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[shinobi602]

how's the writing in general, shinobi?

my tier list is something like
Witcher 3 - excellent, believable, authentic
Mass Effect 2 - servicable
Mass Effect 3, DA: Inquisition - shit

I remember the dialogue in inquisition being very unrealistic, it's like every line followed the same template of say something normal and then follow up with profanity, like "bring me some wood and steel and I'll make you a good sword as hard as a dwarf's cock on a cold night in an elf brothel"
On the other hand Mass Effect 3's dialogue was just boring. I especially remember my interactions with Kaidan.
"Hey, let's do something when we're back on earth"
"Oh we definitely should"
"Hmm, yeah"
"yeah, oh well, hmm"
"hmm, well, maybe we wont make it though"
"you're the toughest person I know, Kaidan"
"hmm, yeah, hehe, you're right Shepard. thanks for the pep talk"
"buckle up, soldier"
"haha, hehe, well, hmm, you're one hell of a guy, Shepard"

So far from what I've seen of ME:A it seem to somewhat fall into the Mass Effect 3 category, which is my main concern with the game at this point. I've already come to terms with the bad animations.

I'm probably not the best to answer this then. I didn't think ME3/DAI's writing were "shit", just, a little 'plain' I guess? That said it felt as good as something like ME1/ME2 to me?

 

[HeisenbergWW62]

How's the sex?

 

[DR2K]

Well I applied my 15 PSN credit towards this. Hope it's good!

 

[manny10032]

Man everything sounds fantastic.

Im getting it on PC. So question. How did other ME games fair on PC on release?

 

[KirbKirb30]

Awesome write-up. My loins quiver with hype.

 

[trejo]

Really nice write-up but sadly for some reason I can't bring myself to fully trust his impressions.

Besides, after the whole ME3 ending kerfuffle I dare not muster any hype until ALL the cards are on the table. Bioware doesn't get any free passes anymore.

I want to believe though.

 

[ReddishGUI]

Not trying to come at you shinobi but from what I saw you showed no fear of whether andromeda could capture the feeling of the originally trilogy on gaf, maybe I'm wrong. Also you've been one of the biggest champions of the game on gaf, I'm glad you're enjoying it but I feel your biased considering your relationship to the game/studio. Gonna need to hear a lot of opinions. It's just too positive imo.

I feel the same...

 

[Setmeni]

Wait hold up he lives or is at least visiting by me?! And ate at the same Wahlburgers as me...wow it's a really small world!

 

[Interfectum]

How are the dialogue choices? I know there are gray areas now and not specifically blue or red but can you still make relatively evil choices in the game? Can I choose to "punch a reporter" or let a bunch of people die if I want?

 

[Retrofluxed]

Man everything sounds fantastic.

Im getting it on PC. So question. How did other ME games fair on PC on release?

Great, except for no controller support (if you care, I'm a K&M guy).

Sounds like scanning works like Metroid Prime, and I loved me some Metroid Prime scanning.

 

[shinobi602]

Can you say anything about how experience is earned/rewarded? From various videos I've seen it seems very randomly given, sometimes in combat, sometimes after combat. That's my only major question I have left about this game.

Awesome write-up though, honestly cannot contain my excitement for this game.

Hmm, I wasn't paying a *ton* of attention to the XP gains on the side of the screen, but it's certainly more in line with ME1/ME3. I got XP after killing groups of enemies, discovering things in the environment. Very happy it's not arbitrary like ME2 (gaining a ton of XP after finishing a mission)

 

[PeskyToaster]

Do we know if the plot is about some world ending threat? I'm getting tired of those in games and movies.

 

[manny10032]

Great, except for no controller support (if you care, I'm a K&M guy).

Sounds like scanning works like Metroid Prime, and I loved me some Metroid Prime scanning.

Awesome. They already stated that there will be game pad support so im set.

Thanks!!

 

[Blobbers]

I'm probably not the best to answer this then. I didn't think ME3/DAI's writing were "shit", just, a little 'plain' I guess? That said it felt as good as something like ME1/ME2 to me?

neat

yeah, "plain" is a good way to describe the writing in ME3

 

[VpomRurd]

Hmm, I wasn't paying a *ton* of attention to the XP gains on the side of the screen, but it's certainly more in line with ME1/ME3. I got XP after killing groups of enemies, discovering things in the environment. Very happy it's not arbitrary like ME2 (gaining a ton of XP after finishing a mission)

Yeah, that's definitely the feeling I'm getting from what I've seen. I'll just delve into it myself when I get to play. Thanks for the answer!

 

[shinobi602]

Shinobi- Did you get a chance to look at the footage Gamespot put up that was on a vanilla PS4? There have been some callouts as to the fluidity of the footage. Did your experience feel smoother than that?

I didn't look at it (at work now). I was playing on my Pro. Performance felt smooth as heck to me. There were some instances of slowdown on the planet surface when multiple lightning strikes were happening in front of me but it picked back up right after that.

 

[Lister]

Man everything sounds fantastic.

Im getting it on PC. So question. How did other ME games fair on PC on release?

