⭐⭐⭐ Official Anthem™️ Thread ⭐⭐⭐

[Criollo]

I know people were hyped for anthem but I would have steered clear of it day one just because EA is attached.

I was one of them and that's exactly what i did. it looked awesome but i knew as soon as i saw EA i wasn't going to be buying it day 1 and im glad i didn't. just more reasons to not get anything they touch early and wait to hear what its like from those that do buy it

[VoxExMachina]

EA, Ubisoft, and Activision have a clear enough track record for me to stay away from getting anything of theirs on launch, no matter how interested in am in it.

I that's going a bit overboard. These are not evil empires that only produce broken games at launch. The last few Assassin's Creed games have been good. People bitch about Destiny but they're also playing it for thousands of hours. Division 2 looks like it's going to be pretty solid. EA seems to be more guilty than the others, but I don't play a lot of their games so can't say for sure.

TBH, I'm skeptical about EVERY game released these days, not just from big studios, and judge them all on their own merit or lack thereof. Though I do think the big studios are definitely guilty of releasing games too early and pushing micro transactions too hard all in the name of quarterly profit reports.

[mgftp]

I that's going a bit overboard. These are not evil empires that only produce broken games at launch. The last few Assassin's Creed games have been good. People bitch about Destiny but they're also playing it for thousands of hours. Division 2 looks like it's going to be pretty solid. EA seems to be more guilty than the others, but I don't play a lot of their games so can't say for sure.

TBH, I'm skeptical about EVERY game released these days, not just from big studios, and judge them all on their own merit or lack thereof. Though I do think the big studios are definitely guilty of releasing games too early and pushing micro transactions too hard all in the name of quarterly profit reports.

They are though, name one complete game that one of these companies has released recently without bugs that needed early patches. True each studio within the parent company isn't the same, Odyssey probably the best Ubi launch considering complereness, but still a much better experience for the player after patches. It's sad because I think many gamers want to be excited for new games and to experience them at launch with friends but with a plethora of games to play I personally dunno why you'd buy a game from any of these pubs rather than wait, maybe you end up waiting weeks, maybe months, or maybe after feedback you decide to never purchase. But by waiting you gain clarification on what you are buying, probably end up with a more complete and less buggy game, and pay less. I pre-ordered The Division, I had a lot of fun with the game, but within that fun was frustrations because of the state of the game. If I just picked that game up after the last major DLC hit it would have been a MUCH better overall experience. There are plenty of publishers that make good games, Naughty Dog, CD Projekt Red, etc. But EA, Ubi, and Activision have proven to not be trusted at this point IMO.

BTW, I wouldn't hold so much hope in Division 2, I think it'll be a more complete game at launch but clearly just as buggy and have just as many issues as the first, I'll pretty much guarantee that. We'll see if they actually fix anything in the upcoming open beta, that'll be telling.

[NillaWafer]

They are though, name one complete game that one of these companies has released recently without bugs that needed early patches. True each studio within the parent company isn't the same, Odyssey probably the best Ubi launch considering complereness, but still a much better experience for the player after patches. It's sad because I think many gamers want to be excited for new games and to experience them at launch with friends but with a plethora of games to play I personally dunno why you'd buy a game from any of these pubs rather than wait, maybe you end up waiting weeks, maybe months, or maybe after feedback you decide to never purchase. But by waiting you gain clarification on what you are buying, probably end up with a more complete and less buggy game, and pay less. I pre-ordered The Division, I had a lot of fun with the game, but within that fun was frustrations because of the state of the game. If I just picked that game up after the last major DLC hit it would have been a MUCH better overall experience. There are plenty of publishers that make good games, Naughty Dog, CD Projekt Red, etc. But EA, Ubi, and Activision have proven to not be trusted at this point IMO.

BTW, I wouldn't hold so much hope in Division 2, I think it'll be a more complete game at launch but clearly just as buggy and have just as many issues as the first, I'll pretty much guarantee that. We'll see if they actually fix anything in the upcoming open beta, that'll be telling.

EA is such a massive company that they've had some good ones mixed in with the chit. Apex and Titanfall 2 from Respawn/EA both come to mind as recent games with good launches. But I would argue that EA's good games are the exception, not the norm.

From Activision/Blizz, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and WoW: Legion were well liked when they launched. Blizz has just done nothing but chit on and ruin their games since then so we are where we are with them.

