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Anthem

ZiabR

How many of you are picking this up? Parent company is EA but its developed by Bioware who are normally top notice.

Open Beta starts on the 1st Feb for 3 days.

I really want this to be good and will likely pick it up.

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eggy81

awec wrote: »

It's basically vanilla Destiny with jetpacks, and with PvP stripped out.

Stand here for x minutes, gather x of these things, kill x of these things, grab that thing and bring it here.

It doesn't tell it's story via poxy grimoire cards, so it's better than destiny in that regard.

Sound I might givecitva whirl so. Enjoyed recently part of Destiny most tbh. Vog crota and the nightfall with the few class weapons and armour that would drop. Got way to time consuming to keep up the more they added to it imo.

goon_magee

Nody wrote: »

I can give you 6 million reasons why; EA expects a minimum of 5-6 million sold units by end of March; if Anthem fails to hit that the funding of the continued updates to the game will go accordingly due to "failing to meet expectations". The problem is not if Anthem can have a couple of million players; it's that EA expects Anthem to have 5+ million players or it's a failure and will act accordingly. Remember this is suppose to be Bioware's last chance to make up the earlier failures (i.e. ME:A etc.) that did not sell enough.

That is the biggest worry for the game; not if Bioware can make good games (they can) but how / when / if EA will pull out the chainsaw on the development team for failing to meet their expectations.

Both Battlefront 2 and BFV underperformed at launch, no impact to planned updates was experienced/has yet to be experienced. Even if they retain 2 million plus players, I couldn't see EA ditching the potential revenue to be made.

Nody

goon_magee wrote: »

Both Battlefront 2 and BFV underperformed at launch, no impact to planned updates was experienced/has yet to be experienced. Even if they retain 2 million plus players, I couldn't see EA ditching the potential revenue to be made.

ME:A says Hello. But no; I'd not expect them to go the full ME:A route but rather less content and more monitization in various forms.

DARK-KNIGHT

Fred The Red wrote: »

Yea the above is all waffle. No point in engaging with you any further for the sake of the thread.

Yet another boardsie will be attempting to live rent free fred lol careful now

GHOST MGG

I thought this patch was to fix the disconnects at the end of missions on pc...ffs just dced me at end of final mission

_CreeD_

I don't think anyone has been making excuses for the game just pointing out, in great depth, where it works and where it doesn't . Nobody has come across as a rabid fanboy or hater in their arguments about the it and what I see are genuine attempts to present an indepth view of the pros and cons of the game, there are plenty of both - don't fall into the typical forum trap of associating a post (or game) with your ego, let it go.
Personally I like it, warts and all, but at the same time I am not recommending it to all of my gamer friends, only those I think will appreciate the same things in it that I do - similar to Warframe. It is not a universally great game, that does not mean opinions are divisive just different - as in I don't think any of us are coming from an extreme viewpoint either way, it's just whether the fully recognised good of the game (base action and loot systems) outweighs the fully recognised bad (technical glitches, campaign and diversity) for you.

Revoker88

For all those talking about Bioware and the fact there a studio that make great story driven games,can anyone tell me the last genuinely great/well recieved story game they made? Mass Effect 2?

I say that as 3 was widely panned for it ending. Genuinely camt think of the last great story driven game by them.

Maybe there not the studio they once were. Pigeon holing a dev and panning them if they dont make the games we want personally is a bit silly imo. Not giving there games a chance because there not the games we personally want is even sillier imo.

Its like trying to pan everything EA make without actually examining weather the underlying game is good or not.

gimli2112

In fairness EA don't design, conceptualize and make the game. They just bring the evil.

gizmo

EoinHef wrote: »

For all those talking about Bioware and the fact there a studio that make great story driven games,can anyone tell me the last genuinely great/well recieved story game they made? Mass Effect 2?

I say that as 3 was widely panned for it ending. Genuinely camt think of the last great story driven game by them.

Maybe there not the studio they once were. Pigeon holing a dev and panning them if they dont make the games we want personally is a bit silly imo. Not giving there games a chance because there not the games we personally want is even sillier imo.

