Different reviewers have different standards for what Mediocre is. Xbox reviewers seem to skew margainly higher.
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Waypoint: Everyone Seems Ready to Rip ME:A to Shreds
- Thread starter mlclmtckr
- Start date
Different reviewers have different standards for what Mediocre is. Xbox reviewers seem to skew margainly higher.
This pretty much is what I am expecting though I am fully willing to be pleasantly surprised.
texhnolyze
Banned
I'm having a blast with the game. /shrug
No. It's just that there are more reviews on PS4.
No. It's just that there are more reviews on PS4.
I understand the argument that it's the journey and not the destination but in the case of Mass Effect I disagree
The pitch of the entire trilogy was that your choices mattered and the outcome would change based on your choices. In the case of Mass Effect, the destination was a big appeal of the series. And they screwed it up.
Obviously if you can look past that, then yeah, ME3 isn't that bad, but I can understand why people were upset when they were promised a huge payoff and there wasn't one.
Have you been on Twitter lately? It's definitely not just this forum.
terrdactycalsrock
Member
I haven't played the game so my observations are just coming from the media, and my own thoughts. I think people are upset for a number of reasons:
1. Bioware has changed drastically over the years, and most people hate their new structure
2. People are still pissed about the end of ME3. I get the impression (perhaps it was just my own) that ME:A was going to be a big deal because ME3 was so poorly received.
3. The quality of the animations, and story dont look great. It feels like this game was suppose to be the start of a new chapter in the mass effect franchise. Its weird that the story is about people finding new frontiers, and yet everything that is familiar to the player is still in the game.
On an episode of Waypoint Radio Dainelle talked some about how some people were throwing shade towards the game for not oversexualizing the asari. Has anyone else seen this or heard about this? That might be another reason, but I haven't seen that kind of complaint
1. Bioware has changed drastically over the years, and most people hate their new structure
2. People are still pissed about the end of ME3. I get the impression (perhaps it was just my own) that ME:A was going to be a big deal because ME3 was so poorly received.
3. The quality of the animations, and story dont look great. It feels like this game was suppose to be the start of a new chapter in the mass effect franchise. Its weird that the story is about people finding new frontiers, and yet everything that is familiar to the player is still in the game.
On an episode of Waypoint Radio Dainelle talked some about how some people were throwing shade towards the game for not oversexualizing the asari. Has anyone else seen this or heard about this? That might be another reason, but I haven't seen that kind of complaint
It's not like Mass Effect were the only quality titles in terms of storytelling & atmosphere that Bioware had ever produced.
As someone who has only watched the Giant Bomb Quick Look, for the Mass Effect series, a series known for evolving story-telling and choice in games, I found the direction of the camera work to be what caused most of the issues beyond just the close-up faces.
I think people take enjoyment out of something like Mass Effect failing, but you see the same thing happen with many games. NBA 2K/MLB The Show, but no one holds it against these games, because they aren't integral to what makes these games great. They are one-off occurrences that you may not even see.
With something like Mass Effect or Assassin's Creed Unity, this is representative of huge franchises burning their fanbases with disappointing, somewhat broken games. A Mass Effect game with broken facial animations and constantly funky camera angles is unplayable. It's not just a little jank. It's not just weird create-a-character faces or Madden glitches that are extremely rare and quickly patched out.
And I think there is a different reaction from fans, because they rightfully, have more invested in these games as fanatics, than the independent gaming press. They also aren't shelling out money, for some people this may be the only game they are looking forward to this year.
I think it means more to some people than just a weekly fad. Patrick will move on to the next game he wants to play. This is like Star Wars to some people and its weird. I think this goes beyond the class clown social media game.
And the way BioWare fosters and markets the sex and relationship aspects of the game, it is no shock that you will receive more intimate and revealing reactions to this product. I'm sure it's the same kind of reaction you will see from Twilight or 50 Shades of Grey books when they come out. These games sell on this real marketing element. BioWare knows it, EA knows it, and the gaming press are surely aware of it.
