Arc Raiders isn’t actually a PvP game, and that fact is what fuels the incredible social dynamics that are thriving within it. You see, Arc Raiders is actually a PvE game with PvP elements. Don’t believe me? Let’s run it down.
Arc Raiders isn’t merely an extraction shooter. It’s an extraction shooter that is so perfectly well-made that it offers some of the most emergent gameplay moments and organic storytelling that I’ve ever seen. I’ve always said that the best stories a game can tell are the ones that are organically told through gameplay, and every day that I play Arc Raiders, I have stories to tell.
Marvel Rivals has a pretty big problem that it tried to keep relatively secret. It has bots posing as real players in quick play, and not for a reasonable purpose, like filling lobbies. It uses them as a player retention tactic, feeding players who are on a losing streak free wins to not hurt their feelings. It’s scummy, underhanded, and frankly insulting, and it actually causes severe damage to the overall game.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a sandbox-style mech game where you pilot huge hulks of twisted steel and sex appeal. If sex appeal took the form of cannons the size of a Greyhound bus and pods with enough rockets to blot out the sun. You pilot these beautiful machines in either first or third person, but you don’t simply play with a single mech.