Its like trying to pan everything EA make without actually examining weather the underlying game is good or not.

Mass Effect 3's ending was most definitely criticised but that shouldn't take away from the strength of the rest of the game. I can't speak for Inquisition but I've just finished Dragon Age II so I'm well aware what a misstep that was but even then you could see what they were trying to do with it, it just didn't work at all. Which yes, brings us to Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2 as their last clear cut successes.

The question of whether they're the studio they once were can be easily answered by looking at credits section for each of the games on the likes of Mobygames and seeing who is still around at the upper levels of the company. The answer is that each of these games shared a remarkably large number of senior staff so the talent is definitely still within the studio.

As for what was expected from Anthem, I can only speak from my own perspective but I wasn't expecting a classic "Bioware" RPG of 25-50hrs, depending on the franchise, and to be fair, I think they were quite clear about that from quite a while ago. What I also wasn't expecting, however, was something folk would have to force themselves through, something that saw them want to skip conversations with characters in-game just to get it over with so they can get their hands on the real fun.

I'm using some of the terms Dcully used earlier in the thread because I want to link it back to one of the other games he put a lot of time into which I too also enjoyed, Diablo 3. The kicker here is, we played it very differently. I went in for the story and the campaign, I had my fun in the what, ~15hrs it took me to run through the game as a Barbarian and then I moved on, only returning to it for Reaper of Souls relatively recently. In other people's cases that's just when that game opened up but for me, the idea of *that* kind of grind holds relatively zero appeal.

This is what I was getting at above when I said I was disappointed with Anthem, given the time and budget the project had, I find it difficult to see why it couldn't have offered both kinds of experiences for each of us. Granted this may be rectified post launch and it may compare to my experience with something like Destiny, which I jumped into with all post-release content, which ultimately offered a fun, albeit somewhat incoherent, experience for solo play once everything was in place.

So yea, perhaps Anthem will end up in the same way and hey, on the upside, in the meantime I'm sure the looter fans will be giving plenty of feedback on what improvements are required for the core mechanics and systems of the game for when the rest of us arrive. :pac:

Falthyron

gizmo wrote: »

Mass Effect 3's ending was most definitely criticised but that shouldn't take away from the strength of the rest of the game. I can't speak for Inquisition but I've just finished Dragon Age II so I'm well aware what a misstep that was but even then you could see what they were trying to do with it, it just didn't work at all. Which yes, brings us to Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2 as their last clear cut successes.

The question of whether they're the studio they once were can be easily answered by looking at credits section for each of the games on the likes of Mobygames and seeing who is still around at the upper levels of the company. The answer is that each of these games shared a remarkably large number of senior staff so the talent is definitely still within the studio.

As for what was expected from Anthem, I can only speak from my own perspective but I wasn't expecting a classic "Bioware" RPG of 25-50hrs, depending on the franchise, and to be fair, I think they were quite clear about that from quite a while ago. What I also wasn't expecting, however, was something folk would have to force themselves through, something that saw them want to skip conversations with characters in-game just to get it over with so they can get their hands on the real fun.

I'm using some of the terms Dcully used earlier in the thread because I want to link it back to one of the other games he put a lot of time into which I too also enjoyed, Diablo 3. The kicker here is, we played it very differently. I went in for the story and the campaign, I had my fun in the what, ~15hrs it took me to run through the game as a Barbarian and then I moved on, only returning to it for Reaper of Souls relatively recently. In other people's cases that's just when that game opened up but for me, the idea of *that* kind of grind holds relatively zero appeal.

This is what I was getting at above when I said I was disappointed with Anthem, given the time and budget the project had, I find it difficult to see why it couldn't have offered both kinds of experiences for each of us. Granted this may be rectified post launch and it may compare to my experience with something like Destiny, which I jumped into with all post-release content, which ultimately offered a fun, albeit somewhat incoherent, experience for solo play once everything was in place.

