-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Mass Effect: Andromeda |OT| Ryders on the Storm
- Thread starter Blue Ninja
- Start date
I've already progressed past that point of the mission, but I do still have it on my quest log.
Slackbladder
Member
That quest does seem buggy as others have reported it on the EA forums. Once I get the message about going to the docking bay that's when it always crashes for me.
So far I have mixed feelings, tho I've played for about 15 hours over 3 days so I know it's not all bad:
Positives:
- great set up
- nice environments
- great shooting feel
- good characters (can't compare to the original trilogy but they had more time to be set up)
- Best vehicle controls
- lots of minor improvements such as customisable melee weapons
Negatives:
- Writing for side content is very mixed
- a lot of flabbily filler
- wish you had more control of team mates, without it they feel too similar in combat
- character models range from good (aliens) to meh to poor (some humans)
- performance and animation issues (playing on PS4 pro).
- weak pacing
I feel like for a teams first try at an RPG it's not bad but they're burdened with the Mass Effect name so you expect more.
I can't see this being high in my end of year rankings but I'd have hopes for a sequel, especially considering I can't ever bring myself to replay ME1 and ME2 is one of my favourite games ever.
Let's see if my opinion changes as we enter the second half. I'm going to try and avoid most of the non-character centric side content.
Positives:
- great set up
- nice environments
- great shooting feel
- good characters (can't compare to the original trilogy but they had more time to be set up)
- Best vehicle controls
- lots of minor improvements such as customisable melee weapons
Negatives:
- Writing for side content is very mixed
- a lot of flabbily filler
- wish you had more control of team mates, without it they feel too similar in combat
- character models range from good (aliens) to meh to poor (some humans)
- performance and animation issues (playing on PS4 pro).
- weak pacing
I feel like for a teams first try at an RPG it's not bad but they're burdened with the Mass Effect name so you expect more.
I can't see this being high in my end of year rankings but I'd have hopes for a sequel, especially considering I can't ever bring myself to replay ME1 and ME2 is one of my favourite games ever.
Let's see if my opinion changes as we enter the second half. I'm going to try and avoid most of the non-character centric side content.
It took me 35 hours to complete the story (with a number of loyalty and other missions on the side). I think the negativity towards the game is very justified, if a little exaggerated sometimes. My personal opinions are as follows:
-The story lacked a believable threat. The Geth and the Collectors both felt more intimidating than the Kell, and the Reapers are just in another league altogether. That was only part of it though, as the overall narrative felt very hands-off and borderline-pointless at times. The story missions tended to feel like busy work more than a necessary goal.
-The characters were mostly forgettable and devoid of the ability to create an emotional connection with the player. The original trilogy had no difficulties doing this in a timely manner.
-The technical issues were mostly aesthetic for me, but they detracted from the experience just as much. The character creation and faces / facial animation were lacking to the point of it being a distraction for quite some time, until I got used to it a bit.
-The navigation felt unintuitive (sometimes confusing) and driving the Nomad was clearly done to pad the game's clock as nothing was really gained by including it. The worlds were small and bland, with mountain ranges or chasms to force you drive the long way...
-Overall, Mass Effect Andromeda was okay. It wasn't even bad, it just wasn't good either, and is definitely the worst entry in the series and my second-least favourite BioWare game (with Dragon Age: Inquisition holding the title of worst). I think a Metascore around 70% is fair, which is slightly lower than where it presently sits.
-The story lacked a believable threat. The Geth and the Collectors both felt more intimidating than the Kell, and the Reapers are just in another league altogether. That was only part of it though, as the overall narrative felt very hands-off and borderline-pointless at times. The story missions tended to feel like busy work more than a necessary goal.
-The characters were mostly forgettable and devoid of the ability to create an emotional connection with the player. The original trilogy had no difficulties doing this in a timely manner.
-The technical issues were mostly aesthetic for me, but they detracted from the experience just as much. The character creation and faces / facial animation were lacking to the point of it being a distraction for quite some time, until I got used to it a bit.
-The navigation felt unintuitive (sometimes confusing) and driving the Nomad was clearly done to pad the game's clock as nothing was really gained by including it. The worlds were small and bland, with mountain ranges or chasms to force you drive the long way...
-Overall, Mass Effect Andromeda was okay. It wasn't even bad, it just wasn't good either, and is definitely the worst entry in the series and my second-least favourite BioWare game (with Dragon Age: Inquisition holding the title of worst). I think a Metascore around 70% is fair, which is slightly lower than where it presently sits.
IIRC it opens up a door with either research or loot inside.
He looks like a kirby plushie with dreadlocks.
bonesmccoy
Banned
Bioware really needs to patch out the space map transition stuff.
There's no way QA testers didn't flag this immediately.
rockinreelin
Member
Thank god for the fling trainer that has super speed, it cuts down those tortuous space transition scenes by half =p.
