I will mirror the many people who brought up concerns about loading times and glitches, but I enjoyed the combat more than I expected to. I think they did a disservice in starting everyone with the Ranger which in my opinion is the most boring/basic of the Javelins (especially after getting to use the others).
I’m actually kind of blown away by how different the Javelins feel from each other. The first one I unlocked was the Storm and it was an absolute blast! Being able to hover above the battlefield and deal out so much damage was really satisfying and made switching back to the Ranger that much more painful (I think it could be fun, but it was hard to adjust to after using the Storm a lot, especially against the Titans).
For the last couple hours of the demo they unlocked the other Javelins for everyone and I got to try out the Colossus. Again, I cannot not overstate just how different it plays/feels from the Ranger and Storm. It doesn’t have regenerating shields like the other Javelins and it doesn’t have a dodge (when you dodge with it, it pulls out the shield instead). While initially feeling super prohibitive, I got used to it and had a lot of fun with it. I especially liked how much more connected I felt with the team. The Storm feels a little detached just floating above everyone casting magic while the Colossus requires you to stay in the fight (to pick up the health drops) and encourages you to help out with your teammates by taunting to soak up damage or expose weak points for them to exploit. The Colossus also uses different guns than the other suits (it can use the normal guns, but why would you??). It has grenade launchers and mini guns which were a nice change of pace.
I think what intrigues me the most is the teamwork and coordination that is encouraged, and I think will be required on harder difficulties. I played everything on the game on Hard and while talking and teamwork wasn’t necessarily required, there were quite a few wipes when everyone split up. Having to set up abilities, combos, and the timing of those with each other sets it apart from Destiny for me.
I think the city felt a little bland and sterile, but the conversations and situations that arose with the characters actually had me laughing. I also don’t like that there aren’t other people around. Though they’re apparently adding a shared hangar space to hang out with other pilots. I also believe that like Destiny, this game will be much better played with friends. The demo definitely convinced me to pre-order, but I understand why others feel differently.
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