Division 2
The Division 2 is the most recently released online looter-shooter on this list, and unlike some other games from this year, it released more or less complete.
There have been a handful of issues that the community has run into, but for the most part fans of the first game seem satisfied, and lots of former doubters appear converted.
Ubisoft maintained many of the elements from the first game like Dark Zones that help to differentiate the Division franchise from other titles. They also learned from their last game and made sure that the sequel’s campaign cuts out as much filler as possible to get players to the endgame faster.
Online looter-shooter fans know that the majority of the time spent with games like the Division 2 comes after the story missions in the endgame. This is the part of the experience where you focus on getting the best gear for your character and participating in the most challenging activities.
In addition to this, if you did want to replay parts of the story the game offers remixed versions of the missions to stop them from feeling stale. Honestly, this is one of the most impressive changes brought to the Division 2, and hopefully, other looter-shooter games will take notice.
The final aspect of the Division 2 that helps it stand out from the crowd is the game’s world. Traversing the game’s environment takes up much more of the player’s time compared to other games on this list, and as a result, there has to be a good reason to explore.
Luckily, Ubisoft provides fans with plenty to see and has even increased the number of Dark Zones players can explore. There are now three Dark Zones on the map, and all of them have unique environmental aspects that stop them from feeling repetitive.
Additionally, there are also there are now occupied Dark Zones designed for high-level players looking for a challenge. The occupied zone will also rotate between the three available locations to make sure people keep visiting all the zones.
While the Division 2 might not win over many new fans, it fulfilled the promise of a better version of the first game with more replayability. Hopefully, the game will continue to be iterated upon in a way that continues to make their community happy.
Destiny 2
When Destiny 2 launched, it was met with a solid initial reaction that burned out rather quickly due to changes in the sequel that removed some of the grind players enjoyed. The excellent shooting mechanics that Bungie was known for were still intact, but changes to the weapon system and overall gameplay loop left many longtime fans upset.
In particular, the decision to remove the ability for weapons to drop with random perks really eliminated a lot of the fun from the looter aspect of this looter-shooter.
Fast forward a year and with the release of Forsaken the game got some smart system changes that made the game much better like randomly rolled drops and an overhauled weapon system. Once again Bungie was able to reinvigorate their community by adapting to the desires of their fans.
Forsaken brought with it plenty of redesigned systems but none as significant as the way that players would now receive future content. Bungie began to add new weekly events for players to do and see following the release of the expansion.
This strategy was also applied to the new annual pass system where instead of smaller drops of content over the year, fans would now get three complete seasons of new things to do.
Bungie is now attempting to strike a balance between always having something for you to do and to look forward to. While they haven’t quite nailed it perfectly just yet, it is undoubtedly a welcome change to the DLC releases of the past.
As for the future of Destiny 2, there is still some uncertainty as to what is coming after the final season of content finishes later this year, but now that Bungie is independently publishing the series there has been a renewed trust between the developer and their fans.
The top quality first-person shooting mechanics of Destiny 2 were able to support the game through a rocky first year, but with the amount of competition the game now has in the online looter-shooter genre, it may not be able to go through something similar again.
Hopefully, Bungie has learned from their mistakes, and the freedom independent publishing offers can give them the flexibility needed to meet their ambitions for the future.
Warframe
Warframe does a lot of things right and has managed to build and maintain an active community since its initial launch in 2013, but easily the two biggest things it has going for it is that the base game is free and it’s available on PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.
When so many online looter-shooters have established a reputation of offering fun but not quite complete experiences, a starting price of free is hard to beat, especially on Switch where your options are limited.
While Warframe was by no means an immediate success, the game has managed to build a sizable community over the past few years through gameplay updates and expansions. Digital Extremes even started Tennocon in 2016 to create an annual event where they announce the next year’s upcoming changes and updates.
Accessibility and community do a great job of selling a game, but it is ultimately gameplay that keeps players around. Luckily, the basic combat of Warframe feels excellent and is further augmented by the game’s customization systems.
The basic structure of Warframe is about killing the enemies in front of you but how you go about it is up to you. Including all variants, the game has over 50 frames with unique stats for players to chose from, and that’s before even getting into the modding system.
There are over 950 mods in the game which enhance things like speed and damage. This means that there is almost an endless number of combinations to experience and certainly more than any other game on this list can offer.
Warframe may initially seem overwhelming but any player who takes the time to learn the game will be rewarded with a very worthwhile experience. The sheer depth and variety available to gamers make this one of the best online looter-shooters out there.
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