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Anthem Review Thread

tuxfool

tuxfool

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,858
Darkstorne said:
Visually 76 will always be janky. Bethesda games always have been, but have still been loved despite that. NPCs are an easy fix with content, since the engine obviously supports them right out of the box. It's literally just a content issue, and server stability
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Eh, 76 doesn't have NPCs because they couldn't get them to work in an online setting, it is a so easy fix that they couldn't implement them despite the engine supporting them out of the box? Then there is the fact that this is an engine that still doesn't support large interiors without loading screens.

The engine is a turd. To make it a proper online experience they'd have to do a FFXIV. Unfortunately people keep carrying water for them on this aspect, so they won't.

So no. They're just as bad as each other, they have common deficits and their own specific brands of crap.
 
Hailinel

Hailinel

Shamed a mod for a tag
Member
Oct 27, 2017
35,527
tuxfool said:
Eh, 76 doesn't have NPCs because they couldn't get them to work in an online setting, it is a so easy fix that they couldn't implement them despite the engine supporting them out of the box? Then there is the fact that this is an engine that still doesn't support large interiors without loading screens.

The engine is a turd. To make it a proper online experience they'd have to do a FFXIV. Unfortunately people keep carrying water for them on this aspect, so they won't.

So no. They're just as bad as each other, they have common deficits and their own specific brands of crap.
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The existence of Grahm alone shows that 76 can support NPCs, not to mention the various vendor and quest-giver robots scattered about the landscape.

The NPC problem is that the game world and lore were set up such that Appalachia is devoid of life for story reasons. That doesn't mean that more NPCs can't or won't be introduced over time.
 
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Asbsand

Asbsand

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
9,901
Denmark
Lyng said:
The main problem with Anthems combat is the enemy ai. Other than that it's very good.
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I mean, yes, so what good is it? lol

You'd be hard pressed to say "combat is good" if the enemies are broken. In that sense I don't see how it requires more skill than Destiny either. Like, add PvP to Anthem (let's assume leveling modifiers are null like in Destiny for balance) and you would probably see how not balanced the game really is.
 
Dabi3

Dabi3

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,552
Lyng said:
Yeah the soundtrack is fantastic. She is very talented, and like you said very underrated.
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Yeah, her work on Origins was phenomenal. AC fell into a rut with its soundtrack and she came damn close to putting out tracks that surprised the iconic AC2 soundtrack.

The Anthem stuff is just next level.
 
Lyng

Lyng

Editor at Popaco.dk
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
2,206
Asbsand said:
I mean, yes, so what good is it? lol

You'd be hard pressed to say "combat is good" if the enemies are broken. In that sense I don't see how it requires more skill than Destiny either. Like, add PvP to Anthem (let's assume leveling modifiers are null like in Destiny for balance) and you would probably see how not balanced the game really is.
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It's the same when people praise the combat in Black Dessert online. The way skills interact and how it feels to fight is fun.
I don't think it requires more skill than Destiny. What I said was it is more based around using your characters skills than weapons, whereas Destiny is mainly about the weapons and the skills compliment that.
Anthem not having pvp is why it's fun, since you don't have to limit the characters to maintain pvp balance.
 
Kyuuji

Kyuuji

The Favonius Fox
Member
Nov 8, 2017
31,897
Honestly I'm surprised the OST is receiving so much love. Being away from it atm, I can't recall a single piece of music from the game. I'll have to play closer attention when I next play to see, but certainly nothing stood out.
 
Darkstorne

Darkstorne

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,805
England
Kyuuji said:
Honestly I'm surprised the OST is receiving so much love. Being away from it atm, I can't recall a single piece of music from the game. I'll have to play closer attention when I next play to see, but certainly nothing stood out.
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For me it's the unusual instruments and vocals. She did the same thing with AC Origins and it fits beautifully within a mysterious and almost alien landscape of living gods and mythology.

Legion of Dawn won't leave my head, and when you see a baby singing it the track becomes next level awesome =P
 
ShadowAUS

ShadowAUS

Member
Feb 20, 2019
2,105
Australia
Darkstorne said:
For me it's the unusual instruments and vocals. She did the same thing with AC Origins and it fits beautifully within a mysterious and almost alien landscape of living gods and mythology.

Legion of Dawn won't leave my head, and when you see a baby singing it the track becomes next level awesome =P
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Yep, Legion of Dawn might just be one of my favourite pieces of music ever written, hell it was one of my 2 favourite parts of last years TGA.
Some other personal standouts are, in no particular order;
Ancient Mysteries
The Anthem of Creation
Reflections
 
aevanhoe

aevanhoe

Slayer of the Eternal Voidslurper
Member
Aug 28, 2018
7,316
Darkstorne said:
Visually 76 will always be janky. Bethesda games always have been, but have still been loved despite that. NPCs are an easy fix with content, since the engine obviously supports them right out of the box. It's literally just a content issue, and server stability.

