Mass effect: Andromeda
Discussion
He is right I think, it's a good game let down by some annoying flaws. It's not game breaking for me at all, I haven't sunk this much time into a game for a long time. Of course, your mileage may vary on it as with anything - I couldn't get past the first 3 hours of the Witcher 3.
The world design is great though, and I do think the combat is the best of the series by far.
The world design is great though, and I do think the combat is the best of the series by far.
MrBrightSi said:
Ignoring my previous posts about why I had issue buying the game on day 1 and paying attention to the posts where I try to get across what made me fall in love with the first 3 games. Does this build on the original universe of mass effect? Does it carry on building one of the most believable sci-fi worlds out there next to Star Trek TNG sort of stuff, educational and fantastical lore with combat and wide setting?
There's still a huge amount of lore and the codex is vast. There has been suggestions that they should add it to the app because it would make for better reading when you're not actually trying to play the game.The combat is the best in the series, they've taken away managing your squad (use of powers and selecting gear) and changed it with a simple 'go here/attack that command' system but the AI and your squad competence is much better and the priming and detonating of powers is now much more easily done on your own. There are still instances where they'll knock down someone you're aiming at or they charge into a crowd of enemies but they more often than not survive. I know jetpacks/double jumps/verticality aren't a new concept in gaming but it is for third person and has added a lot to the combat. It still has an element of tactics too it (all your enemies have similar jump abilities too) but it's a lot more fast paced. The only negative from me is the Vanguard, you can't just charge and nova constantly anymore.
I have seen gripes about the setting, the protagonist, the voice acting and the story but this seems pretty marmite.
In terms of story, they've made the Kett into your cliche bad guys... but this is a game, not the opera or an indie film about morality, you kind of have to have that, if you don't you end up with startchild at the end of ME3 and we all know how that went. They also have to leave room for sequels and multiple DLCs and I don't think that's done badly.... I suppose you can also blame the ME3 ending for the new setting as they backed themselves into a bit of a corner. But the new galaxy is good. Some of the planets are amazing, I guess more intelligent species might have been good but it's never felt that it missed that.
The voice acting is OK, in fact through my 40+ hours so far I can count the cringey lines on one hand. I think the problem being that a lot of them appear early on (and you get introduced to a female Krogan that isn't obviously female so you assume drag/gayKrogan or simply ridiculous voice)..... and we don't have a Martin Sheen, Keith David etc.
I think there are three reasons people don't seem to like the default Ryders.
The first, unlike the original trilogy, the male option seems to have the best voice acting, dialogue lines and suffers much less from the dodgey facial animations yet a lot have chosen Sarah for their first playthrough based on how the original trilogy was.
The second is the setting, you're in a new galaxy as an unproven, civilian youngster not some super soldier already known throughout the galaxy, tasked with saving the species. Ryder is thrown in at the deep end and is pretty unconfident about a lot of choices. You sometimes have dialogue options that just ask others for their opinions..... and you can't headbutt any Krogans (so far).
The third is the dialogue choices themselves. There's no more be a dick or saint option. You have a much more varied set of responses and none that are locked to some you picked before so you can be a dick sometimes and not others. There are still renegade type interrupts but the choices aren't that black and white.
It is wholeheartedly a Mass Effect game and I'm enjoying it. As with the original trilogy I've found the non human squadmates better than those you start with (although Liam develops well but Cora gets worse and worse). Peebee, Drack and Jaal are all pretty good but I've not used Vetra much.
They've made the other species their 'real' sizes too, with the Salarians being a lot taller and the Turians look a lot more avian. Not just humans with different heads and a slightly different armour sets. The only let down is the Asari, who are all identical but for their colour. On the plus side, the Krogan MP characters have a proper meaty swagger when they run now and when you use the dash or jet pack their little lizard feet just dangle!
