A trend has emerged in the video game industry in recent years: Multiple release dates. Singular launch dates have been replaced by early access periods due to pre-orders, special editions, and subscription services. Anthem, the upcoming live service game from BioWare, is a prime example of this trend. The advertised release date of Anthem is February 22 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. And while that’s the first day you’ll see the game on store shelves, many will get to play it earlier. Some folks have already played Anthem. It’s understandably confusing, and EA even released a chart to detail when and how you can jump into Anthem. But even with a chart, there’s still some confusion because, well, the chart is somewhat misleading. So, if you’re intrigued by Anthem but cannot figure out when you can actually start playing, let’s break it down for you. Everyone can play the demo right now While last weekend’s VIP demo locked down the player pool to only those who pre-ordered Anthem, this weekend’s open demo is available to everyone. Starting February 1 at 9 a.m. PT, users can download the Anthem demo from the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and EA Origin. The demo runs until February 3. On consoles, the demo is 26GB and the PC version is 44GB. The only restriction to the demo is that you need an active Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus subscription to partake in the weekend activities. The demo includes two story missions, a section of the map that you can explore, and a Stronghold event. The Stronghold event is four-player co-op only, but the rest of the demo can be enjoyed solo. In the demo, you start at level 10 as a Ranger Javelin. When you reach level 12, you can pick one of the three other classes of Javelins to try (Interceptor, Storm, Colossus). The demo caps at level 15. If you participated in the VIP demo, the can continue where you left off. Demo progress does not transfer to the full game, though. Origin Access Premier members can play the full game on February 15 Origin Access Premier members gain access to the full Anthem game on February 15. This is a PC only opportunity, though. Origin Access Premier subscriptions cost $15 per month or $100 per year and grant access to a large library of EA games. Origin Access Basic members can play the first 10 hours starting February 15 Origin Access Basic subscribers can play a 10 hour trial of Anthem starting February 15 on both Xbox One and PC. Origin Access Basic costs $5 per month or $30 per year. However, you can get a one month trial for just a buck if you want to give Anthem a go early. You’ll still have to buy Anthem on February 22 like the rest of us, as Origin Access Basic doesn’t give you full access to the game at launch. Progress made during the trial period does transfer to the full game. Everyone can buy Anthem on February 22 February 22, the official launch day of Anthem, is when everyone will be able to buy a regular ‘ole copy from brick and mortar retailers as well as through the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and EA Origin. We had the chance to check out Anthem at a preview event and came away quite impressed. No matter when you wind up entering your Javelin, it seems like BioWare has cooked up an action experience that will delight many. Editors' Recommendations<doc-sep>The wait for BioWare’s Anthem is almost over. To tide over would-be Freelancers until the game’s release, Oscar-nominated director Neill Blomkamp has released Anthem: Conviction, a live-action short film that quickly reveals the world and setting of Anthem — decades prior to players’ arrival. On Thursday, BioWare and Blomkamp’s Oats Studios released the full live-action short Anthem: Conviction. Totaling three minutes and 45 seconds, the short film introduces the fictional history of the new open-world shooter RPG, Anthem, which will be released on February 22 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Anthem: Conviction isn’t so much a narrative film, one with a clear beginning, middle, and end from the POV of one or few characters. Rather, it’s more like an elaborate trailer for a movie that will probably never happen, showing in live-action what players will do in the game: Hunt, explore, and (most of all) survive while flying around in dope robotic suits. The short does partially revolve around a mysterious woman found by a few Freelancers — the bounty hunter role gamers take on in Anthem — who seems to wield more power than she realizes. What her role will be in the game remains to be seen — assuming she’s in it at all. But the short film does demonstrate Blomkamp’s distinct directing style. As evidenced in previous films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie (all science-fiction movies that explore the wide gaps between racial and economic divides), Blomkamp tends to use the look of realistic cinema verité. Often associated with documentaries, cinema verité basically means lots of shaky, handheld shots that are meant to conjure a feeling of raw immediacy, as if the viewer is actually there. And with Anthem: Conviction, Blomkamp pretty much does just that, complete with a gesture towards class conflict. Anthem: Conviction isn’t the first time video games have used live-action movies to promote new games. Microsoft’s Halo franchise produced several live-action trailers (the full “We Are ODST” trailer for Halo 3: ODST is a particular favorite of mine). As well as Fallout 4, Assassin’s Creed, Dying Light, Destiny (and its sequel Destiny 2), and Far Cry 3. And Anthem developers BioWare have produced live-action commercials for its games, including 2012’s Mass Effect 3 and the web series Dragon Age: Redemption starring Felicia Day. Anthem: Convcition is available now to watch at the top of this page. Anthem will be released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on Februrary 22.<doc-sep>
The much anticipated looter-shooter Anthem is pulling out all the stops for the game’s impending debut. Gamers have been waiting years for BioWare’s Anthem to release, and now the day is almost here. By now, nearly everyone in the gaming space knows what Anthem is but BioWare and Electronic Arts saved one last ace up its sleeve to generate interest in the eleventh hour. A live-action short for Anthem, made by none other than Oscar-nominated District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, was released Thursday on the YouTube channel of Blomkamp’s studio. Titled “Conviction,” the three-minute long visual masterpiece is a prequel to Anthem, depicting events that took place decades before the any of us load up the game. From the meticulously recreated details on each javelin to the sweeping shots of Anthem‘s landscape, the video looks indistinguishable from a movie trailer for a high-budget sci-fi film. Blomkamp’s live-action short successfully builds excitement for the game, but it kind of makes us wish that Anthem was also a movie. Normally, this is a sentiment we’d never have because we all know how terrible the track record is for games turned into movies. But the situation here is different — the game hasn’t yet released, and the short tells a story not found in the game. Anthem is very much a blank slate and because the game world is a mystery there’s a lot more room for a director like Blomkamp to assert his own creative vision within it. If anything, the live-action short is a great visualization of games as an entertainment medium. Just like novels, TV shows and movies, games are a way of telling a story. Everyone in the gaming industry already knows this, but it’s a crucial point those who don’t understand games are missing. Video games have the ability to weave a narrative, develop a character and build a new world unlike any other medium. While they are less accessible than movies, the original content they put forth is just as powerful. Guaranteed that if someone watched Blomkamp’s short without any knowledge of Anthem, he or she would have thought a new action movie was heading to theaters this summer. The live-action short has elevated Anthem to another level. The only thing left to see is whether the game lives up to the hype. If not, perhaps it actually might be best to make it into a movie.