Anthem... makes me sad.

"9 Things You Need to Know About Anthem" (Eurogamer)

https://youtu.be/cGQP6vt88F4

So I'm still a huge BioWare fan, though I realize I'm in the minority on this forum anymore. I enjoyed all four Mass Effect games immensely despite their flaws, and was hoping they'd steer more the Dragon Age: Inquisition route and not the arcade-shooter 'everyone wants to be a superhero and fly around like Ironman' route. It's bad enough this genre has infested nearly every movie made in the last 5 years not named "Star Wars something something".

I'm officially leaving the Anthem fan train. While the planet featured in these clips looks fantastic and I'd love to explore it in a Mass Effect-like setting, they ruin it with Sonic-the-Hedgehog gameplay. The stats flying off the creatures every time it's hit by weapons is truly cringe-worthy to me. The awesome-button mashing seems to have been supercharged, so much so that the game should come with its own controller since I have no interest in subjecting my mouse to the kind of beating it will apparently take.

They call it a cooperative game, though there seems to be an afterthought single-player campaign that will be "challenging" without help from others. Not even an AI companion option, I guess-- you have to bring ##$GMoneyDoodz$## and 2 others with you to have the base experience. I'm really not interested in that. At all.

Ignoring my tendency to preorder, this may be the first BioWare game I simply don't purchase. And I considered myself a huge optimist for Anthem going in.

Is the 12-year old target market really that lucrative now?

Well I used to be a Big BioWare fan until they cancelled expansions for ME:A, and started going down the GaaS route, and possible making every future game online.

Basically though the trend started when BioWare was sold, and the founders quit game development. Then you have to add in all the Political/Social issues from fans/critics.

So I have very low hopes/expectations for another Mass Effect or Dragon Age game. Just remember Anthem better be a hit or EA will more then likely dissolve BioWare.

I have no idea what to make of Anthem. I actually like mecha and I'm ready to try it, but I can't make head or tails of what the game wants to be.

Gamble said every story stuff was soloable (main and side quests) and the co-op is only 4 players/server (aka the open game world) so it's just co-op for the missions/exploring the gameworld.

Basically, the game sound like a co-op single player game. It's not full co-op and not full single player.

ChaosTheory said:

The stats flying off the creatures every time it's hit by weapons is truly cringe-worthy to me.

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There's going to be a toggle according to Mark Darrah. It's like the new rage though, even Cyberpunk 2077 had floating damage numbers in the demo seen by the press. I disable that in every games that allow me to do so.

Who cares at this point? There is nothing left of the Bioware that used to make good or even descent games.

azarhal said:

Gamble said every story stuff was soloable (main and side quests) and the co-op is only 4 players/server (aka the open game world) so it's just co-op for the missions/exploring the gameworld.

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I don't know if you've ever played BioWare's 2011 Star Wars Old Republic MMO, but they had a system where the primary game was single-player, but they had "instances" where you could join up to 4 for high intensity missions that had nothing to do with your story, but got you decent loot. You could avoid it completely, though.

I'm getting the impression Anthem reverses that system, where the co-op battlefields are required to advance the story and the single-player downtime is optional (or at least not important).

ChaosTheory said:

I don't know if you've ever played BioWare's 2011 Star Wars Old Republic MMO, but they had a system where the primary game was single-player, but they had "instances" where you could join up to 4 for high intensity missions that had nothing to do with your story, but got you decent loot. You could avoid it completely, though.

I'm getting the impression Anthem reverses that system, where the co-op battlefields are required to advance the story and the single-player downtime is optional (or at least not important).

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I still play SWTOR from time to time, lol, soloing. They changed all the story flashpoints (those tied to Republic vs Imperial) to be soloable a few years ago. The EA Play Anthem gameplay trailer reminds me a lot of a SWTOR flashpoint too, especially the post KOTET/KOTFE ones.

The #1 thing BioWare learned from SWTOR: do not lock story content behind group content (outside raids), so I doubt that's what they are doing with Anthem. Also, the way the gameworld is limited to just your party, they shouldn't have a problem with scaling encounters to party size.

I really hope I get beta/demo access to try it and see how it goes.

So you're still grinding trashmobs that spawn from thin air, only now you're soloing it?
Some quality game.

Games I don't like don't make me sad - i just move on and find something else that is fun.

The real RPG market is now considered too small fry, compared to online mmo type games with micro-transactions, to the likes of EA.

Bioware can continue it's shambling non-existence just fine and I will laugh at it and call it names. ;-)

In reality they sold out a long time ago. For me this business is all about valuing the developers who respect legacy and want to make a mark on the industry.

Ehh, I don't mind it, except for world/setting feeling a bit, guess generic is the word for it.
And common, BW was never too big on rpg part, they were always a bit more of crossover of JRPG/WRPG.
Lack of romances is true decline. How's mech suit gonna get some action?

