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Mass Effect: Andromeda | Review Thread (READ MOD POST)

theDeeDubs

theDeeDubs

Member
I'm still in. Especially with 2, I love the combat the most from this series. Once you got heavily power invested as an Adept, Vanguard, or Sentinel in 2, insanity difficulties were some of the most fun and rewarding experiences I've had in gaming. I felt 3 was a step down in many ways from it even though the gunplay and other cover mechanics were probably much improved. The aspect of RPGs that really gets me is that feeling of power progression. Hopefully it's still in tact. The rest was/is just side dressing to me.
 
L

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret

Member
Timu said:
That metacritic score is disappointing considering the previous games.
Click to expand...

It is very disappointing to see but I had doubts about Andromeda ever since reveal and not getting information for years. I was worried and I think this metascore pretty much establishes that they were in trouble. I just wish that they could have made it a completely new thing with much more members of the alien race.
 
X

xxracerxx

Don't worry, I'll vouch for them.
TheFatMan said:
I'm not sure if you read my original post, but I was simply stating basing your opinion of a game based solely on the review score of a website or person is silly.

Clearly you have put some thought and effort into forming your own opinion based on the information you have available. Which was the original point of my post. (Although I would hope you at least give the game a chance when it doesn't cost 60 dollars).

I was referring to the LARGE number of posts in this thread, and it's predecessor that basically went like this.

"Oh man 75 on Metacritic? What a disaster for Bioware, I'm glad I didn't buy this game".

That to me, is sad.
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People's time and money are limited. Plenty of other things to play before scooping this game up.
 
Y

Yabberwocky

Member
In another area I'm genuinely shocked Andromeda has dropped the ball on - what the fuck went down with the options for a poor male Ryder looking to romance a male character? F/M, F/F have a ton of options, and more explicit sex scenes, and for M/M is just 'enjoy your brief screentime with your non-squadmate recycled model asset romance, plus a good ol' fade to black' at the end of it all.

I'm really baffled what a huge step back it is after all the positive steps Bioware have made via DA2 and DA:I, hell, even after ME3. I know the representation and choice means a lot to many players, so, argh, what the shit.
 
M

Maledict

Member
Yabberwocky said:
In another area I'm genuinely shocked Andromeda has dropped the ball on - what the fuck went down with the options for a poor male Ryder looking to romance a male character? F/M, F/F have a ton of options, and more explicit sex scenes, and for M/M is just 'enjoy your brief screentime with your non-squadmate recycled model asset romance, plus a good ol' fade to black' at the end of it all.

I'm really baffled what a huge step back it is after all the positive steps Bioware have made via DA2 and DA:I, hell, even after ME3. I know the representation and choice means a lot to many players, so, argh, what the shit.
Click to expand...

It fucking sucks, especially after Me:3 and the strides it made. Utterly sucks, and a huge disappointment.
 
T

texhnolyze

Banned
xxracerxx said:
People's time and money are limited. Plenty of other things to play before scooping this game up.
Click to expand...

Yeah .. I'm still getting the game, but I think it's perfectly reasonable if people would rather skip it. Especially in this season of great games coming one after another.

The problem is though, when people start belittling us who choose to buy the game despite the shortcomings and mediocre reviews.
 
Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie

Member
michaelius said:
da2ot-04.gif


Yeah I'm sure gifs are great way to judge how good Bioware combat is going to be.
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This gif will never not make me laugh.
 
A

Ashtar

Member
Tenacious-D said:
Anyone else think that ME:A had bigger development problems than just being rushed out?

Take a look at that leaked vid from 2016 again. Better lighting and texture quality. That scene is also completely bugged out for a lot of people, resulting in T-Poses galore.

RIP Cora's ponytail.

https://my.mixtape.moe/yugchn.mp4
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Did they mis label this? The one on the left looks like alpha or pre alpha and the right looks final
 
mekes

mekes

Member
For some reason the conflicting opinions out there in the reviews have made me even more eager to try the game. I'm a sucker for a good sci-fi and the first Mass Effect was my favourite. I never expected this game to top the first for me, I don't think it will. But it may have every chance of being better than 2 and 3 for me. So I look forward to trying it!
 