I think people take enjoyment out of something like Mass Effect failing, but you see the same thing happen with many games. NBA 2K/MLB The Show, but no one holds it against these games, because they aren't integral to what makes these games great. They are one-off occurrences that you may not even see.
With something like Mass Effect or Assassin's Creed Unity, this is representative of huge franchises burning their fanbases with disappointing, somewhat broken games. A Mass Effect game with broken facial animations and constantly funky camera angles is unplayable. It's not just a little jank. It's not just weird create-a-character faces or Madden glitches that are extremely rare and quickly patched out.
And I think there is a different reaction from fans, because they rightfully, have more invested in these games as fanatics, than the independent gaming press. They also aren't shelling out money, for some people this may be the only game they are looking forward to this year.
I think it means more to some people than just a weekly fad. Patrick will move on to the next game he wants to play. This is like Star Wars to some people and its weird. I think this goes beyond the class clown social media game.
And the way BioWare fosters and markets the sex and relationship aspects of the game, it is no shock that you will receive more intimate and revealing reactions to this product. I'm sure it's the same kind of reaction you will see from Twilight or 50 Shades of Grey books when they come out. These games sell on this real marketing element. BioWare knows it, EA knows it, and the gaming press are surely aware of it.
VincentMatts
Member
For me it has absolutely nothing to do with ME3 per say, other than the fact that everything in that game was far superior (other than possibly the end)
Did you actually read the article? It's more than just "people are making fun of this game." Patrick explores why the hate is so passionate and the fact that a lot of the backlash is from hardcore ME fans that were excited for Andromeda instead of just people looking for something to hate (although of course some of it is that)
staticneuron
Member
So I started to play myself. I was tempted to get a refund but chose against it. The game is not horrible at all. It is beautiful at times and interesting and kinda captures that feeling of exploration the first ME had.
BUT the animations, some of the script and the crashes (I encountered two so far) just give it a feeling of the game being less than polished. Even in the older games the glitches an oddities were rare instead of constantly in your face. I think that is the big issue here. People expected better for the continuation of the franchise.
VincentMatts
Member
Glitches is one thing. You spend most of your time interacting with these NPC's. If half the time, you're just taken out of the experience because of how weird they look, its a pretty big deal breaker. The old ones never had that kind of problem for me, not on this level anyway. With this, i couldnt even manage to finish my 10 hour trial. I just wasnt getting into it partially because of that very issue.
Twitter is toxic and people on there always moan about stupidest stuff. can't you remember what happened with assassin's creed unity that's was fucking worse then this
RedAssedApe
Banned
its running on frostbite no? i don't know that the engine is to blame here.
Then why'd you write the article Patrick? It's not a great game, ME or not. As much as I see strange denizens of the internet attacking BioWare for their pro-LGBT stances, I see people using that as a reason to discredit all criticism of the game.
Can't it just be mediocre all on its own?
I think this is the bigger issue. Bioware has simply fallen behind when it comes to the production and execution of RPGs. I enjoyed DA:I when it came out but have a pretty poor opinion of the game today. There's just far too many games that were released between 2012 and the present that were REALLY GOOD.
Just look at The Last of Us, GTAV, Witcher 3, Bloodborne, Uncharted 4, Horizon, Zelda: BOTW, Nier: Automata, and even to a lesser extent something like Fallout 4. All of those were REALLY well received games and were all RPGs, even if they did things considerably differently from each other.
Bioware just feels incredibly stale in their recent output. To a lesser extent Bethesda is also at risk of falling down the same path.
I have no feelings toward ME one way or the other.
The does seem to be a bit of dogpiling on the flaws of the game, but when I saw people point out in the animation thread that it's not as uncommon for this franchise as you would think, and I had never even heard about janky stuff in ME games 4 entries in, that it would seem people have overlooked it's jank and flaws for the strengths, which is obviously in the storytelling. If the storytelling and voice acting is poor, on top of any other relatively minor issues with glitches and poor animation, it just makes it stick out, especially if the game had a troubled development cycle on top of that.
