History YMMV / Anthem2019

* {{Misblamed}}: Many fans are quick to blame Electronic Arts for everything wrong with ''Anthem'', given how the publisher was widely hated for its divisive monetization schemes. However, the issue is a bit more complex according to a Kotaku insider report. EA did mandate the use of Frostbite engine, which wasn't meant to work for [=RPGs=], and didn't provide much technical support. However, EA also provided 6 years of development time, which is more than double that of industry standards, and it was [=BioWare=] who was responsible for the poor management and bad creative decisions like the employee burnout. Importantly, it was [=BioWare=], not EA, who wanted the game to be an online multiplayer game and not a single player [=RPG=]. In short, while EA didn't give the right tools for [=BioWare=] and seemed hands-off to a fault, many of the bad decisions rested almost entirely on [=BioWare=]'s shoulders. Ironically, EA's real error was being entirely too ''lenient'' towards [=BioWare=] -- actual ExecutiveMeddling, as they were formerly accused of doing, probably would have saved the game (or at least saved years worth of time and tens of millions of dollars).

** Unfortunately, any hype for the game has been hampered due to the performance of past [=BioWare=] and EA games. For example, the SoOkayItsAverage but fairly disappointing ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' tarnished the [=BioWare=] brand name in the eyes of many fans, even though the game was technically developed by their less-competent Montreal branch (and its WideOpenSandbox and fluid character movement were the spiritual predecessors to this game). Additionally, the lootbox debacle over ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII2017'' has led many fans to cynically predict EA will find a way to ruin ''Anthem'' with lootboxes and microtransactions.

* ThatOneLevel: The "Tombs of the Legionnaires" quest in particular has been picking up heavy criticism. Rather than following a traditional mission structure, the Tomb quest is instead a set of achievements the player must complete in the Free Play mode in order to unlock four tombs and progress the story. While most of the achievements are easy to complete, there are a few that are incredibly difficult or time-consuming. For example, some of the objective require you to kill a legendary enemy or open a chest, except credit only goes to the person who scores the killing shot or actually physically opens the chest. Another objective is to find 10 secret collectibles hidden throughout the game world. Suffice to say, many players were angry at the level of grind needed to complete a '''required story mission''', which brought the pacing of the entire campaign to a screeching halt. [=BioWare=] quickly changed the quest so you can passively fill the requirements at the start of the game.

** "We want to make the game [[DefiedTrope unmemeable]]." [[labelnote:Explanation]]One of Bioware's apparent mandates in developing the game was to make it so it couldn't be memeable, especially with the facial expressions, for which Bioware's previous release, ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', was heavily guilty of. [[StriesandEffect Unfortunately, it would seem that Bioware forgot the rule that the more you don't want something to become a meme, the more likely it will become a meme.]] Then upon ''Anthem''[='=]s release, let's just say things didn't go according to Bioware's wishes.[[/labelnote]]

** "We want to make the game [[DefiedTrope unmemeable]]." [[labelnote:Explanation]]One of Bioware's apparent mandates in developing the game was to make it so it couldn't be memeable, especially with the facial expressions, for which Bioware's previous release, ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', was heavily guilty of. Unfortunately, it would seem that Bioware forgot the rule that the more you don't want something to become a meme, the more likely it will become a meme. Then upon ''Anthem''[='=]s release, let's just say things didn't go according to Bioware's wishes.[[/labelnote]]

* OvershadowedByControversy: ''Anthem'' is mostly remembered for a disastrous launch consisting of barebone content compounded by lots of {{Padding}}, uninspired narrative and very unpolished gameplay and design overall; a far cry from the 2017 E3 trailer that impressed the gaming world. Ironically, EA's infamous monetization scheme is the ''least'' of the worries this game has, with the reveal of a very nasty TroubledProduction taking center stage in the controversy and the developers applying patches that somehow make the game run even worse. Criticism reached to a point where the content roadmap was removed not even half a year after launch and the game languished in mediocrity ever since.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: From the gameplay reveal, Kim has become a power-levelling MemeticBadass in the eyes of the fandom.
** In terms of the actual game/story, Owen is popular (even by [[WebVideo/IHateEverything some]] who hated the game.) for being a [[PluckyComicRelief genuinely funny]] and enduring companion that reminded people of characters from Bioware's [[VideoGame/MassEffect other]] [[VideoGame/DragonAge games.]] [[spoiler: Many were saddened, or even outright criticised His FaceHeelTurn later in the story.]]

