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[Ragnar Blackmane]

Hold up.

They took away the power wheel?!

Spoiler

c'mon bioware

Yes, they did, with the justification that "the squad mate AI is so massively improved and smart now that you don't need the power wheel anymore !!111111". Turns out the AI is still shit but now you can't even manually trigger their powers anymore and have to rely on luck for the right scripts to kick and the AI not having already wasted and put the power on cooldown so you can even combo powers.

 

[Lakitu]

RPS posted a follow-up article with more initial observations. It's not entirely negative, but man does it turn me off from playing the game.

The problem is certain quotes that feel like unintentionally damning with faint praise:

"I certainly don't think what I've played of MEA is a disaster..."

"...there are only a handful of writing/acting disasters (so far)..."

"...I have struggled to care about anyone"

And others. Most of the praise is for moments of technical brilliance. Everything else is uneven or just okay.

But have a read yourself for a complete breakdown and context:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/16/mass-effect-andromeda-problems/#more-435451

This is a much better article than the one in the OP. Thanks for posting. Sounds like it's unfortunately not gripping him and it's somewhat disappointing.

 

[Coreda]

So I guess people weren't imagining things when it appears the eyes are just textures, but is it just me or are the highlights, too? From the follow-up piece:

 

[Lime]

This sentiment isn't helped by the fact that it's only an hour or two before you're nattering to returning ME1-3 aliens the Turians, Asari, Salarians and Krogan, all occupying more or less the roles with the same dynamics that they had in the first three games. Armchair designer time I'm afraid, but were it me I would have kept these guys at bay until much later in the game, and give Andromeda's fresh start a chance to be a fresh start, creating awe and mystery by sending you to strange new worlds to seek out new life and new civilizations. Instead, we essentially go over everything all over again, almost straight away.

As it stands, the only meaningfully new element we're shown, if you'll excuse me excepting the rather generic new blockhead-lizardmen baddie aliens you shoot at very early on, is that the first planet has a load of levitating rocks all over it.

Companion characters (including your own) very much say what they see, making superficial observations that don't seem to reflect idea that they are one of a handpicked few sent to find and survive in a new galaxy. ”Looks like some kind of alien machinery," that sort of thing, with no follow-up comment to suggest a curiosity to know what it does or who made it. Not awful, but not interesting – and at odds with the idea they're here to assess whether this place could make a safe new home for their species.

Even though pretty much everyone else goes out of their way to inform you that the fate of every single person here apparently rests on your under-equipped shoulders. It's ludicrous. But it's always been ludicrous, in every single Bioware Chosen One game, so I can't get too het up about it – again though, it's a shame that the chance for a fresh start has been somewhat squandered.

There's also plenty of ‘help me solve this minor problem on this spaceship, because for some reason everyone else onboard is totally incapable' side-questing – that same sense that everyone's just been shrugging at everything until you happened to turn up. Again, not even remotely exclusive to this game or this series – but it does exacerbate that ‘business as usual' sensation.

A broader concern for me is very strong hints of Space Magic very early on. I should be spoiler averse here, but again I was hoping the fresh start was an opportunity to move on from all the mystic hand-waving that characterised particularly ME3 in favour of slightly harder sci-fi.

In one moment we can be told the Pathfinder is essentially a galactic surveyor, simply the boss of the team in charge of choosing which planets to try living on, but in other that a Pathfinder is a quasi-religious figure, whose abilities simply cannot be replicated by anyone else and upon whom the entire colonisation project depends. And yet your character ends up donning this mantle about an hour into proceedings, with almost no prior experience and no special powers, which rather makes the case for it being simply a title

oh boy

 

[Henrar]

8. It continues Dragon Age: Inquisition’s singleplayer MMO structure

Why am I not surprised.

 

[Ragnar Blackmane]

Why am I not surprised.

Funny how Bioware and EA tried to assure us that wouldn't be the case because they always listen to fan feedback and stuff, as recently as a few weeks ago.

Gotta keep the hype train and pre-orders going, I guess.

