While I am having fun with the gameplay, the amount of bugs (and new bugs with the "Day 1" patch) is ridiculous. BioWare is going to have to turn this around fast to keep players longer than the 30 hours it takes to run through the story line. Time will tell and I hope BioWare can fix this, but I'm skeptical as glaringly problematic some of these bugs are to core gameplay.
What Bioware has proven to me over their past few releases is that when they stray away from what made the king in the first place which imo was story, characters, and dialog, the games fall flat and feel mediocre. Nothing wrong with studios something new, but when it doesn't work, I think it's time to go back and so what you did best.
With EA as overlord I don't think Bioware will ever make a game again that captures that magic of the ME trilogy or the first couple DA games. Those were SP linear titles and EA won't allow them to make one. I fear that the next DA game will be live service and keep story, characters, and dialog on the back burner in favor of something else.
Oh, how the might have fallen.
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
What Bioware has proven to me over their past few releases is that when they stray away from what made the king in the first place which imo was story, characters, and dialog, the games fall flat and feel mediocre. Nothing wrong with studios something new, but when it doesn't work, I think it's time to go back and so what you did best.
With EA as overlord I don't think Bioware will ever make a game again that captures that magic of the ME trilogy or the first couple DA games. Those were SP linear titles and EA won't allow them to make one. I fear that the next DA game will be live service and keep story, characters, and dialog on the back burner in favor of something else.
Oh, how the might have fallen.
What Bioware was actually good at was inventing new games that were different enough from other games in the market at the time to make them stand out. They did it with Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
But that's what studios do when they're lean and mean developing machines. When they get fat and become corporate you start seeing "our game z II", and "our game z III" and "son of game z," milking that cow until it's dry.
Real innovation in gaming happens in smaller studios that are still on the way up. The best you can hope from Humongous AAA is that they'll take someone else's original idea and polish it into something better than the original but even that is pretty rare and more often than not it's just prettier but worse.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Anthem is rated lower than Fallout 76. And with the con of "inexcusable level of bugs" after you literally spent all of THAT shitshow's review excusing a far greater level of bugs. Is that a joke?
Be consistent if you want to be taken seriously. Because right now, I can't and don't take this site seriously as a review platform.
Two different reviewers, two different games, two different opinions.
Same website, same feature review that represents the site, same weird inconsistencies, same excuse.
That's just because most readers want to be fed what they want to hear so they can leverage that in their arguments to win the imaginary war about whatever they're arguing over.
It's not about the scores and being "fed", it's about having several different reviewers and no context or accountability to a standard that is set. What's the point in having FEATURED RATING SCORES to debate over?
Jimbo rated something a 6
Ed rated something a 9.5
Ralph rated something else a 5.5
Sally rated something a 7
MMORPG.com says "Wasn't us! It was them, and they were different guys, and uuuuh the games are kinda different too"
You can't blame people for seeing one rating featured, then another rating featured and them trying to resolve how or why the platform rated them that way when there were similar gripes across both.
You expect a consistent grading standard where it's been explained time and again that one doesn't exist and isn't even promoted.
Different writers here have different tastes and opinions about gaming. This site has a lot of different contributors. Many have some wildly differing opinions on games and gaming. My 8 is my own. Do you want Mike B's 8 or do you want Bill Murphy to tell Mike B what an 8 is then always get Bill's 8? Why not just only read his reviews.
I read reviews here precisely because they're not consistent. The only thing a number tells me is what that person thinks of a game, not how good the game actually is.... to me.
I agree but will also take it further. What makes MMORPG a special place for me is that at its heart it’s a DISCUSSION forum. So when I disagree about something mentioned in a review I can actually post that in the same thread and often the author will even respond!
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
Anthem is rated lower than Fallout 76. And with the con of "inexcusable level of bugs" after you literally spent all of THAT shitshow's review excusing a far greater level of bugs. Is that a joke?
Be consistent if you want to be taken seriously. Because right now, I can't and don't take this site seriously as a review platform.
Rated 0.5 higher than the Metacritic average, so not exactly an outrider. If you start comparing the rating of different games by different reviewers and try to understand how one can be higher than the other; well you will disappear down a rabbit hole trying to work that out.
But yes from what I gather FO76 was in a less finished state than anthem.
