Gaming

Anthem “Delayed” Until Early 2019, and That’s a Good Thing

Published

6 years ago

January 31, 2018

BioWare has been in hot water recently thanks to Mass Effect: Andromeda. In one fell swoop, the company has fallen from grace, and the recent announcement about the “delay” of BioWare’s upcoming title Anthem does not help the situation. However, every cloud has a silver lining, as does this news.

EA’s finance chief Blake Jorgensen recently informed Wall Street Journal journalist Sarah E. Needleman that EA is moving back the release date of Anthem from 2018 to “early 2019,” although Jorgensen claims this doesn’t counts as a delay. “People are trying to create a story,” explains Jorgensen. More importantly, he claims the later release date is not “due to development being behind schedule” as reported by sites such as Kotaku but instead a conscious decision to “get more attention [during] a quieter quarter.” Given that EA plans to release a new Battlefield game later this year, the delay actually makes sense.

The release date of a game can make or break its success. Gamers who have played Overwatch have likely heard about Battleborn, a game very similar to Overwatch that was released around the same time. Overwatch completely overshadowed Battleborn, which made the game sell poorly. Releasing Anthem during a “quieter quarter” when few big games are scheduled to release could easily help the game sell more copies, as it won’t have to go up against stiff competition such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Metro Exodus, or EA’s upcoming Battlefield game; nothing screams embarrassing more than having your game under-perform due to competition from another game you published.

While I disagree with Jorgensen’s claim that Anthem isn’t being delayed (the Cambridge, Merriam-Webster, and Oxford English Dictionaries all define a delay as the act of being postponed, slowed down, or late, which is exactly what is happening to Anthem), I don’t disagree with his reasoning. Moreover, pushing back Anthem‘s release a few months will give BioWare a chance to improve the game with a little extra polish. The company’s previous game, Mass Effect: Andromeda, was a dud. It released in a horrid state full of bugs, glitches, and amateurish character animations. Even if the game had launched without those problems, gamers still would have criticized Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s writing, characters, open worlds, and missions as being the worst in the franchise. Many gamers and critics have pointed out that Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s problems were the result of the BioWare Montreal branch’s inexperience and a short development period. Technically, Mass Effect: Andromeda was in development for five years, but the Montreal team started over from scratch so many times only a year and a half of work made it into the final product. Essentially, Mass Effect: Andromeda was rushed out the door by developers who simply didn’t have enough experience to make a good game.

While we don’t necessarily have to worry about inexperienced developers working on Anthem, if BioWare uses the extra months to make sure Anthem doesn’t suffer from the same glitches and bugs that plagued Mass Effect: Andromeda, I will gladly wait. First impressions are important, and even though Mass Effect: Andromeda is a decent game, the abysmal release state left a bad taste in many gamers’ mouths. As a new IP, Anthem can’t afford to leave a bad impression.

EA sits in the unenviable position of “game publisher gamers want to hate,” which is not good for its developers who just want to make good games. Gamers are already skeptical about EA and BioWare’s ability to deliver a good product with Anthem, especially since loot boxes will be included in the game; people have been wary of any game that uses loot boxes since EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 debacle, and now almost everyone expects EA to rush out and gut its upcoming games, including Anthem, for the sake of pushing loot boxes and microtransactions. BioWare faces an uphill, if not sisyphean, battle if it wants to convince people Anthem is a good game. The company needs to take its time to polish Anthem, and it will have this time thanks to the delay. However, if BioWare doesn’t make the most of these extra months and instead turns Anthem into “My Face is Tired 2: Electric Boogaloo,” I will probably lose all faith in the company.

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Gaming

Shift Up unveils the intriguing details behind the physical packaging of Stellar Blade for the PS5

Published

15 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Zach Riley

It appears that many

are eagerly anticipating the launch of the highly anticipated PS5 exclusive, Stellar Blade. Shift Up, the developer, has shared a lengthy video showcasing the “secrets” found in the physical box of the game for PS5. From what we can gather, these secrets include a reversible cover/dust jacket and a download code for cosmetic items.

