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BioWare promises to fix ‘Anthem’ after dismal launch
Anthem has had a rough launch, and no one is more aware of the issues than developer BioWare. In a candid blog post, company general manager Casey Hudson acknowledged the early run has been "rougher than expected" and said the team is "very disappointed" with the number of issues plaguing the title. Despite the problems, BioWare is offering reassurances to gamers that BioWare will continue to support and improve the game.
'Anthem' patch to fix crash, balance problems arrives Saturday
Anthem has had a launch troubled by various glitches, but its developers announced a patch that will deal with crashes and balance issues -- among many other things -- is going out between 8 and 10 AM ET on Saturday morning. As it attempts to compete in the "loot shooter" category, Destiny 2 is updating with new tweaks for its second season and The Division 2 is close to release, increasing the pressure to get things running smoothly and hang onto whatever player base it has. The list of fixes and tweaks is far too long to list fully, but check the Reddit post for all the details. The crash issues on PS4 should be among those addressed, as head of live service Chad Robertson noted a few days ago that it had identified causes for the "power-down crash" some had experienced, and after checking had not found evidence the game caused consoles to "brick."
‘Anthem’ bug makes starter rifle the game’s most powerful weapon
You've gotta pay your dues in shooter game Anthem. Like Destiny 2 and Warframe, you get ahead with tireless grinding, repeatedly working through the same missions to get your hands on better guns and better loot. So a recently-discovered bug is threatening the entire gameplay. As player YeetLordSurpreme revealed yesterday, the game's level 1 rifle is actually the strongest weapon in the entire Anthem universe -- and developer BioWare has confirmed the whoopsie.
'Anthem' is reportedly bricking and shutting down PS4s (updated)
Gamers would love to play BioWare's new loot shooter Anthem but there's one problem: the game keeps shutting off their console. A number of players have taken to Reddit and other forums to complain that Anthem appears to be plagued with an issue that at best boots them to the main menu and at worst caused affected users to need to rebuild their PS4's disk database.
BioWare outlines the next few months of 'Anthem'
Now that Anthem is available to everyone, there's an obvious question: what comes next? Not surprisingly, BioWare is ready to shed light on the future of its shared-world shooter. The studio has published a 90-day roadmap that shows plans for both more raw gameplay as well as deeper changes to the mechanics. The new Echoes of Reality phase starts out modestly, but you'll see more substantial additions before April is over.
Bioware fixes 'Anthem' end-game just in time for launch
Like it or not, the Anthem and Destiny comparisons refuse to go away. Just days after its Origin Access and EA Access release, players spotted a loophole in BioWare's new shooter akin to the "loot cave" area from Destiny's early days. The chest farming trick essentially let level 30 gamers grab high-level Legendary and Masterwork gear in Anthem's open-world areas, effectively allowing them to bypass its end-game grind. Streamers on Twitch and YouTube outed the trick on Monday before a map was shared on Reddit pinpointing the chest farm route.
Watch the 'Anthem' prequel from the director of 'District 9'
A short film set in the world of BioWare's online shooter Anthem, which highlights some of the universe's lore, dropped on Thursday morning. Conviction is directed by Neill Blomkamp, a name you might recognize from District 9, Chappie, the ill-fated Halo movie or an upcoming RoboCop reboot.
BioWare addresses 'Anthem' VIP demo glitches
The Anthem VIP demo didn't exactly launch according to plan between flaky connections and neverending loads, assuming you can even log in. However, BioWare has at least heard players' cries. In an update, the studio's Chad Robertson said the company was addressing the chronic issues with this first wave of public previews. It's continuing to "apply fixes" to connection problems (some of which might wait for the open demo), and believes it has addressed most issues where a "specific combination" of pre-order perks and demo access prevented people from getting in. Robertson warned that it was "difficult" to resolve the infinite loading screen issue and that it might not be fixed before the VIP weekend was over.
After Math: Gamer, set, match
Gaming enthusiasts had a lot to cheer for this week. Google revealed the results of a competition between its Starcraft II AI and a pair of pro players, though there wasn't much "competition" in the 10-1 bloodbath. GDC's State of the Industry survey revealed broad support for unionization initiatives among respondents. And of course Farming Simulator now has its own eSports league.
'Anthem' VIP demo gets off to a rough start
The "VIP" demo period for EA's Destiny-like online shooter Anthem started at noon ET today and almost immediately ran into gamestopping issues. Despite being limited to invited users and those who had pre-ordered, it faced severe capacity issues and connection problems that eventually impacted all of EA's online services this afternoon. Login issues across EA's services have been mostly resolved, and according to the company, players on PC and PS4 should be able to access the demo now without any issue -- if you can't try restarting the game and logging in again. However, a spokesperson tells Engadget "Our team is still working on fixes for some of the issues we're seeing on Xbox One," where many players are getting stuck at the loading screen above. For those who did get in, the problems didn't start there, with disconnections and crashes. However, many people are playing right now, and streams of the demo currently make it the third-most viewed game on Twitch. An open demo is supposed to be available on February 1st -- we'll see if the servers hold up better then. Update: A new EA support page covering the Day 1 issues said that connectivity on Xbox One should be improved, and advises anyone still seeing issues to restart their console. Update 2 (1/26): If you were hoping EA would give players something for their trouble, then congratulations, there will be an additional new vinyl available at launch for those who played this weekend. And that's it. Otherwise, BioWare's Head of Live Service Chad Robertson acknowledged that the launch of this demo "did not go exactly as we planned," while offering some explanations and talking about fixes that could roll out now or may wait until next weekend's open demo.
