Anthem rework has been "confirmed"

[FakeSympathy]

Bioware has released a new update on Anthem:
https://blog.bioware.com/2020/02/10/anthem-update-february-10/

TL;DR
"...So we recognize that there?s still more fundamental work to be done to bring out the full potential of the experience, and it will require a more substantial reinvention than an update or expansion"

Now, if this is another case of "A Realm Reborn", I'd be more than glad to give the game a shot. But then again, this is also EA and skeleton Bioware we're talking about, so my expectations are kinda low.

Thoughts?

 

[Elfgore]

I mean hey, Destiny did it. I seem to remember Destiny being pretty disliked after a month from launch until the one king DLC and then it got pretty popular again. I haven't played it and most likely won't, but if they turn it around, good on them.

I also just want to say I find it funny Mass Effect: Andromeda is still used as their background on that site.

 

[meiam]

It's their money.

Either it work and we get a good game out of it, or it fail and it's one more nail in bioware coffin, to which I gotta ask: Does anyone still care?

Personally I really like the idea of doing major re work to game that already have been out for awhile, there's so many game that I play thinking "Man, a few more months of development to remove a couple of terrible feature and replace them by better (and often obvious) one and this could turn into an awesome game". So why not? From what I understand Anthem basic gunplay/mech stuff, is pretty solid. It's just the everything else that need to be changed which shouldn't be that hard to do.

 

[Dalisclock]

So why not? From what I understand Anthem basic gunplay/mech stuff, is pretty solid. It's just the everything else that need to be changed which shouldn't be that hard to do.

I get the core stuff is apparently pretty solid but I do have to question the "It's not that hard to change everything else" argument here. Remakes rarely change more then that they have to, in my experience, so expecting Bioware will rebuild much of the game as Anthem 2.0 seems a tad optimistic.

Sure, a Realm Reborn did it(from what I understand. Apparently the first version was just awful and ARR is significantly better), but that's the exception that stands out because they did clean it up so much. Most games don't seem like they're going to put in the time and effort to fix anything but QoL issues.

 

[Catfood220]

It only seems to of taken about a year to say or do anything about their game. Is there actually anyone still playing this, I can't imagine there are many. Anyway, if Bioware can actually turn this game into a half decent experience, it might be worth dropping the 6 pounds it currently costs to buy it second hand.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Got some ideas for ole bioware if they looking.
1. Either provide an offline mode or make it F2P (or whatever destiny 2 now calls itself also). There's already F2P games with offline modes as it is, so it's not even asking that much to have one or the other really. It's not going to get the same flaccid momentum they had pre-release when there were still loyal idiots awaiting their overpriced pre-orders.

2. Actual story with narrative not squirreled away in massive text dumps like a total hack rush job.

3. Choice between 1st and 3rd person mode for that hub area, so one can adore their artistic endeavors upon their iron Man suit and to applease the anti-1st person brigade.

4. More imaginative sci-fi weaponry would be nice for crazy future sci-fi world. But then again, I don't remember much inspiring in that area for any of the mass effect games, so maybe it's beyond their capabilities.

5. Some stuff about MMO design I can't be arsed to understand, but others who do say it's terrible. Make it not that if you can.

6. Whatchya gonna do about the loyal idiots early adopters? I'd suggest compensating them in some way, despite the probability that it'll be some shit like a lump sum of sci-fi fun bux and an ugly skin; the greatest illusion of "generosity" publishers like to indulge in...the type that costs them literally nothing. Can't be many left, can there? Throw in a canvas bag!

7. I don't fucking know, how's dragon age 4 doing these days anyway?

 

[Xprimentyl]

It's their money.

That?s a negative, Ghost Rider; it?s OUR money.

?Our? meaning gamers, gamers who were sold a bill of goods with the half-assed, lackluster bullshit that was Anthem 1.0. These kind of antics are a testament to the mentality of modern games development and how little they think of those they sucker in. Prodigal son, anyone? Only this time, the repentance isn?t a means to redemption so much as it is to means to their next scheme?

 

[CritialGaming]

Anthem was probably too expensive of a game for EA to outright scrap. Bioware must have been working on convincing EA to let them rework the whole game in order to "hopefully" fix the core systems of the game in order to make it a workable shooter.

But there is a tall ask in making Anthem a workable game.

1. A story that makes fucking sense.
2. Character stats screen (with no loading screen to bring it up)
3. Loot that has meaningful and managable stats and powers.
4. Armor that changes the way your suit looks.

I mean looking at it, the game needs to basically be rebuilt from the ground up. The only thing that actually works in Anthem is that the player character can move around and the shooting works. Otherwise there is nothing else there.

 

[CaitSeith]

It's their money.

That's a negative, Ghost Rider; it's OUR money.

You mean YOUR money; 'cause I never bought this game.

 

[Xprimentyl]

It's their money.

That's a negative, Ghost Rider; it's OUR money.

You mean YOUR money; 'cause I never bought this game.

Oh, neither did I; I was just speaking about ?gamers? in general and the propensity for devs to half-ass cash-grabs, condescendingly ?apologize? with after-the-fact patchwork, then do the exact same thing again, time and time again.

