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Neill Blomkamp is doing something with Anthem (Destiny)

by stabbim @, Des Moines, IA, USA, Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 06:24 (1872 days ago)

Figured there might be some interest around here given his past with Halo/Bungie.

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Neill Blomkamp is doing something with Anthem

by Durandal, Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 11:55 (1871 days ago) @ stabbim

So we should expect good special effects with a hamfisted sci-fi commentary on the human condition?

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Neill Blomkamp is doing something with Anthem

by cheapLEY @, Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 15:59 (1871 days ago) @ Durandal

Wait, is Neil Blomkamp the David Cage of the film industry?

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Neill Blomkamp is doing something with Anthem

by narcogen ⌂ @, Andover, Massachusetts, Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 05:29 (1871 days ago) @ cheapLEY

Wait, is Neil Blomkamp the David Cage of the film industry?

If that were true then what he really wants to make is a game

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lol

by Kermit @, Raleigh, NC, Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 11:58 (1870 days ago) @ narcogen

- No text -

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It's a weird trailer.

by cheapLEY @, Friday, February 15, 2019, 17:49 (1868 days ago) @ stabbim

It's a trailer for a movie I'd totally watch, but one which doesn't exist.

It's pretty, but it lacks the character of his Halo stuff, I think.

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Tropes galore!

by ManKitten, The Stugotz is strong in me., Monday, February 18, 2019, 09:21 (1866 days ago) @ cheapLEY

It's a trailer for a movie I'd totally watch, but one which doesn't exist.

It's pretty, but it lacks the character of his Halo stuff, I think.

[Channeling my inner Stugotz]

Watching that trailer did nothing for me. It told me nothing about the game, the story, any type of plot. Visually, it looked awesome, yes. The script was just...the most generic thing I could think of when making a trailer.

With emotion gripping lines like (paraphrasing from my memory as I watched this days ago):
"I promise, I'll find out what happened to your son."
"Where. Is. The girl?"
"You betrayed the whole team!"

Mark my words. Nobody will be playing Anthem 1 month after release.

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Tropes galore!

by Kermit @, Raleigh, NC, Monday, February 18, 2019, 09:48 (1866 days ago) @ ManKitten

It's a trailer for a movie I'd totally watch, but one which doesn't exist.

It's pretty, but it lacks the character of his Halo stuff, I think.


[Channeling my inner Stugotz]

Watching that trailer did nothing for me. It told me nothing about the game, the story, any type of plot. Visually, it looked awesome, yes. The script was just...the most generic thing I could think of when making a trailer.

With emotion gripping lines like (paraphrasing from my memory as I watched this days ago):
"I promise, I'll find out what happened to your son."
"Where. Is. The girl?"
"You betrayed the whole team!"

Mark my words. Nobody will be playing Anthem 1 month after release.

You're probably right, which makes me feel sad for BioWare or what's left of them. I started fearing a downward slide after the doctors left.

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Tropes galore!

by cheapLEY @, Monday, February 18, 2019, 10:54 (1866 days ago) @ ManKitten

Mark my words. Nobody will be playing Anthem 1 month after release.

I certainly won't be.

I played a bit over four hours in the ten hour trial I have access to. I wanted to give it a fair shake after the poor showing in the demo. I've uninstalled it already.

It's just a mess. It still runs like crap on the One X, the story is even more bland than the on in Mass Effect Andromeda, the characters even more boring. The world is gorgeous--well, it would be, if you could actually see it through the awful motion blur. If your turn that motion blur off, if becomes a stuttering, screen-tearing mess.

The combat is actually pretty fun, on a basic level. The powers of the Storm Javelin are honestly joyful to use, and the mobility is really cool and adds a new layer to combat and positioning. But the encounters are all dull as dirt and not really challenging, and don't make using those powers and mobility necessary or interesting in any way. If you thought Destiny had bullet sponge enemies, it's nothing compared to Anthem, and, near as I can tell, that's the only thing that makes this game difficult. None of the enemies have any interesting behavior, and they all seem like reskins of each other--none of the enemy factions do anything different from any other enemy faction.

The whole time I was playing, I just wished I was playing Mass Effect instead. So that's what I did--I uninstalled Anthem and reinstalled Andromeda (and am considering another run through of the whole series from the beginning).

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It's a terrible trailer.

by Korny @, Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Monday, February 18, 2019, 09:38 (1866 days ago) @ cheapLEY
edited by Korny, Monday, February 18, 2019, 09:46

It's a trailer for a movie I'd totally watch, but one which doesn't exist.

It's pretty, but it lacks the character of his Halo stuff, I think.

It's funny that they were pitching it as a short "story", then changed it to "trailer" right away. Because a "story" it is not.
It reminded me much more of the "Hero of Time" trailer that IGN made for April Fools, showing random scenes with greatly disconnected dialogue, ostensibly to sell an emotion or feel for the world, but mainly coming off as noise and an excuse for the visuals:

In IGN's case, that was kind of the joke, because that's all they likely thought out. For Anthem... It feels like a bad fan trailer with a mid-tier budget. I generally love Blomkamp's visual style and worlds, but this felt little like something he'd make, and it fails as a "story", and more of a collection of overused tropes and made-for-tv dialogue. All that was missing was "You are the chosen one!".

Want a trailer that tells a story, while also highlighting visuals, emotion, and which hooks you into a game world? Watch this absolutely fantastic trailer for Metro: Exodus:

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It's a terrible trailer.

by Kermit @, Raleigh, NC, Monday, February 18, 2019, 09:50 (1866 days ago) @ Korny

It's a trailer for a movie I'd totally watch, but one which doesn't exist.

