The FInals is a great, imperfect FPS carried mainly by the intensely destructive physics, fast-paced mayhem, and pretty solid gunplay. The same things that make the game great also work against it.

The pace and destruction can be so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ bonkers that developing consistent 'strategy' gets tossed out the window in favor of destroying said window, the entire building, the entire block -- literally. Which is hilarious and surreal, but also makes it hard for actual team coordination. Lots of deliberate, coordinated attacks will disintegrate fast into unreal destruction where entire burning buildings collapse on people (and the cashout). Playing only tournaments (ranked or otherwise) tempers that situation, since the sort-of finite number of lives in tournaments lead people to play somewhat less recklessly. The guns feel pretty chonky, but be ready to get good at unloading an entire magazine into a face if you want kills. Winning is extremely satisfying. A match can flip in a second if your team times a steal just right, and some players really hate this aspect of the Finals, but it does seem completely part of the point -- don't listen to anyone that says there's no way to actually defend a cashout to completion, you absolutely can with coordination. There is also no pay-to-win, which is great, and generally things feel balanced (people super disagreed with this at least in season 1 re: light build being way too glassy, but with the right loadout/team it makes no difference). The cosmetics, the aesthetic... I don't know. It turned off most of my friends from joining me on this one, but it's a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ vibe for sure. Kind of 'Ready Player One' tech/sci-fi culture pastiche? Most of the battlepass is not worth buying at all, but I'm glad I did it once.

Slightly burned out on it now, but for sure I'll come back in future seasons. It's free, so go for it. It is great for a very specific and insane pace of FPS. Lots of your friends will hate playing this ♥♥♥♥ and get mad that they lost a cashout because an entire shopping mall fell on them.

The FInals is a great, imperfect FPS carried mainly by the intensely destructive physics, fast-paced mayhem, and pretty solid gunplay. The same things that make the game great also work against it. The pace and destruction can be so fucking bonkers that developing consistent 'strategy' gets tossed out the window in favor of destroying said window, the entire building, the entire block -- literally. Which is hilarious and surreal, but also makes it hard for actual team coordination. Lots of deliberate, coordinated attacks will disintegrate fast into unreal destruction where entire burning buildings collapse on people (and the cashout). Playing only tournaments (ranked or otherwise) tempers that situation, since the sort-of finite number of lives in tournaments lead people to play somewhat less recklessly. The guns feel pretty chonky, but be ready to get good at unloading an entire magazine into a face if you want kills. Winning is extremely satisfying. A match can flip in a second if your team times a steal just right, and some players really hate this aspect of the Finals, but it does seem completely part of the point -- don't listen to anyone that says there's no way to actually defend a cashout to completion, you absolutely can with coordination. There is also no pay-to-win, which is great, and generally things feel balanced (people super disagreed with this at least in season 1 re: light build being way too glassy, but with the right loadout/team it makes no difference). The cosmetics, the aesthetic... I don't know. It turned off most of my friends from joining me on this one, but it's a fuckin vibe for sure. Kind of 'Ready Player One' tech/sci-fi culture pastiche? Most of the battlepass is not worth buying at all, but I'm glad I did it once. Slightly burned out on it now, but for sure I'll come back in future seasons. It's free, so go for it. It is great for a very specific and insane pace of FPS. Lots of your friends will hate playing this shit and get mad that they lost a cashout because an entire shopping mall fell on them.