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[Review] Escape from Tarkov: Hardcore Shooter for Gun Nerds

Escape From Tarkov
Looking for a hardcore realistic shooter that will satisfy even the most diehard gun nut? We hands-on review Escape from Tarkov which fits the bill.
We review products independently. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission to help support our testing. Learn more.
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    If you’re anything like us, you probably waste a good amount of your life playing first-person shooters when you’re not shitposting about guns online.

    So strap on those carpal tunnel braces and grab your mountain dew, fellow nerds, because today we’re going to tell you why you should be playing Escape From Tarkov

    Wait, You’re a Gaming Site Now?

    Absolutely not – however, it’s probably reasonable to suspect that a lot of us first got into firearms through early exposure to vidyagames – be that Goldeneye 64, the Battlefield franchise, Call of Duty (when it was good), etc.

    Gun reviews and gear guides are always going to be our bread and butter, but it’s fun to take a break occasionally and tell you guys about some of the other things we have fun with that tie into our normal content reasonably well.

    Who’s It For?

    Tarkov is an incredibly realistic first-person shooter that’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

    Compared to many other FPS franchises out there, Tarkov rewards players who move through their environment tactically and efficiently and also punishes you for dying by making you forfeit every piece of gear you had on you when killed.

    Yeah, it sucks – but the end result of tension makes it quite unlike any other shooter we’ve ever played.

    Combined with an absurdly detailed gun customization system, incredible sound design, and an intricate armor, ammo and trauma mechanic – Escape From Tarkov has easily become one of our favorite ways to waste time when we’re not playing with real guns.

    Check out our full video review below!

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    13 Leave a Reply

    • Krush

      The latest COD MWII DMZ levels have the same types of levels with scavenge, shoot, an exfil where you lose all your junk if you die before exfil. You're not able to play as a scavenger and you don't have much ammo choice. You can run coop missions without the cheating human players. As an EMT, I've seen enough of the real shit when people are injured and being tense comes with the territory. So, I'll pass on a game that does it too. I like shooters to help me unwind from a stressful week, not keep me wound up.

      February 3, 2023 2:25 pm
    • Mark Savannah

      DONT BUY THIS GAME. IF I CAN SAVE ONE PERSON ITLL BE WORTH IT. Call this game ESCAPE FROM HACKERS. It's pointless to play, the Devs DONT CARE about cheaters.

      Besides the balance issues (as a new player you literally cannot kill an advanced player unless you head shot them (in the face), shoot their legs out (legging), or use a grenade-otherwise unkillable. You don't get access to the market as a new player and yet you have to play against players who are fifty levels higher than you. It is honestly pointless.

      Add in HACKERS. They are everywhere. Factory and Labs 1/4 games will end with a hacker. They will be floating above you shooting you with a pistol they will be shooting you through the wall they will be shooting you from across the map with a pistol through objects.

      DONT BUY THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      April 17, 2021 7:39 am
    • Warren

      The game itself is 10/10. Tarkov's North East servers are 1/10. Server issues absolutely plague this game right now and have only gotten much, much worse in the last year and a half. This has rendered the game almost unplayable for me as some days I disconnect about 50% of the games I play or more, often leading to death and the loss of literal hours worth of gear accumulation. Unfathomably frustrating as I have a high end-computer with high-speed internet and do not experience this with other games.

      March 8, 2020 2:31 pm
    • Toby

      Found this game because I love PUBG. Was blown away by the realism. Even more weapons realism than ARMA. Only game I’ve ever played with actual name brand gear and weapons. Thankfully Russians don’t have or have different copywrite laws. You can only fit compatible parts to your weapons. And you can customize EVERYTHING! Gas systems, risers for optics, all types of ammo(stuff I’ve never heard of). I’ve learned about some stuff from this game! Haha. Seriously, if you love realism in video games and you love firearms. This game is for you. It’s intense.

      January 23, 2020 2:00 pm
    • Tim

      *Nerd Bow*
      A far better gaming review by a gun reviewer than I've ever seen a gun review by a gaming reviewer!
      Impressive what some of the Indy studios come up with sometimes. Hope they get appropriately rich.

      And, for what it's worth, nothing wrong with enjoying (and sharing) said enjoyment, even if it's occasionally outside of the 'norm.' Now, if you start posting muffin recipes (at least the non-bug-out-back variety), we'll have to talk.

      Well done!

      December 26, 2019 8:55 am
      • Eric Hung

        Thanks Tim!

        December 26, 2019 10:47 am
    • Adam

      Excellent review. I wonder if they'll bring this title to Steam. I didn't see it on there, and might not have seen it at all if you didn't do this piece on it. Looks intense! It's still in Beta testing so I'm hoping they'll work out most of the bugs before I check it out. Thanks.

      December 25, 2019 11:09 am
      • Mace

        You need a pretty beastly rig to play, but its getting better. Very unique game

        January 5, 2020 10:18 am
    • strych9

      I used to do the reviews for games like this over at TTAG.

      I love how you have to explain that you're not a gaming site now. We had to do that A LOT.

      Once Farago sold the site the new owners just care about clicks. I personally think they're stupid but... that's on them. Games get a lot of new people into guns. I know at least a dozen people who bought their first gun, and not a cheap one, specifically because they liked it in a video game and wanted the real deal.

      When it comes to this and the 2A, "culture is downstream from politics" is true. The gun community better learn that fast if they don't want to be begging SCOTUS to let them keep their "scary black rifles".

      December 24, 2019 9:10 pm
      • Eric Hung

        Yup, we preemptively did it just in case. But almost all the feedback has been positive so we will probably do a little more.

        December 25, 2019 3:10 pm
    • TrumpLover

      I'm a hardcore gamer, but never been into FPS until I got into VR with PS4. Turning with one thumb and aiming with the other thumb is dumb. Now I turn with my head, and aim with the rifle in my hands. Its a whole different genre of gaming.

      December 24, 2019 5:26 pm
    • G Parpart

      Most people enjoy a good fps game, including myself @ 45.
      When will Boogaloo 2020 be released?!

      December 24, 2019 4:57 pm
      • James

        I heard that it's due to be released in 2020.

        December 25, 2019 6:31 am
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