Anyone else often hear criticism for Marathon's art style?
When I talk to casual gamers IRL, I often hear that the reason why they don't give Marathon a shot is because of the art and graphics. Honestly I found this super surprising given that the art style was what drew me to the game. It's different from everything else on the market, esoteric and abstract but set in a gritty world.
Online I hear people criticizing the hardcore game design, but I think people just aren't interested in the setting and look of Marathon. It's a weird feeling realizing your taste is so far removed from the general public, and additionally disappointing when approval from the general public is a requirement for a successful game in today's day and age. When I mention how cool and interesting the artstyle is to some of my irl friends they look at me so puzzled. These same people love Arc Raiders art which in turn puzzles me. Retro-futurism is something I've seen so often that I was relatively ambivalent to Arc's graphics.
Maybe part of it is seeing the same old design choices over 25 years of gaming; military, cyberpunk, military sci-fi ala Halo or Star Wars. But for most people that got into gaming in the last decade these aesthetics are still interesting, and they are of course timeless.
I am speaking from anecdotal experience of course. Anyone else have similar experiences?