Hate.

I’ve been running into a lot of hate lately. Not directed at me, which is a good thing, but toward something else: games. And I often feel like this hate isn’t entirely deserved.

Let’s start with the "culprit." Marathon.

It’s a game by Bungie, the studio that recently "killed" Destiny 2 by announcing there would be no more major content updates. Destiny fans have turned on Marathon because they see it as one of the reasons their favorite game is being phased out. But... what does the game itself have to do with this? Direct your anger at the studio! Why, unironically, are people doing everything they can to kill Marathon before it even finds its footing?

In one video reviewing the Bungie situation, I saw a clip of a major streamer and Destiny fan who literally said he would do everything in his power to make sure Marathon dies and "burns alive." I don’t get it. Seriously.

Yes, Bungie has a very questionable reputation. I’m not arguing that. So many mistakes in Destiny 2... so many filler expansions. Removing old content. That "Tapir" error that plagued part of the community. But why kill a good project that could potentially build (and likely already has) a loyal audience? Why?

In my opinion: Marathon is an excellent game with its own set of problems, but they seem fixable. And Bungie is working on them. But that Season 2 launch... man, how could they screw up that badly? Just imagine: you have a struggling but promising project. You run a free week to attract new players, and the second it starts... the servers collapse. It was literally unplayable because people were just getting kicked constantly.

I also have to mention the incredible design. This style—it’s so strange, but damn, it’s attractive. The characters, the locations, the weapons... I love it. I vibe with almost every visual element of the game. But again, Bungie dropped the ball here too. Part of the visual assets were stolen from an artist. Apparently, the employee responsible was fired. I just hope the artist got compensated.

Regardless, I like Marathon, and I’m going to keep playing.

The Second Culprit: NTE (Neverness to Everness)

The outrage here is linked to the use of AI for certain elements. And I just don’t understand... what’s the big deal? So they used AI for posters or some animations - does that mean the whole game deserves to be hated.

Again, NTE isn't perfect. Some animations are stiff. The combat is average. You could probably find more flaws if you looked. But I don't look at it that way. If I like a game, I play it. If I don't, I don't.

But tell me, is using AI really such a cardinal sin? AI can be a great supplementary tool that makes work easier. I might be wrong, but I think I saw news that Hoyoverse is also going to start using AI in their games. Yet, I don’t see a massive backlash there (maybe I’m just in a different information bubble, I admit).

Overall, what I wanted to say is: Be kinder. Don’t be like a herd of sheep rushing to burn down perfectly good projects. Try things for yourself and form YOUR OWN opinion instead of just echoing the majority.

Peace to you all.

P.S. I finally have a bit of free time. I want to finally get around to writing Hotori bot. I’ve already found some beautiful art; now I just need to write the character itself. I’ll try to get to it as soon as possible! :D