Prior to the E3 2018 gaming conference, Electronic Arts revealed that Anthem will arrive on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on February 22, 2019. At the show, members of BioWare sat down on the stage to answer a few questions about the upcoming shooter, and presented a demo to remind us of the awesome gameplay coming next winter.
To some degree, Anthem is similar to Destiny in that you can play through the main story on your own — although BioWare says it’s “challenging” — or team up with others in co-op gameplay. Anthem is also designed to host additional stories for “years to come,” just like the Destiny games. That extended shelf life could include a new moment with a character you’ve come to love, a mission taking you deep into the lore, or a world event.
But the huge difference between Destiny and Anthem is the latter game’s environment, as it’s constantly changing based on seasons, weather, world events, and so on. Based on the demo, you mostly travel from point A to point B, flying in your highly customizable “Javelin” exosuits. BioWare promises deep customization given you’re wearing these outfits for the long haul, including changing their geometry and colors.
Players assume the role of a freelancer who’s uniquely skilled to drive these suits. There are four in all: The Ranger that’s good at one-on-one combat, the Colossus designed for heavy artillery, the Storm, and the Interceptor. You can switch between these suits depending on the mission at hand, your mood, and other factors. You’ll also have an option to purchase cosmetic and vanity items, but that’s it: There will be no “loot boxes” or premium weapons/armor to purchase.
The design of Anthem centers around an “our world, my story” concept. When out in the open world, you face a dangerous environment and focus on completing the current mission. This is where other players can join. All gamers play in a living, shared world and everyone experiences the same changes in weather, rise and fall of the sun, etc.
After completing a mission, you can return to your base and collect your rewards. This aspect is a “single-player” experience where you converse with characters and face the consequences of your actions. According to BioWare, this is where your story “really lives and breathes.” Anthem will not be an MMO, nor will it be a multiplayer game with a story tacked on.
Lead writer Cathleen Rootsaert said the gods abandoned their massive tools and left the world unfinished. These tools are in constant conflict with an “unknowable force” called the Anthem of Creation. The chaos caused between those two factors is constantly reshaping the world, causing violent storms, mutated creatures, gigantic monsters, and more. It’s a dangerous world that requires exosuits and comrades.
As for the gameplay demo, it revealed a lot of flying. The mission had a team invade a base housing a superweapon, and ended when they entered the heart of the base and a giant monster dropped in to say hello.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.