So yea, perhaps Anthem will end up in the same way and hey, on the upside, in the meantime I'm sure the looter fans will be giving plenty of feedback on what improvements are required for the core mechanics and systems of the game for when the rest of us arrive. :pac:

You forgot about Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - quite possibly the best Star Wars game ever made, followed closely by Jedi Knight II

There was also Neverwinter Nights...

BioWare were a great studio and they peaked towards the end of Mass Effect 3. Since then they are a shell of their former selves with so many departures. Very similar pattern to Westwood Studios who became EALA, and so forth. If Anthem doesn't become the final nail in the coffin for what remains of BioWare then they had better hope Dragon Age 4 will be received like a Witcher game to save themselves, if they aren't closed before then. Such a shame, really.

goon_magee

gizmo wrote: »

Mass Effect 3's ending was most definitely criticised but that shouldn't take away from the strength of the rest of the game. I can't speak for Inquisition but I've just finished Dragon Age II so I'm well aware what a misstep that was but even then you could see what they were trying to do with it, it just didn't work at all. Which yes, brings us to Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2 as their last clear cut successes.

The question of whether they're the studio they once were can be easily answered by looking at credits section for each of the games on the likes of Mobygames and seeing who is still around at the upper levels of the company. The answer is that each of these games shared a remarkably large number of senior staff so the talent is definitely still within the studio.

As for what was expected from Anthem, I can only speak from my own perspective but I wasn't expecting a classic "Bioware" RPG of 25-50hrs, depending on the franchise, and to be fair, I think they were quite clear about that from quite a while ago. What I also wasn't expecting, however, was something folk would have to force themselves through, something that saw them want to skip conversations with characters in-game just to get it over with so they can get their hands on the real fun.

I'm using some of the terms Dcully used earlier in the thread because I want to link it back to one of the other games he put a lot of time into which I too also enjoyed, Diablo 3. The kicker here is, we played it very differently. I went in for the story and the campaign, I had my fun in the what, ~15hrs it took me to run through the game as a Barbarian and then I moved on, only returning to it for Reaper of Souls relatively recently. In other people's cases that's just when that game opened up but for me, the idea of *that* kind of grind holds relatively zero appeal.

This is what I was getting at above when I said I was disappointed with Anthem, given the time and budget the project had, I find it difficult to see why it couldn't have offered both kinds of experiences for each of us. Granted this may be rectified post launch and it may compare to my experience with something like Destiny, which I jumped into with all post-release content, which ultimately offered a fun, albeit somewhat incoherent, experience for solo play once everything was in place.

So yea, perhaps Anthem will end up in the same way and hey, on the upside, in the meantime I'm sure the looter fans will be giving plenty of feedback on what improvements are required for the core mechanics and systems of the game for when the rest of us arrive. :pac:

Great post. I do think that the Diablo 3 story is just as, if not more throwaway than Anthem's though. I've played through it numerous times due to buying on various systems, and it pains me every time to have to play through it. I find it to be the epitome of story for the sake of story which I definitely wouldn't have endured without the endgame allure.

goon_magee

Load times still abysmal on One X post patch and I'm getting a few disconnects. Seems to run smoother overall though once I actually get into a game

Lone Stone

I enjoyed dragon age Inquisition ok I said it! Everything after that kinda was ****.

goon_magee

Lone Stone wrote: »

I enjoyed dragon age Inquisition ok said it! Everything after that kinda was ****.

Same, I'd go so far as to say it's my favourite in the series.

gizmo

Falthyron wrote: »

You forgot about Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - quite possibly the best Star Wars game ever made, followed closely by Jedi Knight II

There was also Neverwinter Nights...

BioWare were a great studio and they peaked towards the end of Mass Effect 3. Since then they are a shell of their former selves with so many departures. Very similar pattern to Westwood Studios who became EALA, and so forth. If Anthem doesn't become the final nail in the coffin for what remains of BioWare then they had better hope Dragon Age 4 will be received like a Witcher game to save themselves, if they aren't closed before then. Such a shame, really.