EA giving the demo to the public was the first face of the game and that was a huge mistake, even if all the flaws weren't representative of the game. I can't think the timing of this release was good either when there are so many great games coming out, it just makes the flaws of ME:A just seem so much less acceptable.
The does seem to be a bit of dogpiling on the flaws of the game, but when I saw people point out in the animation thread that it's not as uncommon for this franchise as you would think, and I had never even heard about janky stuff in ME games 4 entries in, that it would seem people have overlooked it's jank and flaws for the strengths, which is obviously in the storytelling. If the storytelling and voice acting is poor, on top of any other relatively minor issues with glitches and poor animation, it just makes it stick out, especially if the game had a troubled development cycle on top of that.
EA giving the demo to the public was the first face of the game and that was a huge mistake, even if all the flaws weren't representative of the game. I can't think the timing of this release was good either when there are so many great games coming out, it just makes the flaws of ME:A just seem so much less acceptable.
Wholeheartedly agreed. Bioware is acting like Baldur's gate 2 just came out and they are still the kings of RPG, when really they have become emblematic of everything wrong in the genre. I still thought ME3 was good but the whole Mass Effect series represent a dumbing down in RPG that I am honestly baffled people thought of them as genre defining games. I mean, paragon and renegade? Really? This is the definitive RPG experience? Dragon Age Origins is the last truly excellent game they made, even with its jank and trope-infested story its retained player agency and choices/consequences. Mass Effect 2, as much as I enjoyed it, is everything I hate about modern RPGs.
Now with The Witcher 3, the stakes are higher: It has redefined what consumers should expect and demand of RPGs and Bioware seems to be stuck in the past. The Witcher 3 IS the Baldur's Gate of this generation, and Bioware needs to take note. My personal advice to them would be to return to the niche they could've exploited with Dragon Age, which is the D&D games of old adapted into third-person RPGs that take advantage of modern game design.
Waypoint has been super duper critical of MEA. The podcast last week was basically an hour of Austin Walker dumping on it.
No that's totally true but they'd be the most recent. Concurrent with DA:O I guess. I don't rate anything Bioware has done since then as particularly well written.
Author misses the point. It's not a snowball effect nor a witch hunt. These flaws aren't a distraction, the core delivery is worse then the old games and the writing is missing much of the social and political naunces that would weigh heavy on your decisions and how you interpretated the world. ME:A Devs literally gutted what Mass Effect fans love about the series. DA:I in space is what some reviewers called it, and that hurts after so many assurances that this wouldn't happen.
Allnamestakenlol
Member
Hah, for me it's more like some of the toppings they threw on may have been past their expiration date. Some bites are pretty good, but occasionally you get a mouthful of yuck.
semiconscious
Member
well, d'uh! - who else but a series biggest fans will be most disappointed/upset by a new title that represents a step backwards in almost every way? in what way is realizing & appreciating this 'insightful'?
...Destiny 2 could release as a minor update to the current Destiny with a new grind book and the existing fanbase would write orgasmic reddit posts about it and continue giving Bungie a bajillion dollars a month in game sales and microtransactions. That fanbase stopped holding the developer accountable for compelling new content years ago. There's a whole team of people at Activision HQ whose only job is to figure out how the fuck Bungie did it so that they can replicate it in their other declining franchises.
Edit: I really like Destiny gameplay myself, and so far ME:A is pretty fun too
manfestival
Member
Seems like reading this thread convinced me tk pick up this game after a year after the fix all the problems.
I'm not sure that's gonna work, especially if you have a serious problem with those facial animations. They're probably never going to take the time to go back and do those over.
Man, you can even ignore the glitches and poor animations (as long as it not crazy quest/game breaking logic which is also present), but some of the problems this game seems to have go way beyond what several months of bug fixing patches can do.
