Lists of the best video games of the year are appearing everywhere, often also of the decade. However, a work that came onto the market with a lot of fuss in 2019 is overlooked everywhere: "Anthem", an online title that only seemed as attractive to his SPIEGEL tester as an office job. Playing "Anthem", so much of the game world agrees, is a waste of time.
James Grijalva is not deterred by this. The 40-year-old American has spent over 2000 hours in the online world of multiplayer role-playing since the release of "Anthem" in February - and there is still no end in sight, he says. Grijalva says that he was "enthusiastic about the game from the first second." When he premiered at the E3 games fair, he knew: "That is exactly my thing."
It is difficult for outsiders to understand why Grijalva lost his heart to one of the most disappointing games this year: a game that made mostly negative headlines when published. Technical problems, regular crashes, boring missions and one-dimensional characters: That was the main thing when it was reported on "Anthem".
In the meantime, the game has gotten better with updates, a little bit. On platforms such as "Metacritic", the ratings, which are based on assessments by testers and users, are still catastrophic: the Playstation players, for example, rate the game with an average of only 3.4 out of a maximum of 10 points.
After all, you can fly
There was and is little new in "Anthem" in terms of play: Packed in combat suits that are at least airworthy, players roam the futuristic world alone or together. You complete quests, defeat wild creatures, level up and unlock new equipment. You can do all of this - or you can leave it, especially since there are many more successful games that run similarly.
For Grijalva, his passion means that he has to justify himself again and again to friends for his favorite game. "It really annoys me now that I am getting stupid when telling stories about 'Anthem'," he says.
He can say exactly what fascinates him about the game. It is especially the flightable combat suits that Grijalva sometimes uses to aimlessly maneuver his character through the game world to enjoy the view. Time flies then, well, as if in flight.
However, his now more than 2000 hours of play with "Anthem" do not make the fan blind to the weaknesses of the game. The super fan says that he can understand why there is criticism of "Anthem". The game is still a "little problem child": "But I have enjoyed my time so far and worked hard for the level that I have now reached."
In practice, Grijalva has reached the maximum level, the game actually no longer offers him a challenge. He carries the most powerful equipment and can complete even the most difficult missions with almost no problems. What motivates him now is the joy of helping new players and beginners with their missions. People who dare to go to the place on the net that is obviously not as terrible as those who play elsewhere say.
"Go on like this!"
A 29-year-old New Zealander, who only wants to be called Zach here, also raves about a game that is laughed at by many others. "The Guild 3" is an economic simulation that has been a huge construction site for over two years - and on which two different development teams have now worked.
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The scenario is actually exciting: In the midst of a high medieval world, players have to start a family and let them rise to a powerful dynasty over the centuries. How this is supposed to happen is up to the players, who can educate their family members to become influential politicians, farmers or blackmailers.
In practice, however, the players get stale graphics, garnished with regular crashes, bugs and opaque game mechanics. That undermines the fun, undeniably.
Nevertheless, Zach has been with us for over 100 hours and falls in love with the concept of "Die Gilde 3" again and again: "What I find particularly fascinating is this variety, managing a large family and its businesses, accumulating political influence and trying at the same time to ruin other dynasties, "he says. "There are many freedoms and I really like that!"
Zach is now one of the few remaining "guild" fans who are involved in the game's subreddit or in the official forum, answering questions from beginners or taking part in discussions. He wants to convey a friendly, open picture of the community.
Criticism of his favorite game still makes the 29-year-old angry: "Of course it's frustrating, because unfortunately people are somehow right," he says. "The original developers released the thing as unplayable chaos and in the game world, the first impression counts a lot." Purple Lamp, a team from Austria, is now taking good care of "The Guild 3", says Zach, and is working hard to finally make the game a game that many people could really like.
"'The Guild 3' today hardly remembers the original, first version," he emphasizes. "I think people make a mistake if they simply don't want to give the title a second chance."
In his circle of friends, Zach is constantly stirring the drum for "Die Gilde 3" and would also like to get a message out to the current developers: "I love you. You have spiced up a really bad game to a great title." Carry on, he says, and: "Then I will never tire of defending 'The Guild 3'."