W

watershed

Banned
Its interesting to me that most of the flaws the reviews point out were pretty evident within the first 3 hours of the game but Bioware felt comfortable releasing the game as it is. I don't like the idea of shipping a game that is so clearly sub-optimal, especially in a hugely successful franchise with a big budget behind it. Could the game not take a delay?
 
B

BigAl1992

Member
xxracerxx said:
People's time and money are limited. Plenty of other things to play before scooping this game up.
Click to expand...

Same for me too. I've stated that I own the entire trilogy on all three platforms bar ME 1 on PS3, and honestly I can't justify buying this game at full price. I can't reward developers for a game to take 5 years to develop, and yet still have so many glaring problems with it on release, especially so when Nier: Automata, a game that took me by surprise and I'm enjoying every second of it, was made in less time and a smaller budget, and has quickly become a GOTY contender in my books.

ME:A was setting off alarm bells in my head for two weeks, and I had to cancel the preorder because I couldn't justify paying for it at full retail, and instead got Battlefield 1 today, which will take up less of my time in the long run, and a game that I've had my eye on for months now. I didn't want it to come to this, but that's my opinion on the matter. I may pick it up a year from now, once all patches and DLC has been released, but I'm not going to make any promises on it.
 
T

texhnolyze

Banned
watershed said:
Its interesting to me that most of the flaws the reviews point out were pretty evident within the first 3 hours of the game but Bioware felt comfortable releasing the game as it is. I don't like the idea of shipping a game that is so clearly sub-optimal, especially in a hugely successful franchise with a big budget behind it. Could the game not take a delay?
Click to expand...

They couldn't afford a delay, it's been 5 years. It's a troubled development.
 
M

Maledict

Member
watershed said:
Its interesting to me that most of the flaws the reviews point out were pretty evident within the first 3 hours of the game but Bioware felt comfortable releasing the game as it is. I don't like the idea of shipping a game that is so clearly sub-optimal, especially in a hugely successful franchise with a big budget behind it. Could the game not take a delay?
Click to expand...

A lot of the reviews highlight poor, uninteresting, badly written characters as a problem, combined with an overload of bad side quests, tedious scanning and crafting. Delaying isn't going to fix that, nor will patches - its a fundamental issue that isn't fixable.
 
K

Kayhan

Member
This is absolutely soul crushing.

What's missing most of all from Andromeda, though, is any genuine sense of exploration. In Andromeda, there are no indifferent gods to be found over the next hill, only more waypoints. Consequently, there's no reason to set off into uncharted territory because you know that a mission will send you there anyway. Andromeda has so little faith that you'll explore on your own that anything worth seeing in its cosmic wilds is clearly marked and integrated into some kind of quest chain. Scan these rocks, gather these plants. Even if it were possible to get lost in Andromeda, I can't imagine wanting to; no matter how gorgeous the game's vistas may be, they exist largely to be exhausted and, as a result, give off a sense of emptiness, not possibility. This would be a disaster for any open world, but for a game in which you supposedly play a "Pathfinder," it's fatal. Andromeda is a game about exploration that gives you no space or reason to explore.
Click to expand...
 
M

Maintenance

Member
The terrible, godawful timer based missions returning are one of the worst parts to be honest, specially when they said that wouldn't happen.
 
W

watershed

Banned
Maledict said:
A lot of the reviews highlight poor, uninteresting, badly written characters as a problem, combined with an overload of bad side quests, tedious scanning and crafting. Delaying isn't going to fix that, nor will patches - its a fundamental issue that isn't fixable.
Click to expand...
Yeah then it does suggest the game was bad from the earliest stages. Too bad they didn't course correct at any point. Its just disappointing to hear, especially for the 1st next gen/current gen ME game. I know I personally had so much hope for what a ME game could be on new hardware.
 