 

[MaLDo]

So I guess people weren't imagining things when it appears the eyes are just textures, but is it just me or are the highlights, too? From the follow-up piece:

Holy shit.

 

[crazyprac]

I did not enjoy DAI after succumbing to the initial hype. Bummer if this play very similar...

 

[Mivey]

So I guess people weren't imagining things when it appears the eyes are just textures, but is it just me or are the highlights, too? From the follow-up piece:

That's a close up. Those details disappear when looked at from slightly father away. Just like in real life, where people have totally flat plastic eyes. I guess maybe if you work for EA you actually get those and BioWare used that as a reference.

 

[Harmen]

The increasing clutter of uneccesary MMO collecting and unlocking in Bioware games is turning me off a bit. I have played far too many RPGs to still enjoy that stuff. I think it is a waste of time to be honest. I support more options of character building and strategic RPG elements, but I also think they need to be done in a fashion where it doesn't harm the pacing of the plot/gameplay. In DAI, the pacing feels a bit off due to it (and yes, I have left the Hinterlands).

 

[Wesley-Sigma]

The gifs and videos that have spawned from this are incredible.

Oddly enough, much like Horizon, this has me more interested in the game.

 

[RexNovis]

Im just going to quote my post from another ME thread addressing those defending this product here as I feel it is applicable

Here's the thing. This ME is made by an entirely different studio and set in a completely different galaxy with a completely disconnected story using a completely different engine that just so happens to have the same species of aliens as the original mass effect . So why exactly would a "true ME fan" give this shit anything other than the sternest of "what is this bullshit?" You would think a "true ME fan" would be outraged over the clear rushed cash grab attempt made to capitalize on their most beloved franchise.

Y'all are so focused on the name "Mass Effect" that you fail to realize you're defending the very shit you should be ripping to shreds. This ain't Mass Effect it is EA slaps Mass Effect paint on a crappy product from an inexperienced studio to make money off of a microstransaction farm GAAS Multiplayer platform. This shit with its awful animations, terrible rushed character design, god awful dialogue and story is a disgrace to the name of Bioware and to the name of the series you claim to hold so dear. This rushed crap and it's paint by the numbers story is an insult to the very things people loved about the original trilogy: its innovative, daring and well made stories/characters.So by all means get pissed but direct your indignation at the people actually to blame for this monstrous fuck up.

I guess what I'm saying is the ironic thing is that the true Mass Effect fans: the ones that loved the first games and what they stood for are the very people who are getting upset because we see what EA has turned this once great series into and we sure as fuck don't like it. We know exactly what this will likely mean for the franchise we love and we sure as hell don't want to support it. So stop defending the name and try defending the actual franchise.

There I feel better now. Shame on EA for what they've done.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

So I guess people weren't imagining things when it appears the eyes are just textures, but is it just me or are the highlights, too? From the follow-up piece:

Jesus

 

[Freeman76]

So I guess people weren't imagining things when it appears the eyes are just textures, but is it just me or are the highlights, too? From the follow-up piece:

Thats it, The eyes dont look real, time to lose our shit.

 

[semiconscious]

Im just going to quote my post from another ME thread addressing those defending this product here as I feel it is applicable

There I feel better now. Shame on EA for what they've done.

okay, we have a winner! ...

yes, on reflection, this does indeed feel exactly like the manufacturing of a 'similar to that mass effect game' fabrication getting stuffed into a box, stamped 'mass effect', & shipped. fallout 4 came close to this in some ways, but here, yes, it does indeed feel completely that: mass effect 'product'. i'm not saying i personally won't be playing & enjoying it for what it is. but were i a serious fan, yeah, i'd likely be a bit disappointed. it's like seeing something just being let go...

 

[Kapten Stoffe]

How many games start out janky and poorly written but blossom into wonderful experiences? If anything, I think outlets like Kotaku are being too forgiving.

I fondly remember God of War 2, where (I think, can't find the reference now) Santa Monica is supposed to have made the first stage last in the development. Makes sense to give the players the most polished experience, based on the teams gathered experience trough the project, when starting a new game.

