Walking into GameStop this past Saturday, Wyatt and I headed to the counter.
Store Clerk: Hi, how can I help you?”
Me: “Hi, I’d like a copy of Anthem. I’d prefer the Anthem Legion of Dawn Edition. You know, the one that is $5 right now.”
Store Clerk: “Sorry, all we have are copies of regular Anthem. You can buy all 60 of them if you’d like.”
Me: “Nah, I’m good with one copy.”
Then, making small talk:
Me: “I’ve heard a lot about how bad Anthem is. I figured $5 was a good price point to experience it.”
Store Clerk: Mumbles something about the game. Almost as if he is bitter about the Anthem experience as a whole. If I were to guess, I’d say that he spent $60 at the game’s launch. I haven’t played enough to say that I’d be mad too… but store clerk’s bitterness was harsh.
.: First Thoughts :.
I think I found Destiny’s long lost brother! Anthem, at least story-wise, uses the same type of Mad Libs storytelling. Except where Destiny would talk about the “darkness” and the “Speaker”, Anthem talks about a cataclysm called the “Heart of Rage” and the evil (?) “Doctor Harken”.
Anthem excels at:
- Unique Level Design. Due to the flight mechanics, Anthem’s levels have a vertical design to them. One moment you can be soaring up onto a ledge; the next moment flying down into a cave.
- Flight. The flight mechanics in Anthem are liberating. I. AM. IRON MAN. I love what flight adds to the game.
- Shooting. Shooting in third person feels great. You can tell BioWare has learned quite a bit since Mass Effect.
Things Anthem needs to learn her brother Destiny:
- Load Times. For real. Destiny hides its loading through hyperspace screens where your character/ship is “traveling” somewhere. I don’t mind watching my cool looking ship barrel through hyperspace. On the other hand, load times in Anthem equal a progress bar at the top of a static splash screen, with hints displayed at the bottom of the screen. I hate the way loading is handled and how long loading takes (maybe 3-4 minutes).
.: Just Keep Flying :.
Wyatt and I have loved what we have played so far. I’m sure we’ll dive back into the game soon. I’ll keep you posted.
Have you played Anthem? What did you think?
JohnnyBGamer 