Necron

Necron

Member
Schlorgan said:
Any bets on Edmonton taking over for Mass Effect again after their new IP ships?
Click to expand...

It's either that or I'm concerned EA will stop making a new one.

The reviews confirmed what we suspected. It's a shame that the game didn't score as highly as its predecessors. Still, I'm looking forward to play a new Mass Effect despite it not being that brilliant.
 
M

Madness

Member
It isn't as bad as people are saying. Having recently come from Breath of the Wild. I don't know how you can have fun finding a pair of lost maracas 30 feet away and returning them as a good sidequest, whilst investigating a murder and getting tons of lines of dialogue over its implications is somehow worse. It isn't as bad as everyone jumping on the negativity bandwagon is saying. It is definitely not a perfect game. But if you loved ME3 MP, the story of ME1 and ME2 and lore, you will find this a decent entry.
 
K

King Gilga

Member
michaelius said:
da2ot-04.gif


Yeah I'm sure gifs are great way to judge how good Bioware combat is going to be.
Click to expand...

This gif has always been so stupid. I love it when people post it, it roots out how ignorant the poster is.

As much of a downgrade from DAO DA2 was it's combat was never even remotely like that.
 
R

RexNovis

Banned
The thing that disappointments me the most about all this is that the concept of traveling to a new galaxy held so much promise for the franchise and it was all squandered away in favor of rehashing/retelling the stories of the same old races and tired cliches. Instead of capitalizing on all the freedom that a new galaxy offered them they instead chose to double down on as much as they could from the previous trilogy. They could've breathed new life into this series but they chose to treat it like a formula.
 
TheSadRanger

TheSadRanger

Banned
So which big reviewers are we still missing? GB, Sterling and EZA?

Sterling will probably rip it to shreds. GB really doesn't seem to like it after watching their QL they put out today.
 
I

i-Lo

Member
Kayhan said:
This is absolutely soul crushing.
Click to expand...

Where's that from?

Also, they should have taken a leaf out of soulsborne games when it comes to exploration and hidden nooks n crannies; heck, even ES or Fallout for that matter.

I really hope they learn from this and make a better sequel worthy of being a real successor to the legacy and of non-blind fans of the franchise.
 
L

Lime

Member
i-Lo said:
Where's that from?

Also, they should have taken a leaf out of soulsborne games when it comes to exploration and hidden nooks n crannies; heck, even ES or Fallout for that matter.

I really hope they learn from this and make a better sequel worthy of being a real successor to the legacy and of non-blind fans of the franchise.
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The Glixel review
 
P

Perineum

Member
Complete pass for me. Nothing about this game was doing it for me, and the bad reviews just solidified this isn't a must have.

Way too many hot fire 90s plus games that are a big hit here on GAF. Hell I am more interested now in Yakuza 0 for a pick (franchise I have never been interested in) over MEA which is a franchise I adore.

Persona 5 around the corner, working on Nier at the moment, so I am set.

Just sucks they did this. Spend another 6 months to a year fine tuning... I mean hell take another 2 years and make a solid story and cast considering this franchise SELLS when done right.
 
brickarts295

brickarts295

Member
So I just realized that I have custom preferred critics on my Opencritic account, which for those how don't, it will only show and count the critics you like. I signed in and this game has a 76 (official score is 75) based on my favorite 20 critics sites. It's an okay score nonetheless and I'm still getting for $30 thanks to BB.

But Persona 5 might be the end for this game at least for me.
 
K

kirblar

Member
Maledict said:
A lot of the reviews highlight poor, uninteresting, badly written characters as a problem, combined with an overload of bad side quests, tedious scanning and crafting. Delaying isn't going to fix that, nor will patches - its a fundamental issue that isn't fixable.
Click to expand...
Sounds like they took all the worst parts of DA:I and ME1 and mashed them up. Unfortunate.
 