Well that's the end of "Bioware", forced to bring out a game that does not play to their strength with a timing constrained by what shareholders want to see, EA will be able internally to say they failed. Expect job loses or transfers to other areas of EA. Will they keep the brand? Well a brand is only as good as the last game, but they may keep it in case they want to releasing another game like ME or BS...yes I know that's a pipe dream.
This score is perfect...if you were reviewing this game on any other site. But this is mmorpg. This game is very mediocre, compared to Red Dead Redemption, God of War and some could say Apex.
But on this site it should be different. This review should compare it to Fallout 76, Guild Wars, Swtor, Elder Scrolls, Destiny etc.
And saying this game is mediocre compared to those games, seem rather strange.
The graphic is a step better than those games. The way the story is delivered is quite immersive (i find the acting and characters quite amazing). The combat is awesome and fun. I have had no crashed or long loading screens (Playing on PS4 Pro), and yet to encounter a bug. Customisation of Javelin is quite good. Lore really well thought out.
Flaws are; Limited content (but a nice and fairly quick road map for adding more). Story a bit cliche (but see above for the delivery). End game repetitive (a lot of new content needed to keep this game interesting for a long time. But I believe they will. If not, yes, the game will not last long).
This game won't become Game of the Year on this site, but it certainly is adding a lot to the genre in form of story telling (still prefer SwTor over this), graphic (this game is the best within this genre) and combat.
I have a hard time finding another RPG, I can play with a group and/or meet up with random strangers that is better right now. (Please let me know, if there is and of course how its better than this.
Compared to the relevant games this game would/should score higher And perhaps next time, don't rush to review a game, just to be first. This review was out same day as release and before patch 1.01, which again does not seem fair compared to other online RPG games. Elder Scrolls had a crazy rocky start and is now Game of Year, multiple years in a row.
Finished the story this afternoon. What i feel is a sense of utter disappointment. Anthem is definitely not the game for the long time Bioware fans. It ditches everything that we learned to love about this developer and embraces a trend so different and so out of character for Bioware.
The story is poorly written and even more poorly presented. No matter how much i tried i just could not connect with my freelancer or any other character in that matter. The main antagonist is just a cringeworthy caricature with lame oneliners.
One would ask why did i buy Anthem since it was stated that its focus would lean heavily to the looter-shooter aspect. Well, because i own each and every game Bioware has made since Shattered Steel. I had to have this one as well. Plus i held on to some fools hope that i could find some traces of Mass Effect in Anthem. Not by a long shot. Bioware is officially over for me.
P.S six plus years in development and they release such a game without even a rudimentary character sheet or a means for the 4 players to communicate. Not even a ping function.
I just see another game that isn't an MMORPG or even MMO. Nothing massive about 4 player co-op title. What defines an MMO has been stretched so completely over the years. I look at the emails I get from this site and sometimes they are filled with relevent MMO and MMORPG news. Other times they are filled with a heap of games that do not qualify.
At least in this case EA itself said Anthem is NOT an MMO. However, they also tried to say it was something else. Something new and different. We all know that is a lie, as this particular format is shared with other titles.
Whatever. I ain't touching anything from EA anymore. Bioware is nothing more than something they use for brand recognition.
Grim times for MMO fans. I'm definitely going to skip this title after reading the PC Gamer review. Terrible loot system, repetitive missions, no end game...sounds like an MMO players dream lol.
Also sad that there is so much coverage of this game, on this site. Not anyone's fault, when there isn't anything to talk about. I'm happy that this site is still up, for the rebirth MMO's...when/if that happens.
So what am getting from most people's opinions is that Bioware is not allowed to make anything besides what they've made in the past. If the story doesn't have the same level of immersion it's just not good enough. What is the matter with you people? Why can't the game be what it is? Can't you judge it that way rather than what it is not?
Fun factor 8/10 to me, I love using skills more than bang bang guns. Sure its buggy, and wow the cosmetics shop needs help big time like an option to turn off the cape and different looks.
The best part of anthem is not seeing cussing and fussing and epeens in the chat box 24/7. As me wife would sat wow they must think they are the best button masher in the world and we laugh. Its a perfect game for the kids as well. with no chat.
The combat is very fun fast paced.
