3067

Honestly, I’d play it while you have the chance. I would not be too surprised to see EA pull the plug on the servers.

3068

I’m waiting another week to dive back into NMS. New huge expansion!

3069

It’s not even about being an asshole or a grump - your opinion is as valid as anyone else’s, and nobody can accuse you of tossing opinions off the cuff. It’s possible you have logged more hours in Anthem than the rest of us combined.

But honestly, I don’t know why you keep going. It’s pretty clear that Anthem isn’t the game you wish it was and likely never will be. Of course you don’t have to justify yourself to me or anyone else, but it would seem like finding a game that does scratch that itch, whatever that might be, would provide more, I don’t know, pleasure for you?

Just so I’m clear, this post is not some passive-aggressive attempt to get you to stop posting. I think your posts are thought-out and informative, and I think we see the same flaws, they just bother you more than they do me for whatever reason. It’s just that sometimes reading your posts I think of that joke about the guy who goes to the doctor and says, Doc it hurts when I do this! And the doctor replies, So stop doing that!

3070

Please note that I’ve never attacked or demeaned anyone for wanting Anthem to be fun for themselves. I enjoy heaping bitter Schadenfreude is all, as per my historical RIM BlackBerry and Microsoft Games For Windows threads.

3071

I recognize that, and again I don’t have any problems with your posts. I don’t always agree with them, or at least I don’t always feel that we reach the same conclusions, but I do take them seriously as a point of view.

The game is weird, no doubt about it, and those of us who enjoy the game must definitely look past some pretty fundamental flaws - I’m still occasionally getting dumped out of the game with an error message. If someone who has never played asked for a recommendation, I’d be hard pressed to do so. Unlike Andromeda, which I still think was a really good game.

3072

Anyway I meant to add that while I said I would play last night I was mistaken. My wife was watching one of those match-up reality shows and I fell asleep. Tonight for sure! I hope.

3073

I did end up playing just a bit last night, and enjoyed the new content. I didn’t get to any of the timed events though, which don’t sound like a lot of fun:

3074

Group puzzles in a game with essentially no way to communicate with other players. Brilliant!

3075

That seems to be a problem that’s unique to the PC version but yeah, still a problem.

3076

It’s still a (less common) problem on consoles for those people who can’t (deaf mute people) communicate via headset mic or prefer not to and have a chat mini-keyboard on their controller.

The score attack and loot shooter ARPG gameplay numbers don’t mesh well with BioWare’s past catalogue. Many longtime BioWare fans who bought the game for the setting will find that it’s wasted.

3077

Actually even though I play on Xbox and can utilize Live’s built-in party functionality to talk with the folks I’m playing with, I usually don’t. Mainly because I usually play with randoms and I don’t want to hear them swearing at me or their dog barking in the background or they’re twelve.

3078

I love being in a PUG with someone with an open mic screaming at one child while another baby wails loudly. Super relaxing.

3079

VOIP stays disabled in any/every game and I use Discord externally of the game for friends.

Now, I didn’t actually have an audible voice for over a year (requiring surgery) which was one reason I initially was super bitter/angry over Anthem not having basic functionality like text chat.

3080

I hope to be on the xBone around 7:30pm PST tonight if you’re around.

3081

I’m usually on a little later than that but I’ll look you up when I do.

3082

Great quote from the article linked earlier:

“Anthem feels like a car that can only drive downhill because no one ever stuck an engine in it”

3083

Anthem is sorta good now.

I’ve been playing a lot the past three days, doing the new content. Now that I have a handle on the many new mechanics and puzzles, I’m enjoying the game quite a lot. The loot is also very much improved – I am finding legendaries at a decent pace in GM2, and the new gear contains some really interesting toys.

Also, they nerfed the heck out of monster health/ shields, so things are way less spongey. Excellent change.

3084

I played a fair bit this weekend too, and I’ve liked what I’ve played. There are a couple new missions with a couple new characters, then leading up to the new cataclysm events. And that is kind of weird, it’s a series of timed events until you finally face and defeat the new boss. None of it is really all that hard once you learn the trick, and it’s a nice change of pace from the regular rhythm of freeplay and strongholds. But I guess this isn’t forever? See what comes next I guess.

3085

Yeah, the new content is really good.

3086

The interface (no text chat, mass salvage or in game guilds) and loot are still bad and aimless. The loot pool still is shallow: the inscriptions are bad and still no point to the purple loot. The embers gained by salvaging the people like purple and higher loor have no point without any side progression or any (no legendary embers) sort of a crafting system. No bulk buff crafting UI either.

Have fun while in your honeymoon period because there’s no endgame.