Idk much about Ubisoft. Never been into the rainbow six or assassin's creed franchises.

I'd actually argue that Sony has been the best publisher/developer in recent years. I really can't think of a single game that they've put out that was overly riddled with microtransactions, bugged to hell, or incomplete. They've churned out good game after good game by and large. Sony, however, has so much going for them that they don't need to be ruthless with their developers. They can take a step back and let their developers do what they want. Sony doesn't have to breathe down their dev's necks, suffocating all creative freedom because they desperately need a game to succeed. They've got tech sales, ps4 sales, and all kinds of additional income so it's not a huge deal if a game doesn't perform as expected. I want to add that it really helps developers to focus on one single platform opposed to trying to do crossplatform. How many games have PC versions that are terrible because the game is clearly designed for console. When you design a game for one platform, it's going to be better.

[mgftp]

EA is such a massive company that they've had some good ones mixed in with the chit. Apex and Titanfall 2 from Respawn/EA both come to mind as recent games with good launches. But I would argue that EA's good games are the exception, not the norm.

From Activision/Blizz, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and WoW: Legion were well liked when they launched. Blizz has just done nothing but chit on and ruin their games since then so we are where we are with them.

Idk much about Ubisoft. Never been into the rainbow six or assassin's creed franchises.

I'd actually argue that Sony has been the best publisher/developer in recent years. I really can't think of a single game that they've put out that wasn't overly riddled with microtransactions, bugged to hell, or incomplete. They've churned out good game after good game by and large. Sony, however, has so much going for them that they don't need to be ruthless with their developers. They can take a step back and let their developers do what they want. Sony doesn't breathe down their devs necks, suffocating all creative freedom because they desperately need a game to succeed. They've got tech sales, ps4 sales, and all kinds of additional income so it's not a huge deal if a game doesn't perform as expected. I want to add that it really helps developers to focus on one single platform opposed to trying to do crossplatform. How many games have PC versions that are terrible because the game is clearly designed for console. When you design a game for one platform, it's going to be better.

You just watch what EA does to poor Apex players. They know exactly what they are doing, release a free-to-play game, spend to market the chit out of it by paying of streamers, create hype and a player base..... loot boxes or some sort of BS is coming, I can almost guarantee it unless Respawn has some sort of final say over the franchise for some reason. Activism just added loot boxes to BO4, and how far after launch are we now? Sad thing is companies are now waiting to add this bullchit to avoid the backlash and build a player base first. It's sickening, another reason why buying at launch is a bad idea, like licking a random vagina with a blindfold on. Activision killed Blizzard, they took one of the industry's golden children and turned it to garbage just like EA has done to every studio they have purchased.

Agree on Sony being the uncontested GOAT. Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Guerilla Games, the list goes on, so many greats under SIE pumping out nothing but complete games with no issues at launch that are pure gold. I am not even terribly interested in what I've seen from Days Gone but the fact it's a SIE game alone has me excited.

[freeburn]

You just watch what EA does to poor Apex players. They know exactly what they are doing, release a free-to-play game, spend to market the chit out of it by paying of streamers, create hype and a player base..... loot boxes or some sort of BS is coming, I can almost guarantee it unless Respawn has some sort of final say over the franchise for some reason. Activism just added loot boxes to BO4, and how far after launch are we now? Sad thing is companies are now waiting to add this bullchit to avoid the backlash and build a player base first. It's sickening, another reason why buying at launch is a bad idea, like licking a random vagina with a blindfold on. Activision killed Blizzard, they took one of the industry's golden children and turned it to garbage just like EA has done to every studio they have purchased.

Agree on Sony being the uncontested GOAT. Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Guerilla Games, the list goes on, so many greats under SIE pumping out nothing but complete games with no issues at launch that are pure gold. I am not even terribly interested in what I've seen from Days Gone but the fact it's a SIE game alone has me excited.

There's already loot boxes in Apex. I really don't understand why people get upset with cosmetic only loot boxes. Don't buy them. Doesn't effect the gameplay at all and is simply there as an option for people who want to spend some money. I bought 40 bucks worth cause I want skins for the character I play.


I mean yeah ea is straight garbage that I do agree with. But Apex loot boxes make absolutely zero difference whether you buy some or not.

[mgftp]

There's already loot boxes in Apex. I really don't understand why people get upset with cosmetic only loot boxes. Don't buy them. Doesn't effect the gameplay at all and is simply there as an option for people who want to spend some money. I bought 40 bucks worth cause I want skins for the character I play.