The turning and swimming is way sluggish though.
30 different adults rarely agree on anything politics, etc. So the trick is to find a reviewer that you agree with most of the time, if that's what you use to decide on to buy games.
So what am getting from most people's opinions is that Bioware is not allowed to make anything besides what they've made in the past. If the story doesn't have the same level of immersion it's just not good enough. What is the matter with you people? Why can't the game be what it is? Can't you judge it that way rather than what it is not?
No, they have made a second rate game, that's what I think we are getting at anyway. But yes the sort of games you referred to were their best. I am a fan of this style of game, quite happy to see them making a success of it.
Anthem may pull itself round just like FO76 may, just like (insert another big name release here) may. Meanwhile I long for the time when players were not going from one half baked release to another. The damage this is doing to players perception of MMO's, MMO like games and gaming in general is hard to quantify but we may end up with players viewing MMO like games as something to avoid.
So what am getting from most people's opinions is that Bioware is not allowed to make anything besides what they've made in the past. If the story doesn't have the same level of immersion it's just not good enough. What is the matter with you people? Why can't the game be what it is? Can't you judge it that way rather than what it is not?
No, they have made a second rate game, that's what I think we are getting at anyway. But yes the sort of games you referred to were their best. I am a fan of this style of game, quite happy to see them making a success of it.
Anthem may pull itself round just like FO76 may, just like (insert another big name release here) may. Meanwhile I long for the time when players were not going from one half baked release to another. The damage this is doing to players perception of MMO's, MMO like games and gaming in general is hard to quantify but we may end up with players viewing MMO like games as something to avoid.
It's also not like they have gone out and done something new. They're just following the MMO-lite looter shooter trend and not even very well at that.
Judging it by "what it is" means acknowledging that the aggregate review scores are 10-20 points below the comparable games like Warframe, Destiny and The Division.
So yes, Bioware is definitely allowed to do new things... I wish to God they would with the quality they were once known for.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Thank you for the review. I would personally give the game an 8 cause to me gameplay is King. And this game has absolutely astoundingly good gameplay. And I agree that the anthem play experience makes it impossible to enjoy other games. I quit all other games and cannot anymore look forward to Division 2.
However, this makes all the bugs and especially the anemic endgame all the more damning. Not only will I have nothing to do in Anthem shortly, I have no interest in playing other games...
Most huge con for me is the lack of a way to communicate with teammates in the launch bay, dungeons or in the freeplay, besides the microphone. You cannot coordinate a fight.
The most annoying thing for me is that in freeplay you have no way to know what is happening in the map or if there is an active event, You must spend a lot of time randomly roaming around.
They ca alos improve the description/explanation of the stats in the character (there is none) and items. I guess it is not the intention of the game to be a hardcore RPG game where you have to write down your own datasheet.
The best things for me are the agile combat and the visuals. But without more content, It will fade away quickly. I am also afraid of what it seems tit wold be a very grindy end game.
IMO, Bioware has never had strong game mechanics. They have always been mediocre to me. The story, characters, and dialog were top-notch though so the game play being alright was good enough. That hasn't held true for me since DAI with story, characters, and dialog being sub-par compared to the first couple DA games and the ME trilogy.
Even with the change in focus, I still think the overall game play is nothing special so if the story, characters, and dialog aren't their enough to make up for it, there is no reason for me to play . If all I care about is the game play then there are better games out there.
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
I started playing Anthem on the 15th with origin premier and i have put 54 hours into it so far I have had a few crashes but apart from that its been a blast!
While I do feel Fallout76 deserves the screws turned as much as Anthem, I do understand the sentiment of "shared world games aren't novel anymore."
Added to that, I Quickplayed into no less than 5 separate broken missions last night. I don't think I'm exaggerating to guesstimate I spent a solid 30 minutes or so just loading into, identifying, and loading out of broken missions. That should really be a critical priority for them right now, because broken missions in a game with a narrative vein is... Well, it's bush league.
However, I tend to agree it's no more bush league than things like a conversion patch from open beta client to gold build deleting the entirety of the existing client files, forcing players to redownload every file in spite of whether or not it was modified by the conversion patch. Or having your entire transaction history for the game's store wiped along with your access credentials to the game itself despite having very clearly paid the money for the title and items.