 

[Lister]

I tell you one thing this guy sure as hell wasn't exaggerating about: the UI.

My god what a horrendously tedious thing to deal with. This is worse than DA:I, especially crafting. double click, double click, double click, it wants you to double triple select everything only to navigate deeper into the 9th hell of tiny lists to get at what you need.

Other than the UI and the funky animations, I'm really liking the game though - at least so far, about 6 hours in. The dialogue continues it's Saturday morning cartoon tone, but it's not always as bad as the original article says. combat is fun, I'm playing on hardcore, and after changing some fo the keybindings, it feels pretty good with mouse and keyboard.

 

[Neverwinter27]

Is there anyone from the previous Mass Effect games working on this one?

 

[RexNovis]

Is there anyone from the previous Mass Effect games working on this one?

Basically the lead writer for ME3. The rest of the crew have either nEver worked on the series or only worked on some Mass Effect DLC (The Arrival, and Omega).

 

[ZeoVGM]

I've honestly had a bad feeling about this game since it was first announced. Everything about it has been so strange, all the way back to the way it was revealed.

I just never had any hype for it and I'm worried about it.

 

[Morat]

Snip.

This is a great looking GameCube game!

 

[Lime]

Is there anyone from the previous Mass Effect games working on this one?

Mac Walters (co-lead writer of ME2 and lead writer of ME3) is the creative director

 

[OfficerRaichu15]

Yeah I had a bad feeling too since they barely showed anything about the game. Sigh, was really hoping for this to be good especially since Mass Effect 2 is the only game I have ever replayed and enjoyed. Will wait for review to see what the consensus is.

 

[bidguy]

looked kinda good when sony showed it wonder what happened

 

[Jack The Nipper]

Why would it surprise anyone to know it's like dai? We saw the ign video that showed the planet map and icons. Its just a reskinned dai and that was easy to see..

 

[nOoblet16]

Also one nitpick that bothers the hell out of me. The cast mentions how things must have changed in the ~600 years they have been travelling.

Andromeda is over two million light years away you dumb fucks. You were looking two million years into the past.

The sole fact that there is something about them actually LOOKING at PLANETS in Andromeda from Milky Way says all I need to know about the "sci" part of this game.

Here's how a planet which is 40 light years away looks:

Andromeda is 2000000 light years away.

Erm you are talking about a universe where instantaneous travel to parts of galaxy exists as well as artifical gravity without centrifugal force and various species can do space magic. It's not something inconceivable to imagine how they scanned Andromeda especially considering they have a reasonable explanation regarding this that fits within the laws of this universe. Ryder even specifically asks how did they scan the planets for viability if the data they got was 2.3 million years out of date. I mean you guys can complain yea, but atleast play it and confirm whether or not the game already has explanation for the lack of explanation that you are complaining about.

Do you guys also complain about such stuff when Humans travel to Pegasus galaxy 3.5 million light years away in 1 month in Stargate or when Q instantly travels anywhere and do things in Star Trek or when Galactica or when the characters use the transporter to beam up in Stargate/Star Trek or the fact that according to our current understanding of science when you cryogenically freeze something they should be pretty much dead on the spot ?

 

[Elman]

Those hoping for extensive post-launch patches should temper your expectations. DA:I was financially successful and the majority of its single-player patches focused on fixing crashing errors and progression-related bugs - in other words, only the most critical issues that could dissuade players from purchasing DLC.

Seeing as EA is kicking Andromeda out of the door for a quick buck, I wouldn't expect to see any major feature updates to the single-player campaign, let alone any comprehensive adjustments for animation, the UI, quest structure, etc.

Multiplayer will see support because of those sweet, sweet microtransactions.

 

[Jumeira]

Yeah, I'm done.
Will wait for Origin Access

FUCK FUCK FUCK

Out of everything that could be tolerated from DA:I, this isnt one, it's the most insulting game design in modern gaming and BioWare picked it up and plopped it right into my beloved Mass Effect! Fucking ruined the god damn game, all the great talent from BW that made Mass Effect have gone, this is painful to read. Fuck your elfroot, books and animal skins. Fuck

Why would it surprise anyone to know it's like dai? We saw the ign video that showed the planet map and icons. Its just a reskinned dai and that was easy to see..

