Marathon: in this game there's Solos, Squads (of 3), Squads (of 2; currently disabled after a test period), and Rooks (Solo, but instead of going against other Solos, you enter the map on a delay in to a space with 3 man squads and other Solo Rooks). Rook really has been the superior version of Solo in terms of fun.
My map knowledge has really been paying off. Twice the other day, I used audio queues I heard in the distance to make a major strategic decision. And I'm not just blowing smoke, because after you die or exfiltrate, you spectate another random player still on the planet. And both times, I spectated a member of a 3-man squad I overheard, and they were doing what I expected they were going to do. Thus, I avoided almost certain death.
The map knowledge paying off is very satisfying.
Marathon is still very addictive. It's 90% of what I've played since it came out.
Squads is still very fun if you don't mind losing a lot. It's still an extreme, but fun, doomed adventure with squaddies, which is usually fun for me regardless of the outcome. I don't enjoy Solos anymore because it wrecks havoc on your blood pressure. Everyone is crouch walking around near silently, and 80% of the lobby plays Assassin. And Assassin mains are quite often content to sit in a corner for 20 real-world minutes. Losing your run to silent, human claymores at random is most unpleasant.
Rook is Solo but with way less jump scares and stress. Because squads generally don't care about being stealthy. So, by listening, you can generally do what you want: sneak around, look for specific loot or ambush. There's still an occasional jump scare from another Rook to keep it interesting though.
