entirely fair, but Helldivers 2 managed to avoid those criticisms, even though it's not groundbreaking either. Sometimes, a label just sticks and that's all people see. Perhaps if Concord seemed more unique, it would get a second chance, but I don't think it will.
After reading about the effort put into it, I'm excited to try out Fallout London. It sounds like it could be just as good as a new release. I do hope the game has a proper British sense of humor, rather than the dry humor found in Bethesda games. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy their games, but their scripts have always been lacking and removing the humor from the original 2D games was a bad decision. The TV show, on the other hand, had proper screenwriters and I would love to see that become a key aspect of the franchise. The show is great and while it may not be similar to the games, despite their surface similarities, I believe it could have a positive influence on the series, just like Fallout London.
I may be late to the party, but I finally picked up Suicide Squad for a great price during the Amazon sale. I was curious about all the hype surrounding it, as I still didn't understand what type of game it was. After playing for a few days, I still don't quite get it. Why is this a DC Comics game? Everyone uses guns and the city is designed like something out of BioShock, not quite realistic but not quite comic book either. The characters, apart from Harley and the sniper guy, have no personality. There's nothing particularly appealing about the game, except for the decent action. But how does that make it a superhero game? It's all very strange and it's not surprising that it turned out to be a flop.
Hero shooters like Concord and Marvel Rivals seem to put all their effort into creating unique characters, but not into making the games themselves stand out. While the characters are a major selling point, they still need to fit within the game's framework. This is evident in the similar game modes and map styles found in these games. This is a common trend in many popular genres, but it's especially noticeable in hero shooters like these.
Lastly, I decided to try out Modern Warfare 3, despite it being considered the worst Call of Duty game. It's available on Game Pass, so why not? I started the download at noon, but after seven hours, it was still not even close to finished. I could only play a small portion of the game. It was definitely not worth the wait.
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