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The conceit of Anthem’s world is that the world was once very actively managed by godlike entities, who eventually just up and left. For the people left behind in the now abandoned world, they were left to fight over the tools left behind by these gods, and the creatures those tools created. Bioware said their hopes with this conceit are to create a lot of inventive scenarios where entire environments can change, and that would certainly be interesting to see.

I’m not quite sure I have the highest hopes in the world for Anthem, considering both Bioware’s recent pedigree as well as the quality of many “Games as a service” titles of late, but I can’t deny that the concept is an intriguing one. It was also nice to see, although we’ll see if they stick to it, that the developers swore there would be “no lootboxes or gameplay advantage micotransactions,” which a promise even competitors like Destiny have failed to offer.

We’ll get to see more about what Anthem really is, and whether or not it’ll end up really setting the world on fire when it launches on PC, PS4. and Xbox One on February 22, 2019.

The post Anthem Lets You Fly in a Fancy Suit in 2019 appeared first on Gamesline.

Follow us on twitter @VGChooChoo, @john_michonski, @sewerpeak & @finaldasa, and don’t forget to rate & review the show on iTunes, as well as tell a friend! You can also send questions, comments, and concerns to podcast@videogamechoochoo.com or find us on Tumblr! You can also join our Discord channel at thegamezone.zone!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake

The original Final Fantasy 7 was three discs of PlayStation-era polygons, animations, and cutscenes. Now imagine you’re updating, recreating, and redoing all of them. Even with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake being cut into separate parts, there’s no way Square Enix has even the first part ready to go. Maybe we’ll see some more glimpses this year, but when you consider how long FF15 took, we won’t see this remake anytime soon.

I wouldn’t be too surprised if info about Final Fantasy 7 Remake skipped 2018 altogether. Maybe a screenshot gallery will arrive in inboxes as a press release, but Square already has something major on their plate. Speaking of that something major…

Kingdom Hearts 3

Maybe this is an either or. Either Final Fantasy 7 Remake has been getting worked on, or Kingdom Hearts 3 has. With the amount of screenshots and footage that’s leaked however, my money is on KH3 getting all the focus. Even with Square giving Sora, Mickey and his pals all that tender love and care, it may still miss 2018.

Kingdom Hearts isn’t just another RPG in Square’s arsenal, it’s a licensed game. Even with creative liberties, Disney doesn’t let anyone just do what they please and will want to approve a lot of what’s tossed in. Toss in the possibility of Marvel or Star Wars making an appearance, and now we’re dealing with a lot of lawyer-filled headaches. It isn’t too hard to imagine a world where KH3’s release date slips into the future.   

Shenmue 3

I can’t tell you if this is wishful thinking or a real prediction. Stiff Walking Man 2K18 may actually make it out this year, but I’d prefer it not. Perhaps Shenmue 3 will muster something worth looking at or playing, but I have little hopes for this quasi-Kickstarted look into Sega’s past. If there’s anything 2016 and 2017 taught us, it was plenty of harsh lessons in Kickstarters and expectations. It’s best if you keep your vision focused- and the Shenmue series isn’t exactly known for its focus.

There’s potential with Shenmue 3, and worryingly that’s the nicest thing I can say about it.

Anthem

No one wants Anthem to be released in 2018 more than EA. Last year was a PR struggle for the publisher, and pushing into this year they could really use a big tentpole money-making release. More importantly, EA could use a title that can compete with Activision’s Destiny franchise. Battlefront might be a dirty word nowadays but it’s still competing with Call of Duty. EA needs to add a RPG shooter to their sales tier, but just wishing for one will not make it so.

Being pushy is what gets EA in trouble. The first Battlefront reboot did great, but the second floundered thanks to loot boxes and microtransactions. That same initiative’s fingerprints has been seen in other EA titles like Madden and FIFA for years now, and it’s no doubt that microtransactions were/are planned for Anthem. Maybe EA is maddeningly ripping those systems out, maybe Bioware managed to stand tall against the publisher’s greedy ideas, or maybe Anthem is still in alpha on a computer server somewhere. Anthem ain’t coming this year, but I could definitely see it being a fun Q1 2019 title.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Somewhere deep inside Rockstar Studios there is a whisper. Past the rows of desks and dimly lit computer monitors you can hear it. It’s spoken by a worried programmer or a frantic QA manager or an agitated producer who keeps glancing at a calendar. That whisper is saying “we need the Benz.”

If you don’t remember Leslie Benzies departure from Rockstar, you should. Benzies was a developer and producer for Rockstar best known for being a problem solver. He was the person you call in when everything has gone sideways and you absolutely need to release your game on time. Benzies left Rockstar and made a splash with a lawsuit against them and publisher Take Two. Without the fixer to come in and solve whatever problems a title is having, can Rockstar really meet expectations and deadlines? This year should be when we start hearing more and more from Red Dead Redemption 2, but if the title goes quiet Benzies’ absence will be felt into 2019.

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

After its initial tease, it took most of 2017 to get a real trailer for Travis Strikes Again, and even after all this time I’m still not entirely sure what this game will be. Suda51 is a bit of a mad man and I wouldn’t be shocked if No More Heroes is either still very early on, or just about done. However, what we do know is that Travis will be visiting several other video game universes throughout this sequel. That means a lot of collaboration, legal agreements, and lots of scheduling. Grasshopper can usually manage a release per year, but it seems in Travis and John’s best interest if they took their time.

Fire Emblem/Pokemon on the Switch

It will probably be one or the other. Both games are still stitched together with rumors, speculation, and the lightest sprinkling of official news. 2018 is already looking pretty bright for the Nintendo Switch with Kirby, Yoshi, and Metroid Prime 4 possibly making their way out this year. It seems silly to add an additional two massive franchises to your schedule when you should be filling the calendar with ports and smaller releases. In an attempt to avoid sales cannibalism among major titles, Nintendo will probably have to choose between Fire Emblem or Pokemon.

Fire Emblem has the least amount of info swirling around for it, while Pokemon has a tornado of rumors pulsing through the air. That’s not much of an indication, but tossing a guaranteed sales bonanza to the end of 2018 that would sell even more Switches seems like the obvious choice. Nothing would push Nintendo into 2019 with a better outlook than a year much like 2017. A mainline Pokemon game developed specifically for the Switch would set the world ablaze in the best way. Fire Emblem doesn’t quite muster that same kind of fire. My bet is on Pokemon.

The post Games I Don’t Think Will Come Out In 2018 appeared first on Gamesline.

Looking an awful lot like Destiny, Anthem is focused on exploring “beyond the wall” where the wilderness is dangerous to go alone. You’ll slide into your exosuit, just like an Iron Man, which will represent the class or style you play as. The game is clearly focused on exploring the world with friends; with each of you taking up a different class, and mowing down enemies cooperatively. Anthem does seem more filled out and a bit more story focused than Destiny, but the influence is still undeniably there.

Anthem is slated to release in 2018.

The post Anthem Gameplay Shown At Xbox’s E3 appeared first on Gamesline.

Anthem is Bioware’s new IP, built in part by EA’s SEED division, and made specifically on the newest Scorpio dev kits. While not much is known about the ins and outs of the game, we can see a pretty gruff space person is ready to go out there and do some stuff in space which, hey, good video games are often about that kind of thing.

There will be a full gameplay reveal for Anthem tomorrow at the Xbox E3 live event, where we’ll hopefully get a better idea of just how Destiny-like or un-like this new IP will be.

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