This past weekend, after a few years of speculation, I finally got the chance to spend a few hours with Anthem - as part of the VIP demo deal. Which, will be playable by all this upcoming weekend. So then as a huge Mass Effect (original trilogy) and Dragon Age fan, how do I feel about the studio's take on the whole Destiny thing?

Mixed. In that there's good stuff in Anthem, but a lot to be concerned about too.

Okay, but how does Anthem play? Is it like Destiny? Or more like The Division? How does the main single-player town and hub feel compared to similar locations we’ve seen in previous BioWare role-playing games? The answer to all the above, in a good way, is that Anthem feels like its own thing. I’m still not sold on the mostly generic high-tech Earth-like art style, which never truly stands out, but the combat flow is – well - fine. Jumping up and firing off your Javelin’s rockets to fly towards your next destination is immensely satisfying across visuals, sound, and controls. The star of the show, truth be told. Having to land or skirt over some water to cool down is a well-executed mechanic that plays into the exploration side of Anthem. Being able to fly also leads to impressive vertical movement, where you can hover high up in the air or dive deep into an underground cave. Which plays into the combat too.

Click Here For Our Full Anthem Demo Impressions