** In terms of the actual game/story, Owen is popular (even by [[Creator/IHateEverything some]] who hated the game.) for being a [[PluckyComicRelief genuinely funny]] and enduring companion that reminded people of characters from Bioware's [[VideoGame/MassEffect other]] [[VideoGame/DragonAge games.]] [[spoiler: Many were saddened, or even outright criticised His FaceHeelTurn later in the story.]]

** In terms of the actual game/story, Owen is popular (even by [[Creator/IHateEverything some]] who hated the game.) for being a [[PluckyComicRelief genuinely funny]] and [[Adorkable enduring]] companion that reminded people of characters from Bioware's [[VideoGame/MassEffect other]] [[VideoGame/DragonAge games.]] [[spoiler: Many were saddened, or even outright criticised His FaceHeelTurn later in the story.]]

* HarsherInHindsight: The CreationMyth in Anthem being that the world was abandoned by its Gods before it was finished ended up matching what happened with the games development after it was released as an ObviousBeta and the promised 2.0 overhaul was cancelled in 2021.

* HarsherInHindsight: The fact that the game is about a world that was abandoned by its creator deities before it was finished became this after the game came out and it became clear that the release version of the game was an ObviousBeta. The parallels continued when Creator/BioWare continually failed to follow their update schedule, leading many to fear that they too were going to abandon the game... and then they announced that the planned roadmap of future content was cancelled in September of 2019. Mitigating this was Bioware's promise to continue updating the base game, but they still left the world of ''Anthem'' unfinished, much like their fans feared. Ultimately, fans worst fears were realized in 2021, where Bioware permanently halted work on the game to focus on other projects.

* OvershadowedByControversy: ''Anthem'' is mostly remembered for a disastrous launch consisting of barebone content compounded by lots of {{Padding}}, uninspired narrative and very unpolished gameplay and design overall; a far cry from the 2017 E3 trailer that impressed the gaming world. Ironically, EA's infamous monetization scheme is the ''least'' of the worries this game has, with the reveal of a very nasty TroubledProduction taking center stage in the controversy and the developers applying patches that somehow make the game run even worse. Criticism reached to a point where the content roadmap was removed not even half a year after launch and the game languished in mediocrity ever since, though a glimmer of hope appeared in 2020 as news of a small team working to massively overhaul the game...until the [[https://www.rpgsite.net/news/10794-bioware-has-stopped-development-on-anthem-next game was abandoned again to focus on other properties.]]

* HarsherInHindsight: The fact that the game is about a world that was abandoned by its creator deities before it was finished became this after the game came out and it became clear that the release version of the game was an ObviousBeta. The parallels continued when Creator/BioWare continually failed to follow their update schedule, leading many to fear that they too were going to abandon the game... and then they announced that the planned roadmap of future content was cancelled in September of 2019. Mitigating this was Bioware's promise to continue updating the base game, but they still left the world of ''Anthem'' unfinished, much like their fans feared.

* OvershadowedByControversy: ''Anthem'' is mostly remembered for a disastrous launch consisting of barebone content compounded by lots of {{Padding}}, uninspired narrative and very unpolished gameplay and design overall; a far cry from the 2017 E3 trailer that impressed the gaming world. Ironically, EA's infamous monetization scheme is the ''least'' of the worries this game has, with the reveal of a very nasty TroubledProduction taking center stage in the controversy and the developers applying patches that somehow make the game run even worse. Criticism reached to a point where the content roadmap was removed not even half a year after launch and the game languished in mediocrity ever since, though a glimmer of hope appeared in 2020 as news of a small team working to massively overhaul the game.

%% Please do not add any Broken Base or Base-Breaking Characters entries until six months after the release date. Remember that Broken Base is for prolonged conflicts.

