• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Looks like EA access early access backfired badly for Mass Effect: Andromeda

This is ridiculous. The anti-consumer point comes from the game being done and ready to play by everyone, as long as you pay a subscription fee.

As opposed to every other dev that lets you have early access to their full game the free, oh wait....

The early trial is a single feature of their subscription service which is fantastic vs anything else out there.

I say this as someone who no longer has a Xb1 and is ps4 only. If Sony allowed the service I would instantly re subscribe.
 
This is ridiculous. The anti-consumer point comes from the game being done and ready to play by everyone, as long as you pay a subscription fee. EA is no stranger to selling access to a game days before it's launch, and it basically just marketing hype serving to get more money out of people. Obviously it's up to each person to decide if they want this or not, but the fact is they can weasel an extra $10 or $20 out of people because they have an arbitrary launch date for the physical version.

It's not exactly "arbitrary". There's actual logistics that prevent them being able to make a physical copy available as early as a digital copy... and retail pressure makes simply selling the standard digital version early not an option either.
 
EA Access might spell bad news (sales wise) for a crappy game, but it's great for consumers.

Did the whole thing explode on social media or anything? Like, wonky animations being trending topic on Twitter or something like that?

This may be a bit of an echo chamber effect. Not underplaying the issues, but people outside enthusiasts forums may not be as aware.

In any case, yeah, great for the consumers. There are too many great games releasing this year to buy a mediocre one at full price.
 
The game kept glitching, gave me black screens and lost a lot of progress because of it.

I don't see how it backfired, I saved some bucks I'm using in the RE sale instead. Thanks EA. (No sarcasm at all, it's a great service, it's pretty much why I bought BF1)
 
the hourly charts are really meaningless

the yearly sales include pre-orders

comparing it to simultaneously releasing games on the monthly charts is the best metric as far as amazon charts go

The Amazon sales charts are completely worthless as sales metrics for videogamess. The chart that you are so highly touting will end up being way off at the end of the month. Zelda will not be anywhere close to GR: Wildlands in unit sales and the same will be true for ME:A. I am not sure why you think otherwise.

With respect to EA's long term plans, I do not think this will have any impact on EA Access/Origin. TF2 was not on EA access and it bombed out the gate. I would bet my bottom dollar that they regret not having put it on EA access.
 
This is ridiculous. The anti-consumer point comes from the game being done and ready to play by everyone, as long as you pay a subscription fee. EA is no stranger to selling access to a game days before it's launch, and it basically just marketing hype serving to get more money out of people. Obviously it's up to each person to decide if they want this or not, but the fact is they can weasel an extra $10 or $20 out of people because they have an arbitrary launch date for the physical version.
It was a $5 10hour prelaunch rental.
 
With respect to EA's long term plans, I do not think this will have any impact on EA Access/Origin. TF2 was not on EA access and it bombed out the gate. I would bet my bottom dollar that they regret not having put it on EA access.

that game was better than expected though

a good strategy would have been to put games that are turning out well on earlyaccess, but not games that are a bit shitty
 
that game was better than expected though

a good strategy would have been to put games that are turning out well on earlyaccess, but not games that are a bit shitty

Sure if you want to telegraph to the market what games you are unsure about. That is not how EA does business. Sure they might take some lumps with ME as they did with TF but they will have other games pick up the slack. You do not end up being neck and neck with Activision in revenue and sales if you do not know what you are doing.
 
I mean the response I saw from the Ghost Recon beta was OVERWHELMINGLY negative and that's still selling hand over fist.

The multiplayer for this when multiplayer games haven't had a big push in a few months​ will sell copies by itself.
 
Huh. I bought the game based on my time with EA Access. The only problems I have with the game are the mostly bad facial animations and some jerkiness that goes along with it. Combat, graphics, exploration, the dialogue
(with like two exceptions so far; "My face is tired" and the indignant/out of place "I'm the pathfinder." following a certain conversation)
, world, all seems great. Whether that holds up for 40+ hours is another thing altogether but I'm having fun, don't really care what reviewers think.

