The game on everyone’s mind this month definitely has to be BioWare’s Anthem. The studio’s first new IP in a long time is a huge gamble, especially in light of how Andromeda bombed. So now that bloggers have gotten a taste of the demo, what do they think about this multiplayer scifi shooter?
Belghast noted the “rough” weekend of the demo but said that he was “really looking forward” to the launch after trying this. Isey is recommending Anthem as a “buy,” and our own Wolfy noted that the missions were much more fun than the freeplay mode.
Not everyone was overly enthusiastic. Rodger at Contains Moderate Peril deemed it “adequate” and said he expected more. Endgame Viable backs him up, saying, “It’s not a major leap forward in gaming; it’s basically a mod for Mass Effect: Andromeda.”
Want more? We’ve got a super-sized roundup of excellent MMO blog posts after the break!
Contains Moderate Peril: When MMOs die
“Most mature adults have an idea of their own emotional literacy and can probably imagine how they would react in a given situation. I can fully understand how heart-breaking it could be for some players to see an integral part of their social life ignominiously dispensed with at the flick of a metaphorical switch.”
MMO Bro: The secret of MMO success
“I had a realization recently. After years of playing and writing about MMOs, I think I’ve finally cracked the secret to MMO success. I think I’ve realized the core motivation that lies at the heart of everyone who prefers to log into an MMO over other forms of motivation.”\
Inventory Full: Twenty years of EverQuest
“In EverQuest, DBG does at least have a name that retains some traction. It may not mean much outside the genre, but as we saw at both the dawn and demise of EQNext, invoking the EverQuest name can still get you headlines — and death threats.”
ECTmmo.com: Nostalgic shots in World of Warcraft
“Making my way through some nostalgic zones in old world WoW. While I think classic will be a lot of fun when it releases, sometimes it is just nice to go wandering around on an alt. It’s familiar territory and better on some classes than others with all the changes to leveling and scaling of zones.”
GamingSF: Coop questing update consistency
“What I’ve noticed in all such games is that the coop experience is rarely, if ever, a consistent one. I guess such questing content is mostly aimed at and balanced for the solo player, so testing it for small group play is likely not a priority. This is evidenced by the many bugs that I’ve encountered in various games. A quest might not update for all the members of the group, or a needed item might not drop for everyone either.”
Occasion Hero: Combat in Elder Scrolls Online
“I don’t hate ESO’s combat, but I don’t love it. I would rather it was a different style, but it’s not enough to overcome the things I do like about the game.”
Going Commando: SWTOR’s five worst planets
“Corellia’s roads seem to have been designed with the intent to make the journey between any given points A and B as long as possible. It’s pretty much a straight-up labyrinth. The worst thing is that the map can be very deceptive too, showing a path where actually the road leads to the dead end of a building wall or some collapsed bit of masonry prevents you from going any further.”
GamingSF: Appearance system pros and cons
“One of the better appearance systems that I actually use is in Lord of the Rings Online because of just how useful the wardrobe system is (having a special bank for appearance gear is rather nice) and how easy it is to maintain a look as you level up and gear up.”
Mailvatar: From pillar to post in Black Desert
“Since the world is huge and there’s no quick travel in the traditional sense I’ve traveled many, many miles on foot, on horseback and by boat due to that. I don’t mind the distances at all though, as a matter of fact they make the world feel much more real to me.”
Every day there are tons of terrific, insightful, and unusual articles posted across the MMO gaming blogosphere — and every day, Justin reads as many as he can. Global Chat is a sampling of noteworthy essays, rants, and guides from the past few weeks of MMO discourse.