Because ME and DA have always been different, one didn't influence the other. BioWare lost the father of Mass Effect to Microsoft after ME 3, now all hell's broken loose. I was assured this wouldn't happen, any link to DA would be marginal, light, almost undetectable.

 

[dr_rus]

Funny how Bioware and EA tried to assure us that wouldn't be the case because they always listen to fan feedback and stuff, as recently as a few weeks ago.

Gotta keep the hype train and pre-orders going, I guess.

Funny how anyone believed them.

Erm you are talking about a universe where instantaneous travel to parts of galaxy exists as well as artifical gravity without centrifugal force and space magic. It's not something out of the ordinary to imagine how they scanned Andromeda especially considering they have a reasonable explanation regarding this that fits within the laws of this universe. Ryder even specifically asks how did they scan the planets if the data they got was 2.3 million years out of date. I mean you guys can complain yea, but atleast play it and confirm whether or not the game already has explanation for the lack of explanation that you are complaining about.

Do you guys also complain about such stuff when Humans travel to Pegasus galaxy 3.5 million light years away in 1 month in Stargate or when Q instantly travels anywhere and do things in Star Trek?

I'm talking about them destroying the last remnants of common sense and any remains of suspension of disbelieve along with them. You mentioning "space magic" which is universally panned as the crappiest thing ever happening in ME3 basically proves my point that such plot devices are nothing less than ME3's ending approach stretched to the whole MEA story.

But then again, Mac Walters is a creative director on this one so I'm not surprised in the slightest.

 

[Florida_Man_5000]

The gameplay I experienced on Insane difficulty was great. Where I'm at currently, the story is gearing up for some compelling exploration. And the multiplayer will give MEA some serious longevity. It has some graphics flaws to be sure, but I feel like the content is there to make up for it.

I don't get the banter complaints either; not every game needs to be brooding tone. Star Wars is perfectly light hearted in face of gallactic war (and film critics who value their audience wouldn't dare say otherwise).

 

[nOoblet16]

Funny how anyone believed them.



I'm talking about them destroying the last remnants of common sense and any remains of suspension of disbelieve along with them. You mentioning "space magic" which is universally panned as the crappiest thing ever happening in ME3 basically proves my point that such plot devices are nothing less than ME3's ending approach stretched to the whole MEA story.

But then again, Mac Walters is a creative director on this one so I'm not surprised in the slightest.

I was referring to mass relays, biotics and element zero when I said space magic, those are not exclusive to ME3.

The way it's explained in this game is that they built a telescope using Geth technology that used Mass Relays and used that telescope to gather information on Andromeda. We all know Mass relays in this universe are basically space magic that instantaneously teleports something across thousands of light years and no one really understands how it does it in ME universe.

 

[LastGamer84]

Whelp, that follow-up article did it. Not picking this up. I already had misgivings about the idea of ME: Inquisition- combine that with franchise apathy (ME3 really killed my interest), and I think I'm done. It's moving further away from what I'm looking for.

 

[Hari Seldon]

Whelp, that follow-up article did it. Not picking this up. I already had misgivings about the idea of ME: Inquisition- combine that with franchise apathy (ME3 really killed my interest), and I think I'm done. It's moving further away from what I'm looking for.

Yeah I can't believe they resorted to that stupid MMO shit again. The one thing that people universally hated about DA:I lol. Hard pass on this game. First Bioware game I have ever done that with.

 

[spekkeh]

Overall, this article is actually more brutal than Walker's, which could be dismissed as hyperbolic.

This part bums me out because it's what I disliked most about DAI.

8. It continues Dragon Age: Inquisition’s singleplayer MMO structure

Whole lotta collecting and crafting, whole lotta random skirmishing as you roam, whole lotta relentlessly scanning arbitrary items on a planet’s surface for nebulous research points that you can then spend on making/buying new stuff. It’s very game-y here. On the one hand, this gives you far more to do moment to moment, which is handy if you’ve burned out on quests, but on the other the hamster wheel structure is at odds with the central conceit – finding a new home and keeping an alien threat at bay.

