sSNow that the smoke has cleared after the cancellation of Anthem 2.0 it's time to mourn what could have been from the BioWare and Electronic Arts project. There was a time when the announcement of a revamped game seemingly offered quite a bit to get excited about. After all, Anthem wasn't a terrible game. There was something there to build on and that's one of the reasons expectations were where they were for version 2.0 of the game. The community believed it could come back stronger than ever, and there were certainly aspects that could have made the game more than worth the time investments.
Instead, Anthem 2.0 was never to be. In the wake of the cancellation, BioWare and EA left its fans simply guessing at what those improvement plans might have entailed. The foundation meant that the game really didn't need to be built from the ground up. While there was a need for improvements for sure, it didn't have to be a complete tear down.
Enemies Taking A Larger Role
Flying around in the javelins was always a really fun part of Anthem. Unleashing the firepower they carried could be quite a bit of fun as well. Where the joy got sapped, however, was at who the javelins were unloading their munitions on. One of the bigger problems with the game when it launched was one shared by with the original Destiny. The people or creatures players were fighting weren't compelling.
Combat in these kinds of games are always more fun when the warriors on the other side have personality. That was one of the bigger changes from Destiny to its successor. Destiny 2 opened with a villain that was more than up to the task of taking out the guardians. That story might not have been carried out perfectly, but it could have at least been a kind of roadmap to the type of enemies and villains that Anthem 2.0 should have offered. Compelling combatants would have allowed the game to take a big step forward.
Loading Times Fixed
With all the other things that stood out that should and likely could have been fixed with Anthem 2.0, one that should have gotten more attention were the atrociously long load times. There were times when it took so long to actually get into the game that it seemed as if something had gone wrong. Especially in the era of the Xbox Series X/S and PS5, EA and BioWare would have to find a way to cut down the loading time in order for the rerelease to have a chance.
Make The Looting More Fun
Anthem, like Destiny 2 and The Division 2 is a looter shooter at its core. One of the biggest problems with the way it was designed however, was that at one point, the loot players collected was completely useless. Other times, it was buried and hidden. What makes the other looter shooters that are truly prospering these days so successful is that the loot out there is worth getting. It always allows for players to progress their characters, at the very least it allows players to try a different weapon or armament. Making the looting in Anthem 2.0 fun again would have gone a long way in making the game worth going back to.
Anthem is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.