Anthem on the other hand will always have a game world that can't stream load, necessitating flight ceilings and corridor level design that you can't fly out of. It will always separate Tarsis from the real game with a loading screen. It will have to separate any new environments with loading screens, again thanks to the engine. So while 76's issues are down to the content and server stability, Anthem's issues are hardcoded and will require a FFXIV Realm Reborn sized overhaul to fix.

And with next gen consoles so close that Microsoft will literally be showcasing them in 3 months... I don't know why anyone would commit to this game for the long haul. Next gen ports might help the framerate, but I can't see a PS5 looter shooter with level design and loading screens like this competing with any launch window competition. Even by current gen standards the game design feels dated when Assassin's Creed let's you fly across all of Ancient Greece or lower Egypt without loading screens or flight ceilings.
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So your argument is "they can make more content (NPCs, story) for Fallout 76" (which is a huge undertaking, btw) but a game that is more fun to play, better looking but has loot and difficulty level issues is harder to fix because of loading screens.

Well, ok, fair enough, if loading screens are more important to you than the fun factor, design and gameplay, yes, Fallout 76 is easier to fix because it doesn't have as much loading screens. It really depends on your criteria. For me, because of how Fallout 76 looks and feels, it is a depressing game that can't be fixed at all. Anthem on the other hand can be fixed in almost every aspect but (most likely) the loading screens, which - while annoying - are not such a big deal to me, if everything else works.

Also, you basically said "Bethesda fans don't care the game looks bad" (and visual design is a very important thing for me, for example) so I can use that logic and say that "Anthem fans don't care that there are that many loading screens".

As for the next gen consoles, it will be at least a year before consumers get a chance to buy them (probably more, and the reason MS is most likely going to show next gen prototypes soon is, IMO, because they lost this generation and they want people to get hyped for the next one ASAP), and Anthem has time to become better. By the time the next gen arrives they will either increase the already nice visuals to a PC level and step into the next gen (like Destiny did, it was a cross-gen title) or use the game as a foundation for Anthem 2. Of course, EA may scrap the project, but unless loading screens are a make or break thing for you, Anthem is very much fixable while Fallout is very much unfixable, which was my point.

Again, if Loading screens are more important than gameplay and visuals to you, then I don't know what to tell you. Sure, your opinion is your own, I strongly disagree.
 
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Darkstorne

Darkstorne

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,805
England
aevanhoe said:
So your argument is "they can make more content (NPCs, story) for Fallout 76" (which is a huge undertaking, btw) but a game that is more fun to play, better looking but has loot and difficulty level issues is harder to fix because of loading screens.

Well, ok, fair enough, if loading screens are more important to you than the fun factor, design and gameplay, yes, Fallout 76 is easier to fix because it doesn't have as much loading screens. It really depends on your criteria. For me, because of how Fallout 76 looks and feels, it is a depressing game that can't be fixed at all. Anthem on the other hand can be fixed in almost every aspect but (most likely) the loading screens, which - while annoying - are not such a big deal to me, if everything else works.

Also, you basically said "Bethesda fans don't care the game looks bad" (and visual design is a very important thing for me, for example) so I can use that logic and say that "Anthem fans don't care that there are that many loading screens".

As for the next gen consoles, it will be at least a year before consumers get a chance to buy them (probably more, and the reason MS is most likely going to show next gen prototypes soon is, IMO, because they lost this generation and they want people to get hyped for the next one ASAP), and Anthem has time to become better. By the time the next gen arrives they will either increase the already nice visuals to a PC level and step into the next gen (like Destiny did, it was a cross-gen title) or use the game as a foundation for Anthem 2. Of course, EA may scrap the project, but unless loading screens are a make or break thing for you, Anthem is very much fixable while Fallout is very much unfixable, which was my point.

Again, if Loading screens are more important than gameplay and visuals to you, then I don't know what to tell you. Sure, your opinion is your own, I strongly disagree.
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My point is essentially - Anthem has fun gameplay, but an engine that constantly gets in the way of it and breaks up the flow of the game again, and again, and again. More content won't address that core design problem. Fallout 76 has a huge open world for players to engage in without limits, but practically nothing to do in it. I think adding story and gameplay content is an easier task than overhauling an engine. Both games are in an awful spot right now, but I genuinely think Fallout 76 is the easier of the two to improve.