** "Don't say ''Destiny''!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]The game has come under fire for repeating a lot of mistakes made by ''{{VideoGame/Destiny}}'' and ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' in their own early days. Jason Schrier's article (see above) noted that higher-ups in [=BioWare=] forbade employees from talking about or even mentioning the name of ''Destiny'', leading to a cavalcade of rookie mistakes like unsatisfying loot and confusing menus.[[/labelnote]]

** The "Bioware Magic"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Apparently, a factor in the rushed state of Anthem and the horrors suffered by the developers during the tumultuous production of the game was their belief in the "Bioware Magic," where the developers would experience an ''insane'' amount of crunch yet somehow someway produce a brilliant game at the end of it all. After the disastrous release of ''Anthem'', many have outright stated that the magic is gone.[[/labelnote]]
* {{Misblamed}}: Many fans are quick to blame Electronic Art for everything wrong with ''Anthem'', given how the publisher was widely hated for its divisive monetization schemes. However, the issue is a bit more complex according to a Kotaku insider report. EA did mandate the use of Frostbite engine, which wasn't meant to work for [=RPGs=], and didn't provide much technical support. However, EA also provided 6 years of development time, which is more than double that of industry standards, and it was [=BioWare=] who was responsible for the poor management and bad creative decisions like the employee burnout. Importantly, it was [=BioWare=], not EA, who wanted the game to be an online multiplayer game and not a single player [=RPG=]. In short, while EA didn't give the right tools for [=BioWare=] and seemed hands-off to a fault, many of the bad decisions rested almost entirely on [=BioWare=]'s shoulders. Ironically, EA's real error was being entirely too ''lenient'' towards [=BioWare=] -- actual ExecutiveMeddling, as they were formerly accused of doing, probably would have saved the game (or at least saved years worth of time and tens of millions of dollars).

** Unfortunately, any hype for the game has been hampered due to the performance of past [=BioWare=] and EA games. For example, the SoAverageItsOkay but fairly disappointing ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' tarnished the [=BioWare=] brand name in the eyes of many fans, even though the game was technically developed by their less-competent Montreal branch (and its WideOpenSandbox and fluid character movement were the spiritual predecessors to this game). Additionally, the lootbox debacle over ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII2017'' has led many fans to cynically predict EA will find a way to ruin ''Anthem'' with lootboxes and microtransactions.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny[[invoked]]: How some feel about the game, which makes it an odd example given that it's not the first of its kind. It initially held a lot of promise thanks to its developer and the previews, but with the constant mismanagement, failure to learn from other "live service" games' mistakes, a story that is incredibly bland compared to Bioware's previous line of work, numerous technical issues, gameplay that feels more like it's just there to have a game instead of being exciting and satisfying, and having very little content to speak of (with future content now on the backburner), this is the game that some feel is a prime example of the worst faults of "live service" games all packed into a single title, with very little positives to speak of.

* SeinfieldIsUnfunny: How some feel about the game, which makes it an odd example given that it's not the first of its kind. It initially held a lot of promise thanks to its developer and the previews, but with the constant mismanagement, failure to learn from other "live service" games' mistakes, a story that is incredibly bland compared to Bioware's previous line of work, numerous technical issues, gameplay that feels more like it's just there to have a game instead of being exciting and satisfying, and having very little content to speak of (with future content now on the backburner), this is the game that some feel is a prime example of the worst faults of "live service" games all packed into a single title, with very little positives to speak of.

%%
%%Overshadowed By Controversy only applies if it's talked about six months after the game's release. Please do not re-add until then.
%%

* SnarkBait: ''Anthem'' is hands down early 2019's biggest disaster in gaming, being a very [[ObviousBeta unpolished release]] with disappointing sales (openly admitted to by EA) that stem from a really bad case of TroubledProduction (for starters, EA gave Bioware about 7 years to make this game, yet development didn't actually start until ''five years in'', with E3 2017's spectacular demo becoming the foundation for the type of game they eventually went for). [[LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading Long loading screens]], artificial grindfests ([[ThatOneLevel Tomb of the Legionaries]], anyone?) and uninteresting loot compound the problem for what amounts to a ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' [[FollowTheLeader clone]], with patches that only seem to make the already-glitchy game even worse.

** Many fans were pleased with the amount of open communication between the developers and fans on the official ''Anthem'' subreddit, especially after Creator/{{Bungie}}'s famous (and much maligned) silence and lack of transparency with ''Destiny 2'' -- although a later [[https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964 article on Kotaku]] reveled that developers weren't being as open as they seemed...