I mean yeah ea is straight garbage that I do agree with. But Apex loot boxes make absolutely zero difference whether you buy some or not.

Guess I should have specified, non-cosmetic loot boxes are coming. Look what Activision did w/BO4, I can see EA doing the same thing with Apex, it's the new trend, build your player base, get through the review cycle, then drop the BS.

[USADave85]

Is this game worth buying right now?

I was looking forward to it because of the COOP, but now I'm busy playing Apex and The Division II is dropping soon.

[MiamiLife305]

R.I.P Anthem

[NillaWafer]

Guess I should have specified, non-cosmetic loot boxes are coming. Look what Activision did w/BO4, I can see EA doing the same thing with Apex, it's the new trend, build your player base, get through the review cycle, then drop the BS.

Ya, you're probably right. Sucks that all these companies sacrifice actual gameplay and content in order to get their microtransactions in.

Is this game worth buying right now?

I was looking forward to it because of the COOP, but now I'm busy playing Apex and The Division II is dropping soon.

Not even close. Maybe the $15 for premier is worth it to give it a try, but even then, I'd wait for like 6 months to a year to get your premier subscription when the game actually has things to do.

[Shaneomac0]

Luckily I only payed for the month of Premier, i'm pretty much done and going back to Metro Exodus which I was thoroughly enjoying.

[chrsschb]

SkillUp is one of the best IMO. My one complaint is I find he comments too often on games he hasn't reviewed just regurgitating what he has heard, but when he reviews something he goes in depth and gives great opinion, even does a good job presenting his personal tastes and any attached biases.

I know people were hyped for anthem but I would have steered clear of it day one just because EA is attached. EA, Ubisoft, and Activision have a clear enough track record for me to stay away from getting anything of theirs on launch, no matter how interested in am in it.


Edit:

Seems like being a video game reviewer is worse than your typical desk or trade job with all the AAA garbage coming out. Just LoL@ this

[YouTube]8snFkIwJOWI[YouTube]

I wish Joe would stick to game reviews, his movie reviews are so bad.

[VoxExMachina]

Not to pat myself on the back, but the reviews panning Anthem are saying the same things that I predicted even before the demo was released. Lack of endgame, not enough loot, combat looks good but isn't all that varied or interesting, etc.

I played the Demo and instantly hated the loading screens, inability to change loadouts without going back to Ft. Tarsis, the weird feeling of first-person dialogue with NPC's, repetitiveness of missions, bugs, and the overall state of the game. If you didn't see the terrible reviews coming, you haven't been playing games very long.

This game might be good if EA allows it to cook for another year (which is the main cope of the Anthem apologists right now), but AAA studios need to stop releasing games that are not ready for prime time.

[Aristotelian]

This game might be good if EA allows it to cook for another year (which is the main cope of the Anthem apologists right now), but AAA studios need to stop releasing games that are not ready for prime time.

What do you mean here by 'apologists' - do you think that people who enjoy the game honestly care about people trashing it? The guy who wrote the Guardian article clearly hadn't played it, and some posters in this thread alone simply repeatedly post that the game is garbage.

Honestly it seems that the people who want to trash the game really need to repeatedly state that the game is trash to them and then find a comfortable echo chamber to 'feel right'. If you don't like the game, congrats, but should the Official Threads for a game on this forum simply be a dumpster fire of people who haven't really played the release and parrot clickbait videos on YouTube?

Someone will have read the previous question and think "lol he's an apologist!" but I'm not. Here's a fact: it took me less time to do the 4 Temple quest that so many people complain about than to watch that video. Pre patch. But how?

I refresh this thread once in a while to see the pattern and it's not disappointing. Seems like the people who play the game just abandoned this thread and now it could easily be renamed to the *** Official Anthem Bashing Thread *** because that's what it really resembles.

[mgftp]

What do you mean here by 'apologists' - do you think that people who enjoy the game honestly care about people trashing it? The guy who wrote the Guardian article clearly hadn't played it, and some posters in this thread alone simply repeatedly post that the game is garbage.

Honestly it seems that the people who want to trash the game really need to repeatedly state that the game is trash to them and then find a comfortable echo chamber to 'feel right'. If you don't like the game, congrats, but should the Official Threads for a game on this forum simply be a dumpster fire of people who haven't really played the release and parrot clickbait videos on YouTube?

