A lot of critics are hating on EA and BioWare’s latest RPG shooter but I am thoroughly enjoying it. I have jumped ship off Destiny and Anthem is doing wonders for that looter-shooter itch.
However, there are some things that just grate me about the game. Basic features that make you wonder why and how this was released last week and why some features were not implemented on the first day of development.
Related: Mysterious New Bethesda Game Spotted On Amazon With A Fallout-Style Countdown
Throughout the weekend, I sat and took note of all the things that Anthem had and did not have that made playing the game more of a chore than anything else. Some of these are basic and others will just make things so much easier.
To save your eyes, I decided to number them in no particular order. Some of them are grouped in specific categories just because one thing led to another.
- A postmaster so if you disconnect (it happens every hour) your items will go to a place at the end of a mission and you don’t lose them
- Not being pulled through when other random players race ahead and you miss dropped items and collectables
- Vote to kick other players
- Player reporting system
- The ability to change your Javelin without having to go back to your Forge
- The ability to change your equipment without going back to the Forge
- The ability to see what weapon/item you picked up without having to exit the entire mission
- Faster salvaging of items in the Forge/Vault
- Mass salvaging of items in the Forge/Vault
- Ability to lock items so you don’t delete
- A tutorial on challenges and how to upgrade/unlock higher rarity crafting materials
- A stat menu showing your Javelin’s perks, buffs, extra equipment additions and DPS
- Loadouts don’t change straight away when you equip a different one
- Why do we have to always walk to the Forge to access it? A menu option will be so much better
- Do we really need that loading screen for The Forge?
- Loading into the game for the first time and having to run (very slowly) to your Javelin
- Tracking in Fort Tarsis when you want to go see someone or visit a specific area
- More things to buy in the “Featured” microtransaction store (cannot believe I am saying this)
- Vinyl stickers look strange on most Javelins – The ability to recolour them or move them would be great
- The ability to buy mass crafting materials
- Crafting materials are way too expensive
- At least one purchasable cosmetic for sale per Javelin in the Features Store
- Faster reset for the Featured Store – 5 limited items per week?
- The ability to join your friends mid-mission (why is this not a thing?)
- The ability to join a squad without an invite (this is not 2013)
- In-game invite and friend system
- The ability to open and close your squad in a mission
- Friend inspect system so we can see what they look like and have equipped
- Faster Social tab
- More refined matchmaking with level scaling and Power level scaling
- The ability to place a pin in Freeplay and let the game guide you there
- A minimap so we can see where we are going in Freeplay
- The ability to see World Events on the main map so we don’t fly around hoping to find one
- The ability to see collectables on the radar
- A ping system to help random players communicate
- Not respawning right at the starting drop point when you die in Freeplay
- A respawn timer so random useless players don’t leave you down for ten minutes
- Spectator mode of other players while downed
- More players in Freeplay. 4 in that giant open world makes it feel empty
- The ability to broadcast an alert in Freeplay to notify random players you have found a Titan/World event
- Access to your menu while downed
- Player trading or a smart trade system
- Smart disconnect system so you don’t lose XP/items/medals when the game crashes
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPf-EATqFng”]
So there you have 43 features that would make Anthem a much, much better game. Where it stands right now, it is not bad but needs a lot of work. Its quality of life features is non-existent making it a chore to play. Some of the above is a bit extreme but others made me question why they weren’t in the game in the first place.
What do you think of all the missing features? Let us know in the comments below.