Things are not looking good for ANTHEM right now. To be fair, things haven't looked good for months, but this latest tidal wave of disappointment could well be the final nail in the coffin for BioWare's looter shooter.
At this point ANTHEM's downfall is incredibly well documented, but if you're somehow late to the party, allow us to quickly get you up to speed. ANTHEM launched back in February and it was met with lukewarm critic reviews. Over the next few weeks it would essentially be picked to bits by much of its playerbase thanks to a severe lack of endgame content. What's more, BioWare stumbled at just about every turn when it came to patching and updating the release, introducing bugs and some significant gameplay issues -- most of which would go on to steal headlines and sink the game's already ragged reputation even deeper.
Months passed and players still weren't happy with ANTHEM's half-baked loot system or the gameplay loop surrounding it, and so the game's update roadmap was dropped as BioWare scrambled to fix things on a fundamental level. Most notably, its oft-touted 'Cataclysm' live event was pushed back. For many, the Cataclysm was set to be ANTHEM's last chance at some kind of redemption.
Sadly, it doesn't look like the Cataclysm will live up to any expectations. Based on footage shown during the developer's most recent livestream and impressions from those who have dabbled in the event via the game's public test server, this is not the chaotic, devastating storm that engulfed the world of ANTHEM all the way back in its original E3 presentation. Needless to say, players are not impressed.
Already spawning its own range of dumb jokes and memes, the Cataclysm is, in reality, a timed activity that sees you complete a bunch of repetitive tasks before fighting a boss, all while a blue filter is applied to your screen. For an event months in the making -- an event that was talked about well before the title even hit store shelves -- it's all very, very underwhelming.
As we've come to expect of moments like this, the negativity is spreading like wildfire across YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook -- all the usual suspects. This time, though, it does feel different. ANTHEM is no stranger to disillusioned fans but this is on another level. The Cataclysm was pretty much the only glimmer of hope left on the horizon, and it's been snuffed out before it's even made it into the game proper.
It would have taken a miracle to get ANTHEM back on track after its first few weeks, but now? We just don't see how it comes back from this one.
Comments 33
Take it down. Fix it, and relaunch it as f2p with good content to buy.
Refunds for everyone. Even free to play wouldn't work without drastic changes.
This Game Had Way More Problems then Andromeda Did
I had substantially more fun with the Daemon X Machina demo than I did with Anthem. Just goes to show that pretty visuals donβt make a great game.
@Gumbopudding Yeah that would be the best solution or take it down, work on it and re-release and rebrand it like Final fantasy 14. I doubt anyone who paid the first time would buy again but is a better option than what's out there now.
But...but...it applies a BLUE FILTER to your screen! Thatβs got to count for something! π
@Shatter I can apply a blue filter to any game by putting the blue hue up all the way in my TV's settings.
Thanks Samsung! Now I can enjoy the Catacalysm with any game!
At this point, there's more than enough nails for not only Anthem's coffin, but for Dragon Age 4's inevitable burial too.
Jeez, hurts my soul to see games belly up like this. We already had Fallout 76 for a major flophouse, having two is just painful, especially for once great developers like these.
I hope Bioware's management learned some kind of lesson from the Anthem debacle. So many talented writers and developers who could've been making something great with the right leadership...
I love how when standing in a bubble it looks like a nice sunny day and them when you step out, BLUE FILTER! Wow look at that storm πππ
I'm just wondering, did any of the guys working on the game actually watch the E3 trailer to see what game they were meant to be making?
Alot of the people who were involved in making the first 3 mass effect games are no longer with bioware? Is that true? Or am i wrong?
Game should be pulled from shelves now so people don't buy it and find out the games been stopped. It was Β£20 in shops last week I still wasn't interested in it because I know it's going to be shut down
Fixing the basics and putting it out as a PS+ title would breathe life into it.
I hate to be that guy, but I told you so! Bioware simply do not have the talent to make good on their promises for this game. You can't retrofit better game mechanics in a frostbite-baked game! It was doomed the day they released it.
Karma for developing a game that is built only as a cash cow
"Your words are as empty as your future." -Sovereign & EA
"I am the vanguard of your destruction." - Sovereign & EA
R.I.P ANTHEM, we hardly knew thee
now here is hoping this is finally the pin that bursts the "Live games as a service bubble"
Somebody take it outside and shoot it... With a starter weapon.
not an Anthem anymore, a Dirge.
If people hadnβt been made to work on this under poor conditions from what I have read this would have been laughable but this is just really tragic and I feel for people who worked on this and clearly didnβt get the right support , time or anything from the higher ups
I have concerns that Bioware is on the way out. They clearly have a problem with management of their development and I'm not sure the 'blame EA' card is the issue here. The experiences on Dragons Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem and even what we have heard about DA4 suggest that they are not able to organise into a cohesive unit at this point. What are EA going to do with a studio that can't produce games reliably?
@Bliquid yeah i know some are done well but sadly for the most of them all the publishers see is $$
A good definition of irony, calling this update 'Anthem: Cataclysm'.
Game is done, dead, finished. At this point trying to keep it on life support is worse than just letting it die out naturally imo. Just take it on the chin, release a PR blurb that nothing else will be added and shut down the servers in a year or 2. It's just a waste of all of our time (devs included) as this game is beyond saving. This is coming from someone who was excited for it and put probably 70 or 80 hours in. Just move on and accept your mistakes.
They'll probably be giving the game away very soon.
Remember when D2 popped up on the Home screen?
The desperation will be peaking soon and they'll have no choice.
That cheesy blue filter was a stroke of genius though...
@Juanalf completey agree with u on that one. Take it away let free play events for existing customers like myself and give us free dlc due to pre ordering this game and yeah they need to fix this and not make it another titanfall 2 desire titanfal being a grey story driven game. But I'd rather wait and have a fixed game. Even the first devision was nothing like the this.
B... b... but...
I hope it gets fixed, I'm still enjoying it.
Bioware just needs to kill Anthem. Apologize to the people who bought it and give them a 30 dollar credit toward another bioware/EA game. It is just embarrassing at this point. The problems are too numerous for the skeleton team still working on it to fix. Focus all your attention on making a good Dragon Age and or new Ip or sequel. There is no saving Anthem at this point.
Never forget that it was codenamed Project Dylan because it was supposed to be "The Bob Dylan of video games. Something incredibly influential, and talked about for years to come". Well, it'll be talked about for years to come, but... I dunno about the rest
@Bliquid is MHW a GaaS game?
I can play it offline and there are not so much Micro-Transactions or mini dlc for it.
I wanted them to keep trying. Had lots of fun with my cousin at the start. But there is really nothing to do anymore and the world is dead still.
Just let it die. Andromeda was more of a game than this is.
@Hordak Only thing I got from the Daemon X Machina demo was a reason to cancel my pre-order.
Talk about another game that needs tons of work.
Tap here to load 33 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...