it's aight, I guess



So
Warframe
Registered there about 5 years ago, got pretty bored, deleted
Got back in the summer of 2016, not far from the release of the first open-world location - Plains of Eidolon. And how it changed during those 3 years is unbeliveable, a miracle. From the visuals, optimization, gameplay features, to introducing a series of cinematic quests, which no veteran player will dare to spoil to a newcomer, all its aspects changed so much, you can barely call it the same game.
The balance of effort and reward makes crafting new stuff satisfying (you can now build your own melee and secondary weapons and a robotic pet, which imo are major breakthroughs in game design in general). Smart levelling system, which not only encourages, but is build on you maintainig the constant flow of equipment - you will not progress far without switchin to a new weapon, warframe or companion, as the progress is measured in levels of those things.
Game makes everything you do in combat feel powerful, impactful, through both sound and visuals. Every weapon is truly unique, with it's own model, sound, shooting pattern etc. And all that can be customized even deeply, using the system of Mods - damage, speed, health and other enhanchements of said weapons and frames.

This game is certainly not for everyone - a PvE hoard shooter based on grind. It has a PvP mode and a peaceful football-style mode, but those are not in the focus, neither developers, nor players'.
It is flawed, like every other game - some quests require you to search for things, which spawn at random, bringing the most immersion-breaking feeling - frustration. However, usually the reward is worth it.

Being F2P game it has paid currency, but calling it pay-towin would be an insult. Everything, aside from cosmetics, can be crafted with ingame resources and time investment. You can also traid some things with other players for that currency.

It is now the end of November 2018 and I with no doubt nominate it for The Labor of Love award.

it's aight, I guess So Warframe Registered there about 5 years ago, got pretty bored, deleted Got back in the summer of 2016, not far from the release of the first open-world location - Plains of Eidolon. And how it changed during those 3 years is unbeliveable, a miracle. From the visuals, optimization, gameplay features, to introducing a series of cinematic quests, which no veteran player will dare to spoil to a newcomer, all its aspects changed so much, you can barely call it the same game. The balance of effort and reward makes crafting new stuff satisfying (you can now build your own melee and secondary weapons and a robotic pet, which imo are major breakthroughs in game design in general). Smart levelling system, which not only encourages, but is build on you maintainig the constant flow of equipment - you will not progress far without switchin to a new weapon, warframe or companion, as the progress is measured in levels of those things. Game makes everything you do in combat feel powerful, impactful, through both sound and visuals. Every weapon is truly unique, with it's own model, sound, shooting pattern etc. And all that can be customized even deeply, using the system of Mods - damage, speed, health and other enhanchements of said weapons and frames. This game is certainly not for everyone - a PvE hoard shooter based on grind. It has a PvP mode and a peaceful football-style mode, but those are not in the focus, neither developers, nor players'. It is flawed, like every other game - some quests require you to search for things, which spawn at random, bringing the most immersion-breaking feeling - frustration. However, usually the reward is worth it. Being F2P game it has paid currency, but calling it pay-towin would be an insult. Everything, aside from cosmetics, can be crafted with ingame resources and time investment. You can also traid some things with other players for that currency. It is now the end of November 2018 and I with no doubt nominate it for The Labor of Love award.