Nope, didn't forget, EoinHef asked what the last one was so didn't want to go back further. Personally I'd rate Baldur's Gate II above any of them but that's just me. :pac:

As for the idea of them being a shell of their former selves, let's use KOTOR to take a look at this via Mobygames. As you can see, the Core Game Design team on that project was made up of David Falkner, Steven Gilmour, Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn, James Ohlen, Preston Watamaniuk and Derek Watts. With the exception of Karpyshyn, each of them was also a Lead in their respective disciplines. Where are they now?

David Falkner is Director Of Programming at Bioware.
Steven Gilmour was the Lead Animator on Anthem from its inception to nearly three years later when he left to become a contractor.
Casey Hudson runs the studio.
Drew Karpyshyn was with the company until 2012 at which point he left only to return three years later to write Anthem. He then left again early last year.
James Ohlen was Creative Director until he left the company in July last year. A month after his departure he had this to say about the future of the company.
Preston Watamaniuk is Senior Creative Director at Bioware.
Derek Watts is Art Director on Anthem.

In terms of the "new" faces at the helm we have...

Mac Walters, the Creative Director at Bioware, joined the company during KOTOR with Jade Empire being his first credited title as Writer with them.
Mark Darrah, the Executive Producer on Anthem, joined Bioware as a programmer on the original Baldur's Gate and moved to Project Direction after Jade Empire.
Jonathan Warner, the Game Director on Anthem, was the latest addition, joining them in 2012 during Mass Effect 3 to work on the online side of things.

So yea, lots of talent from the early days still there and of those who have left more recently, they all worked on Anthem for the majority of its development. This is why I'm so surprised at the result of the single player aspect of the game.

Oh, as for the potential for Dragon Age 4, they did lose Mike Laidlaw at the end of 2017 but he was Lead Designer on both Dragon Age: Origins and the poorly received sequel, moving to Creative Director for Inquisition. Many of the writers and designers on that series also worked on multiple entries so it becomes a bit harder to know what to really expect...

YouSavedMyLife

So, is this game a turd? Has it sold poorly?

If so there goes my hope for the finale of the Dragon Age saga. My favourite Bioware series, I liked everyone of them.

TitianGerm

YouSavedMyLife wrote: »

So, is this game a turd? Has it sold poorly?

If so there goes my hope for the finale of the Dragon Age saga. My favourite Bioware series, I liked everyone of them.

It's not out properly until tomorrow.

degrassinoel

PCGamer hammered it with a 55/100
https://www.pcgamer.com/anthem-review/

Revoker88

I put my money where my mouth is and subbed for one month of premier access.

Just hit level 8,doing everything on hard difficulty so far. One or two hairy moments but mostly smooth sailing.

Complaints about the story being fluff have rung true so far for me. I was surprised how quickly i was willing to just hit escape and move on. In saying that,the first few cut scenes and intial missions gave me enough of a background to the world.

Picked Storm for now. Unlocled Colossus there but not gonna use him yet.

Recently played mass effect andromeda,not a classic by any stretch imo,but a decent game that i think was a little unfairly judged by the fact it was a mass effect game,if it had of been called Pathfinder:Andromeda and just billed as scifi game with changed characters that had no mass effect connections i think a lot of people would have been more forgiving. Same goes for anthem.

I think it needs to be judged on its own merits.

So far i can agree with some of the complaints,not with others. ATM my main concern would be how does the core gameplay loop play,other things can be improved upon with time.

And intially my first impressions are that flying around in a mech suit using an array of abilities and weapons to decimate large groups random things with red dots over there heads is great fun:P

Im sure ill finish the campaign in the month ive subbed for,at that point id just buy the game if i was still enjoying it. Hopefully get a few friends on board at the same time.

Sephiroth_dude

Lone Stone wrote: »

I enjoyed dragon age Inquisition ok I said it! Everything after that kinda was ****.

Thought it was a great game as well.

Revoker88

Since Inquisition has got a few good reviews here ive downloaded it also,a side bonus to the €15 ive spent to get premier:)

Might give madden 2019 a go to,been years since i played one. Always enjoyed them,hail mary anyone?