I only really ever liked ME1, ME2 didn't grab me and I skipped 3.
 
Does that really matter? Ghost Recon is much bigger now. If you were outselling GTA1 and GTA2, you weren't suddenly a failure if you didn't outsell GTA3 onwards also.

lol, a better comparison would have been a game comfortably outselling ninja gaiden, only for its sequel to struggle with outselling ninja gaiden 2

It's been out less than 24 hours and has now passed Ghost Recon.

is selling roughly the same as ghost recon now a good target for the newest mass effect to aim for?

talk about lowered expectations, you guys are pretty much proving my point
 
Aren't you jumping the gun a bit here? considering we have no idea how it actually sold yet?

First post pretty much nailed it.

This could still sell like hot cakes, and there are more >80 reviews than <70...it's a very divisive game. Destiny ended up on 77 MC and sold a bunch, this could pull a similar act: especially since the MP is super fun.
 
This is ridiculous. The anti-consumer point comes from the game being done and ready to play by everyone, as long as you pay a subscription fee. EA is no stranger to selling access to a game days before it's launch, and it basically just marketing hype serving to get more money out of people. Obviously it's up to each person to decide if they want this or not, but the fact is they can weasel an extra $10 or $20 out of people because they have an arbitrary launch date for the physical version.
You can actually save money by subscribing to ea access.

Ea access costs $5, with the 10% discount you save $7 on mass effect. So overall you saved $2 and you got to play it early.
 
Looks like OP is just looking for a way to attack Andromeda and EA Access.
Pretty much. This game is far from a 'dud' it does a lot of things well.

Andromedas primary flaw is the technical issues weighing it down, and in some cases the poor writing.

The game succeeds in many ways too many go out of their way to ignore like the combat systems, multiplayer, the incredible environments.
 
I mean the response I saw from the Ghost Recon beta was OVERWHELMINGLY negative and that's still selling hand over fist.

The multiplayer for this when multiplayer games haven't had a big push in a few months&#8203; will sell copies by itself.

The negative response will surely affect the legs of Ghost Recon and Andromeda, just like it did with Suicide Squad or BvS. These movies still made plenty of money as they were frontloaded. I wouldn't be surprised if ME end up #1 on the next NPD. Just like it wouldn't be a shock if it's Horizon / Ghost Recon who sell plenty of extra copies from people who were awaiting ME and decided to wait for a discount (and patches lol).
 
I have to agree with the OP here, first of all the previews were bad and then people got to play the game. I have Deluxe ED coming in and it is going back.. no hesitations. I am going to continue to play Horizon... then if I can get a hold of Switch, Zelda in portable mode....
 
Just one example. but I changed from a Day 1 buy to just Gamefly'ng it because of the trial.

I still want to progress, but i'm not confident i'll finish it based on what I did get to play. Unless the story picks up and they introduce some better characters I don't know if i'll make it through.

Based on longer previews, i'm not confident. A shame, because the Mass Effect series was one of my high points from last gen.
 
This. I don't understand the witch hunt that popped up against this game. Sure, it has some janky animations. But name a BioWare game that hasn't had janky animations. I don't understand why certain people have a vested interest in this game failing.

To paint the game bad based on conversation facial animation is silly. The vast majority of the game spent exploring and in combat is fantastic, and the facial animations are a literal non-factor in those instances.

I tell you what. The meme machine and gifs had me horrified, but then I took the time to watch more footage and listened to the positive impressions. Of course now I am playing it and am completely happy with it so far. As you said, BioWare games have always had ham and cheese, with a side of jank, but I always get sucked in and love them anyway. Same deal here.
 
EA Access is anti-consumer?

It gives you discounts on all EA games/DLC, when EA games go on sale outside of EA Access; it stacks, it lets you play a ton of their games and lets you make informed purchase decisions by giving you a sizeable chunk of the game to play (10hours) for every single new game.

