Anthem officially shuts down for good today, but it will forever be ‘the one that got away’ for those who loved its premise and promise alike

Goodbye, Anthem. We had the highest of hopes for you, and yet we hardly knew ye.

Today, Jan. 12, 2026, marks the official end of the doomed BioWare looter shooter as its servers shut down nearly seven years after its original launch, meaning the game is no longer accessible at all since it’s not playable offline. And I can’t help but feel somewhat melancholy about it, because it could have been tremendous.

Anthem was incredibly hyped up leading to its release in 2019. It was a new spin on the genre popularized by games like Destiny and Warframe, with a fun twist: Iron Man-like flight suits and aerial combat. It looked incredible.

But for a number of reasons, it did not work out. The story was lackluster, the progression wasn’t great, there were numerous bugs and optimization issues, and there was not a lot of good or interesting loot. Once you wrapped up the storyline, there was just not much left to do.

But I and many others stand by the fact that its base flying and shooting gameplay was its greatest strength. The flying mech suit fantasy was great fun, and flying from place to place and fighting enemies along the way was a joy. The map was pretty, too, and the game is still graphically really solid even in 2026.

I also really enjoyed the combat system, which used designated abilities like Primers (which applied a status effect) and Detonators (which triggered the primed status effect) to create a Combo for big damage on chunky enemies.

There were also four distinct models of the mech suits, called Javelins, each with its own fun play style. I was partial to the elemental-powered Storm Javelin, but the tank-like Colossus, the melee-based Interceptor, and the generalist Ranger were all fun to mess around with.

The game was just a massive missed opportunity, mismanaged from the beginning in many ways, and under-cooked in several areas. I really miss that Iron Man fantasy of flying around in co-op with friends. It had such good potential if the rest of the game was as fun or fleshed out.

BioWare and EA also clearly saw this potential, too, as it started development of “Anthem Next” in 2020. Announced a year after the game’s initial launch, the studio had plans to introduce a major overhaul to the base game with new challenges, progression, and rewards while keeping the solid foundational gameplay intact.

Unfortunately, in February 2021, it was announced that Anthem Next development was put on hold, and its developers spread out to other projects. Less than five years on, the game is now dead for good, and honestly, I will miss you, Anthem. Well, I will miss what you could have been. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the time I did have with it.

Apparently I got about 80 hours of play time out of Anthem, judging by what’s listed in the EA App. That’s definitely not too shabby. But I also can only imagine what those hours could have looked like if the game got the proper treatment and time it deserved.

I just wish there was more to what we got from Anthem, or at the very least, that EA will eventually re-use that sweet, satisfying aerial combat in its upcoming Iron Man game from Motive (still in the works, as of now).

What do you think, dear reader? Did you play Anthem, and if so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments about any memories you have with the game.

The post Anthem officially shuts down for good today, but it will forever be ‘the one that got away’ for those who loved its premise and promise alike appeared first on Destructoid.

Research Points, or RP in short, are a crucial currency in Quarantine Zone: The Last Check when it comes to accessing different upgrades, and you’ll need plenty.

Thankfully, there are a couple of great ways to get RP in the game. While the exact methods aren’t explained in the open, this guide will help you get as many Research Points as you might require.

How to get Research Points (RP) in Quarantine Zone

The easiest way of obtaining Research Points is by completing daily investigations. You’ll find new survivors visiting your base daily. Some of them will be clean, while others will be infected. It’s your task to go through the symptoms to differentiate between those who should live and those who should be eliminated.

While you can make a mistake, you won’t want to. Making the correct diagnosis will help you get excellent inspections. An excellent inspection rewards you with nine RP per survivor. Do this multiple times, and you’ll fetch a handy amount of RP.

However, a botched inspection (graded as poor) won’t reward you with any RP at all. That’s why you should always observe a survivor carefully before making a decision.

Another way of earning RP is from extractions. There will be an extraction every six days when you have to send your survivors to a safe zone. If you choose to send them to the lab for further research, you’ll be rewarded with RP. If you choose not to do so, you’ll be rewarded with money. Hence, the decision is on you.

How to complete upgrades in Quarantine Zone

Once you have enough RP, you can start upgrading your tools. But first, you’ll have to upgrade your base (essential if you play the campaign). How you choose to get the remaining upgrades, then, depends on you.

While the upgrades in the beginning are easy to get, the more advanced ones will require more RPs. Unless you’re in dire need of cash, you should send more survivors to the lab for additional Research Points.

The post How to get Research Points and complete upgrades in Quarantine Zone: The Last Check appeared first on Destructoid.