Basic elements, quest design, story, characters, poor dialogue... etc. The reaction has been documented through funny gifs and videos mostly, but people need to start reading those reviews carefully if they think the only problem critics have had with this game is the poor quality of the animation work. Sure, that is mentioned on almost every review, but it rarely takes more than a paragraph. There are plenty of other issues and reason why people have found this entry disappointing, not only in comparison to the previous trilogy, but in itself as a game released in 2017. Giantbomb describes it as a "direct to video" sequel. That's not just because they got an NPC stuck in a T pose here and there.
When the previous games were very well received (except the ending), 5 years later and we have probably one of the best years of gaming in a long time and they release this. After we got a good looking leak, interviews saying they learned from games like Witcher 3 and how we will see an interesting new side of the universe and it's just... Generic garbage?
It's not surprising. It's a bad game technically in just about everyway but the outright lies from the devs and things like the transgender or gay romance options it's just like... Who is this for ?
It's not surprising. It's a bad game technically in just about everyway but the outright lies from the devs and things like the transgender or gay romance options it's just like... Who is this for ?
I had no interest in the game before release. The animations, dialogue, and other random oddities has given me more entertainment than I ever imagined from the game. There's a Plan 9 from Outer Space adorableness to it, but Plan 9 has the benefit of only being 80 minutes long. Actually playing Andromeda is the last way I want to engage with it.
I'm sure this isn't ideal for Bioware/EA as they're not getting money, but then again they suckered money from me for 3 (entire game, not just ending) and Inquisition. Maybe next time they'll make their Deadly Premonition and I'll play it for the absurdity.
I'm sure this isn't ideal for Bioware/EA as they're not getting money, but then again they suckered money from me for 3 (entire game, not just ending) and Inquisition. Maybe next time they'll make their Deadly Premonition and I'll play it for the absurdity.
Rightfully so really on a lot of things. I thought people were overreacting (I mean I'm really enjoying the game), but as I play it there's these constant janky things. Derpy/meh/occasionally ok AI (mainly squad), squad teleporting (not just when they're far away), nomad wheels clipping through the vehicle, NPC hands clipping through models. Just a few I can remember, and of course the facial animations and character creator aren't too great.
Enjoyed the trial and still enjoying the game a ton, but it lacks polish and takes some steps back from its predecessors: limited squad customization/ commands and the use of cover are two that come to mind. Think the cover system is alright personally, but a bit janky sometimes. It does some great things aswell: multiple approaches to combat, very customizable skill tree, more dialogue options/traits, Planetary view inside ship, cool research & development system, and I like the open world and the use of forward stations. The addition of hovering, dashing, and profiles really changes up the combat nicely I think. Don't like that switching profiles starts a cool down even if powers weren't used before doing so tho.
Despite some janky jank im having a good time, and do really feel like im an explorer looking for a new home.
Even though I'm still enjoying it, it's good the game is getting criticized heavily, because they really did drop a lot of balls. Big ol Kogan ones.
And especially if that rumor is true.
Enjoyed the trial and still enjoying the game a ton, but it lacks polish and takes some steps back from its predecessors: limited squad customization/ commands and the use of cover are two that come to mind. Think the cover system is alright personally, but a bit janky sometimes. It does some great things aswell: multiple approaches to combat, very customizable skill tree, more dialogue options/traits, Planetary view inside ship, cool research & development system, and I like the open world and the use of forward stations. The addition of hovering, dashing, and profiles really changes up the combat nicely I think. Don't like that switching profiles starts a cool down even if powers weren't used before doing so tho.
Despite some janky jank im having a good time, and do really feel like im an explorer looking for a new home.
Even though I'm still enjoying it, it's good the game is getting criticized heavily, because they really did drop a lot of balls. Big ol Kogan ones.
And especially if that rumor is true.
Thats easy. Bungie made the best shooter in existence from a gameplay mechanics standpoint. The moment to moment fun of playing destiny is unrivaled.
Combine that with daily/weekly chalenges plus the ability to play with friends and its the gaming equivalent of Crack. That reinforces an irregular pleasure/pain cycle.
