There is often a lot of overlap between games within the same genre, sometimes leading to new titles being described as “clones” of one game or another. However, in the case of a game like People Can Fly’s upcomingOutriders, this could be one of those rare occasions where the “clone” outpaces its predecessors, which could mean trouble for theAnthemoverhaul.
The Looter Shooter market is jam packed full of games trying to replicate the success ofDestinyor theBorderlandsseries that came before, withOutridersjust being the most recent example of the competition moving in on the genre. On the other hand is BioWare’sAnthem, a title that launched disastrously, hampered by bugs, massive loading screens, and a lack of endgame content that now requires an overhaul to make good on its promises.
RELATED:Outriders May Have Already Beaten Anthem 2.0 to the Punch
It wouldn’t be unprecedented for a game likeAnthemto revive itself with an overhaul, although it is difficult to say how much good faith BioWare still has to spare from its audience. Considering the initial launch of the developer’s last two titles, even a complete rework of the game might not be enough to bring players back. This is especially true ifOutridersis able to sweep the market from under BioWare, effectively driving the final nail intoAnthembefore the game even has a chance to show off its improvements.
How Outriders and Anthem Compare
There are a number of ways the both the gameplay andlore ofOutridersandAnthemcompare, fitting both games not only into the same Looter Shooter genre, but also the same Sci-Fi Dystopian Space Epic niche as well. A lot of this is surface level from a lore standpoint, and evenMass Effect: Andromedaseems to have a lot of crossover in story, even with what was supposed to be a new IP from the same developer. Of course, it’s likely where the two contrast that will ensure which of the two titles winds up taking off once the finished versions of both games are released.
In the case of the gameplay loop,Outriders' endgame contentmay already be taking the lead in concept alone, thanks in part to turning away from microtransactions and the live service model. Additionally, giving the endgame a new storyline that doesn’t recycle content from the base campaign is both an expensive and time consuming choice for People Can Fly, but likely the right decision for the longevity of the title. Contrasting this,Anthem’s endgame content and repetitive missions is one of the major complaints that BioWare has to address during the overhaul, as it was why the game seemed to hemorrhage players so quickly.
Outriders' Take on Mass Effect Combat
The combat could be the most important aspect ofOutridersthat could put it ahead ofAnthem, specifically because of how close the gameplay of both titles really is. From whatearlyOutridersgameplay previewsshow the gameplay ofAnthemis surprisingly similar toMass Effect, thanks to both the third person point of view and flashy abilities. These games aren’t alone in the Cover Shooter sub-genre of gameplay, with People Can Fly’s previous work on theGears of Warseries lending to this same style of gameplay.
Looking at whatOutridersis preparing to bring to the genre, and whatAnthemfailed to initially bring, the idea of both seems to be to take the originalMass Effectteam dynamic into multiplayer. The difference with these new titles, being that instead of takingMass Effect 3’s multiplayer modethat seemed disconnected from the main game, the entire experience is being made multiplayer. WhileAnthemattempted to recreate this dynamic with the Javelins,Outridersand itsWarframe-like classes seem to be digging even deeper into theMass Effectinspiration.
RELATED:Outriders May Just Be a Marriage of Mass Effect and Borderlands
Anthem’s Disastrous Start
It can’t be understated how these games have gotten to this point where they seem to be competing for similar release windows, even thoughAnthemreleased in 2019. This new overhaul is being treated as a new release because of the horrendous state that the game originally launched in, with a lackluster story and shallow end-game that couldn’t make up for the bugs and other issues. As the story goes,Anthemwas a game plagued by rushed deadlines, mismanagement with trying to releaseMass Effect: Andromedaaround the same time, andBioWare loosing and shifting developers.
All of these aspects created a perfect storm that was in no way helped by the strange way thatAnthemlaunched across different platforms and for Origins members. Even after a number ofdelays, whichOutridershas also received, BioWare still wasn’t able to bring the game together in quite the way that fans were hoping for from a game that promised to make an MMOMass Effect. So, while the overhaul might makeAnthema great game eventually, that initial launch is still going to be a serious setback that BioWare has to overcome, which might be enough to putOutridersover the top.
Which Game Can Dominate the Looter Shooter Genre
This attempt to come out on top of the Looter Shooter genre is in no way new, andOutriderswill be competing withBorderlands 3,Destiny, andWarframe,as well asAnthem. On top of what is already out, titles likeStarfieldare also expected to have huge releases as well, even if Bethesda’s new IP doesn’t expect to be a multiplayer title like the others. So, there is much more to the equation of which of these games will eventually be able to capture the attention of the most players in 2021 and hold onto them for as long as possible.
At this point, the prospects of theAnthemoverhaul look good, and there is still a fanbase excited to see the game come out of its dormant state and have a pseudo re-release that lives up to its earlier hype. However, even if BioWare is able to completely remake the game from the ground up to completely deliver on its promises, this may still be too little, too late. By all accounts,Anthemis going to struggle to compete withOutridersover the fans that can only really fuel one of these games to the level it needs to be considered a success.
Outridersis set to release on February 2nd, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