Someone will have read the previous question and think "lol he's an apologist!" but I'm not. Here's a fact: it took me less time to do the 4 Temple quest that so many people complain about than to watch that video. Pre patch. But how?

I refresh this thread once in a while to see the pattern and it's not disappointing. Seems like the people who play the game just abandoned this thread and now it could easily be renamed to the *** Official Anthem Bashing Thread *** because that's what it really resembles.

People are just expressing their disappointment on what was one of the most anticipated games this generation for some people, a game in the works for over 5 years. That's how the average person feels, you can't expect this thread to be filled with anything else right now at release. But that will pass and you and whoever else is actually enjoying the game can talk about it here like any other game thread.

[rocketfish]

damn bros, the gameplay and such from the previews looked good





but the reviews of this game.. my god.. angry joe talked about how if your teammate takes a chest or something apart of the quest you get zero credit for it and basically have to do it all over again in hopes someone doesn't take it again



what happened..?

was gonna get it, but probably not now

[newcomb12]

Still playing. What was so difficult about the tombs quest? If people find that difficult they aren't going to enjoy the jump in difficulty after they hit 30.

[Soonerjohn]

Friends I game with enjoy it, so I have stuck with it.

I hated the leveling experience, it was boring as hell. The main town is garbage as well.

What is good is the combat. Even then I only enjoy the interceptor. It has high APM and you constantly reposition via dash/flight. Currently we are in GM2, but will probably drop down to GM1 because the loot has not increased at all. The guaranteed drops at the end of strongholds/contracts makes GM1 much better for gearing currently to do the max level stuff.

If you can slog through the leveling experience, the game is simply OK. It isn't anywhere near as bad as the leveling experience.

The true problem is the model. Why risk $60 on a game you may enjoy when you can jump into a free to play game like Apex with no investment?

[kr1kit]

What do you mean here by 'apologists' - do you think that people who enjoy the game honestly care about people trashing it? The guy who wrote the Guardian article clearly hadn't played it, and some posters in this thread alone simply repeatedly post that the game is garbage.

Honestly it seems that the people who want to trash the game really need to repeatedly state that the game is trash to them and then find a comfortable echo chamber to 'feel right'. If you don't like the game, congrats, but should the Official Threads for a game on this forum simply be a dumpster fire of people who haven't really played the release and parrot clickbait videos on YouTube?

Someone will have read the previous question and think "lol he's an apologist!" but I'm not. Here's a fact: it took me less time to do the 4 Temple quest that so many people complain about than to watch that video. Pre patch. But how?

I refresh this thread once in a while to see the pattern and it's not disappointing. Seems like the people who play the game just abandoned this thread and now it could easily be renamed to the *** Official Anthem Bashing Thread *** because that's what it really resembles.

So instead you want it to be an echo chamber of people singing nothing but praise for Anthem and EA? lol ok bucko.

[VoxExMachina]

What do you mean here by 'apologists' - do you think that people who enjoy the game honestly care about people trashing it?

Nope. If you're enjoying it then it's fine by me.

What I mean by apologists are those who can see no wrong with the game and immediately jump to its defense when any legitimate issue is raised. Right now those people are busy talking about how you can't expect polish on Day 1 from a "live service" game, that it's going to be awesome as it continues to develop, and either refusing to admit there are issues or downplaying them into nothing.

The fact is that the current state of the game is legitimately the 6/10 that most reviews have judged it to be.

[freeburn]

Still can't even play the game. Legit then ****tiest piece of **** game I've ever seen.

[chlaxman]

Playing on PS4:

- Like the combat a lot. It's like a slower, more meticulous Warframe (that's good).
- Loading screens are bad, but not a game breaker.
- Matchmaking is terrible. I'm a big fan of trying to help people through tough levels. The quick matchmake, which is the only choice, is awful. Half the time it puts you in a group that just finished a boss. OK, nice, you get XP for that. But you didn't get to play and then have to sit through loading screens. Every game should just copy Monster Hunter: World for matchmaking. That game owned matchmaking.

I have no idea about endgame, since I'm no where close. I'll end up really liking it, since I really do like the combat.

Also: The game is SUPER easy on Normal. You have to play on Hard to even make it interesting. Some missions need changing, but overall it's really easy on multiplayer.

