The woes continue for the dystopian loot shooter Anthem. Following middling reviews and numerous launch issues, gamers are now complaining BioWare’s newest title is causing the shutdown of – and even bricking – some PS4 consoles.
Early adopters have taken to Reddit complaining that a game error causes the game to quit back to the PS4 dashboard, or the console to power off completely.
“When encountering a crash or game error, sometimes I get booted to the main menu or out of the game completely to the PS4 dashboard,” wrote ForTheMasters. “But twice now when trying to matchmake my PS4 has completely turned off. Don’t worry about the loot patch ffs, sort the bugs out first please.”
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Gamers are resorting to various methods to power their console back on. For some, pressing the power button doesn’t work, and they’re forced to unplug the console completely.
“The console powers down and will not power on using the normal method of pressing the PS4 button on the controller,” one player wrote on EA’s official forum (via Kotaku). “It is the same as if someone pulled the plug without properly shutting the hardware down or if the power went out in the house. Sometimes the button on the front of the console works, other times I have to unplug the console then plug it back in.”
Another Redditor said the game had completely crippled his console, although had no proof the game itself was responsible for this. That poster, who claimed he received no help from PlayStation support, is now advising fellow PS4 owners to shop playing the game until the issue has been resolved.
Sony, the developer BioWare, and the publisher EA are yet to comment on the reported problems.
The issue magnifies the worries for Anthem, which received a lukewarm critical reception and has suffered multiple bugs. Our reviewer Jade King gave the game a modest 3/5 stars and criticised the abundance of loading screens, the bland mission structure and forgettable story.
They wrote: “Anthem is a strange flawed adventure with glimpses of greatness buried behind an abundance of obtuse design decisions. What so many players love about Bioware is here, but fragmented in such a way that it becomes unrecognisable.”
Are you experiencing problems with Anthem on PS4? Share your issues with us @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
