I hope Marathon's first sale gets more players to try the game it's the most I've been consumed by a competitive FPS in a long time

Date:
Sat, 25 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Description:
I've been completely consumed by Marathon over the last month, and I'm hoping the game's first sale encourages more people to try Bungie's fascinating extraction shooter.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
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your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter The discourse surrounding Marathon is an absolute nightmare. Obituaries were
being written months before the game even launched, controversies kept surfacing throughout its development, and comparisons kept being made to how Destiny 2 has been treated since the launch of The Final Shape . Shut out the noise, though, and I think theres something special in Bungies extraction shooter.

If Marathon dies, it will be a devastating loss in my eyes. I cant think of a similar all-consuming gaming experience Ive had in a long time. Perhaps it
was Elden Ring when I last felt like taking up every spare moment I wasnt playing by watching, reading, researching, and talking about the game. So, here I am, with the game now discounted by 20% on Steam , PlayStation 5 , and Xbox , encouraging anyone with even a passing interest to give it a go. This game's got the sauce My first foray into extraction shooters was Arc Raiders
, and it remains the popular pick for many. Its a fine game, but its by-the-numbers third-person shooting, the bland grey-brown mil-sim aesthetic, and overly-friendly player base did little to keep me invested or inspired to make multiple runs for toasters and power cables. Article continues below You may like Marathon review: Bungies extraction shooter lacks compelling reasons to play it Marathon is a different kind of extraction shooter, and it wont be for everyone 'Is Marathon a success? Unfortunately, no, not yet' Former Xbox exec says Bungie's new extraction shooter was built at a scale and cost that the current market 'simply isn't rewarding'

Replace toasters with fractal circuits and power cables with dermachem packs, and Marathon may technically be asking me to do the same thing with more futuristic fluff. But thats just one part of its presentation thats on a
whole other level. Elsewhere, the gunplay is so much more satisfying, and I'm thriving on the tension of loading into each map knowing that conflict with other players is all but guaranteed. (Image credit: Sony / Bungie) For me, it starts with little things: like the way the music subtly adds layers and
ramps up once your fireteam has all readied up and you hit the button to
queue into the match. In that moment, I feel myself getting pumped up, heart rate increasing, and primed for whatever objective Ive set for myself on this run. The music is incredible throughout, in fact.

And then there are larger aspects, like the way a match flows on its
late-game Outpost map. Its a slow start, as you scavenge for keycards and clear out enemy AI while ducking into buildings to avoid the burning heat cascade that rains down every so often.

Eventually, you can unlock the loot pinata that is the Pinwheel ship, fend
off other squads in its tight corridors or three expansive wings, and scoop
up lots of shiny goodies to fill up your vault for future raids. And while
not every run may go successfully, when it hits, it hits hard. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

I wonder if more people got to this point and experienced some of these
highs, if the current player count would be higher. The stats do paint a gloomy picture, but Ive also never known people to obsess over Steam player charts like this before. Another aspect of the discourse around Marathon that just feels a little unhinged.

I have no idea what the exact approach is to get more players dropping into the hostile environments of Tau Ceti IV. Bungie has already made some changes that give beginners more breathing room to learn the game in beginner matches before they're dropped into competitive lobbies with other real players. (Image credit: Sony / Bungie) And there are new game modes that drop everyone in with basic gear to level the playing field from the off. Its a drastic pivot from the game's intended design to more of a battle royale mode; however, it should alleviate some players' fears that they will constantly come up against better-equipped players all the time. What to read next Highguard review: Apex Legends spiritual successor is a few tweaks from greatness John Carpenter's new game captures the cheesy magic of 80s action horror movies My most played game of 2026 is now so cheap it equates to just 7p per hour of entertainment but the offer only lasts for a limited time Death is only the beginning Im sure it doesnt help that the on-ramp to Marathon is more like a vertical cliff. Theres a super-fast time-to-kill, aggressive AI enemies, and an intimidating array of weapons, items,
valuables, and salvage that all seem equally useful but cannot fit into your minimal default backpack space.

I think with a lot of those, though, its a barrier you have to push through. Ive watched streamers do a single run, moan about not understanding
everything immediately, die to AI enemies at a contested exfil site, call the game rubbish, and quit.

As a long-time Destiny player who has been burned by multiple frustrating decisions with the direction of that game since the gear sunsetting and content vaulting mess, Im not trying to just be a Bungie apologist here. But if you drop into Marathon with your mind made up already, refuse to engage with the game on its level, and dismiss it entirely after that, I think youre missing out. (Image credit: Sony / Bungie) Will this price cut help? As optimistic as I want to be, its hard to imagine itll move the needle much. But, if it encourages a few more players to pick up the game and give it a fair shot, Im hopeful that Marathon can at least hold a fairly stable
audience to remain sustainable in the eyes of Bungie and Sony . Were dealing with an astronomically bigger budget here, but I'm wondering if at least a Hunt Showdown situation could be on the cards.

Whatevers in the future, Im going to keep playing for now, and maybe finally crack open some vaults in the tremendous Cryo Archive map. Ive already got a lot out of my time with Marathon and I hope theres more to come. The best gaming consoles All the best consoles of this generation

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