Recent reviews by swiftwind501

Putting up a review just for the Steam Awards badge, but this game deserved to have the Labor of Love nomination last year, instead of a certain game about grand larceny in the Wild West... or the one about cyborgs the year before that...

Like everyone says, the story is awful. While Strand is fun, this is another stupid paywall just like Beyond Light is for Stasis. Still more value than OW2 PvE, though.

Exoprimal is full of dumb fun that's not terrible, but the gameplay loop leaves something to be desired. Balance can be addressed after official launch, yet without the customization features that were intentionally excluded, you can see how barebones the game feels. Think Anthem but it plays like Gambit from Destiny 2 and has a handful more modes to enjoy, just without the (somewhat pointless in retrospect) jetpack flight. Whereas Anthem played more like Mass Effect, Exoprimal plays not much different from an arcade-style horde shooter, which isn't to criticize but to point out that it draws a certain niche, so it may be a hard sell to most people. Regardless, I hope this is just a piece of the full package, because there definitely needs to be more matchmaking modes if the only one in the beta is like a truncated shuffle playlist.

Funny spin meme guy with a mushroom mascot sold this to me

You're not One Punch Man, but at least everyone gets your name wrong/gives you a nickname.

TAKE

CONTROL

Worked my way up the ranks to move into the best worker housing, only to flee the country with my family the day before my audit. 10/10 would go broke for shoddy forgeries again

After deciding to likely never return to the game, I returned for Season of the Splicer... because my boy Mithrax is finally getting the spotlight! :D As Datto said in his impressions video, Bungie appears to have increased the effort (budget) on writing (and voice acting), and now I actually look forward to the new story content. Although the last two seasons weren't as interesting story-wise, despite reintroducing an old character, this season seemed like a better time to go back into the game. Having purchased the previous season pass right before the season ended, I have a bit more content to chew on in addition to current stuff.

I'm still not buying Beyond Light in protest of Stasis; I'm not asking for removal like some people in the Bungie forums but rather better balance against it. I believe the new Titan exotic leg armor is a step in the right direction, but of course, that's just one item for one of the three classes. Otherwise, as for other complaints being resolved, Bungie seriously sunset sunsetting! (And the sun, too.) After throwing away most of my obsolete items, I find that the new loot this season looks and feels pretty good, and there's plenty more of it from accumulating a couple seasons' worth in the loot pool. Grinding for armor is still painful, as the Umbral Engrams that returned last season cost a little too much of the seasonal currency to focus specific armor stats (compared to last season's acquisition/exchange rate).

Do I still care for PvP though? Not really, but I did play a few matches of Team Scorched because I heard there was a rocket jump mechanic implemented for the special launcher weapon. I was never a TF2 soldier player, but I kinda resonate with that type of playstyle, and I did enjoy the new way to play in that mode. Kudos to you, Bungie, for actually making something fun. Still not participating in Trials or Iron Banner though; I shouldn't be playing Trials lore-wise, and Saladin is sus (and cranky).

As for Gambit... it just continues to exist. Either remove it or give it new life, please... although I don't wanna hear poor Drifter cry because nobody's playing his game mode. Ghost simply can't replace him despite his hilarious impressions. :(

The feeling of knowing or not knowing how you died combined with the desire to play again and again: the game

Fun beta demo! Most of the core features work as expected, however some items were a bit unwieldy. It may be a twin-stick shooter, but it felt like some guns weren't hitting their mark even though I was clearly aiming in the right direction. Movement is a little clunky especially around cover, but taking cover is highly encouraged as the action is relatively fast-paced. With enough polish and proper support for KB&M, this game would be a great addition to the genre.