Anthem - Bioware

[Danimal]

Origin Access members can now pre-load Anthem, it is 44 Gigs FYI.

[Danimal]

My mistake apparently this is not true? or at least I couldn't find a way to do it

[Pete1210]

The demo is available to preload. I found it on xbox in the store tab. Demo is open to EA Access members and pre-orders this weekend.

I'll give it a look, but it's going to be a tough sell for me. Too close to Division 2 and I can't imagine having time for both. Then there's Crackdown 3 also in February with game pass.

[pk500]

I'll give it a look, but it's going to be a tough sell for me. Too close to Division 2 and I can't imagine having time for both. Then there's Crackdown 3 also in February with game pass.

Same. Plus I fell for the Destiny hype and was burned by that game, which was a boring, overrated grindfest upon release. So I'm leery of Anthem, which appears to be a bit of a Destiny clone.

[Diablo25]

Demo tomorrow. Until then....

https://www.ea.com/games/anthem/gamepla ... ource=SFMC

[Teal]

So the demo I downloaded doesn't work yet? Because yeah, nothing's happening.

[Danimal]

So the demo I downloaded doesn't work yet? Because yeah, nothing's happening.

No it's not supposed to work yet they just opened the preload really early since it was 44 Gigs. I don't think it will work for 2 more weeks.

[Diablo25]

So the demo I downloaded doesn't work yet? Because yeah, nothing's happening.

No it's not supposed to work yet they just opened the preload really early since it was 44 Gigs. I don't think it will work for 2 more weeks.

Demo starts tomorrow (1/25). If you start it it will load...the online services just wont work until tomorrow.

[Diablo25]

Can anyone confirm it’s up and running yet?

[TCrouch]

It's up. But server issues make it impossible to play.

[Teal]

I wasn't really looking at this one. This demo fustercluck isn't helping them with me. Haven't gotten beyond the initial options. The positive is that I can't be disappointed if I didn't care much in the first place.

[Danimal]

I was fairly impressed with how well this played even if I had no idea what the story was etc. Starting at level 10 kind of throws you into the fire. My first reaction was this is way more fun the Destiny. Being able to fly and jump etc was great. Environments were also really nice looking on the PC anyway.

This is freee as part of Origin Premier on the PC so I'll be giving it a go when it comes out. Division 2 is still #1 on my list but this was more fun then I expected.

[Diablo25]

Pete and I played it last night with a few friends and it’s fun. We came to the conclusion that it’s probably not a purchase. With The Division 2 and a few other games coming out Anthem would take a back seat. Maybe once it gets the the vault on EA Access.

[Danimal]

Played some this weekend, they opened up a few other suits, not even sure what they are called.

I have to say I was not expecting to like this game but it sure has tight controls and good shooting action. The open beta's have done nothing to tell me what the story is or even if there is one but I'm looking forward to trying this out at launch.

[Danimal]

Not going to say I've been playing all day because I was working from home. Game is a lot of fun, it's no Division 2 but it will hold me over for a month.

I will say it's heads and tails better then Destiny 1 or 2.

[pk500]

Why is EA releasing this game at the same time as its new BR sensation, Apex Legends? Talk about cannibalism.

But such questionable tactics are nothing new. Remember when EA released Titanfall 2 -- one of the best shooters of this generation -- in the two weeks in between the release of its Battlefield 1 and COD: World War II a couple years ago? That was another head-scratcher. No wonder Titanfall 2 had no traction in the marketplace.

I wonder if Anthem will suffer the same fate, especially since Apex Legends is en fuego. Odd.

[Danimal]

You can't compare a free game with a full price game in my opinion. Also I'm not sure how you tell Bioware who has worked 4+ years on this thing to wait 6 more months. It's ready it's polished and might have the most enjoyable combat I've experienced in a while. IMO the beta didn't do this game justice.

The more I play the better the game gets, it is a ton of fun. Being able to fly and hover not only is cool as hell it adds a brand new tactical element to the combat. Terry and I did a few missions last night. He was a Colossus a big armored tank. He was able to wade in and take serious damage and inflict a ton as well. I'm a Ranger which is kind of the middle class, I'm able to move around the battlefield quickly, jump or fly out of trouble, hover and attack from above and launch a nasty missile attack.

