TheSaltiestSalt

435 hours in and I find myself giving a zero star review because of the maddening matchmaking bug that resets your map and mode preferences between matches. I've lost thousands of credits and loads of items this season by repeatedly loading into the wrong map and/or loading into a trios game as a solo. Why is that even an option? The UI/UX changes to the area of the lobby screen that displays this info are horrible. I had so much fun in season 1. Marathon was the best game I've played in a decade. Maybe the best shooter of all time. Destiny players reviewed bombed the game for no reason, so I was determined to recruit all my friends for season 2. Now I'm embarrassed I recommend the game to them! Losing my gear and credits over and over again ruins the game. The gameplay loop is already so sweaty. To lose gear in this fashion is a slap in the face. The fact that devs aren't prioritizing a fix to this is so frustrating

I've put in about 12 hours, so I'm about 25% through the story (I've been enjoying the side quests and exploration a ton). There's so much undeserved hate for this game. Yes, there are some issues w polish, but the core game is fantastic. Exploring the open world feels organic and constantly leads you to beautiful aspects of the star wars universe that are so well realized. They capture the energy and setting that made everyone fall in love w star wars. In addition, the characters and slice of the star wars universe in outlaws very much remind me of Andor and Rogue One, which have been my absolute favorite star wars products of the past decade. The side missions are so quick and fun, and feel impactful, given the syndicate system allows you to pick and chose who you side with. Story/writing is solid, and the voice acting is good! To me, this game feels like Cyberpunk 2077. Pre-release: huge hype/marketing and unrealistic expectations. Which made bashing the game really popular amongst a small, vocal portion of the fan base. Launch: inconsistent quality, but really strong foundational elements that shine through. Post Launch: massive investments towards polish and reworking core gameplay systems and features turned it into a fantastic game worth many replays. Plus a great DLC. If the team continues to invest in this game, it has SO much potential. Give it a try! Don't be so influenced by all the salty curmudgeons out there!