Lift off and fizzle down
In this title, you jump into a dashing exosuit and prance around on a decent looking planet, all while you attempt to reconnect, loot the same gun multiple times, suffer through awful dialogue, and do it over and over again.
Shoot, reload, repeat
Anthem is a lousy attempt at pushing an amazing concept. Where you’d expect engaging gameplay, action-packed multiplayer, and a fantastic story, all you find is disappointment.
EA BioWare brings yet another title to join the ‘game as a service’ club. Instead of buying a finished product, you pay full price for something that has no final delivery date in sight. You’re also greeted by a generic storyline, to boot. Yes, humanity is at the brink of destruction, again. This time the only defenders left are the pilots of the Javelins, exosuits that are built to fend off the giant creatures that roam the world as well as the main enemies attempting to achieve human extinction.
There are two, and only two, pleasant surprises in this game. The first is an impressive set of visuals. While you fly around the planet, you’re met with some serious eye candy. The second involves a unique concept. It’s something that mirrors Destiny, in that they’ve attempted to add value to the original looter shooter idea. It sounds great on paper, but the multiplayer integration, online connection requirement, and set of enemies that only receive health boosts ends up showing how terrible the attempt is.
As if things needed to be worse, the loot in this game is difficult to enjoy. Sure, you can customize your Javelin, but be ready to use the same four weapons throughout your entire experience. You’re not going to like the monotonous exposition that flows out of the mouths of the non-playable characters, either
Where can you run this program?
This game runs on Windows 7 and later. It’s also available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Is there a better alternative?
Absolutely. The looter shooter genre is filled to the brim with wonderful titles. You should try your hand at Destiny 2, a game that offers fun multiplayer, excellent customization, and quite a few more fantastic features.
Our take
Anthem needs a lot of work before it can be taken seriously. The concept is great, but the execution leaves a bad taste in the mouths of its player base. As it stands, though, you should pass on this.
Should you download it?
No. If you’re looking for a game to enjoy for hours on end, you should look elsewhere.
