BioWare - What Inspired Anthem
- Thread starter Silver
- Start date
I'm being sarcastic and poking fun at other members replies based on other various threads this month. I personally wouldn't mind watching that video let's play.
Can you share the link if you don't mind?
Can you share the link if you don't mind?
Sure, I hope you have lots of time. I browsed through the following episode:
https://youtu.be/lE3fnEfMKBU?list=PL7RtZMiaOk8iXc0wQIbmGIq1ebvIhR8ad
I believe it is the mining stronghold mentioned in the other thread. Lots of fluid action and combat which is praised by many, but ultimately feels empty and bland to me.
The good thing is he isn't a screaming hyperkinetic teenager saying cool and awesome every 2s when changing the hair color of their character.
https://youtu.be/lE3fnEfMKBU?list=PL7RtZMiaOk8iXc0wQIbmGIq1ebvIhR8ad
I believe it is the mining stronghold mentioned in the other thread. Lots of fluid action and combat which is praised by many, but ultimately feels empty and bland to me.
The good thing is he isn't a screaming hyperkinetic teenager saying cool and awesome every 2s when changing the hair color of their character.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2009
- Messages
- 1,502
FizzyShellfish
Watchdog
- Joined
- February 4, 2019
- Messages
- 170
Hi everyone! It's Overall with the black & white cat avatar under a new user name (long story, don't ask why). Here's my take on Anthem:
BioWare used to make games that were evocative of other source material. Baldur's Gate games were celebrations of D&D. KotOR was a Star Wars universe game. Mass Effect had more of a Star Trek vibe. ME1 even had the film grain and synth soundtrack (which I LOVED) that was reminiscent of old Sci-fi movies. It was a callback to things people loved.
Dragon Age was a meld of rebooting BG games (minus the D&D license) while adding a more cinematic approach. BioWare built the DA world from the ground up, and it showed. I was never a huge fan of the DA games because BioWare felt the need to hit you over the head, HARD, with world building lore at every turn. Too many NPCs just spouted on and on about the Mages vs. the Chantry, etc, etc. A lot of the magic was already gone for me, but the games were still great because they were built on characters that were interesting. I barely remember the gameplay of the DA games, but many of the characters were very memorable. Some were even unlikable... which is GREAT.
What is Anthem a nod towards? The movie Avatar? Sort of. Iron Man? Well, kind of but not really. The current game called Destiny? Yes, that's closest. Anthem just looks like an also-ran, an iteration of the looter-shooter game with character stuff tacked on... because BioWare. There's nothing in Anthem that a fan of a genre can connect with like Dragon Age or Mass Effect or KotOR. If I'm a fan of Destiny... well, I already HAVE Destiny.
Forcing in multi-player makes it so everyone NEEDS to be at the same power level. The older games were power fantasies. Looter games with multi-player can never be this. It's just a treadmill that your equals are on along with you. And that can be great! I happen to really like Destiny.
But trying to use the treadmill model along with a character-driven power fantasy is never going to work. Your fellow players who you can never escape will always be around you and you will always see that others are more powerful. Some vastly more powerful because they can run the treadmill more than you.
Plus, the amount of loading screens in Anthem are inexcusable in 2019. Add those number of screens to any past BioWare game and those games would have been murdered, too.
TL, DR: Old Bioware games—that people still love—were based on genres that already had a fan base. They took a genre and made a video game about it where the player was the hero. This central, player driven character interacted with memorable NPCs that were integral to the story that played out in a well-loved genre. Player choices drove the story. Anthem does not do that.
BioWare used to make games that were evocative of other source material. Baldur's Gate games were celebrations of D&D. KotOR was a Star Wars universe game. Mass Effect had more of a Star Trek vibe. ME1 even had the film grain and synth soundtrack (which I LOVED) that was reminiscent of old Sci-fi movies. It was a callback to things people loved.
Dragon Age was a meld of rebooting BG games (minus the D&D license) while adding a more cinematic approach. BioWare built the DA world from the ground up, and it showed. I was never a huge fan of the DA games because BioWare felt the need to hit you over the head, HARD, with world building lore at every turn. Too many NPCs just spouted on and on about the Mages vs. the Chantry, etc, etc. A lot of the magic was already gone for me, but the games were still great because they were built on characters that were interesting. I barely remember the gameplay of the DA games, but many of the characters were very memorable. Some were even unlikable... which is GREAT.
What is Anthem a nod towards? The movie Avatar? Sort of. Iron Man? Well, kind of but not really. The current game called Destiny? Yes, that's closest. Anthem just looks like an also-ran, an iteration of the looter-shooter game with character stuff tacked on... because BioWare. There's nothing in Anthem that a fan of a genre can connect with like Dragon Age or Mass Effect or KotOR. If I'm a fan of Destiny... well, I already HAVE Destiny.
Forcing in multi-player makes it so everyone NEEDS to be at the same power level. The older games were power fantasies. Looter games with multi-player can never be this. It's just a treadmill that your equals are on along with you. And that can be great! I happen to really like Destiny.
But trying to use the treadmill model along with a character-driven power fantasy is never going to work. Your fellow players who you can never escape will always be around you and you will always see that others are more powerful. Some vastly more powerful because they can run the treadmill more than you.
Plus, the amount of loading screens in Anthem are inexcusable in 2019. Add those number of screens to any past BioWare game and those games would have been murdered, too.
TL, DR: Old Bioware games—that people still love—were based on genres that already had a fan base. They took a genre and made a video game about it where the player was the hero. This central, player driven character interacted with memorable NPCs that were integral to the story that played out in a well-loved genre. Player choices drove the story. Anthem does not do that.
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2019
- Messages
- 170
- Joined
- April 12, 2009
- Messages
- 23,459
I mean… Is it humanly possible they didn't 10/10 it? Not that I'm complaining, I'm just confused.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 23,459
You know I just finished my play through of ME1-3 and enjoyed the games,then I played ME-A and quickly uninstalled it,after watching videos and reviews,I can safely say will not be getting this game.......
- Joined
- September 26, 2007
- Messages
- 3,469
Down to 63 now…
Saw this amusing tidbit in the Polygon review: "Strongholds are considered to be the pinnacle activity in Anthem. Only three Stronghold missions are available at launch, and the third one culminates with shooting a large dude for 35 minutes. There’s no strategy; my squad just shoots at the same large dude for 35 minutes straight."
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2007
- Messages
- 3,469
That pretty much sums up most looter shooters for me.
The combat is almost always very good because the genre depends on that, but there really isn't much else to these games outside of the progression and loot.
I'm glad some people can enjoy them as much as they do, but I prefer a little more than just combat and chasing that next shiny thing.
You enjoyed ME 1-3 but couldn't play ME:A? Weird.
I think the series is overrated as a whole, but ME:A was one of the better games if not the best.
Remember my earlier rant about EA's problems?
Quick recap: a company with a fanbase from the past, tries to embrace a younger audience -- and the result is a very schizophrenic company.
I think Anthem's biggest mistake was to market as a Bioware game.
Quick recap: a company with a fanbase from the past, tries to embrace a younger audience -- and the result is a very schizophrenic company.
I think Anthem's biggest mistake was to market as a Bioware game.
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2008
- Messages
- 824
Since I don't play AAA or first-person-format, I've got no dog in this race, but maybe it's a *good* thing they piled all this shit in one place? Better than having it spread out everywhere…