Not going to lie I had some suit envy with that Colossus as he was able to take down things in minutes it took me 30 minutes solo. I'd say the Colossus class is the one to play if you plan to solo this. The game is slowly feeding out more and more. I spent 1 hour in free play yesterday just checking out the landscapes and running into fights, many of which I had no business being in. Haven't eve done strongholds yet, no idea how the Alliance system works only that it seems you get gold from when you friends play which is a cool way to have money for cosmetic perks.

I'm assuming this will be on EA Access on XB next week, I would say it is worth a try for sure.

[TCrouch]

I'm assuming this will be on EA Access on XB next week, I would say it is worth a try for sure.

It's on EA Access for a 10 hour trial now--I played a bit this morning.

[pk500]

You can't compare a free game with a full price game in my opinion. Also I'm not sure how you tell Bioware who has worked 4+ years on this thing to wait 6 more months. It's ready it's polished and might have the most enjoyable combat I've experienced in a while. IMO the beta didn't do this game justice.

It's not about price point -- it's about eyeballs and zeitgeist. Apex Legends right now is the biggest BR game since Fortnite. It's the most popular new title since Fortnite.

The gaming world is abuzz right now about AL. There's nowhere near the mojo for Anthem. Why not release Anthem now and then hold AL until March or April? What other major releases does EA have scheduled for then? No major sports titles, that's for sure.

How EA thinks releasing AL and Anthem -- an important new IP for the company -- nearly simultaneously makes any sense is beyond me. It would be like a major record label releasing albums from their two biggest artists in the same genre a week apart, unless it was at the start of the holiday season. Nonsense. Maybe there's data showing people play fewer games from the spring through the fall, going outside instead in warmer weather. Then maybe it would make sense to drop both games within 10 days in February, I guess.

EA releases FIFA and Madden -- its two biggest sports game sellers -- about four to five weeks apart. Why not do the same with Anthem and AL? I just fear that Anthem, which sounds like a good game based on your trusted feedback, will get the shaft in the marketplace and gaming buzz compared to AL, much like Titanfall 2 did compared to Battlefield 1. That's sad, because Titanfall 2 is a far superior game to BF1.

[TheTruth]

Didn’t have plan on getting Anthem especially after the demo cluster. Saw the trial was available and it has sold me. Having a blast with the storm javelin. Will probably unlock the titan class next. Also have had good experiences with the random matchmaking for the missions.

[Danimal]

It's not about price point -- it's about eyeballs and zeitgeist. Apex Legends right now is the biggest BR game since Fortnite. It's the most popular new title since Fortnite.

I get what you're saying but they are two different games. Anthem is a coop shooter like Division 2. Apex is a free BR game to compete with Fortnite. I don't think they compare with each other and EA is not going to hold on a Fortnite killer, everycompany in the industry wants to take Epic down a peg and I don't blame them. There is a far bigger audience for BR games at the moment, Division 2 is more competitor to Anthem so it makes more sense they launched a month ahead of that game IMO.

Like I said I encourage you to try it, the game is a lot of fun.

[AcemanPR]

When I first saw Anthem, my jaw dropped. My gut told me this would be a good game. Why haven't I been compelled to play this? I need to trust my gut and at least give the free trial a go. It does look fun and those that have played it here have backed that up. As far as AL, I played a few games of it and it hasn't grabbed me.

[Danimal]

There is an interesting article on Kotaku who I seldom read anymore on how this game ended up in such sad shape. I honestly didn't think it was that bad but was really lacking in content but this article confirms 2 things for me.

1. Bioware as a company is dead, at best it is a legacy name only but more likely they will close shop soon. 2 commercial flops in a row is not the EA way.

2. EA can turn anything, anyone or any company to s***. Thanks to the wallets of millions of soccer fans EA stays on top and they ruin everything else they touch.

https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem- ... 1833731964

[pk500]

The Division 2's brilliance only magnified Anthem's weaknesses, too.

[TCrouch]

The Division 2's brilliance only magnified Anthem's weaknesses, too.

Bingo.