I played Anthem and the Division 2 betas. The key takeaway for me from both was that Anthem didn't seem to care if you knew what was going on. TD2 gave clear explanations on what did what whereas Anthem seemed like they just threw it out there and said "figure it out yourself."

In Anthem I played right up until I left the fort. Suddenly I'm in a team of four on a launchpad. Everyone but me flew off. I'm left standing there unable to get my suit to do anything. Check settings, no button map I could see. Mash all the buttons, guy jumps around a bit but no flight. Finally I got frustrated and just deleted the damned thing. The game felt frustrating and indifferent.

TD2 went a different way. Tri-panel pop ups explain game systems concisely and using multiple steps. You knew where you were going, what you were trying to do, and what buttons to press to do that. When you left the main base of operations you already knew how to move, you were NOT thrown in to a group of other players, and there was plenty to do on your way to where you were going. The game seemed like it cared about your time investment in the game. The game felt fun.

Between multiple past concussions, post concussion disorder, and PTSD video gaming can occasionally be quite a challenge for me. I am not alone, and there are many men and women like me. I understand that Anthem and The Division 2 are completely different games. I am not comparing the games to each other so much as how they familiarize new players with in-game systems.

I ended up playing TD2 for HOURS. I couldn't wait to delete Anthem. I never even got to play Anthem really, but I'm not about to 'play' a game that frustrates me so much I can't even figure out how to follow the other three people forced upon me.

ANTHEM COULD HAVE DONE BETTER - but they decided not to.