A

Admiral Woofington

Member
Below my expectations, but at the same time I can see it. Game isn't amazing. It's just solid. A mid 70 is worth playing it might just be a bit disappointing depending on how much you love these games. I'd recommend it if you were specifically considering it, but otherwise just wait until you have the time for it
 
R

ReddishGUI

Member
Madness said:
It isn't as bad as people are saying. Having recently come from Breath of the Wild. I don't know how you can have fun finding a pair of lost maracas 30 feet away and returning them as a good sidequest, whilst investigating a murder and getting tons of lines of dialogue over its implications is somehow worse. It isn't as bad as everyone jumping on the negativity bandwagon is saying. It is definitely not a perfect game. But if you loved ME3 MP, the story of ME1 and ME2 and lore, you will find this a decent entry.
Click to expand...

Are you going in every thread to bash zelda and defend mass effect lol?
 
U

unrealist

Member
Madness said:
It isn't as bad as people are saying. Having recently come from Breath of the Wild. I don't know how you can have fun finding a pair of lost maracas 30 feet away and returning them as a good sidequest, whilst investigating a murder and getting tons of lines of dialogue over its implications is somehow worse. It isn't as bad as everyone jumping on the negativity bandwagon is saying. It is definitely not a perfect game. But if you loved ME3 MP, the story of ME1 and ME2 and lore, you will find this a decent entry.
Click to expand...

Zelda is not perfect, but comparing BOTW to Andromeda is like _______ ... someone fill in the blanks please..
 
S

Soul of the Beast

Member
Madness said:
It isn't as bad as people are saying. Having recently come from Breath of the Wild. I don't know how you can have fun finding a pair of lost maracas 30 feet away and returning them as a good sidequest, whilst investigating a murder and getting tons of lines of dialogue over its implications is somehow worse. It isn't as bad as everyone jumping on the negativity bandwagon is saying. It is definitely not a perfect game. But if you loved ME3 MP, the story of ME1 and ME2 and lore, you will find this a decent entry.
Click to expand...

So that's how you defend Andromeda? by bashing Breath of the Wild's "side quest"?
 
G

Gator86

Member
The giantbomb quicklook might have ended my interest entirely, barring a monstrous drought this summer. Holy fuck this game looks mediocre. The bad UI, the complete lack of any feedback from the weapons, the bad textures, etc. It just looks unfinished as hell, even having kept up with it over the recent weeks.
 
T

tearsintherain

Member
TheSadRanger said:
I will say that I'm gonna be curious to see Sterlings review of Andromeda after giving Zelda a 7 lol.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm really curious what Sterling and Angry Joe are gonna give this game. I saw AJ playing it on twitch over the weekend off and on but wonder if he got in enough hours to get a review done.

Ironically I think I am not going to pick up my pre order and instead play the SP campaign of COD Infinite Warfare, which everyone kept saying is a great spin on Mass Effect. Bought the game at launch 4 months ago, play multiplayer every few days for a match or two (not great, not the worst I guess) but its a bit weird that instead of either playing a ME1-3 remaster or ME:A I am going to play Call of Duty to get my space combat story fix.
 
M

Matt

Member
Gator86 said:
The giantbomb quicklook might have ended my interest entirely, barring a monstrous drought this summer. Holy fuck this game looks mediocre. The bad UI, the complete lack of any feedback from the weapons, the bad textures, etc. It just looks unfinished as hell, even having kept up with it over the recent weeks.
Click to expand...
The drunk woman was something else. I was only half watching, did they figure that out?
 
TheSadRanger

TheSadRanger

Banned
Gator86 said:
The giantbomb quicklook might have ended my interest entirely, barring a monstrous drought this summer. Holy fuck this game looks mediocre. The bad UI, the complete lack of any feedback from the weapons, the bad textures, etc. It just looks unfinished as hell, even having kept up with it over the recent weeks.
Click to expand...

The thing that annoyed me the most was the galaxy map and it's weird animation transition that happens every time when you want to look at another planet.

Like how in the world did they make the galaxy map worse????
 
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