It’s different in many ways – particularly because it’s a shooter rather than a stabber – but if you didn’t get on with DAI’s random encounters and loot-fountains, you’ll likely have similar issues here. I should say that I personally got on alright with DAI, but that was primarily down to enjoying the characterisation – and this is the area in which MAE has thus far most been lacking.

Just what Mass Effect needed, More barf illing.

Well I feel incredibly sad and also vindicated. The reason people were so riled up over DA:I was that it felt like a template. The game itself, meaning that very little of it felt hand crafted or auteured but everything was just going through the motions to fill up the template. And because of all the microtransaction possibilities and GOTY awards, a template for future Bioware games.

Mass Effect is my most loved new franchise of the last generation, I even really liked ME3. Heck, I'm probably a sucker who'll buy it anyway. But if this is true I hope EA chokes on my money.

 

[Jack The Nipper]

FUCK FUCK FUCK

Out of everything that could be tolerated from DA:I, this isnt one, it's the most insulting game design in modern gaming and BioWare picked it up and plopped it right into my beloved Mass Effect! Fucking ruined the god damn game, all the great talent from BW that made Mass Effect have gone, this is painful to read. Fuck your elfroot, books and animal skins. Fuck




Because ME and DA have always been different, one didn't influence the other. BioWare lost the father of Mass Effect to Microsoft after ME 3, now all hell's broken loose. I was assured this wouldn't happen, any link to DA would be marginal, light, almost undetectable.

I hoped that a few months back but ign showed an exploration video that showed it's the same as dai. So I don't get the confusion unless you missed that video

I had said it likely wouldn't buy it and would wait on impressions for that aspect

Not liking a game cause of animation and even some bad after isn't something I do. Especially animation... That ones a bit funny as games are all over the place on animation anyways. Story of can get but eh all stories are fake or similar so again I don't see if as a huge deal.

The large maps and fetch search quests though... Thats very painful to me

If it had no voice acting and took out the huge shit maps I would be happier. Smaller world's with more depth and paths is all I wanted. Nice cities etc but just like dai, probably spent more time making large ass maps than anything. Instead of unique crafted areas with nice level design. Doesn't mean it has to be linear. Semi open but not frustrating or random.

 

[MegaSackman]

The gameplay I experienced on Insane difficulty was great. Where I'm at currently, the story is gearing up for some compelling exploration. And the multiplayer will give MEA some serious longevity. It has some graphics flaws to be sure, but I feel like the content is there to make up for it.

I don't get the banter complaints either; not every game needs to be brooding tone. Star Wars is perfectly light hearted in face of gallactic war (and film critics who value their audience wouldn't dare say otherwise).

People are jumping to conclusions, they are already certain that the game is absolute trash based on animations and some dialogues out of context in a game that has kilometers of dialogues, and some previews of the first three hs that even those doen't say the game is trash.

 

[Bod]

Im just going to quote my post from another ME thread addressing those defending this product here as I feel it is applicable



There I feel better now. Shame on EA for what they've done.

Oh so you are using that true mass effect fan bullshit

 

[Tacitus_]

I was referring to mass relays, biotics and element zero when I said space magic, those are not exclusive to ME3.

The way it's explained in this game is that they built a telescope using Geth technology that used Mass Relays and used that telescope to gather information on Andromeda. We all know Mass relays in this universe are basically space magic that instantaneously teleports something across thousands of light years and no one really understands how it does it in ME universe.

Light doesn't work like that!

So we accept that the Mass Effect (relays) break space time on a local level, that's fine since it's needed for the series to work. But, they'd need a technobabble sender in Andromeda to get superluminal information back to the Milky Way.

 

[Trickster]

Mass Effect Andromeda is me giving Bioware a chance after DA:I. But if it's actually the case that ME:A is just more single player mmo content grinding like DA:I. Then I'm definitely gonna be very apprehensive about their games in the future...

