Marathon, Bungie’s Saving Grace
2026-03-20
I was never really a fan of extraction shooters. Do a run, kill some people, get some loot, extract (or die trying). Its a fun gameplay formula but every game in the genre always dropped the ball in some fashion. Whether that be Tarkov’s incessant need to be as realistic as possible even to its detriment, or Arc Raiders punishment for PvP play, I always found myself disappointed by the genre.
That is until Marathon.
When the game was first announced, I rolled my eyes much like many others. As an old Destiny fan, seeing Marathon’s announcement felt like Bungie silently abandoning their previous project to try and chase a fad.
I couldn’t be happier to be more wrong. Marathon feels like a return to form for Bungie. Gunplay is tight and responsive, feeling like a beautiful mix of Destiny’s movement and Halo’s power. Each of the 7 Shells (playable characters) have interesting abilities that shake up encounters and fire-fights so that each moment is intense and interesting. No cookie-cutter encounters here. The art direction is instantly memorable as well and quickly became one of the most beautifully ugly games I’ve had the pleasure of looking at. From the design of the enemies to the look of Tau Ceti IV, every corner of Marathon is striking to the eye. And thanks to this commitment to stay true to this “graphic realism” type of direction, it is easy to spot out things in a pinch. You’ll never mistake a Destroyer for an Assassin.
And the music…
I’m a sucker for good audio design. It’s why Mother 3 will forever remain one of my favorite games of all time and why the Silent Hill 2 OST still sits in my most played lists. Marathon blends sci-fi themes with eerie contemporary electronic beats that warp and shift to somehow sound ancient and eldritch. The audio alone makes the world of Marathon feel unsettled, like something that shouldn’t be is broiling just under the surface of this planet.
If you’re like me and have been waiting for the game to get you into the extraction shooter genre, do yourself a favor and try out Marathon.
8.5/10
Deadlock: a sleeping giant
2026-05-11
MOBAs and I have a very long history together. I remember playing the original DotA back when it was a Warcraft 3 custom game mode. I played League back when Vayne and Rumble were the newest champs and I have also wasted years on SMITE during high school. Hell, I still think about and miss Heroes of the Storm (arguably one of the most unique MOBAs that existed at the time).
To say that I have history in the genre would be an understatement. After over 2000+ hours spent across the entire space, a lot of the games I have played start to blur together. 5v5 team setups, lanes that have 2 towers and an objective that buffs the minions when destroyed, the jungle is covered in a fog of war that hides monsters that give out buffs to those that kill them, and the person who picks the ranged carry typically likes to complain a lot. Rince and repeat across all the games in the MOBA space. If you’ve played one, you’ve played them all.
That is, until Valve decided to dip their toes into this space… Again. Enter Deadlock.
What was originally a cyberpunk-esque hero shooter known as Neon Prime became instead a 1940’s inspired New York blend of hero shooter mechanics with MOBA systems, all drenched in an occult aesthetic that I just adore. However, not everything from the MOBA genre is present here in Deadlock, and for the better.
You won’t find yourself sitting in lane doing nothing for long. Thanks to the design choice of having every character have the same base movement capabilities of jumping, wall jumping, double jumping, dashing, and plummeting, every character allows the skilled player to express themselves in any unique way they see fit. Add on to this all of the ways one can return to the fight like ziplines, booster vents, and secret paths that only certain small characters can fit through and you have yourself one of, if not the most, action packed moment to moment MOBA I’ve ever played.
And Valve didn’t skimp out on the character designs either (though this is no surprise if you’ve ever taken a gander at any of Valve’s characters). Each character, from tank to carry to support, have a unique personality and design that shines through just from the first glance. You won’t find many games, let alone MOBAs, that will have as much of a colourful cast as Deadlock. And they’re all (mostly) New Yorkers with accents! Take that as you will.
Despite being a jaded fan of the MOBA genre that has lost plenty of faith in the current titans, Deadlock has given me more hope (and rage) than any other game that I’ve played in this space in the past 10 years.
Though still in alpha, the current leaders of the MOBA genre should take note of the slumbering giant that’s coming sooner rather than later.
Earthbound (And How Modern RPGs Pale in Comparison)