I don?t understand how any self-respecting gamer could see this ?second chance? stuff as a good thing. Anthem?s been out, what, a year? And NOW they decide to try and do it right? The early adopters got duped, and now they get a fresh batch of suckers with the ?real? thing. It?s a fucking Ponzi scheme; Bernie Madoff would be proud.

 

[CaitSeith]

snip

If those who bought the game didn't ask for a refund, it's their own fault for feeding EA.

 

[Dalisclock]

It's their money.

That's a negative, Ghost Rider; it's OUR money.

You mean YOUR money; 'cause I never bought this game.

Oh, neither did I; I was just speaking about ?gamers? in general and the propensity for devs to half-ass cash-grabs, condescendingly ?apologize? with after-the-fact patchwork, then do the exact same thing again, time and time again.

I don?t understand how any self-respecting gamer could see this ?second chance? stuff as a good thing. Anthem?s been out, what, a year? And NOW they decide to try and do it right? The early adopters got duped, and now they get a fresh batch of suckers with the ?real? thing. It?s a fucking Ponzi scheme; Bernie Madoff would be proud.

Well, I mean, people still pre-order shit despite the fact that broken and unfinished games seem to get released from AAA studios on a seemingly regular basis. I have literally no sympathy for said people getting burned, considering they forked over real money for a promise based on the PR pitch(which doesn't have to be remotely accurate, it seems).

However, as long as people keep giving them money for broken and unfinished games, studios will keep releasing them, because "Hey, we can always patch it up later and people will still give us money".

 

[Xprimentyl]

It's their money.

That's a negative, Ghost Rider; it's OUR money.

You mean YOUR money; 'cause I never bought this game.

Oh, neither did I; I was just speaking about ?gamers? in general and the propensity for devs to half-ass cash-grabs, condescendingly ?apologize? with after-the-fact patchwork, then do the exact same thing again, time and time again.

I don?t understand how any self-respecting gamer could see this ?second chance? stuff as a good thing. Anthem?s been out, what, a year? And NOW they decide to try and do it right? The early adopters got duped, and now they get a fresh batch of suckers with the ?real? thing. It?s a fucking Ponzi scheme; Bernie Madoff would be proud.

Well, I mean, people still pre-order shit despite the fact that broken and unfinished games seem to get released from AAA studios on a seemingly regular basis. I have literally no sympathy for said people getting burned, considering they forked over real money for a promise based on the PR pitch(which doesn't have to be remotely accurate, it seems).

However, as long as people keep giving them money for broken and unfinished games, studios will keep releasing them, because "Hey, we can always patch it up later and people will still give us money".

That?s my point, and why I?m baffled how this kind of behavior has been and will be tolerated for the foreseeable future. I?ve watched as the collective gamer cry has gone from righteous outrage to disaffected indifference, and now it?s leaning in the direction of defeated acceptance that ?meh, some good might come out of all this.?

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Now the real question is does anyone actually think they'll do anything? Anthem was at best half way done at launch, what hope do players have the rework will be any different?

 

[Xprimentyl]

Now the real question is does anyone actually think they'll do anything? Anthem was at best half way done at launch, what hope do players have the rework will be any different?

Gamers be like:

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

...I wonder how many more "Stress Casualties" this is going to lead to among their staff. Cuz it seems like they'd have to basically remake the entire freakin' game.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

It's their money.

That?s a negative, Ghost Rider; it?s OUR money.

?Our? meaning gamers, gamers who were sold a bill of goods with the half-assed, lackluster bullshit that was Anthem 1.0. These kind of antics are a testament to the mentality of modern games development and how little they think of those they sucker in. Prodigal son, anyone? Only this time, the repentance isn?t a means to redemption so much as it is to means to their next scheme?

No? They're the ones spending money to try and remake the game. That's their money.

 

[Avnger]

How many times has anthem abandoned "confirmed" roadmaps already?

 

[Xprimentyl]

It's their money.

That?s a negative, Ghost Rider; it?s OUR money.

?Our? meaning gamers, gamers who were sold a bill of goods with the half-assed, lackluster bullshit that was Anthem 1.0. These kind of antics are a testament to the mentality of modern games development and how little they think of those they sucker in. Prodigal son, anyone? Only this time, the repentance isn?t a means to redemption so much as it is to means to their next scheme?

No? They're the ones spending money to try and remake the game. That's their money.

Oh, ok, that makes sense and completely invalidates all nuance and subtlety within the point I made. Thanks.

How many times has anthem abandoned "confirmed" roadmaps already?

And given the literal development hell that Anthem went through, why should we believe they give an honest damn this time around, and why would they? What?s EA?s track record of earnest apologies and amends versus the plethora of those they owe?

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

That?s my point, and why I?m baffled how this kind of behavior has been and will be tolerated for the foreseeable future. I?ve watched as the collective gamer cry has gone from righteous outrage to disaffected indifference, and now it?s leaning in the direction of defeated acceptance that ?meh, some good might come out of all this.?

If it wasn't so repugnant, I would be genuinely impressed by how insidiously succesful this industry is at turning people into good spineless consumers who'd rather have a bad product than miss out, or even worse, not get product at all. Though it's by now mean limited to games. I mean, look at smartphones.

Anyway, propaganda works.