Post by biggydx on Feb 3, 2019 22:56:07 GMT
Additional questions as we head toward 'trial week':
Any speculations about:
I think we can recall that trial week did not treat Mass Effect Andromeda kindly, will this time be different?
Now that we've had a chance to experience both the VIP and Open-Access versions of the game, I think it's time to pose this question yet again.
Originally, I had this game scoring anywhere between a 7.8 to a 8.3. Now, however, I think i'll likely settle between 6.9 to a 7.4. To some up my thoughts:
PROS:
- I really enjoy the gameplay loop. I know peoples reception towards the genre is dependent on whether you like loot/looter-shooters, but I can see myself playing this for hours.
- The Javelins feel different, and behave differently as well. Barring some balance reworks, I think they all have a place.
- The controls are great on console (I play on Xbox)
- There's a lot of customization potential. If not for weapons or abilities, than at least your Javelin can look the way you want.
- The world looks nice and there's some nice particle effects
- I generally enjoy the freedom of movement and open spaces
- Strongholds are fun if you don't mind grinding them, and they hold a lot of potential for unique boss designs and mechanics
- The idea that future content will be free is nice.
- Ability to work towards blueprints to craft items that I use the most
CONS:
- Too many server and technical bugs for my liking, especially this close to release
- Weapon designs are kinda meh, and some weapon types could use more damage. The game could also benefit from having more unique weapon types as well.
- Enemies need to stand out more, both visually (so I can make them out from the FX's/environment) and in terms of character
- Fort Tarsis doesn't feel lively enough. Just seeing people gesturing, but not saying anything, is a bummer when it comes to immersion
- Freeplay needs a lot more going on, whether it be events, or having the AI interact with one another.
- The sheer lack of common PC features (like Text Chat and FOV sliders), in addition to Guilds (in a multiplayer focused game no less), has me worried if Anthem will survive on PC. Even more so when controls on PC are generally a mixed bag for a lot of people.
- The UI could use some improvement, though I imagine this is much more of an issue on PC than console
- Load screens could be toned down in certain areas; especially the Forge.
UNSURE OF/CONCERNED:
- MTX pricing is still something I'm worried about. While I likely wouldn't buy any of the cosmetics, how that gets made up in terms of me grinding for in-game coin is important. I also think it matters that they be mindful of player reception regarding the pricing of their microtransactions.
- The quality of future live events. While I know the game will continue to improve over time, there's also a lot of potential for new updates to not land well, or it will introduce new bugs that tank the quality of said content.
- The quality of the story. We've only seen snippets of the story so far, and a lot of times its a hit or miss for me. I'm hoping the crit path is strong enough to carry the game along.
THINGS I'M WILLING TO BE REASONABLE ON:
- Most of these online-only, looter-shooters have launched with troubles. While we should all strive for developers to release polished content (which I still believe), it seems as though this genre is bound to always have growing pains on release; especially if it's a new IP. I'm not saying that I'm okay with the way the game will be shipping, but it's not out of the ordinary either.
- While the endgame, relative to other games, is small right now I'm willing to give Anthem the benefit of the doubt for a couple of reasons:
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF ANTHEM:
Most likely, this games gonna land as okay for the general audience, but I see the playerbase leaving quite readily once they realize there's not much to endgame. I know BioWare's stated there's more to come with the endgame, but we haven't seen what this entails yet. More notably, I also predict EA snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and overpricing the cosmetic items; leading to fervent backlash (again... ). I can't speak to the story. Hopefully it serves itself well. I never really had high hopes that it would rival that of RDR, ME, or The Witcher 3, but I do hope it can be compelling at times and cohesive. Overall: There's effort, but not enough polish and time.
Originally, I was planning on outright purchasing Anthem because of the promise it had (which I still think it does). However, the demo created a lot of uncertainty for me, and so I'll be getting the game via GameFly. I can see myself enjoying Anthem, and there's a lot of potential for it to become a mainstay in the genre. Then when things die down, I move on to something else, and then come back when more content is there. One thing I really do appreciate is the sheer amount of developer feedback and interaction with the community, and I hope that continues after launch. Doing so will likely lead to a lot of good changes to the game in the future, even if the short term ends up being rather muddled.
I learned the hard way with the original Destiny that I can't afford to be a hobbyist gamer with one genre of game. I like being able to enjoy other games, and at this point I don't plan to let any one game in this genre decide whether I want to put those games off or not. For those who do like to play these games nonstop, I'd say it might just be best to alternate between other games in this genre. Destiny 2 content got you down? Try out Anthem for a bit. Anthem doesn't look polished enough for you to justify a day one purchase? Check out The Division and see if its up your alley.
Any speculations about:
- When the #AnthemGame review embargo will drop?
- Before, during or after trial week?
- Will it be reviewed as a finished game with a critical path,
- or just a review in progress GAAS?
I think we can recall that trial week did not treat Mass Effect Andromeda kindly, will this time be different?
Now that we've had a chance to experience both the VIP and Open-Access versions of the game, I think it's time to pose this question yet again.
