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

Why the bad vibes on Mass Effect Andromeda?

C

Caipirinha

Member
So I have not been following the game particularly closely but it is definitely among my most anticipated titles this year by virtue of how much I enjoyed the first 3 (yes 3 included, although I hated the ending).

So far I've seen the various screenshots, trailers and most of the gameplay vids afaik, and it all looks great. Not too much to really judge, just ME with current gen visuals and what looks like an interesting world.

But all of a sudden it seems everyone is predicting the game to be a massive disappointment.. what did I miss? Where are these bad vibes coming from?
 
I don't think it's gonna be disappointing because it seems like the team has learnt a lot of lessons from the original ME series and what went wrong with ME3 (well, mainly the ending)

That being said the constant comparisons to DA:I are putting me off a bit, though I'm still gonna be there day one because I have faith in the series.
 
It's day one for me but I know some ME diehard friends who consider the series has crashed to the ground and there's no redemption for it.... I try to tell them not to give up hope on Andromeda but they insist that it's doomed.

I'm still buying everything for that game. Hype is real!
 
D4qQXLc.gif
 
For me, it feels like their best talent has either left or succumb to a gradual erosion of culture after being put under EA. It feels like they think they have a formula when it comes to writing characters and creating a plot and they're sticking to it. Characters like Sera and "PB" solidify that point for me pretty strongly. They make cliches with a twist or two to their personalities and that's it. ME 1-3 at least reveled in and embraced the pulpy/corny nature of some of the universe while still having some engaging plot threads to sink your teeth into with a world that was interesting to learn about, even if through codex entries at times. I feel like ME:A is them running away from a mistake more than simply forging ahead into new territory. In the end though, I'm a cynic and am still very interested and hopeful for the game. We'll see, I hope it does really well.
 
For progress to be made first Bioware must acknowledge that the first Mass Effect was the highlight and blueprint of the series.

Exploration, RPG, atmosphere, Virmire.
 
Despite the bad vibes I think it won Neogaf's 2017 most anticipated game.

I'm optimistic, I was one of the few that didn't feel burned by ME3. No bad vibes here, bro.
 
Nothing about it looks interesting.

Not bad, just meh. None of the footage has shown any ambition or desire to surpass what came before. I feel that Mass Effect's time in the sun has passed.

The game will be okay, probably low 80s on Metacritic, but it won't be winning any GOTY awards. It'll be this year's equivalent of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
 
Personally I'm still feeling burned from ME3's original ending. It soured me that badly. I am trying to give Andromeda a fair shake, though (though I will be waiting to see how it pans out before I buy it myself).

The reveal of the Khet race, however, didn't really inspire confidence for me. Part of what interested me in Andromeda was the whole fresh start idea, wild frontier, whole new galaxy.

And the first new race they show off was absolutely uninspired and wouldn't look amiss on the Citadel.

It did not make me optimistic.
 
1) The Mass Effect trilogy has mixed consistency in quality and direction, and ultimately fell flat in its absolute final moments, leaving a lot of fans disenchanted with BioWare's vision.
2) Dragon Age: Inquisition has vocal dissenters unhappy with the direction BioWare took in regards to quest and game system structure, particularly in leaning towards MMO-like grind systems.
3) Much of Andromeda's marketing has been unfocused and incoherent, poorly demonstrating exactly what kind of game it is and the core premise for what new and old fans have to look forward to.
 
So far the most impressive component of Mass Effect: Andromeda looks to be its combat gameplay that now employs more flexibility in power, larger spaces and better verticality to allow for the toolset of weapons and power to be richer and more engaging.

That part is good, but I don't really play Mass Effect for the gameplay, but all the other RPG components of it.

My main interest and excitement for Mass Effect games are the characters, questing and building of a team arsenal that is fun to bring around in an engaging world, and so far, Bioware hasn't done a good job on selling me why I should be interested in the new cast of characters or how they're building off the components of ME1/ME2 that they said they're doing for ME:A.
 
Dragon Age Inquisition and Mass Effect 3 were their last two games.

I love both those games, but they're not very popular, especially here.
 
Because every successive sequel to popular sci-fi franchise sucks more than the last one. There's few exceptions to the rule, but I certainly don't have faith in EA to stick to what made the series great. Not when they can shoehorn in a half-assed plot with a fee to pay multiplayer.
 
Diancecht said:
D4qQXLc.gif
Click to expand...

This. I couldn't believe this was approved for the trailer.

Beyond that, even if this game was merely 'good', the scrutiny that it would have be under given the negativity surrounding ME3 and DA:I will ensure this game has a very steep mountain to climb to prove itself. (And I actually liked DA:I and especially its DLC). ME1 and 2 have reached the status of impossible shoes to fill among the hardcore. Unfair, but well...it is what it is.
 
ME3's ending, DA:I and, personally speaking, the whole rollout of this game since its reveal has been mismanaged, from my perspective.
 
