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Anthem had a rather complicated release schedule, so complicated that EA had to publish a 4 by 5 chart just to let players figure out when they can play the game. But as of February 22nd, Anthem is out for pretty much everyone, and the gaming press has had a whole weekend and a few weekdays to digest Bioware's latest RPG. While a "day one" patch has addressed many of the issues earlier reviewers had with the game, it seems that other still aren't satisfied with with the title's core features. IGN's review, for example, says that "Only during two major plot developments during the approximately 15-hour storyline do the things being discussed here appear to have actual consequence beyond the gates of Fort Tarsis, pairing unique mission gameplay with story elements in a meaningful way - even though there are no meaningful decisions to be made that affect outside gameplay." This stands in stark contrasts to Bioware's previous titles, and seems to get in the way of the story aspects Bioware tried to insert into the multiplayer action. Combat is generally a positive point, as it was in Andromeda and Mass Effect 3, but overall I get the impression that the core combat loop feels grinder and less diverse than it did in previous games. The "repeating waves of enemies" The Guardian mentioned in their review are reminiscent of Mass Effect 3's multiplayer mode, but I've seen more than one journalist draw unfavorable comparisons to the WoW-like repetition of Star Wars: the Old Republic.
Anthem has been built to serve its audience long-term, so it is probable that the game will improve in the coming months. An exhaustive list of technical hitches are due to be fixed imminently, for instance. But even where it is strongest, Anthem rarely stretches beyond the derivative. The combat, while well-designed, is little more than Gears of War with jetpacks, and narratively it veers between inconsequential and downright irritating. This anthem is, sadly, a tedious and conservative dirge that we've all heard before.
After the commercial failure of Mass Effect: Andromeda, many view Anthem as one of Bioware's last chances to keep the themselves afloat, but the studio does seem committed to the long-term support of the game. Thanks to gamesindustry.biz for the helpful review roundup.
Anthem has been built to serve its audience long-term, so it is probable that the game will improve in the coming months. An exhaustive list of technical hitches are due to be fixed imminently, for instance. But even where it is strongest, Anthem rarely stretches beyond the derivative. The combat, while well-designed, is little more than Gears of War with jetpacks, and narratively it veers between inconsequential and downright irritating. This anthem is, sadly, a tedious and conservative dirge that we've all heard before.
After the commercial failure of Mass Effect: Andromeda, many view Anthem as one of Bioware's last chances to keep the themselves afloat, but the studio does seem committed to the long-term support of the game. Thanks to gamesindustry.biz for the helpful review roundup.