I’ve always wondered this because I consider myself a competitive gamer, but I notice that not many people seem drawn to this game. Despite being out for a few years now, it still has a solid community, though I rarely see it attracting new players.
First things first: Hardcore Co-op. I don’t think I’m off base when I say that probably 80% of players prefer this game mode, even I have never touched PvP. I like military games, gore, and having friendly fire enabled. Would it be wrong to say that this game is only alive because of Co-op?
One major downside I always complain about is that sometimes the AI goes way overboard.
I’ve had moments where I get taken out instantly with a flick headshot. Some might argue that’s how it’s supposed to be since it’s "hardcore," but... just yesterday I had a ridiculous situation with the AI. A teammate and I were pushing towards the next objective. He was ahead of me, and as we rounded a corner, an insurgent spotted us. Even though my teammate was right in front of him, the bot completely ignored him, gave him time to fire, and snapped directly onto me instead. I really wish I had recorded it—it felt super unfair.
Other times, the shooting angles bots have are just broken. For example, there are matches where a bot on an upper floor can hit me continuously even though only the top of its head is visible. Imagine trying to shoot back at a bot that shouldn't even have a clear line of sight, with barely any target to hit. Pretty unfair, right?
This is just my opinion, and I’d love to hear what you guys think. Even though it might sound like I'm just venting (which I kind of am), I wanted to see if anyone else has run into similar stuff.