Originally, I had this game scoring anywhere between a 7.8 to a 8.3. Now, however, I think i'll likely settle between 6.9 to a 7.4. To some up my thoughts:
PROS:
- I really enjoy the gameplay loop. I know peoples reception towards the genre is dependent on whether you like loot/looter-shooters, but I can see myself playing this for hours.
- The Javelins feel different, and behave differently as well. Barring some balance reworks, I think they all have a place.
- The controls are great on console (I play on Xbox)
- There's a lot of customization potential. If not for weapons or abilities, than at least your Javelin can look the way you want.
- The world looks nice and there's some nice particle effects
- I generally enjoy the freedom of movement and open spaces
- Strongholds are fun if you don't mind grinding them, and they hold a lot of potential for unique boss designs and mechanics
- The idea that future content will be free is nice.
- Ability to work towards blueprints to craft items that I use the most
CONS:
- Too many server and technical bugs for my liking, especially this close to release
- Weapon designs are kinda meh, and some weapon types could use more damage. The game could also benefit from having more unique weapon types as well.
- Enemies need to stand out more, both visually (so I can make them out from the FX's/environment) and in terms of character
- Fort Tarsis doesn't feel lively enough. Just seeing people gesturing, but not saying anything, is a bummer when it comes to immersion
- Freeplay needs a lot more going on, whether it be events, or having the AI interact with one another.
- The sheer lack of common PC features (like Text Chat and FOV sliders), in addition to Guilds (in a multiplayer focused game no less), has me worried if Anthem will survive on PC. Even more so when controls on PC are generally a mixed bag for a lot of people.
- The UI could use some improvement, though I imagine this is much more of an issue on PC than console
- Load screens could be toned down in certain areas; especially the Forge.
UNSURE OF/CONCERNED:
- MTX pricing is still something I'm worried about. While I likely wouldn't buy any of the cosmetics, how that gets made up in terms of me grinding for in-game coin is important. I also think it matters that they be mindful of player reception regarding the pricing of their microtransactions.
- The quality of future live events. While I know the game will continue to improve over time, there's also a lot of potential for new updates to not land well, or it will introduce new bugs that tank the quality of said content.
- The quality of the story. We've only seen snippets of the story so far, and a lot of times its a hit or miss for me. I'm hoping the crit path is strong enough to carry the game along.
THINGS I'M WILLING TO BE REASONABLE ON:
- Most of these online-only, looter-shooters have launched with troubles. While we should all strive for developers to release polished content (which I still believe), it seems as though this genre is bound to always have growing pains on release; especially if it's a new IP. I'm not saying that I'm okay with the way the game will be shipping, but it's not out of the ordinary either.
- While the endgame, relative to other games, is small right now I'm willing to give Anthem the benefit of the doubt for a couple of reasons:
- It's a new IP competing against other games that have had - in upwards - 5 years of additional content updates; if not outright sequels. Expecting it to have the largest endgame experience of any looter-shooter is unrealistic in my mind.
- For all intents and purposes, BioWare has to make its levels and activities on a much larger scale than other games in the same genre; especially when compared to The Division and Warframe.
- BioWare is a large studio, no doubt, but not everyone will be working on the franchise at once. At this point, the games life is in the hands of their live-team, however many they are. Comparatively speaking, Bungie (with Destiny 2) has most of its company primarily working on Destiny; as opposed to multiple other products like BioWare; like SWTOR and DA4. In addition, they [Bungie] had the support of two additional studios to not only help them make the PC port (High Moon Studios), but also the Warmind and Black Armory DLC's (Vicarious Visions).
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF ANTHEM:
Most likely, this games gonna land as okay for the general audience, but I see the playerbase leaving quite readily once they realize there's not much to endgame. I know BioWare's stated there's more to come with the endgame, but we haven't seen what this entails yet. More notably, I also predict EA snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and overpricing the cosmetic items; leading to fervent backlash (again... ). I can't speak to the story. Hopefully it serves itself well. I never really had high hopes that it would rival that of RDR, ME, or The Witcher 3, but I do hope it can be compelling at times and cohesive. Overall: There's effort, but not enough polish and time.
Originally, I was planning on outright purchasing Anthem because of the promise it had (which I still think it does). However, the demo created a lot of uncertainty for me, and so I'll be getting the game via GameFly. I can see myself enjoying Anthem, and there's a lot of potential for it to become a mainstay in the genre. Then when things die down, I move on to something else, and then come back when more content is there. One thing I really do appreciate is the sheer amount of developer feedback and interaction with the community, and I hope that continues after launch. Doing so will likely lead to a lot of good changes to the game in the future, even if the short term ends up being rather muddled.
I learned the hard way with the original Destiny that I can't afford to be a hobbyist gamer with one genre of game. I like being able to enjoy other games, and at this point I don't plan to let any one game in this genre decide whether I want to put those games off or not. For those who do like to play these games nonstop, I'd say it might just be best to alternate between other games in this genre. Destiny 2 content got you down? Try out Anthem for a bit. Anthem doesn't look polished enough for you to justify a day one purchase? Check out The Division and see if its up your alley.