They were the superior version, but this is so far removed from those games and that engine that it doesn't matter.

However, this being Frostbite, I wouldn't really worry.

Going by the little bit of PC and console footage we have so far, the PC version looks and runs way better than consoles. It's otherwise the same game, complete with gamepad support.

 

[KyleOnTheRun]

I need to know one thing,(if anybody can answer that will be great)

Are missions and side quests etc are structured in different groups, like Main mission , side quest , Errands etc. because i am playing the ME3 right now and there is atleast 20 quest update in my Journal.Which is totally turning me off.

Is there any sorting or grouping of quests and missions etc? Can you elaborate on this part. Thanks.
(I haven't read your post so may be you have mentioned in that)

Not to piggyback on Shinobi's thread, but yes -- quests are sorted into main missions, character-related quests, location-related quests, and "tasks", which are the most frivolous/miscellaneous ones. I've played about 20 hours so far for review.

Can you say anything about how experience is earned/rewarded? From various videos I've seen it seems very randomly given, sometimes in combat, sometimes after combat. That's my only major question I have left about this game.

Awesome write-up though, honestly cannot contain my excitement for this game.

XP is earned from every kill and upon quest completion. So it's a healthy mix. I think you might also earn a small amount from the steps *within* quests, but I'm not positive.

 

[FIREKNIGHT2029]

"I'm incredibly excited for you all to experience the massive, engaging world of Mass Effect Andromeda, launching on March 21st, 2017 on the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One all-in-one entertainment device, and PC!"

lol.

 

[SliChillax]

Sorry​ if it's been asked already.

Is the music any good? Does it sound like a Mass Effect game?

 

[Mifune]

LOL at people coming in here telling the OP that his impressions don't matter.

Thanks for that?

 

[Equanimity]

Thanks for sharing your initial impressions

Day one without a doubt.

 

[Ascenion]

You say the music is good, but is the Mass Effect theme or some variation of it present? Or is this more like Dragon Age Origins/2 to Inquisition? Where it fits the series but the familiar cues and motifs/leitmotifs are gone.

 

[big_erk]

Man, I am so tempted as a Mass Effect fan to jump into this game right now, but I am in the middle of BOTW and if I start Mass Effect one of the two games will suffer for it. I am going to stick to my plan of finishing up my playthrough of BOTW, which could take some time, then diving into Mass Effect. The temptation though is strong.

 

[Coxy100]

Thanks for the impressions shinobi - super stoked for this.

 

[vivekTO]

Not to piggyback on Shinobi's thread, but yes -- quests are sorted into main missions, character-related quests, location-related quests, and "tasks", which are the most frivolous/miscellaneous ones. I've played about 20 hours so far for review.

Thanks man , Good to hear that they sorted it out,
Also are there any time constrained quests or something you can miss if you progress too far, any priority system?? Thanks for the answer.

 

[Coxy100]

You say the music is good, but is the Mass Effect theme or some variation of it present? Or is this more like Dragon Age Origins/2 to Inquisition? Where it fits the series but the familiar cues and motifs/leitmotifs are gone.

I really hope they use 'vigil' in this game (mass effect 1 menu music and then used sporadically in the trilogy)

 

[DouglasteR]

*****Potential spoilers*******


So some background: I'm playing So, to continue, as a *huge* Mass Effect fan that's been following the series since the very first trailer went public in 2005, it feels like Mass Effect to me. I hold the series dear, so I was slightly worried if the game could reignite that feeling I had with the first game. So far, it does.

Preorder hope revigorated !

 

[KyleOnTheRun]

Thanks man , Good to hear that they sorted it out,
Also are there any time constrained quests or something you can miss if you progress too far, any priority system?? Thanks for the answer.

I've so far not encountered any, but I've doing a ton of side content and haven't advanced through the main story as much as I'd hoped.

 

[Timeaisis]

Glad to hear your good impressions! Looking forward to it!

 

[frontovik]

LOL at people coming in here telling the OP that his impressions don't matter.

Thanks for that?

You want this thread to be an echo chamber of yes men then.

No need to judge when people are skeptical of one individual's review of a video game.

 

[Possumowner]

Some great impressions,pc for me hoping it's a good port

 

[Azerth]

Do we know how many gigs the game is?

 

[Lister]

Some great impressions,pc for me hoping it's a good port

In their own words: It's not a port. It was developed in tandem with the console versions.

 

[Heckler456]

You want the thread to be an echo chamber of yes men then. No need to judge when people are skeptical of one individual's review of a video game.

Problem being, the people doubting his opinion haven't played the game, and he has.

Also, discussion or discourse doesn't inherently have to be negative vs positive. What do the people who simply come in here to doubt his opinion actually add in terms of any meaningful conversation?

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Problem being, the people doubting his opinion haven't played the game, and he has.

I'm not really doubting his opinion. I'd be pretty surprised if he isn't genuinely loving the game. I'd also be pretty surprised if this game doesn't end up being really, really good.

That doesn't mean I have to take his opinion seriously, mind you. But if you do, that's great.

 

[Mifune]

You want this thread to be an echo chamber of yes men then.

