Honestly, while I get why people correlate Andromeda to Inquisition (namely sharing a developer), the reactionary dismissal of so much of this game based on supposed Inquisition parallels has become incredibly tiring and stifling to any actual discussion.
BioWare didn't invent open worlds or open hubs with Inquisition. They've been utilised for decades before and after Inquisition by a multitude of developers including BioWare themselves. Context and quality of content matters so, so much more than any simple dot point brief of features can articulate.
Inquisition did a shitty job at a number of systems relative to the open hubs. Andromeda's core design team had little-to-nothing to do with any of these. The core design team leading the project is completely different.
The article is weak and the marketing for this game has so far been awful. Nevertheless, let's actually look at the six points noted in the article and try to distance ourselves from ridiculous reactionary emotional responses.
Loyalty Missions: A piece of Mass Effect 2 that are widely cited as the best parts. Similarish moments like shooting cans with Garrus in Mass Effect 3 have been explicitly cited as influence on Andromeda. Something obviously to look forward to.
Navigating with the Nomad: Mass Effect 1 had vehicle exploration on almost every single hub in some capacity. Numerous games have utilised vehicle/mount exploration. Inquisition did it shitly. There is literally no other correlation here and by all accounts driving a vehicle in part supervised by the Need for Speed team should warrant interest.
Tracking down Drop Zones: I get it, Inquisition flashbacks. But every fucking open world game has similar stuff. Again, context and execution. At worst it's trivial.
Taking out Enemy Bases: Inquisition had fuck all like this. Half bases maybe? Inquisition was exceptionally sterile in terms of established dungeons/bases on any map. In games that do feature dungeons or enemy bases they're usually welcomed. Hell, the first Mass Effect had enemy bases, dungeons, caves, establishments, etc on planets. The article talks about these bases balancing both scripted (aka: scenario driven) and agency based elements (eg: alarms) into conquering them.
Epic Optional Fights: A staple of basically every CRPG dating back to the 90s, with real time combat system that if previous Mass Effect games are anything to go by (especially Mass Effect 3, which is specifically cited as a combat influence) exceptionally fun to experience. Morrowind had exactly this. It wasn't an issue then and it isn't an issue now.
Scanning: Inquisition didn't have scanning. It had a shitty ping based radar. It was not scanning. It provided no info. It just highlighted items to interact with. Metroid Prime had scanning, and evidently Andromeda's draws parrellels. You know what I thought was neat in the Mass Effect trilogy? The codex; discovering things and having new lexicon entries that detailed my exploration of the world. Metroid Prime trilogy; scanning system was used for literally the same thing, exploring and detailing and discovering your world. Andromeda's scanning is exactly this and, for a game about exploring a mysterious new galaxy, it sounds like a perfect fit. Again, no correlation to any game system in Inquisition.
It seems to me the problem is two fold. In part, the lack of a proper gameplay demonstration can be blamed entirely on EA and BioWare and I really, truly feel this is hugely detrimental to marking this game. I have no fucking idea what these teams think they're doing. On one hand they're stating that Andromeda is a totally fresh, unique experience based in the Mass Effect universe but free of the trilogy baggage, emphasising a glorious new story and adventure welcoming both veterans and newcomers. Yet the marketing, media, previews, and details so far are fragmented, unfocused, tonally scattered, and sell no particular coherent vision or vertical slice, leaving most people just kinda confused and mixed on what exactly the game's hook and execution will be. Like they're stating it's free of the trilogy, yet trying to the ride of the coattails of association with the trilogy's hype and franchise branding to alone interest people. It needs a long, coherent trailer firmly establishing the premise and plot almost as if this is the first Mass Effect ever. And it needs a proper lengthy gameplay demo showcasing exactly what Andromeda is all about.
The other half is that folk are just so instinctively entrenched in Inquisition association that it seems no matter what we hear it must be, at all times, linked to Inquisition. Even if it's only marginally relevant, and in some cases not at all; yep, Inquisition, failure disaster shit game guaranteed. Sure, there will be crossovers. Hell even with my disgusting lust for all things Mass Effect I'm not entirely convinced Andromeda wont share some design baggage. But shit; Inquisition was one game of numerous, many of its faults not in the least bit due to singular design concepts but instead their execution. Can we at least wait until we see Andromeda in motion, a proper gameplay session, until we assume that "driving the Nomad" for some dumb fucking reason equates to wandering the Hinterlands on an obnoxiously slow moosehorse?