They've been cagey and honestly a bit weird with footage and information so far, and the game is allegedly coming out in a handful of months with still no release date and a relatively jumbled mess of marketing.

Also that one gif.
 
It seems like bioware has gone down the bethesda rpg path of simpify the experience. Honestly the ending of ME3 didn't dissappiont me as much as the significantly smaller cites and less things to do in comparison to ME2. I am still casually optimisitc but my dream of Mass Effect done in a Witcher 3 way will unlikely come from modern bioware.
 
It's Mass Effect so I'll play the shit out of it. Also not agreeing with the DA:I hate. I really liked DA:I, so I'm fine with war table type stuff
 
I don't know but the gameplay they showed recently looked so uninteresting and uninspired. I mean the previous games had action but for Andromeda it looks too chaotic and kind of boring. I really don't know how to explain it but so far all the footage shown so far hasn't impressed me like previous games. Plus I feel like it being open world will make or break this game.
 
Mediking said:
It's day one for me but I know some ME diehard friends who consider the series has crashed to the ground and there's no redemption for it.... I try to tell them not to give up hope on Andromeda but they insist that it's doomed.

I'm still buying everything for that game. Hype is real!
Click to expand...

Personally, I feel the same as your friends. After experiencing the ending to ME3, I never played another game in the series despite having played the other 2 games at least 5 times each.

So yeah, I think it's because of their track record.

The combat part of the gameplay trailer looked pretty hype though
 
After ME2, ME3, DA2, and DAI, I don't see myself buying Bioware games. I want to like 'em and all, but they're just... super safe, with some genuinely godawful combat (not a single Bioware game has good combat, yet they have LOTS of it).
 
What they did with the Andromeda marketing leaves me a bit puzzled. Non of the momentum reached me, if there is any. It's a Bioware game so I will be there Day One, but eh...

Also: Dragon Age: Inquistion. Bioware will be fine because many loved that game, but on a personal level? What a disappointment past the first act.
 
Kayhan said:
For progress to be made first Bioware must acknowledge that the first Mass Effect was the highlight and blueprint of the series.

Exploration, RPG, atmosphere, Virmire.
Click to expand...

Add utterly shit combat and very little in the way of actual, distinct classes too and we're almost there!
 
That last trailer didn't look like it was from a game coming out 5 years after the last Mass Effect.

Also it looks like it's just trying to hit the same notes the last one did. Hey look, your Asari, Krogan, and Turian friend! Fun!

Right now, I'm more interested in multiplayer's potential than the actual story. And that's crazy.
 
Huge fan of Mass Effect, best trilogy of the last 'generation' for me. But I just feel Bioware are on an unfortunate downward trend (e.g. DA:I). I'll buy ME:A day 1, and I'll be reasonably excited for it - but my excitement is restrained by just a general feeling around Bioware - my confidence in them isn't there in the same way as it once was.

I hope I'm wrong, I really hope I'm wrong - I don't want this to be true about one of my favourite studios who have made some of my favourite games - but I can't shake the feeling.
 
Sanctuary said:
Add utterly shit combat and very little in the way of actual, distinct classes too and we're almost there!
Click to expand...

People wanting the franchise to be shooter franchise rather than a space exploration RPG is where it all went wrong.

The first Mass Effect wasn't all about the combat which is what made it great.
 
Diancecht said:
D4qQXLc.gif
Click to expand...

her face at the end
francis.png


Back-In-Black said:
Mainly nonsense hate from tolls that either didn't like Inquisition, despite it being ranked GOTY from numerous publications and award shows, or just general BioWare hate ever since the ME3 fallout.

I'll just link what I wrote in the old gameplay reveal thread:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=226002188&postcount=1426
Click to expand...

from your post:

The ending of ME3 is one the WORST gaming tragedies of all time. I literally felt violated by that whole mess...
Click to expand...

thanks for the laugh
 
EA and Bioware's ad campaign has been fucking garbage and we learned more about the game from leaked surveys and summaries of Game Informer articles than we have by actually seeing footage. I know they're trying to avoid ME3's media campaign and the mistakes it had, but they went too far in the opposite direction and now no one has any fucking idea what's going on.

Honestly, if it wasn't the only good non-Star Wars space opera RPG, the game would be way less relevant.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Mass Effect Andromeda Actor Says "It Was Done Dirty" By EA And Fans
Opinion Game Dev  2 3 4
159
1K
KanKamAndNob replied
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
RTTP  2
92
2K
Ellis replied
RTTP Spiderman 2: Why are the Graphics So Bad?
Opinion 
32
204
Fake replied
3 New Mass Effect-like Games Coming Soon (Exodus, and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn)
Opinion Trailer  2
93
599
Trogdor1123 replied
Mass Effect modding introduces M3TO - Texture overrides without package edits
20
1K
Teslerum replied
Top Bottom