It's nearly here – BioWare's ambitious sci-fi shared-world shooter, Anthem, launches today. That's on PC for EA's Origin Access Premier subscription customers, before hitting PC, PS4 and Xbox One for everyone else on February 22nd.
Whether you're already pre-loading the game ready for today's action-packed opening, or on the edge of your seat waiting for the console release to roll around, publishers EA and developers BioWare have a treat for you today.
It's a short film, set in the Anthem world, directed by blockbuster science fiction movie maker Neill Blomkamp. Feast your eyes on the short below:
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A taste of Fort Tarsis
It's short, sweet and typical Blomkamp, whose previous films have included District 9 and Chappie, with the director also previously linked to a Halo movie and Alien reboot.
Mixing CGI and live-action footage, the short shows a mystery woman discovered in a jungle, rising to become a fearsome Freelancer (the game's gun-wielding heroes), masterfully making use of her "Javelin", the game's high-powered Iron Man-like suits of armour.
The game faces stiff competition from established shared world shooters like Destiny 2, the upcoming Division 2 and the growing interest in battle royale shooters like Fortnite and Apex Legends.
That's before mentioning the gamers who'd rather BioWare stuck to their solo RPG roots, laid down by classics like Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect.
But it's a conceptually and visually stunning game, and we're hoping that BioWare's charm and humanity can elevate Anthem above the pack.
Check back in the coming days for TechRadar's definitive Anthem review.