For the moment im happy enough to play through anthem though.

[Deleted User]

Not good here either

ZiabR

Yeah I read the IGN review. Agree with some of what they said and don't agree with other things, but that's that a difference of opinion allows.

For me the game is sitting at a 7/10. It is not amazing but it is also not very poor. There are the bones of a very good game here. I do feel it will take some time to add content and sort some of the main problems out, but if EA/Bioware stick to a year one plan, this game could be incredible in 6 months time.

In the next 7 days we will be given a detailed 3 month plan as to where the game is going and what will be added. It will be good to get that and it will give the players some direction. They need to keep engaging with the players and together the game can improve.

For anyone that is not massively into looter/shooter games and is on the fence about buying the game in its current state, I would suggest you hold off for at least a month or two.

For me, I am enjoying it, the core gameplay is good, with no FPS drops on the One X and it is fun in a party. I am level 14 and intend to keep going.

Noxin

Been playing since early access. Finished the story and sitting on about 450 power now.

Overall I'm quite enjoying the game. Storyline was fun enough. Nothing epic but enjoyable and room for more there easily.
Performance is quite solid overall.
Endgame is what you expect from a looter-shooter. Grindy. I don't mind that much. I knew what it would be like so...
Yesterdays patch improved on a lot of bugs and UI issues big time... but there is still more needed. The PC sound bug is hulla annoying.

Overall, I'll be playing it for a while yet and can't wait to hear what they have in store for it in the future. They deffo need to add a bit more endgame stuff to do.

dreamers75

Got more Mastwerworks last night, really want that Hammerhead that shoots fire!!!

Kiith

I'd say it's currently a 7/10, but if they continue to improve it could easily be an 8 or 9/10. Don't agree with a fair amount of the points in the reviews i've seen so far, but i understand where they come from. The day one patch improved things significantly, and the ui is better now. Loading seems similar on an SSD, and it's not actually that bad. They need to cut down the amount of times you need to load though (i.e. allow mission select from freeplay/forge etc...).

The actual gameplay is excellent, it's just the rest that needs some work.

YouSavedMyLife wrote: »

If so there goes my hope for the finale of the Dragon Age saga. My favourite Bioware series, I liked everyone of them.

Follow up to Inquisition (DA4) has already been announced.

ZiabR

The amount of times you enter a loading screen is an issue alright. Not really sure how this passed QA. It is blatantly apparent after 30 minutes of play that there are to many load screens, so I have no idea why they didn't change the way you move through areas. Not really sure how they are going to be able to change it either.

Kiith

Yeah, it's probably not possible to load a mission while in freeplay. I'd assume it's effectively a separate instance of the main world.

goon_magee

Load screen frequency is definitely still an issue. I'm also still having problems with the length on One X. Playing side by side with my missus last night and loading into the same instance on the One S she was using, she was always in at least 15 seconds ahead of me and I would always miss the first few lines of dialogue. Seems they have improved a lot on the S but the X for whatever reason is still loading slow as **** for me, patch and all.

The tethering to team mates is also a bit extreme and not something that really affected me till last night. My load times were taking so long compared to others that by the time I had loaded in I was too far behind the group and immediately got pulled into another loading section as it tried to catch me up.

Besides that though I'm having a blast, which speaks to the quality of the core game underneath all the broken bull****.

TitianGerm

goon_magee wrote: »

Load screen frequency is definitely still an issue. I'm also still having problems with the length on One X. Playing side by side with my missus last night and loading into the same instance on the One S she was using, she was always in at least 15 seconds ahead of me and I would always miss the first few lines of dialogue. Seems they have improved a lot on the S but the X for whatever reason is still loading slow as **** for me, patch and all.

The tethering to team mates is also a bit extreme and not something that really affected me till last night. My load times were taking so long compared to others that by the time I had loaded in I was too far behind the group and immediately got pulled into another loading section as it tried to catch me up.

Besides that though I'm having a blast, which speaks to the quality of the core game underneath all the broken bull****.

Hardly trying to load in higher res textures on the X is it