'Anthem' demo is available to pre-load on all platforms
BioWare's Anthem is less than a month away, but before then players will get a taste of the shared-world shooter thanks to a pre-release demo. This being EA, however, the timings are a tad complicated.
'Anthem' demo will be open to everyone on February 1st
No, you won't have to plunk down some cash to play the Anthem demo before the game's February 22nd debut. BioWare and EA have announced that the sneak peek on February 1st through February 3rd is an open demo that will be accessible to anyone on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. If you've either pre-ordered the game or subscribe to Origin Access, you'll just play earlier -- a "VIP" demo will run between January 25th and January 27th. You'll also receive an in-game item to flaunt your early adopter status.
BioWare will offer a full 'Anthem' demo on February 1st
Full demos for games aren't very common these days, especially for online-focused games where you're more likely to see alpha and beta tests. BioWare is promising something different for Anthem, however. The studio plans to release an honest-to-goodness demo for the shared-world shooter on February 1st for PS4, Xbox One and PC players. You'll likely have to be a "VIP" (that is, either a pre-order customer or an EA Access subscriber) to try it, but this should offer a proper taste of the game rather than a technical preview like Destiny's alpha tests.
How 'Anthem' balances story and shared-world action
BioWare's next blockbuster RPG, Anthem, comes out in less than six months. We know little about the project, though, despite its extensive showing at E3. The studio has explained the basics; it's a sci-fi epic that combines BioWare storytelling with the cooperative action and shared world structure of games like Destiny and The Division. We've seen a mission that takes place in the harsh, monster-riddled wilderness, and how all the different exo-suits -- known as javelins -- provide different tactical advantages. The team has also teased a town called Fort Tarsis that acts as a single-player story hub. But how does it all fit together?
After Math: Stay cool
It's been a sweltering week with much of the country swaddled in a record-setting heat wave but that hasn't slowed the tech industry. Netflix is reportedly considering a new HDR-enabled pricing tier for its service, a pair of people were awarded $5 million in their lawsuit against the Fyre Festival, NASA debuted a new heat shield to keep its sun-bound probe from burning up, and Facebook is in talks to host a reality show starring the hottest man on the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The best AV receiver
By Chris Heinonen This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. After over 50 hours testing eight new receivers hands-on, we're confident the best receiver for most people is the Denon AVR-S730H. In its price range, every receiver sounds indistinguishable until you turn on its room-correction software; the software makes a big difference in sound quality, and Denon's is the best affordable version we tested.
Watch 20 minutes of 'Anthem' gameplay in 4K
Open-world action RPG Anthem is finally set to arrive in February on PS4, PC and Xbox One. Bioware is getting gamers pumped by releasing a video of the gameplay demo it showcased at E3, including almost 20 minutes of footage. Better yet, the video is in 4K resolution, so you can see just how rich those visuals are.
BioWare's 'Anthem' arrives February 22nd, 2019
The shared-world shooter Anthem finally has a release date following a delay early in the year. BioWare's Destiny-style game is now slated to arrive February 22nd, 2019 on PS4, PC and Xbox One (February 15th for Origin Access Premier subscribers). The fantasy-tinged sci-fi title has you battling for humanity's survival alongside your fellow players using one of four Javelin exosuits (essentially, class-based armor) as you soar, walk and swim. It's a not so subtle riff on Destiny's theme, although BioWare noted that it's avoiding the lootbox controversy that soured Bungie's game for some players.
'Mass Effect' failings forced BioWare to reevaluate how it makes games
Developer BioWare is in a much different place today compared to where it was when producer Casey Hudson left. Sure, the studio cancelled its multiplayer game Shadow Realms, but no one knew much about it so it wasn't a huge blow in terms of public perception. As far as we knew, Mass Effect: Andromeda was still on track to be the awesome space-opera RPG fans had been waiting for since 2012 and everything was on the up and up. Now, of course, we know that wasn't the case. In a post on the BioWare blog, Hudson apologized for how that game turned out. Specifically, the scuttling of DLC that'd wrap up Andromeda's Quarian ark storyline.
EA delays ‘Anthem’ until 2019
During last year's E3, BioWare unveiled its next colossal project: Anthem, a sci-fi shooter that looked to rival Activision's Destiny 2. But a week ago, sources told Kotaku that the game, originally slated to arrive in 2018, would be pushed back a year due after its development fell behind schedule. Electronic Arts denied that reason but confirmed that, yes, Anthem won't come out until early 2019.