It's literally the most pro-consumer effort by any publisher on any platform IMO. I've probably said it before but I have saved a lot of money so far, both in discounts, by having access to a game I might have purchased and by avoiding games I was better informed about.
 
lol, a better comparison would have been a game comfortably outselling ninja gaiden, only for its sequel to struggle with outselling ninja gaiden 2

is selling roughly the same as ghost recon now a good target for the newest mass effect to aim for?

talk about lowered expectations, you guys are pretty much proving my point

Doesn't really work. As I said Ghost Recon today is evidently much bigger than it used to be. On the other hand, did Ninja Gaiden 2 actually manage to outsell the original? Hell did Sigma 2 manage to outsell Sigma?

Ghost Recon is the current top selling game for the year in the UK so far... it's not comparable at all the what it used to be (especially with it no longer being Rainbow Six's little brother).
 
Doesn't really work. As I said Ghost Recon today is evidently much bigger than it used to be. On the other hand, did Ninja Gaiden 2 actually manage to outsell the original? Hell did Sigma 2 manage to outsell Sigma?

according to the google search i did before making the post, yes

(and, no, not chartzzzz)
 
"even" ghost recon when ghost recon is a top selling game of the year?

speaking of anti-consumer and EA Access, the one platform that doesn't allow consumers that want to subscribe to EA Access on the platform, now that's anti-consumer
 
How is this not a good thing that the trial turned people off from the game though? In that sense it gives a more objective view because not every game released under the EA banner is going to shine in the sun, so if what amounts to a 10 hour rental shows the game in an unfavourable light and it's not for you, you have the knowledge with minimal financial risk.
$5 monthky towards a beefy trial plus all the other games in the vault that may want to try seems like a way better investment than spending $60 and finding that the game is lacking.
 
Ghost Recon has sold and continues to sell shitloads.
It's past that. Number 11, 17, and 18 for March. This means nothing though as it's impossible to extrapolate any numbers for overall worldwide sales.

IMO, this will still sell 5-6 million copies minimum LTD. it next game will tank ala Watchdogs.
 
See, EA has gone all-in on their EA/Origin access service where they want you to pay a subscription fee every month to access their back library of mediocre games.



lol do you not even know what games are in the ea access vault? Or are your standards so high that if a game does not go down in history as industry changing, its ultimately mediocre?

PVZ 1 and 2 = reviewed in the 80s

Dragon Age Inquisition = Game of the year

Battlefield 4 = reviewd in the 80s

Deadspace = reviewed in the 80s

Skate3 = reviewed in the 80s

Guess The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a mediocre game as well, cuz that also reviewed in the 80s if im not mistaken
 
lol do you not even know what games are in the ea access vault? Or are your standards so high that if a game does not go down in history as industry changing, its ultimately mediocre?

PVZ 1 and 2 = reviewed in the 80s

Dragon Age Inquisition = Game of the year

Battlefield 4 = reviewd in the 80s

Deadspace = reviewed in the 80s

Skate3 = reviewed in the 80s

Guess The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a mediocre game as well, cuz that also reviewed in the 80s if im not mistaken

has nothing to do with review scores

i'm not really interested in shooters, car games and sports

unravel, dead space and possibly skate are the only games i would consider to be worthy of my time, considering my personal tastes
 
has nothing to do with review scores

i'm not really interested in shooters, car games and sports

unravel, dead space and possibly skate are the only games i would consider to be worthy of my time, considering my personal tastes

A hahahaha.

Well it's a good thing EA is not designing their services around you then. They would have been out of business decades ago.
 
has nothing to do with review scores

i'm not really interested in shooters, car games and sports

unravel, dead space and possibly skate are the only games i would consider to be worthy of my time, considering my personal tastes

Your right, games that dont line up with your "personal taste" are mediocre. Ive never really enjoyed bloodborne or souls style games so i guess the reason is because those are mediocre games as well....see how stupid that sounds..
 
Top Bottom