It's pretty, but it lacks the character of his Halo stuff, I think.


It's funny that they were pitching it as a short "story", then changed it to "trailer" right away. Because a "story" it is not.
It reminded me much more of the "Hero of Time" trailer that IGN made for April Fools, showing random scenes with greatly disconnected dialogue, ostensibly to sell an emotion or feel for the world, but mainly coming off as noise and an excuse for the visuals:

In IGN's case, that was kind of the joke, because that's all they likely thought out. For Anthem... It feels like a bad fan trailer with a mid-tier budget. I generally love Blomkamp's visual style and worlds, but this felt little like something he'd make, and it fails as a "story", and more of a collection of overused tropes and made-for-tv dialogue. All that was missing was "You are the chosen one!".

Want a trailer that tells a story, while also highlighting visuals, emotion, and which hooks you into a game world? Watch this absolutely fantastic trailer for Metro: Exodus:

I'm too much of a wimp to ever play an Metro game, but I watched a digital foundry video focusing on the visuals--it has the best video game graphics that I've ever seen.

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It's a terrible trailer.

by Korny @, Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Monday, February 18, 2019, 10:10 (1866 days ago) @ Kermit

I'm too much of a wimp to ever play an Metro game, but I watched a digital foundry video focusing on the visuals--it has the best video game graphics that I've ever seen.

The Metro games initially interested me because of the way they approach difficulty (specifically, the "Ranger"-tier options, and the "ammo as currency" system). But once I played them, I was taken aback by how, despite being a post-apocalyptic shooter, they played much more like Thief than Rage, and the story and people of the world are way more at the forefront, with a depth to your silent protagonist hinted at through moments of memory and hallucinations. The game is more personal and grounded, and as a result, far more terrifying than dedicated horror games.

And yes, it can be strikingly beautiful (I initially played on the PS3, and the graphics were on another level for me at the time, especially when on the surface).

I'm sure it greatly helps that they had an established book series to draw from (I mean, look how that worked out for The Witcher), but the world is just so rich, and even the over-the-top stuff (Giant bug arena, psychic aliens(?), sentient ball lightning(!?), psychedelic trips through time and space) fits well within the flow of the world, and characters react to it all accordingly.

If you can, I highly recommend watching a playthrough to take in the world and story, but yeah, if you aren't big into feeling terrified, this might not be one you want to play, because some moments in the games are definitely in my top scariest moments in gaming (The Bog shrimp hunting you in Last Light, Jesus Christ, I still shake thinking about it).

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It's a terrible trailer.

by Kermit @, Raleigh, NC, Monday, February 18, 2019, 12:35 (1865 days ago) @ Korny

I'm too much of a wimp to ever play an Metro game, but I watched a digital foundry video focusing on the visuals--it has the best video game graphics that I've ever seen.


The Metro games initially interested me because of the way they approach difficulty (specifically, the "Ranger"-tier options, and the "ammo as currency" system). But once I played them, I was taken aback by how, despite being a post-apocalyptic shooter, they played much more like Thief than Rage, and the story and people of the world are way more at the forefront, with a depth to your silent protagonist hinted at through moments of memory and hallucinations. The game is more personal and grounded, and as a result, far more terrifying than dedicated horror games.

And yes, it can be strikingly beautiful (I initially played on the PS3, and the graphics were on another level for me at the time, especially when on the surface).

I'm sure it greatly helps that they had an established book series to draw from (I mean, look how that worked out for The Witcher), but the world is just so rich, and even the over-the-top stuff (Giant bug arena, psychic aliens(?), sentient ball lightning(!?), psychedelic trips through time and space) fits well within the flow of the world, and characters react to it all accordingly.

If you can, I highly recommend watching a playthrough to take in the world and story, but yeah, if you aren't big into feeling terrified, this might not be one you want to play, because some moments in the games are definitely in my top scariest moments in gaming (The Bog shrimp hunting you in Last Light, Jesus Christ, I still shake thinking about it).

Yeah, the video I spoke of wasn't strictly about graphics, but also how well the animations grounded you in the world. Here it is:

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It's a terrible trailer.

by cheapLEY @, Monday, February 18, 2019, 10:46 (1866 days ago) @ Kermit

I'm too much of a wimp to ever play an Metro game, but I watched a digital foundry video focusing on the visuals--it has the best video game graphics that I've ever seen.

That video has sold me on ray tracing in a way that nothing else has, yet. It looks incredible.

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I miss trailers like these

by Robot Chickens, Monday, February 18, 2019, 11:41 (1865 days ago) @ Korny

I like little vignettes from other parts of the universe that don't focus on the main story. Too bad there wasn't a great main story in that game. :-) Still, this was a great trailer.

Also, remember Reach?

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I miss trailers like these

by Kermit @, Raleigh, NC, Monday, February 18, 2019, 12:28 (1865 days ago) @ Robot Chickens


Also, remember Reach?

Deliver Hope is one of my favorite video game trailers, second only to We Are O.D.S.T.

I miss trailers like these

by Oholiab @, Monday, February 18, 2019, 21:41 (1865 days ago) @ Robot Chickens

Agreed! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

My favorite is the Halo 3 Believe ads with the interviews and the incredible diorama.

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+1

by ZackDark @, Not behind you. NO! Don't look., Tuesday, February 19, 2019, 06:49 (1865 days ago) @ Oholiab

Scrolling through the diorama and checking the interviews and texts, all with that somber, beautiful score, really was espetacular.

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