Why It's Finally Time to Give Up on Anthem

It seems like for every correct move Bioware makes, it makes three incorrect ones that actually make the game worse.
Why It's Finally Time to Give Up on Anthem

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Very rarely do I hitch my wagon to a game and fight for it. However, I did just that with Anthem. I wrote a whole article filled with reasons why you should stick with the game in spite of its problems because I honestly believed that the core gameplay was so much fun that the rest would fall into place.

Unfortunately, I just don't feel that way anymore. It seems like for every correct move Bioware makes, it makes three incorrect ones that actually make the game worse. Each update that is designed to improve the game doesn't fix the core issues.

As much as I wanted to Anthem to be the next Destiny, it just isn't. It's time to move on to better loot shooters and look to the future.

1. It's Too Stingy With the Loot

Anthem is a loot shooter. The entire loop of the game is based around killing enemies in order to get loot that'll help you kill enemies more easily.

At some point in the development process, Bioware ignored this and decided to make a loot game that's incredibly stingy with handing out loot. Epic and Legendary loot just don't drop enough. Bioware has issued updates that, in some cases, have made things even worse.

At the end of the day, this is the key reason to give up on the game. Even if you don't read any further, just know that you aren't going to get rewarded with loot in a way that feels rewarding or fun.

2. The Devs Aren't Communicating

When Anthem first came out, Bioware was all over Reddit telling players what they were planning to do, how the team was going to improve the game, and providing constant updates.

As time went on, communication from the team dwindled to the point where players would be lucky to see "Bioware Replied" in the subreddit more than a couple of times a week. And most of the responses didn't actually give players anything new about the game.

3. Cosmetics Are Lacking

I'm not sure exactly what the plan with cosmetic upgrades in Anthem was, but Bioware really missed the mark. You get to fly around in these awesome looking javelins, and there's hardly any way to make your suit stand out from another. Sure, you can change the colors, but that's not really enough.

Image Credit: Reddit

Not only did the developers miss the mark on giving the players customization options, but the company is missing out on a great deal of money, as the dedicated players would be happy to throw some money down for cosmetics.

4. The Division 2 Exists

This is the ultimate reason to give up on Anthem. There's a loot shooter that was released shortly after it that is better in every single way. It gives out plenty of loot, has a wide variety of content, and plays better. I've already broken down why The Division 2 had a near-perfect launch, so you can read that if you need more convincing.

5. The Bioware Drama

Shortly after Anthem launched, some pretty terrible stuff happened at Bioware that makes it difficult to support the company at all, issues with the game itself notwithstanding.

Kotaku did a deep dive into all the ways Anthem went wrong, and it paints a pretty negative picture of what working on the game was like. You should absolutely go give that piece a read because it really shows you how much work goes into make a video game.

While it makes me sad to advise you to reject a game that caused so much stress and hardship for everyone who worked on it, the fact is, Bioware is a difficult company to support right now, and its statement on the matter didn't make things better.

Anthem, It's Not Me... It's You!

Normally, when you end a relationship, you want to believe that it's not them, but you. That's not the case with Anthem. It's 100-percent Anthem's fault. I gave Bioware every benefit of the doubt. I tried so hard to stick with the game through the early ups and down, but I just can't anymore.

While it's a bit sad to say goodbye, I'm reminded of the line from Juliet: "parting is such sweet sorrow."