 

[The Salt Life]

Combat does not feel as good as ME3.

More opportunities for tech and biotic combos in the MP

I just can't get over how the older games feel better performance wise?

 

[Jack The Nipper]

Yeah I can't believe they resorted to that stupid MMO shit again. The one thing that people universally hated about DA:I lol. Hard pass on this game. First Bioware game I have ever done that with.

I didn't realize many hated the maps on dai, mostly cause I played it blindly last month but I was super drained in the game after twenty hours as I saw it was painful to play the main world's. I don't remember any bioware game being l Ike that before..

It isn't fun and they should pay me to work that aimlessly honestly.

I liked the puzzles and some of the indoor levels but getting to those is work I don't want to do again.

 

[dr_rus]

I was referring to mass relays, biotics and element zero when I said space magic, those are not exclusive to ME3.

The way it's explained in this game is that they built a telescope using Geth technology that used Mass Relays and used that telescope to gather information on Andromeda. We all know Mass relays in this universe are basically space magic that instantaneously teleports something across thousands of light years and no one really understands how it does it in ME universe.

Actually, no. Mass Relays are pretty thoroughly explained in the original trilogy and that explanation is at least logical enough to not be considered "space magic". How exactly you use mass effect fields which reduce the mass of objects making FTL possible in a telescope is a mystery to me and does sound like space magic. Photons (or anything which can be used to "see" really) don't have mass so you can't use mass effect field for any kind of far reconnaissance.

 

[SomedayTheFire]

Light doesn't work like that!

So we accept that the Mass Effect (relays) break space time on a local level, that's fine since it's needed for the series to work. But, they'd need a technobabble sender in Andromeda to get superluminal information back to the Milky Way.

Yeah it seems that the magic telescopes work in the opposite way to her relays in the original trilogy. Unless I'm missing something big.

 

[Florida_Man_5000]

Combat does not feel as good as ME3.

More opportunities for tech and biotic combos in the MP

I just can't get over how the older games feel better performance wise?

How many skills do you have in single player? I only have 1 extra after 3 hours (on insane). If you don't have them, could that explain your dissonance between sp and mp?

 

[RexNovis]

Oh so you are using that true mass effect fan bullshit

Huh? I linked my post after seeing similar arguments being made in this thread because I felt it applied.

 

[The Salt Life]

How many skills do you have in single player? I only have 1 extra after 3 hours (on insane). If you don't have them, could that explain your dissonance between sp and mp?

I've been playing mp so I've used a lot of the skills, but I also been playing a lot of me3 mp recently and it just doesn't feel as satisfactory.

It feels like dragon age in space gameplay wise instead of mass effect

 

[Tacitus_]

Yeah it seems that the magic telescopes work in the opposite way to her relays in the original trilogy. Unless I'm missing something big.

Maybe they reversed the polarity on them ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

[obeast]

Actually, no. Mass Relays are pretty thoroughly explained in the original trilogy and that explanation is at least logical enough to not be considered "space magic". How exactly you use mass effect fields which reduce the mass of objects making FTL possible in a telescope is a mystery to me and does sound like space magic. Photons (or anything which can be used to "see" really) don't have mass so you can't use mass effect field for any kind of far reconnaissance.

How are the relays and other forms of FTL travel not "space magic" though? As I think I noted earlier in this thread, there is no connection between reduced mass and FTL travel in real-world physics. No matter how small your mass gets, you are still constrained by special relativity to the speed of light. Am I misremembering the technobabble about how FTL travel works in the Mass Effect universe?

 

[Florida_Man_5000]

I've been playing mp so I've used a lot of the skills, but I also been playing a lot of me3 mp recently and it just doesn't feel as satisfactory.

It feels like dragon age in space gameplay wise instead of mass effect

I have not yet tried mp, but yeah, in ME3 the combos were satisfying, especially the sound effects. I'll have to try out mp and see if I notice that.

 

[Durrzerker]

I really love the game, already went my full 10 hours

But I get why others might not, I just hope that it does well enough for a sequel.