Unless, yes, a game being pretty is more important to you. Anthem will always be the better looking game.
 
aevanhoe

aevanhoe

Slayer of the Eternal Voidslurper
Member
Aug 28, 2018
7,316
Darkstorne said:
My point is essentially - Anthem has fun gameplay, but an engine that constantly gets in the way of it and breaks up the flow of the game again, and again, and again. More content won't address that core design problem. Fallout 76 has a huge open world for players to engage in without limits, but practically nothing to do in it. I think adding story and gameplay content is an easier task than overhauling an engine. Both games are in an awful spot right now, but I genuinely think Fallout 76 is the easier of the two to improve.

Unless, yes, a game being pretty is more important to you. Anthem will always be the better looking game.
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Pretty is just one of the aspects, because I like art and design in games (and I don't mean photorealism or shaders or anything, I mean aesthetics). But so is gameplay and fun factor.

I'm saying that if Anthem fixed loot and progression and added more content - which is doable - and still had the loading screens it would be a good, even great game. This is my stance. If you disagree, then fine, but you have to understand that in order to make Fallout 76 good IMO - they would have to completely redo: the design, the content, the feel of shooting, the weapons, the enemies, all the (non existent) characters - practically everything. AND it has a ton of bugs, too.

I can see BioWare fixing Anthem, minus the loading. That would make it a very good game in my opinion (yes, even with loading screens). I don't see Bethesda fixing Fallout 76 ever, because they practically need to fix, ahem, everything. But, sure, it would load less. You may disagree, ofc, but for me it's not which game is easier to fix, it's that one game is fixable at all while the other one is completely unfixable.
 
ILikeFeet

ILikeFeet

DF Deet Master
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
61,987
Servbot24 said:
still shows up as 60 for me

also the "#1 most discussed game". i don't get why people are so devoted to this particular game needing to be good tbh. a million bad games have come out over the years, who cares?
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How many of those have a AAA budget, 6 years of development, and sales expectation to match? Scenarios like Anthem are a unicorn
 
Servbot24

Servbot24

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
43,039
ILikeFeet said:
How many of those have a AAA budget, 6 years of development, and sales expectation to match? Scenarios like Anthem are a unicorn
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It's an interesting fact about the game worth some discussion, but it shouldn't affect any of our lives. Their budget for the game has no effect on how much I care about the game, nor does the developer having created a good game a decade ago.

I don't mean to tell people to stop caring about things by any means, I just wonder where the motivation comes from in this case
 
Garlador

Garlador

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
14,131
Servbot24 said:
It's an interesting fact about the game worth some discussion, but it shouldn't affect any of our lives. Their budget for the game has no effect on how much I care about the game, nor does the developer having created a good game a decade ago.

I don't mean to tell people to stop caring about things by any means, I just wonder where the motivation comes from in this case
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It's BIOWARE. This isn't just "some random game by some random studio". It's not "oh, they made a good game a decade ago."

They were consistently one of the GREATEST studios on planet earth for a very long time with a laundry list of some of the most acclaimed games to ever release. They set the stage, popularized, revolutionized, and paved the way for hundreds of RPGs that followed while they built a catalog that included all-time classics like Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect. There are dozens of major games that release every single year that draw deep from the well of story-telling and narrative mechanics they trailblazed.

I mean, I learned how to design games in large part due to growing up with their games. I've applied to work at Bioware a few times (their talent-pool far exceeded my abilities). They were once considered head-and-shoulders the kings of the western RPG genre.

To have them go from that to... this... is something everyone in the industry SHOULD care about. How does that happen? How can it be avoided in the future? How can it be FIXED? It's worth plenty of self-reflection and analysis, because the name "Bioware" was once a guarantee you'd be getting one of the greatest games of the year. It was a seal of quality that a scant few studios in history can ever claim to have had. So, yeah, it affects a lot of people, in and out of the development team itself. Players are rightly concerned about a studio they've spend decades loving.
 
Liam Allen-Miller

Liam Allen-Miller

Member
Nov 2, 2017
6,790
Shibuya
Garlador said:
It's BIOWARE. This isn't just "some random game by some random studio". It's not "oh, they made a good game a decade ago."

They were consistently one of the GREATEST studios on planet earth for a very long time with a laundry list of some of the most acclaimed games to ever release. They set the stage, popularized, revolutionized, and paved the way for hundreds of RPGs that followed while they built a catalog that included all-time classics like Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect. There are dozens of major games that release every single year that draw deep from the well of story-telling and narrative mechanics they trailblazed.

I mean, I learned how to design games in large part due to growing up with their games. I've applied to work at Bioware a few times (their talent-pool far exceeded my abilities). They were once considered head-and-shoulders the kings of the western RPG genre.

