Episode 89: The best live service game that you like despite itself

The Best Games Ever Podcast

If you're anything like me, nothing makes you lose interest in a game quicker than the words "always online". Or "free-to-play". Or "connected experience", or whatever other marketing terms they've come up with for "live service grindfest that sucks". Sometimes they don't even tell you upfront that it's a GAAS title, leaving it up to the prospective audience to divine this information from visual cues in gameplay trailers like... three distinct types of in-game currency, numbers popping out of enemies heads, and the whole thing having that unmistakable whiff of a project that no involved creative could ever muster real enthusiasm for. The core of a good idea spoiled by shareholder demands. Etc.

It wouldn't be so bad if every single effing game didn't seem to ship with live service elements nowadays. But still, sometimes a s**t sandwich comes with sprinkles, and people can enjoy any old muck if they have to. Which brings us to the topic of today's Best Games Ever Podcast: what's the best live service game you begrudgingly like? Could it be Destiny 2, the series that many hold responsible for this genre? Could it be Genshin Impact, the poster-child for F2P games that are Good Actually? Or could it be Diablo 4, which leverages a beloved ARPG brand to lure people into its miasma of micro (and macro) transactions?

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