Destiny also managed to aquire one of the best online communitys in existance. They did this (Not sure if it was on purpose or not) through three main avenues.
1. Making an approachable T rated game that is enjoyed by all ages. Destiny has managed to capture the typical Nintendo/Disney/Marvel/FullerHouse Audience. It doesnt exclude players who like family friendly entertainment by being overly violent, it doesnt alienate players with try hard writing that appears in typical dude bro games. (Although Rise of Iron tries at points)
2. It aclimatizes playing with others. (You cant win alone)
One of my favourite aspects of destiny was running strikes repeatedly with good team mates. You didnt need mics because everyone had run these strikes potentially hundreds of times by this point. Players understand the mechanics of the encounter and easily slot into the required roles. These experiences teach you to trust and rely on the competance and good nature of strangers to complete them.
(This is also one of the best things splatoon does and why that game works as well as it does)
3. It rewards players who help others
The RNG grind can be brutal, most wont have friends close by to get all of the trophies/secrets/cool gear. So in order to help yourself get those you have to help others. This creates a community where its best players are among its most generous. Since they have had to be to get where they are.
Take for instance the exotic Swords. Getting 50 sword kills in the crucible was hard, so the community teamed up and said lets create private matches where we allow ourselves to be killed to quickly get the trophy/cool gear.
The path of least resistance to success in destiny is generosity. Thats its secret.
lol this game isn't a technical disaster.
Might as well had been first post.
Running at max settings at 1440p. It's not really a great looker compared to some of the stuff out there.
I do find it ironic that I used to think of BioWare as one of the companies at least partially responsible for killing my own warm feelings towards JRPGs. That genre started feeling a little backwards after games like KOTOR, Mass Effect and Dragon Age came out.
Now, in 2017, I'm actually playing through ME: Andromeda and thinking "It's okay," but, like tired JRPGs from years ago, it feels a bit long in the tooth, and I'm actually looking at Persona 5 and Nier: Automata and thinking "These are the guys that are hurting Western RPGs."
Now, in 2017, I'm actually playing through ME: Andromeda and thinking "It's okay," but, like tired JRPGs from years ago, it feels a bit long in the tooth, and I'm actually looking at Persona 5 and Nier: Automata and thinking "These are the guys that are hurting Western RPGs."
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
It doesn't look the same like the planet they saw with long range scanners before the Andromeda Initiative was launched... the golden world that they were expecting. C'mon dude, I haven't played the game yet (my copy arrives tomorrow) but even I know that, lol, pay more attention.
wumster3000
Member
I was gonna cave in and buy it today. Went to YouTube to see some gameplay. All I saw were duck mouth animations when they spoke. I cannot unsee it. As a big ME fan, it was a kick in the testicles. I don't even care to watch a Let's Play, because of that duck mouth shit.
How do you fuck up ME?
How do you fuck up ME?
(you mean when they saw millions of years into the past of the planet)
Well, it certainly sounds like the perfect gaming experience
NoPiece
Member
You actually did a good job highlighting why Mass Effect 3 WAS a bad game. It wasn't the ending, it was all the other things you highlighted. The ending was symbolic of the failed promise of your choices mattering. That plus space ninjas, turrets, overwrought dream sequences, etc...
You are right, the pile on is usually an overreaction, but it isn't less trustworthy than a review score average. Dragon Age was perfectly fine, but not GOTY nor an 89. I wish I listened to the pile on and saved my time and money.
The disconnect between the critical acclaim of DAI and ME3 and user reaction set up the backlash that is happening now, just by raising everyone's skepticism. Attitudes went from "This is gonna be great!" to "Is this gonna be great?" so people start noticing and caring about problems that might have been overlooked.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
Lol. It was obvious that what Cora meant when she said that tho, considering "The Golden World is not actually Golden" is a huge part of ME:A narrative.
MiloHoffman
Member
this game was DBA(Dead Before Arrival) that's sad = /