To have them go from that to... this... is something everyone in the industry SHOULD care about. How does that happen? How can it be avoided in the future? How can it be FIXED? It's worth plenty of self-reflection and analysis, because the name "Bioware" was once a guarantee you'd be getting one of the greatest games of the year. It was a seal of quality that a scant few studios in history can ever claim to have had. So, yeah, it affects a lot of people, in and out of the development team itself. Players are rightly concerned about a studio they've spend decades loving.
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I mean, it's been a long time. Staff has come and gone for over a decade. Anthem isn't even like, an awful game or anything. I mean, heck, by all accounts Dragon Age 2 was a worse game and we had over a decade to see very clearly (through Mass Effect and Dragon Age titles) that BioWare was a changing company.

Everyone knew the company was different today in terms of both staff and game direction. People are just freaking out about it now because Anthem came in 20 Metacritic points lower than people were hoping for sporting a genre they didn't want imo.
 
PowerThroughLov

PowerThroughLov

Member
Oct 27, 2017
744
New York, NY
Garlador said:
It's BIOWARE. This isn't just "some random game by some random studio". It's not "oh, they made a good game a decade ago."

They were consistently one of the GREATEST studios on planet earth for a very long time with a laundry list of some of the most acclaimed games to ever release. They set the stage, popularized, revolutionized, and paved the way for hundreds of RPGs that followed while they built a catalog that included all-time classics like Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect. There are dozens of major games that release every single year that draw deep from the well of story-telling and narrative mechanics they trailblazed.

I mean, I learned how to design games in large part due to growing up with their games. I've applied to work at Bioware a few times (their talent-pool far exceeded my abilities). They were once considered head-and-shoulders the kings of the western RPG genre.

To have them go from that to... this... is something everyone in the industry SHOULD care about. How does that happen? How can it be avoided in the future? How can it be FIXED? It's worth plenty of self-reflection and analysis, because the name "Bioware" was once a guarantee you'd be getting one of the greatest games of the year. It was a seal of quality that a scant few studios in history can ever claim to have had. So, yeah, it affects a lot of people, in and out of the development team itself. Players are rightly concerned about a studio they've spend decades loving.
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It's been 30 years. Developers come and go. At most places the yearly turnover is over 15% in software development. The name stays the same but the people do not. This is not the BioWare that made neverwinter nights - quite literally.
 
ILikeFeet

ILikeFeet

DF Deet Master
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
61,987
Servbot24 said:
It's an interesting fact about the game worth some discussion, but it shouldn't affect any of our lives. Their budget for the game has no effect on how much I care about the game, nor does the developer having created a good game a decade ago.

I don't mean to tell people to stop caring about things by any means, I just wonder where the motivation comes from in this case
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it's quite clear where the motivation comes from. people simply like speculation on how such large projects collapse like this (or schadenfreude). there's no complex reasoning behind it.

I certainly can't wait for someone to dig deep and put out a report for this. hell, it can be a headliner for Scheier's next book
 
ShadowAUS

ShadowAUS

Member
Feb 20, 2019
2,105
Australia
This isn't exactly a "review" but it is close enough I feel to warrant posting. My name is Byf's thoughts on Anthem and if he will be covering it in the future. It's pretty long but well worth watching.
 
Error 52

Error 52

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
2,032
So I decided to give anthem another fair shot and booted it up. (For the record, I'm on One X)

First attempt: Infinite load sceeen.
Second attempt: Crashed on the title screen.
Third attempt: Disconnected, but it might've been an infinite load even before that.
Fourth attempt: I got in to free play! For five minutes, then it crashed again.
Fifth attempt: Success. Then I realised the game was still boring as shit
 
Anton Sugar

Anton Sugar

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,946
It's worth it as a "hope this game gets good" investment, mostly because I don't know if it will go any lower in the next 6 months. That's prettyyyyy low.
 
Landford

Landford

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,678
Anton Sugar said:
It's worth it as a "hope this game gets good" investment, mostly because I don't know if it will go any lower in the next 6 months. That's prettyyyyy low.
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Pretty sure it will reach FO76 levels soon. The game is in really bad shape and people are leaving in droves.
 
Anton Sugar

Anton Sugar

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,946
Landford said:
Pretty sure it will reach FO76 levels soon. The game is in really bad shape and people are leaving in droves.
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In terms of updates and communication, they really needed to knock it out of the park this month, and they're coming up short. Their limp status update really sums up the situation: a lotta words for a whole lot of nothing. It makes me worried for the rest of the "content" in March.
 
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