* {{Misblamed}}: [[ZigzaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] when it comes to publisher Electronic Arts. Many fans are quick to blame EA for everything wrong with ''Anthem'', given how the publisher was widely hated for its divisive monetization schemes. However, the issue is a bit more complex according to a Kotaku insider report. EA did mandate the use of Frostbite engine, which wasn't meant to work for [=RPGs=], and didn't provide much technical support. However, EA also provided 6 years of development time, which is more than double that of industry standards, and it was [=BioWare=] who was responsible for the poor management and bad creative decisions like the employee burnout. Though on the other-other hand, it does not reflect well on the EA management that they apparently didn't notice how troubled production was becoming over those six years or work to address the fundamental issues that were causing it. Importantly, it was [=BioWare=], not EA, who wanted the game to be an online multiplayer game and not a single player [=RPG=]. In short, while EA didn't give the right tools for [=BioWare=] and seemed hands-off to a fault, many of the bad decisions rested almost entirely on [=BioWare=]'s shoulders. Ironically, EA's real error was being entirely too ''lenient'' towards [=BioWare=] -- actual ExecutiveMeddling, as they were formerly accused of doing, probably would have saved the game (or at least saved years worth of time and tens of millions of dollars).

** "Get glitched!" [[note]]A line the Freelancer says to the Monitor, which quickly became widely-mocked after ''WebVideo/IHateEverything'' played it multiple times in his review of the game.[[/labelnote]]

* HarsherInHindsight: The fact that the game is about a world that was abandoned by its creator deities before it was finished became this after the game came out and it became clear that the release version of the game was an ObviousBeta, as well as Creator/BioWare failing to follow their update schedule, leading many to fear that they too were going to abandon the game.

* {{Misblamed}}: [[ZigzaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] when it comes to publisher Electronic Arts. Many fans are quick to blame EA for everything wrong with ''Anthem'', given how the publisher was widely hated for its divisive monetization schemes. However, the issue is a bit more complex according to a Kotaku insider report. EA did mandate the use of Frostbite engine, which wasn't meant to work for [=RPGs=], and didn't provide much technical support. However, EA also provided 6 years of development time, which is more than double that of industry standards, and it was [=BioWare=] who was responsible for the poor management and bad creative decisions like the employee burnout. Though on the other-other hand, it does not reflect well on the EA management that they apparently didn't notice how troubled production was becoming or work to address the fundamental issues that were causing it. Importantly, it was [=BioWare=], not EA, who wanted the game to be an online multiplayer game and not a single player [=RPG=]. In short, while EA didn't give the right tools for [=BioWare=] and seemed hands-off to a fault, many of the bad decisions rested almost entirely on [=BioWare=]'s shoulders. Ironically, EA's real error was being entirely too ''lenient'' towards [=BioWare=] -- actual ExecutiveMeddling, as they were formerly accused of doing, probably would have saved the game (or at least saved years worth of time and tens of millions of dollars).

** The Gentle Touch Marksman Rifle has a very funny bug. Every time a bullet is fired and hits a target, the gun gains a stack of a buff called "Striker's Balance" that reduces the recoil of the gun by fifty percent. However, once three stacks are reached, the bullet will fly off to the right of the crosshair by a significant margin, requiring the user to aim well off to the left of the target to make the shots hit.

* {{Misblamed}}: [[ZigzaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] when it comes to publisher Electronic Arts. Many fans are quick to blame EA for everything wrong with ''Anthem'', given how the publisher was widely hated for its divisive monetization schemes. However, the issue is a bit more complex according to a Kotaku insider report. EA did mandate the use of Frostbite engine, which wasn't meant to work for [=RPGs=], and didn't provide much technical support. However, EA also provided 6 years of development time, which is more than double that of industry standards, and it was [=BioWare=] who was responsible for the poor management and bad creative decisions like the employee burnout. Though on the other-other hand, it does not reflect well on the EA management that they apparently didn't notice how troubled production was becoming or work to address the fundamental issues that were causing it. Importantly, it was [=BioWare=], not EA, who wanted the game to be an online multiplayer game and not a single player [=RPG=]. In short, while EA didn't give the right tools for [=BioWare=] and seemed hands-off to a fault, many of the bad decisions rested almost entirely on [=BioWare=]'s shoulders. Ironically, EA's real error was being entirely too ''lenient'' towards [=BioWare=]- actual ExecutiveMeddling, as they were formerly accused of doing, probably would have saved the game (or at least saved years worth of time and tens of millions of dollars).