TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 1,975
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Style and substance.
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SFX
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Arc Raiders is undeniably a one-of-a-kind extraction shooter, finally bringing the niche, hardcore genre to the masses. And while its retro-futuristic aesthetic, reminiscent of Fallout, is a joy to wage war pr make life-long friends in, the same can't be said for its cast of quest givers.
Try to think of any characteristic or personality trait to describe Shani. Impossible. Celeste? Nope. Lance is by far the coolest, but that's just because he's a robot wearing aviators. Arc Raiders characters are puppets pretending to be human, a problem only worsened by the deadpan line delivery of their text-to-speech, AI-powered voices.
But it's an extraction shooter, so expectations were and still are low regarding story and characters. Yet, when you hop over to Marathon, and you see how overkill Bungie's been, it's hard not to feel let down even more by Embark's approach.
Like Arc Raiders, Marathon's faction reps are effectively just a user interface to offer quests and hand out loot. They're transactional—you're there because you need to do something. But Bungie understands that it doesn't mean they need to be boring.
Each one has a unique, incredibly stylised intro cinematic that explains the faction's reasoning for being involved in the narrative unfolding on Tau Ceti. Traxus built a lot of the infrastructure of the original expedition to the planet and is now attempting to claw back any profits and resources they can. MIDA is an anarchist group attempting to put the UESC in the dirt. Arachne? They're a deathcult.
You get the sense that Bungie was self-indulgent in crafting these intros, squeezing every ounce of graphic realism it could into every shot. It's oftentimes overstimulating, but that's kinda the point. They're cool, and they perfectly set the stage for Marathon's setting.
Then you meet the faction representatives themselves, and the impeccable aura only continues. MIDA's Gantry shifts between different graffiti styles constantly, with the creepy high-angle shot revealing the army of Shells behind him.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Traxus' Vulcan sits completely still in their throne, their piercing, glowing eyes staring right at you constantly. Their two-tone black and orange design is stark, and they're always accompanied by a massive lion. You ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Arc Raiders is undeniably a one-of-a-kind extraction shooter, finally bringing the niche, hardcore genre to the masses. And while its retro-futuristic aesthetic, reminiscent of Fallout, is a joy to wage war pr make life-long friends in, the same can't be said for its cast of quest givers.
Try to think of any characteristic or personality trait to describe Shani. Impossible. Celeste? Nope. Lance is by far the coolest, but that's just because he's a robot wearing aviators. Arc Raiders characters are puppets pretending to be human, a problem only worsened by the deadpan line delivery of their text-to-speech, AI-powered voices.
But it's an extraction shooter, so expectations were and still are low regarding story and characters. Yet, when you hop over to Marathon, and you see how overkill Bungie's been, it's hard not to feel let down even more by Embark's approach.
Like Arc Raiders, Marathon's faction reps are effectively just a user interface to offer quests and hand out loot. They're transactional—you're there because you need to do something. But Bungie understands that it doesn't mean they need to be boring.
Each one has a unique, incredibly stylised intro cinematic that explains the faction's reasoning for being involved in the narrative unfolding on Tau Ceti. Traxus built a lot of the infrastructure of the original expedition to the planet and is now attempting to claw back any profits and resources they can. MIDA is an anarchist group attempting to put the UESC in the dirt. Arachne? They're a deathcult.
You get the sense that Bungie was self-indulgent in crafting these intros, squeezing every ounce of graphic realism it could into every shot. It's oftentimes overstimulating, but that's kinda the point. They're cool, and they perfectly set the stage for Marathon's setting.
Then you meet the faction representatives themselves, and the impeccable aura only continues. MIDA's Gantry shifts between different graffiti styles constantly, with the creepy high-angle shot revealing the army of Shells behind him.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Traxus' Vulcan sits completely still in their throne, their piercing, glowing eyes staring right at you constantly. Their two-tone black and orange design is stark, and they're always accompanied by a massive lion. You ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?