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‘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.
A bunch of BioWare classics are coming to console this year
Game developers and publishers Skybound Games and Beamdog announced today that they will be working together to bring a collection of classic PC roleplaying games to consoles. The companies will be breathing new life into a number of titles set in the Dungeons and Dragons universe.
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.
'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's long-awaited 'Dragon Age' teaser still disappoints
The rumors were true: despite departures from the original team, BioWare has confirmed that it's working on a new Dragon Age game. Only... there's not much to say about it. Apart from promoting a curious #TheDreadWolfRises hashtag, the developer is saying virtually nothing about what the new title entails, when it will ship or even its name. You're going to be disappointed if you were planning your gaming calendar around another fantasy RPG from the studio.
'Mass Effect: Andromeda' looks to the future with an Xbox One X upgrade
After a launch troubled enough that it caused Bioware to rethink how it makes games, there's some new news for Mass Effect: Andromeda. No, it's not a single-player story addition addressing the fate of the Quarians, but for this year's N7 day (a reference to the military rank held by the player's in-game character) a 1.68GB patch on Xbox One has arrived. It adds support for higher resolution and HDR on the Xbox One X for anyone ready to try playing through again, or for the first time. Clearly Bioware and EA are reminding fans that the franchise isn't gone for good, and have a "What does N7 mean to you?" campaign going on social media, plus new merch from a partnership with J!NX. Even as the developer prepares to launch its multiplayer-focused game Anthem, general manager Casey Hudson recently wrote that teams are working on "secret stuff" for fans of ME and Dragon Age. Has enough time passed to wash the taste of a glitch-ridden and uneven release from gamer's mouths and get them ready to try again? We'll see.
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?
'Baldur's Gate' designer James Ohlen leaves BioWare after 22 years
James Ohlen might not be a household name, but if you love video games, you might have played some of the titles he helped create. He became a full-time designer to work on the original Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II back in the '90s, and he has since worked as lead designer and creative director for various projects, including Star Wars: The Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic. Now, the industry veteran has announced that he's leaving BioWare after 22 years of working for the company. In fact, he's taking a break from video games altogether to embark on "something smaller and more personal" -- a publishing company focused on creating Dungeons & Dragons adventures, in particular.
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: Andromeda’ fans will have to read a book for closure
Fans of Mass Effect who have been waiting for the conclusion of the Quarian ark storyline in Andromeda, we have a good news/bad news situation for you. The good news is that we'll finally find out what happened aboard the ark, called the Keelah Si'yah, and get some closure for that storyline. The bad news is that it's happening in novel form, rather than as a playable DLC. The plot point will be resolved in the book Mass Effect: Annihilation, which will be written by sci-fi author Catherynne M. Valente. It releases in the US, UK and Canada on June 26, 2018, and in Australia on August 28, 2018.
'Dragon Age' director Mike Laidlaw leaves BioWare after 14 years
Today Mike Laidlaw announced his departure from Bioware, where he's been involved with games including Jade Empire, Mass Effect and the entire Dragon Age series. He served as creative director on Dragon Age: Inquisition, and mentioned in a note about the team that "I have every confidence that the world we've created together is in good hands and I'm excited for the road ahead." He didn't mention a reason for leaving other than that it is time to move on, even as his exit follows DA:I lead writer David Gaider, who left the company early last year.
'Mass Effect: Andromeda' won't get more single-player content
BioWare vowed to fix Mass Effect: Andromeda's numerous teething troubles shortly after launch, but there's apparently only so much it can do. The studio has revealed that its 1.10 patch is the last single-player update for the game -- in a confirmation of rumors, there won't be any solo-focused patches or (more importantly) downloadable content. The game was meant to expand on the Pathfinder story though multiplayer missions, BioWare says, and other stories will be told through comics and novels.