Quickplay is broken atm but the good thing is you can play the game without using it at all, tbh you are better of just lauching a mission at least you get to hear all the voice over parts,
1 simple fix don't use quickplay
IMO, Bioware has never had strong game mechanics. They have always been mediocre to me. The story, characters, and dialog were top-notch though so the game play being alright was good enough. That hasn't held true for me since DAI with story, characters, and dialog being sub-par compared to the first couple DA games and the ME trilogy.
Even with the change in focus, I still think the overall game play is nothing special so if the story, characters, and dialog aren't their enough to make up for it, there is no reason for me to play . If all I care about is the game play then there are better games out there.
The reviews are coming in fast now and they are fairly consistent in slamming the game, it is hillariously being called a 'loading screen simulator' where the loading screen takes up more time than doing some of the missions, or at least until the next loading screen, there is even a loading screen to get to the menu. Angry Joe gave the game a 4/10 which is a fairly mediocre score at best, but the other reviewers are reporting similar things. Gameplay is a problem, but that could have been overlooked, maybe, if there was a reason to play the game like having an engaging storyline, things like that are why ME1 and 2 are still on my hard drive along with DA:Origins even DA2, they are iconic imo as to what Bioware used to be. Anthem though even as a looter shooter is not as good as other looter shooters barring the flight mechanics. Anthem could well be the dirge of Bioware, the only reason its not the dirge of EA is Apex legends, which is fairly ironic given that Anthem is the game that was hyped to the max. They should have paid Drew Karpyshyn whatever it would have taken to give Anthem the storylines and writing that would have made Anthem an engaging game to play, because the gameplay just isn't good enough.
All the negatives was to be expected, especially the low amount of content. No surprises there.
For 6 years of development time, i would say that was not to be expected at all
They put most of their effort into the visuals, the combat, cash shop and all the things that sells. Loo at all their late games. Really, no surprise there
All the negatives was to be expected, especially the low amount of content. No surprises there.
What does that say about the state of gaming then? For all the time and money pushed into this mess, it was surprising this was the best they could do. Game needed another 6 yrs and then maybe it would have been worth the download.
Personally i don't think Anthem is the result of 6 years of development, i think something went hideously wrong part way through the development cycle, ME:Andromeda may have been a factor, though i think the most significant factor is likely Drew Karpyshyn leaving, could be that was the point where they changed tack with the game, using whatever they could salvage, maybe because they changed from being a single player RPG with optional multiplayer, to a games as a service type, could be that is why the game is also plagued with loading screens, because it is doing something it wasn't really designed to do.
Comments
With EA as overlord I don't think Bioware will ever make a game again that captures that magic of the ME trilogy or the first couple DA games. Those were SP linear titles and EA won't allow them to make one. I fear that the next DA game will be live service and keep story, characters, and dialog on the back burner in favor of something else.
Oh, how the might have fallen.
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
But that's what studios do when they're lean and mean developing machines. When they get fat and become corporate you start seeing "our game z II", and "our game z III" and "son of game z," milking that cow until it's dry.
Real innovation in gaming happens in smaller studios that are still on the way up. The best you can hope from Humongous AAA is that they'll take someone else's original idea and polish it into something better than the original but even that is pretty rare and more often than not it's just prettier but worse.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
Rated 0.5 higher than the Metacritic average, so not exactly an outrider. If you start comparing the rating of different games by different reviewers and try to understand how one can be higher than the other; well you will disappear down a rabbit hole trying to work that out.
But yes from what I gather FO76 was in a less finished state than anthem.
This game is very mediocre, compared to Red Dead Redemption, God of War and some could say Apex.
But on this site it should be different. This review should compare it to Fallout 76, Guild Wars, Swtor, Elder Scrolls, Destiny etc.
And saying this game is mediocre compared to those games, seem rather strange.
The graphic is a step better than those games.
The way the story is delivered is quite immersive (i find the acting and characters quite amazing).
The combat is awesome and fun.
I have had no crashed or long loading screens (Playing on PS4 Pro), and yet to encounter a bug.
Customisation of Javelin is quite good.
Lore really well thought out.
Flaws are;
Limited content (but a nice and fairly quick road map for adding more).
Story a bit cliche (but see above for the delivery).