BoboTheMighty said:

Ehh, I don't mind it, except for world/setting feeling a bit, guess generic is the word for it.

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It's basically a remake of Dragon Age (or a pre-history):
ancient gods left the world => Enuvaris
ancient gods shaped the world (but it's unfinished) => pre-Veil elves
Anthem of Creation => lyrium singing

The only cool part is that the "gods" left their world building machine behind and different groups are trying to use them.

Silver said:

The real RPG market is now considered too small fry, compared to online mmo type games with micro-transactions, to the likes of EA.

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Small fry it might be, but it's a sure bet with decent ROI. Assuming the game is good ofc., if it's grinding crap like Amalur, well…

mmo is a risky business and EA got bitten a few times already while pushing it, with again, crap. The only mmo stuff still profitable for EA is their games bundled with lootboxes. The stuff that'll probably soon get taxed so much being gambling and then it won't be profitable anymore.
Perhaps you didn't notice, but past year or two, EA shifted massively to phones and phonegames. They're not interested in making videogames any more. Their masterplan is milking frauds cheap to develop. Heard about Sims Mobile? No? Well, they took resources from Sims4 (zero cost) and developed a cheap boring game for phones with lootboxes mechanics (game of chance). Meanwhile, actual Sims fans, cry for Sims 5, a game they'll probably never get.

joxer said:

Meanwhile, actual Sims fans, cry for Sims 5, a game they'll probably never get.

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I remember reading about the dungeon keeper mobile game...not a pleasant thing to see happen to a classic franchise.

you said:

Games I don't like don't make me sad - i just move on and find something else that is fun.

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True enough. However, it'd be like waiting for Cyberpunk for 5 years, believing it to be everything you're looking for in a game, only to find out it's a platform shooter with microtransactions.

Is this true ? I thought witcher 3 made 40 or 50 million. I guess that might be small frys compared to some of the larger on-line gizmo but it doens't seem that bad...
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My bad it looks like sales were over 140 million and profits over 60 millions in 2015. Can't find figures for 2016 and 2017 but anyways that sounds a bit more than small frys

Silver said:

The real RPG market is now considered too small fry, compared to online mmo type games with micro-transactions, to the likes of EA.

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you said:

Is this true ? I thought witcher 3 made 40 or 50 million. I guess that might be small frys compared to some of the larger on-line gizmo but it doens't seem that bad…
-
My bad it looks like sales were over 140 million and profits over 60 millions in 2015. Can't find figures for 2016 and 2017 but anyways that sounds a bit more than small frys

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We still have CD Projekt RED and Ubisoft aren't too bad and headed towards making more RPGish things. I was just talking about EA.

It is Bioware garbage, and Bioware has been irrelevant for years. I'd be much more surprised if they put out something actually WORTH playing!!!

And no, I don't think I'm being mean. I call it honesty. They have, or had, a massive amount of talent, and release totally subpar products.

ChaosTheory said:

Is the 12-year old target market really that lucrative now?

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Apparently so just look at this tweet.

Link - https://www.reddit.com/r/AnthemTheG...now_we_wont_be_seeing_our_freelancer_a_whole/

For another chuckle read this reddit.

Link -https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/comments/6gsthh/no_spoilers_reading_some_of_the_posts_here_on/

Silver said:

We still have CD Projekt RED and Ubisoft aren't too bad and headed towards making more RPGish things. I was just talking about EA.

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If you asked me ten years ago that BioWare would someday be irrelevant in the
market, and that Ubisoft would start making RPGs, I would of called you crazy.

Silver said:

I remember reading about the dungeon keeper mobile game…not a pleasant thing to see happen to a classic franchise.

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Well they ruined command and command as its now mobile only.


This is not what fans want EA, but they don't care.

I'll also throw this in for laughs.:lol:

Link - https://www.pcgamer.com/bioware-answers-our-biggest-questions-about-anthem/

Some comments from the readers.

Doesn't even know the proper name of DOS:2 but proceeds to opine about how it is "really awkward" to play in co-op. Bioware, you aren't worthy to be a towel boy for Larian with respect to making seamless drop-in/drop-out co-op inside of a rich, story driven RPG.

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"If you try to play a story, if you play BG multiplayer or you play… Divinity: Original Sin 3?"Oh honey, you don't have to pretend to be in the RPG business anymore. EA has had its way with you, it happens to the best of us.
I'll remember you for the studio you were, not the shell you've become.

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And another link about Ubisoft and BioWare switching places.

Link - http://pureplaystation.com/pure-opi...-vs-ubisofts-assassins-creed-odyssey/2018/06/

While watching E3 at home, I am really perplexed at the way two companies are changing their traditional focus. Both Bioware and Ubisoft seem to be on a slow path to switching places with a high profile game. Welcome to bizarro world.

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