We must clarify that while we do appreciate the variant cover, it may be more appealing than the game’s standard art. However, it is not something we would typically classify as a “secret.”. However, what’s interesting is that Shift Up has confirmed through the comments section that this will be the case in all regions. Additionally, the visually striking action RPG will remain uncensored worldwide.

「Stellar Blade」 Physical Package Secrets⚠️#StellarBlade #PS5 #Disc pic.twitter.com/WQSzKUSDQ4

— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) April 22, 2024

It’s refreshing to witness a developer going the extra mile for physical collectors, and it’s evident that the developer is determined to leave a favorable mark in the console realm. Stellar Blade is set to make its highly anticipated debut this Friday, April 26th, exclusively on the PS5.

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Gaming

Here are all the patch notes for the new PS5 firmware update that adds the community game help feature

Published

15 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Zach Riley

Sony has recently launched the newest PS5 system software update, which is always an exciting occasion for avid PlayStation fans. With a size of slightly over 1GB, you can download and install it right away. As always, the question remains: What exactly does the update bring to the table?

According to the official patch notes, there have been some notable improvements, particularly in the area of game help. We are introducing an exciting addition to our platform: the Community Game Help feature. This feature enhances the PS5’s Game Help system by providing you with gameplay videos from fellow players. Players have the option to choose whether or not they want their gameplay videos to be shared using this feature.

If you’re concerned about it, you can now hide your Remote Play connection status as well.

Presenting the complete patch notes:

Game Help has been enhanced with the addition of Community Game Help features
Within Game Help, players can find Community Game Help hints in supported games. These cues come from gameplay videos that other players have shared.
If you’re up for it, you have the option to contribute to Community Game Help by giving permission for your gameplay video to be automatically recorded and included in the feature after it’s been reviewed
If you want to join in, navigate to Settings, then Captures & Broadcasts, followed by Captures, Auto Captures, and finally Community Game Help. From there, simply choose the option to participate. Users have the option to unsubscribe whenever they choose
During Remote Play, players now have the option to hide the persistent message “Remote Play connected.” that appears on their game screen. To ensure a seamless gaming experience, navigate to the Settings menu, then proceed to the System section. From there, locate the Remote Play option and activate the Hide Remote Play Connection Status feature
The system’s software performance and stability have been significantly enhanced
The messages and usability on some screens have been enhanced

While not the most groundbreaking update, the Community Game Help feature has the potential to be intriguing, contingent upon the number of games that offer support for it. What are your thoughts on the latest update? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Gaming

New PS5 Patch Introduces Rare 40FPS Mode for Avatar Game

Published

2 days ago

April 23, 2024

Zach Riley

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has received an exciting update that introduces a new graphical mode, elevating the game’s visual experience. With a smooth frame rate of 40 frames per second and enhanced resolutions, players can now immerse themselves in even more stunning and detailed environments. Now downloadable on PS5 with the latest patch 3.2, this mode is compatible with 4K TVs that can handle up to 120 Hz. Before this update, Avatar PS5 only offered quality and performance modes. However, with this new option, players can now enjoy the benefits of both modes after downloading the 2.4GB update.

Throughout the PS5 era, 40fps modes have been a rarity, much to the disappointment of the hardcore community. Insomniac Games first introduced them in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and later added the feature to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. They also included it in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Other PS5 titles, such as Hogwarts Legacy, Lies of P, and God of War Ragnarok, also offer 40fps modes.

In addition to that, Patch 3.2 for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora brings along the following:

Worldwide:

Research Station Alpha now features a convenient Fast Travel option
The issue of controller re-mapping and resetting on game restart has been resolved
Addressed multiple instances of crashes
I corrected a few spelling errors
Addressed the issue of voice lines overlapping during dialogue

Primary Objectives & Optional Objectives:

[Main Quest: Shadows of the Past] This main quest is an intriguing journey into the depths of history. Addressed a bug that previously hindered quest progression in co-op mode

More bug fixes have been implemented.

[Available on all platforms] The rescued human characters no longer return to the Resistance HQ wearing masks
Available on all platforms. There is a noticeable improvement in the visibility of NPCs when they are at the edge of the Player’s vision

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