We fully intended to bring you some initial impressions of Marathon when it released on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S last night, but then Microsoft went and revealed the next Xbox console (Project Helix) and plans had to change!
Nevertheless, there aren't many formal reviews to speak of for Marathon right now. Bungie has reportedly asked critics to consider not publishing their final reviews until an endgame zone called "Cryo Archive" releases later in March, and although it's not a demand, it seems a lot of outlets are willing to comply.
In fact, most of the "review in progress" articles for Marathon that we've come across have been based on the Server Slam Open Beta that recently took place, rather than the full game - not the best way to get a full impression just yet.
IGN
"The Server Slam alone doesn’t paint a full picture, but working my way to character rank 30 was a really promising glimpse at the first stretch of progression in what looks to be quite an intense climb to the endgame. I’ll be diving deep into every aspect of Marathon at its full launch and be back with a final review once I’ve seen what the later half of that experience feels like – some of which is being held behind planned updates in a couple of weeks. But at least right now, I’m feeling extremely good about the chances of this becoming my next obsession."
So, what are the Xbox players saying? Looking at the Xbox Store, Marathon has a rating 4.6/5 based on over 370 total reviews at the time of writing, but again that doesn't paint the full picture because reviews have been allowed on that page since well before the official release. Our best way to gauge is the overall reaction is probably via Steam, where Marathon has a "Very Positive" rating based on over 5,000 user reviews (91% of them are positive).
We'll still share some of the latest Xbox impressions we've come across down below though:
FrostyFour1128 on Xbox: "I love how the gameplay loop is about questing and not resource gathering. EVERYTHING has value/purpose and is worth picking up. Your weapons and equipment don't require repairs so every round is you doing the things you actually want to do. PvP is fantastic, and the AI is challenging without being annoying. Hate to say it, but it's way more enjoyable than Arc Raiders on a round to round basis. Its got a ton of depth and far less game breaking glitches too. I LOVE this game."
sirishh on Xbox: "Wish more people had mics but the PvP is fun, gameplay is fun, the lore is incredible! I highly suggest picking this game up. Even as someone who doesn't really play extraction shooters, I find myself still having a great time. Everything feels smooth and I respect the fact it wipes every season to keep things fair. Again please don't skip out on the lore! I'd argue that and thee aesthetic overall are the best parts of this game."
Decronia on Xbox: "Quite good. A slow start, but a good learning curve. The game teaches patience and tactics, audio and observation of your surroundings are essential to avoiding getting squashed faster than a tick. Bots eat ammo like it's going out of fashion and players always shoot on sight in my experience. Gun play is solid too."
Phalcata on Xbox: "The shooting feels smooth and satisfying. Everything else? Just is off-putting. My biggest obstacle with it is the loud menus. Bright neon text that's just confusing. I'm still scratching my head wondering the how's and why's... issues and snags I never felt with Ark Raiders. The factions are a cool idea but even each of their progression trees are convoluted and confusing. Ultimately, the game tries to be Avant Garde with art style, text, nuance, menus... and its annoying and frustrating at times."
There's only so much you can take away from random Xbox comments, but in general it feels like most people are enjoying their time with Marathon so far. We'll throw a couple of a videos down below so you can get an idea of how the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions fare — but just keep in mind they're from the Server Slam last week.
If you've been playing it, please let us know how you're getting on with Marathon! Alternatively, you can go and buy the game right now on the Xbox Store at a price of £34.99 / $39.99 for the Standard Edition.