End game repetitive (a lot of new content needed to keep this game interesting for a long time. But I believe they will. If not, yes, the game will not last long).
This game won't become Game of the Year on this site, but it certainly is adding a lot to the genre in form of story telling (still prefer SwTor over this), graphic (this game is the best within this genre) and combat.
I have a hard time finding another RPG, I can play with a group and/or meet up with random strangers that is better right now. (Please let me know, if there is and of course how its better than this.
Compared to the relevant games this game would/should score higher
And perhaps next time, don't rush to review a game, just to be first. This review was out same day as release and before patch 1.01, which again does not seem fair compared to other online RPG games. Elder Scrolls had a crazy rocky start and is now Game of Year, multiple years in a row.
The story is poorly written and even more poorly presented. No matter how much i tried i just could not connect with my freelancer or any other character in that matter. The main antagonist is just a cringeworthy caricature with lame oneliners.
One would ask why did i buy Anthem since it was stated that its focus would lean heavily to the looter-shooter aspect. Well, because i own each and every game Bioware has made since Shattered Steel. I had to have this one as well. Plus i held on to some fools hope that i could find some traces of Mass Effect in Anthem. Not by a long shot. Bioware is officially over for me.
P.S six plus years in development and they release such a game without even a rudimentary character sheet or a means for the 4 players to communicate. Not even a ping function.
Also sad that there is so much coverage of this game, on this site. Not anyone's fault, when there isn't anything to talk about. I'm happy that this site is still up, for the rebirth MMO's...when/if that happens.
The best part of anthem is not seeing cussing and fussing and epeens in the chat box 24/7. As me wife would sat wow they must think they are the best button masher in the world and we laugh. Its a perfect game for the kids as well. with no chat.
The combat is very fun fast paced.
The turning and swimming is way sluggish though.
30 different adults rarely agree on anything politics, etc. So the trick is to find a reviewer that you agree with most of the time, if that's what you use to decide on to buy games.
Anthem may pull itself round just like FO76 may, just like (insert another big name release here) may. Meanwhile I long for the time when players were not going from one half baked release to another. The damage this is doing to players perception of MMO's, MMO like games and gaming in general is hard to quantify but we may end up with players viewing MMO like games as something to avoid.
Judging it by "what it is" means acknowledging that the aggregate review scores are 10-20 points below the comparable games like Warframe, Destiny and The Division.
So yes, Bioware is definitely allowed to do new things... I wish to God they would with the quality they were once known for.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
However, this makes all the bugs and especially the anemic endgame all the more damning. Not only will I have nothing to do in Anthem shortly, I have no interest in playing other games...
The most annoying thing for me is that in freeplay you have no way to know what is happening in the map or if there is an active event, You must spend a lot of time randomly roaming around.
They ca alos improve the description/explanation of the stats in the character (there is none) and items. I guess it is not the intention of the game to be a hardcore RPG game where you have to write down your own datasheet.
The best things for me are the agile combat and the visuals. But without more content, It will fade away quickly. I am also afraid of what it seems tit wold be a very grindy end game.
^.^'
Even with the change in focus, I still think the overall game play is nothing special so if the story, characters, and dialog aren't their enough to make up for it, there is no reason for me to play . If all I care about is the game play then there are better games out there.
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
Don't believe all the BS reviews you read.
Quickplay is broken atm but the good thing is you can play the game without using it at all, tbh you are better of just lauching a mission at least you get to hear all the voice over parts, 1 simple fix don't use quickplay
Angry Joe gave the game a 4/10 which is a fairly mediocre score at best, but the other reviewers are reporting similar things.
Gameplay is a problem, but that could have been overlooked, maybe, if there was a reason to play the game like having an engaging storyline, things like that are why ME1 and 2 are still on my hard drive along with DA:Origins even DA2, they are iconic imo as to what Bioware used to be.
Anthem though even as a looter shooter is not as good as other looter shooters barring the flight mechanics.
Anthem could well be the dirge of Bioware, the only reason its not the dirge of EA is Apex legends, which is fairly ironic given that Anthem is the game that was hyped to the max.
They should have paid Drew Karpyshyn whatever it would have taken to give Anthem the storylines and writing that would have made Anthem an engaging game to play, because the gameplay just isn't good enough.