How Marathon Reviews Compare to Destiny 2

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Online discussions about Marathon have been quite active since its release, making it hard to get a clear picture of what people actually think. For players considering a purchase, Destiny 2 offers a helpful comparison point. Both games come from the same developer, use a similar ongoing service model, and even received comparable initial reactions. Looking back at how early Destiny 2 reviews aged – what they got right and wrong – offers more valuable insight into Marathon than any single review could.

It’s always helpful to check review aggregator websites when comparing games. Initially, both games appear to have similar scores, with Marathon slightly leading in a few areas. However, remember that these headline scores are just a beginning – they shouldn’t be considered the final word. This is especially true for games that are constantly updated, where aggregator scores might not accurately reflect the current experience.

What the Aggregators Say — And What They Don’t

Both Destiny 2 and Marathon have received generally positive reviews, with Destiny 2 scoring 85 on Metascore and 84 on OpenCritic, while Marathon received 81 and 80 respectively. However, player scores tell a different story. Marathon has a higher player rating (5.8 on Metacritic and 90 on OpenCritic) compared to Destiny 2 (5.2 and 70). It’s important to be cautious with these player scores, though, as they might not accurately reflect the games themselves or could be influenced by things outside of the game quality.

The player score for Destiny 2 (5.2) represents years of player experiences – including disappointments with removed content, repetitive seasonal updates, and the game’s ups and downs over nearly ten years. Marathon‘s scores, however, are coming in during a particularly divisive launch period. Negative reactions are fueled by concerns about the company behind the game and skepticism towards this type of shooter, making it difficult to distinguish honest player feedback from biased opinions. In short, these scores reflect very different situations at different stages in each game’s lifespan.

A Closer Look: Eight Publications, Two Launch Windows

To understand the initial reception of both games better, we examined detailed reviews from eight different publications that covered them around the time of release. These sources represent both console and PC gaming perspectives and contribute to the overall scores readers often see. By focusing on reviews from the same period, we aimed to create a fairer comparison, controlling for changes in opinions over time. While not perfect, this method offers a more accurate view than simply looking at aggregate scores.

However, the type of game also plays a role, and it’s important to recognize that. Destiny 2 focuses on completing missions, improving your character, and having lots of content to explore. Marathon, on the other hand, is a more competitive game where players try to complete objectives while facing both other players and AI enemies, and it’s generally much harder to master. Games like Marathon and ARC Raiders, where players risk losing progress, tend to be more divisive, appeal to a smaller group of players, and sometimes get more cautious reviews because they prioritize creating tension and risk over simple rewards.

Publication-by-Publication Comparison

Publication Marathon Destiny 2 (at launch) Score Difference
GameSpot 9 8 +1.0 Marathon
PC Gamer 9 8.5 +0.5 Marathon
GamesRadar+ 9 10 +1.0 Destiny 2
Destructoid 8.5 7.5 → 6.5 at PC release +1.0 to +2.0 Marathon
Kotaku Positive Positive, but arguably less enthusiastic Slight Marathon lean
Game Informer 9.25 9 +0.25 Marathon
Wccftech 9 9.3 +0.3 Destiny 2
PCGamesN 8 7 +1.0 Marathon

When looking at reviews from eight different sources, Marathon generally performed better than Destiny 2, winning in six out of eight comparisons. Destiny 2 won twice, and one comparison wasn’t suitable for a clear score. This shows a consistent, though small, advantage for Marathon. Importantly, this trend holds true whether looking at reviews from sources that focus on consoles or PCs – which is significant because PC gamers have historically preferred this type of shooting game. It’s impressive that Marathon is receiving similar or better reviews than Destiny 2 despite this, but one crucial factor is still being overlooked.

Vanilla Destiny 2 VS. Marathon Highlights a Broader Point

The real takeaway here, which most Destiny 2 players probably already know, is that reviews can’t fully capture the experience of games that are constantly updated. A game like Elden Ring can be accurately reviewed soon after release because the content is fixed. But games like Marathon or Destiny 2 are about investing in a game that will evolve over time, and no review can predict how that will unfold.

This makes the history of Destiny 2 crucial to understanding what happened. While the game initially received very positive reviews, it quickly began losing players due to a lack of new content, features being removed and then brought back, and a feeling among fans that it wasn’t as good as the original. The initial reviews weren’t inaccurate, but they didn’t foresee these later issues.

Subsequent expansions for Destiny 2 were praised for living up to the initial hype. Forsaken significantly improved the game by overhauling core mechanics and bringing back popular features from the first Destiny, such as randomized weapon perks, which helped players stay engaged for longer.

What This Comparison Is Actually Worth

Initial reviews for the original Destiny 2 came out while the game was still being developed and refined. The fact that Marathon received similar, and sometimes slightly better, reviews at launch is noteworthy, but doesn’t necessarily predict its success. It suggests the game was in better shape critically than some online discussions suggest, and that the strong, divided opinions online are influenced by factors beyond the game itself. The situation was also different because Bungie asked reviewers to hold off on publishing until the Cryo Archive map for Marathon was released, giving them a more complete experience to base their opinions on than they would have had at the very beginning.

While the recent decision faced some criticism, it was a step in the right direction. It’s helpful to have this background when trying to understand what’s happening, but there’s no way to know right now if Marathon will be worth the investment a year from now, or if the planned content updates will actually happen. Bungie has started off well with quicker updates than Destiny 2 has seen recently, but it’s too early to say if this will continue. So, if you’re thinking about buying Marathon for $40, it’s best to get a recommendation from someone you trust, or follow your instincts, because the most accurate reviews will come much later, after the game has been out for a while. It’s a difficult reality for those of us who are enjoying Marathon now, but it’s important to remember that live-service games evolve over time.

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2026-03-30 00:39