Slackbladder
Member
Yep did that right in front of the sun. I think visually this is my favourite planet. Pure Syd Mead fantasy.
Trickster
Member
I more or less agree with those points.
I would add some to the cons list though.
- Planet exploration. It's just not particularly fun or satisfying when all you find are superficial structure or camps that offer nothing of interest other than a random loot chest.
- Dialogue options and choices. This just feels super lacking, there's very little the player can ever do to change the outcome of conversations or situations. The vast majority of the time, what dialogue boils down to the player choosing between 2 or 4 different ways of the saying the same thing.
Slackbladder
Member
I'm not liking the Angara design in general. As you say they look like they're full of cotton wool stuffing. And why the wonky legs again? The armour isn't too bad but I just can't dig their design.
Oh okay. Maybe I didn't notice it and took the loot.
Slackbladder
Member
This isn't always true though. There are conversations that end in two different ways, usually with someone alive or dead. And though camps have loot they do also have datapads which have some text, as well as upon collecting all data leads to a conclusion. Whether or not it's any fun is of course questionable but it's not just loot chests.
This gun build looks hilarious - SMG with Bio-Converter and Grenade Launcher - would be even funnier if you add ricochet I imagine-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llG2TYFgN4k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llG2TYFgN4k
Durrzerker
Banned
Why do Angara look like someone partially deflated a draenei
They are space cats
Royal_Phalanx
Member
A Sara who is in a relationship with Jaal is a furry
This won't stop me
Hasphat'sAnts
Member
So I just got to
and two other priority ops popped up. They're not
The game seemed to be suggesting they are.
Kadara
mutually exclusive missions, right?
They did some really cool things with the core combat. Damn shame the encounter design is so dull.
Agreed on this. Her loyalty mission was insufferable with the worship.
Now Vetra, she is awesome.
Royal_Phalanx
Member
Well, didn't stop me either, my Sara went where no human has gone before, that sex scene was..pretty good banging indeed
Don't you dare talk about the future Mrs. Cora Ryder like that. Haha, I agree. Romanced her, but it was too much for me as well. Asari huntresses this, asari that nonstop.
I see what you did there..
Kevin Shields
Member
Still debating this. Gaf consensus seems to be same as everyone else's opinion. How does it compare to Mass Effect 3?
Her romance scene is... well.... animated. Makes me wonder how the game would have turned out with proper animations throughout. Even with the YA Novel dialogue writing.
Fatalmephisto
Member
Okay so Ryder's Dance is rather interesting, weather doing it at a bar or in your own quarters. Dancing to the ME Trilogy Map them, is just Weird and awesome.
Royal_Phalanx
Member
Get Ryder to drink the mystery drink
at Sloane's party during Reyes' questline
I think the only things it does better than ME3 is the gameplay and the exploration. Everything else is pretty much a step down of varying degrees.
It's a good game in it's own right but compared to the trilogy, it's just not firing on all cylinders in the way ME fans would want.
It also fleshes out crewmates better than ME3 or any other game really. It feels nice that they are always going around doing their own thing, talking to other crew mates without you. The exposition you get in conversations post mission is also more detailed and in depth. Overall they get a lot more screentime.
Fatalmephisto
Member
Awww Crap I didn't do that on my first play through, Ill do it on my new game + play through.
Freeman76
Member
Its just as good but in different ways. It has everything the other games had but its a new cast and since its more open worldy the narrative isnt as tight.
The performance is an issue on consoles if that puts you off though.
Part of me was hoping that it would be a running gag that Ryder refuses to ever dance. Would've been fun to get a dance prompt at one of the bars and just hear Ryder say, "No thanks, I don't like to dance." or, "Dancing isn't really my style..." any time you attempt it.
A trail of hope mission spoiler:
Also I love Ryder a lot more than Shepard (playing as female Ryder).
So I chose to save the angaran instead of destroy the facility but then, the cardinal acted like I was doing it for the archon etc so I shot her and it was so so damned satisfying.
Also I love Ryder a lot more than Shepard (playing as female Ryder).
Fatalmephisto
Member
I was going to post something about Ryder and how I dig her more but I didn't want to yelled at by people. Don't get me I LOVE Shepard and always will but there's something about Ryder that just gels with me more then her.
orichalcos
Member
I am done with Ryder Family Secrets side mission.
Hell yeah:
etc.
I love it. \o/
Hell yeah:
-Milky Way
-Shepard
-Shadow Broker
-Reapers
-The Old Vakarian (Garrus's father)
-Liara
-Sound of a Reaper attack
-Message from ME3 time... ("We build a weapon" )
-Shepard
-Shadow Broker
-Reapers
-The Old Vakarian (Garrus's father)
-Liara
-Sound of a Reaper attack
-Message from ME3 time... ("We build a weapon" )
etc.
I love it. \o/
Fatalmephisto
Member
Make sure you do the Side quest in kadara called Mind Games. Its a nice little throw back to
cerberus