Anthem: 8 Reasons Why It Failed
4. Cashing In On Latest Trends Over Creating Something Timeless
Games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age Origins will continue to be replayed because they are simply great games that will never feel outdated. Instead of continuing this, Bioware hopped on the shared-world loot-grinder trend, putting out a game with mindless flying and shooting, leading to nothing memorable.
Beyond the obvious reasons behind this genre taking off, what positives are there?
Who remembers the stories and characters (besides Cayde-6) in Destiny or The Division? What moments shocked or stimulated any kind of emotional response? None. None of them did. Probably because everything was largely serviceable or surface-level fun that fades away the moment it's over. There's nothing timeless; no replay value to speak of - just something you can pick up every so often or never think about again when you're done.
What does Anthem do that warrants repeat playthroughs? You can shoot, you can fly, but once those two components become ordinary, what's left? Chances are, most players' journey through Fort Tarsis and its surroundings is a one-time trip.