ANTHEM review

Anthem (PS4 / PC / XB1)

An online multiplayer with the Hollywood touch (Neill Blomkamp created a live-action trailer set in the game’s universe),Anthem has been years in the making, with a budget consisting of far too many 0’s at the end. Taking its cues from the Destiny series, on paper this highly polished online multiplayer looks like a no-brainer to eat up your spare time. In practise however, does it live up to all the hype?

Gaming Heaven

• Channel your inner Iron Man as you fly in the air with the greatest of ease. Or at least, as long as you don’t overheat your suit, that is…
• Graphics are top notch, and visually this is a jaw dropper.
• Still early in it’s life-span, the online story is something you can really sink your teeth into as it develops.

Gaming Hell

• Not a game you can pick up and play – Anthem takes a while to get into, and is not as accessible as – dare we say it – Destiny.
• The story is hard work to follow. You have a lot of reading of the various in-game codex’s to fully understand what is going on.
• Load-time is poor, and there is far too much waiting around to actually get stuck into playing the game.
• Each mission is largely the same after a while. You talk to someone, fly somewhere, shoot something and return home to upgrade. And repeat.
• The solo game is a missed opportunity, and even if you do not wish to engage in multiplayer action, you are still forced to have a Xbox or PlayStation subscription…

Final Verdict

Some good ideas which would have shook the gaming world up five years ago… Repetitive and unoriginal by today’s standards, and the horrendous load times do not help matters. A grind to play.