No need to judge when people are skeptical of one individual's review of a video game.

It's one thing to be skeptical. It's another to accuse the OP of astroturfing. Also keep in mind that he has played the game and you haven't.

 

[Elfstruck]

You want this thread to be an echo chamber of yes men then.

No need to judge when people are skeptical of one individual's review of a video game.

Questioning his reviews while you and others haven't played the game yet. Not to mention some of the early comments are just pure shit posting.

 

[ambar_hitman]

I am so overwhelmed by games I want to play I can't even think of buying this.

This. I still have to play RE7, Yakuza 0 and Nier.

 

[shinobi602]

He is honest, but I think that poster's point may be that those replying as if there was any doubt he would like this particular game are perhaps unfamiliar with his positivity towards the project all along. To suggest the game getting his stamp of approval makes it worthy of purchase as some posters here are, ignores that there was never a suggestion on this forum from shinobi that the game would receive anything but his approval tbh

That said, I personally enjoyed that write up and always appreciate learning about the game features from him knowing he is a fan and friend of the studio who benefits from that and thus is also quite credible

Not trying to come at you shinobi but from what I saw you showed no fear of whether andromeda could capture the feeling of the originally trilogy on gaf, maybe I'm wrong. Also you've been one of the biggest champions of the game on gaf, I'm glad you're enjoying it but I feel your biased considering your relationship to the game/studio. Gonna need to hear a lot of opinions. It's just too positive imo.

Ermm, ok. "Too positive" is a new one on me. I've been positive about the game from the beginning because I loved the original games and I enjoy the studio's games in general, so I had no reason to have some outlandish notions of doubt about anything. I have nothing else to gain. I enjoyed Dragon Age: Inquisition too but also have written plenty before on design decisions in it that I absolutely did not like (MMO quests, jank). If you read the whole OP you'd see there are things that also stood out to me that I wasn't 100% fond of.

I'm also head over heels about The Witcher 3 (which I showered with praise before and is my GOTG so far), Uncharted, Inside, DOOM, Gears, and a ton of others. I praise because I like something.

Anyway, it's your prerogative, I'm not fussed about it

How are the dialogue choices? I know there are gray areas now and not specifically blue or red but can you still make relatively evil choices in the game? Can I choose to "punch a reporter" or let a bunch of people die if I want?

I still haven't engaged in a *ton* of dialogue but there have been some conversations where I could be a little more smart with people. Not necessarily *evil*. It's more about the tone and emotions of conversations as vs "good" and "evil" choices in the trilogy.

Do we know if the plot is about some world ending threat? I'm getting tired of those in games and movies.

I'm not that far into it to know for sure. Based off what BioWare's said the story is smaller and more personally this time vs a huge impending galaxy wife threat.

I need to know one thing,(if anybody can answer that will be great)

Are missions and side quests etc are structured in different groups, like Main mission , side quest , Errands etc. because i am playing the ME3 right now and there is atleast 20 quest update in my Journal.Which is totally turning me off.

Is there any sorting or grouping of quests and missions etc? Can you elaborate on this part. Thanks.
(I haven't read your post so may be you have mentioned in that)

There's actually a nice system similar to Horizon! Quests are broken up into main quests, loyalty and sidequests, and "tasks" which are smaller, generic things (I assume).

 

[solis74]

Thanks Shinobi !

question what advantage will a ps4 pro give me on a normal 1080p tv??

 

[SeanFloyd]

Sounds great. Biggest issue I have right now is where I can buy the game on release day without a hassle or supporting Gamestop.

 

[Ingeniero]

Life is so unfair to me.
I'm dying to play this but I know I won't have enough time to play and it'll take 3-4 months to finish it....

Great write-up OP.

 

[TheUnsunghero26]

Have you seen many references to the previous games? I'm curious how they'll handle it; they wouldn't have you select Shepard's gender for no reason.

 

[Lingitiz]

Peter Brown is talking about the game on the Bombcast right now and seems pretty down on it so far. No prior ME experience.

 

[AWizardDidIt]

You want this thread to be an echo chamber of yes men then.

No need to judge when people are skeptical of one individual's review of a video game.

What exactly do comments dismissing the OP's impressions or writing him off add to the discussion exactly?

It's not about echo chambers or fanboyism, it's about keeping the thread on topic and not derailing it with asinine comments that aren't related to the topic (IE: one person's impressions).

 

[Xando]

@Shinobi
Not sure if you noticed yet but are there any Geth in MP?

 

[Lakitu]

Peter Brown is talking about the game on the Bombcast right now and seems pretty down on it so far. No prior ME experience.

Can you summarise?

 

[Erimriv]

Thanks for the impressions, I'll probably pick this day one. Loved the first, the second was ok and didn't find the third terrible at all, i plalyed it after they 'fixed' the ending on dlc.

What i want is a game with a ME1 taste, and much more open to explore, I love to get lost on the maps and enviroments trying. Haven't watched many gameplays so far.

 

[Rellik]

it feels like Mass Effect to me.

This is all that matters to me right now before I get to play it myself. That's all I ask. More Mass Effect.

Thanks for the impressions.