[chlaxman]

Couple other things:

- The Interceptor Javelin is worthless. And it's my favorite playstyle: fast and high damage. But it's offense isn't particularly good and the defense is bad enough there's no reason to use it. Which sucks, because it's the most fun to control.
- It really sucks that you can't choose missions to join in matchmaking.

[Aristotelian]

People are just expressing their disappointment on what was one of the most anticipated games this generation for some people, a game in the works for over 5 years. That's how the average person feels, you can't expect this thread to be filled with anything else right now at release. But that will pass and you and whoever else is actually enjoying the game can talk about it here like any other game thread.

Yes, after wading through posts from people who: (i) never played the game; (ii) never intended to play the game; and (iii) cite YouTubers as gaming experience authorities then extrapolate that to the 'average person'. It doesn't make for an informative discussion when some of the opinions put forward are not informed themselves.

Still playing. What was so difficult about the tombs quest? If people find that difficult they aren't going to enjoy the jump in difficulty after they hit 30.

As Podunks said - the issue for some people was not knowing how to achieve a 'multi kill' and so on. Playing as a ranger, by the time I got to that quest I had to do the following things:

1. World Events
2. Multikills
3. Melee defeats
4. Treasure Chests
5. Harvests
6. Collectibles

Of those 6 (out of 16 or so requirements) I thought that the treasure chest / harvest were the only two that were 'problematic' because in a group I always let my teammates open the chest while I scan around. In less than 1 hour of freeplay I had done all 6, and explored much of the world, had some fun doing world events. So much so that I kept playing freeplay for fun.

Having said that, you again go through something like this after you beat the game and it doesn't seem to count your 'achievements' between the tombs quest and the post-game challenge at all - you start over again. It seems like lazy programming to me because there's no good lore explanation to explain this.

@Chlaxman - on PC I can pub in Grandmaster, and of course some groups are much better than others. It always makes for a better experience these days if you run your own premade.

[mgftp]

Yes, after wading through posts from people who: (i) never played the game; (ii) never intended to play the game; and (iii) cite YouTubers as gaming experience authorities then extrapolate that to the 'average person'. It doesn't make for an informative discussion when some of the opinions put forward are not informed themselves.

What's funny is I see great points being made by people who are critical of the game, pointing out specific shortcomings, yet those defend it just say game is good shutup rather than address why the opinions on those shortcomings are inaccurate to them.

So when a game comes out that is overall a huge disappointment and if not for Fallout 76 would the big diaster of this generation you want the game thread to just be filled of "game is good because it is, don't listen to those that say bad things actually having a discussion about specific shortcomings, game is good". Got it, very reasonable.

[mgftp]

The official thread should be for those who are playing and want to discuss the game. Idk why those who have already stated their complaints, but don't play or intend to, are still here beating the topic to death.

Interesting, I remember when you went into a TLoU2 thread to bash the game.

[VoxExMachina]

The official thread should be for those who are playing and want to discuss the game. Idk why those who have already stated their complaints, but don't play or intend to, are still here beating the topic to death.

This is a good point, and you are correct. Those enjoying the game should be able to discuss it without people doing nothing but hating on the game.

The thing is that some of those complaining either have the game or really wanted it to be good and are expressing disappointment with how it launched.

So, it kind of depends. I think criticism of issues is fine. Unrelenting bashing or trolling is not.

[chlaxman]

@Chlaxman - on PC I can pub in Grandmaster, and of course some groups are much better than others. It always makes for a better experience these days if you run your own premade.

Yeah it doesn't surprise me PC has better options. I'm not to Grandmaster yet. And yeah, premade is better but I like just jumping in with lower levels sometimes to help them out. It just sucks not having the option to see what mission they're running, how long they've been in it, etc.

Looks like another 10 GB patch today...

[mgftp]

This is a good point, and you are correct. Those enjoying the game should be able to discuss it without people doing nothing but hating on the game.

The thing is that some of those complaining either have the game or really wanted it to be good and are expressing disappointment with how it launched.

So, it kind of depends. I think criticism of issues is fine. Unrelenting bashing or trolling is not.

Agreed. I'd like to see more discussion from those enjoying it as to why they feel the shortcomings discussed aren't an issue.

[chlaxman]

Agreed. I'd like to see more discussion from those enjoying it as to why they feel the shortcomings discussed aren't an issue.

I think it's more people enjoy it inspite of the shortcomings, not that they aren't an issue.