I suppose therein lies the problem with reviews. I'd praise the character designs in most of the game as being way ahead of the original trilogy with the exception of the Asari whereas a review would say something like 'Lazy/poor character designs, just look at those Asari'.
I know it's blasphemy but I daresay I prefer Drack to Wrex....
simo1863 said:
I know it's blasphemy but I daresay I prefer Drack to Wrex....
I'm with you on this and I flipping LOVE Wrex.I'd echo most of the above, personally I'm really enjoying it. The best thing about Mass Effect for me was always about the choices you made affecting the game world and I'm getting much more of a sense of that from this than even any of the previous ME games. I've gone into it with a kind of happy-clappy can't we all just get along mindset and I'm trying to build the Initiative that way but with all the shooting I'm doing I'm starting to wonder if I made a mistake and should have gone more militaristic but hey ho these are the things I enjoy.
It's the first game since Witcher 3 that's made me impatient to get back to playing it. The first couple of missions are a bit meh but once you get past them there is so much to do, I only get limited time to play these days and I don't know where to start half the time but it's a nice problem to have!
Can't say I've had much of a problem with the Menus and such, its no worse than any other RPG I've played just have to get used to it.
All in all I'm happy.
Fallout 4 felt like you were putting on an old pair of slippers.
This game is like ME1 done now with some spit and polish.
I think Bioware, if they had innovated more, would have been accused of not releasing a true mass effect game. Of course now they've been accused of just releasing the same old thing.
Take into account the still lingering animosity from ME3, the fact that there's no Shepard (which some people are really struggling with) and some of the lingering technical issues (which in my opinion have been vastly overblown) then Bioware were on a hiding to nothing.
This game is like ME1 done now with some spit and polish.
I think Bioware, if they had innovated more, would have been accused of not releasing a true mass effect game. Of course now they've been accused of just releasing the same old thing.
Take into account the still lingering animosity from ME3, the fact that there's no Shepard (which some people are really struggling with) and some of the lingering technical issues (which in my opinion have been vastly overblown) then Bioware were on a hiding to nothing.
Edited by vonuber on Wednesday 29th March 13:28
Thanks for a chunky and great-to-read response. When i've completed the original trilogy (2-3 to go, managed to get achievements for 1 like 10+years on from my original playthrough) I might purchase the game, considering it more than ever now.
EA owes you some serious pennies.
Edit: Many thanks to everyone elses posts in regards to mine, consider my crusade against an employee over, i'll give this game a chance on merits alone.
EA owes you some serious pennies.
Edit: Many thanks to everyone elses posts in regards to mine, consider my crusade against an employee over, i'll give this game a chance on merits alone.
Edited by MrBrightSi on Wednesday 29th March 14:38
been rinsing the MP lately and there's a few things that seem different to ME3.
The combo detonations and explosions don't seem to do much in terms of damage, even if they look pretty. Especially the Cryo blast.
Melee seems to be the best route to Gold, building a character around melee damage and health & Shield regen you can headbutt or punch your way to victory pretty easily once you get a character past level 10 ish.
The enemies that one-shot can be dodged or characters can be spec'd to not be one-shotable.
It's not much fun though once you've cleared 3-4 Golds in a row by just headbutting stuff.
Infiltrator still seems very good with the Vanquisher and the Angara Insurgent is very powerful.
Grenades are decent.
The combo detonations and explosions don't seem to do much in terms of damage, even if they look pretty. Especially the Cryo blast.
Melee seems to be the best route to Gold, building a character around melee damage and health & Shield regen you can headbutt or punch your way to victory pretty easily once you get a character past level 10 ish.
The enemies that one-shot can be dodged or characters can be spec'd to not be one-shotable.
It's not much fun though once you've cleared 3-4 Golds in a row by just headbutting stuff.
Infiltrator still seems very good with the Vanquisher and the Angara Insurgent is very powerful.
Grenades are decent.
Encountered a bug yesterday:
https://youtu.be/1RbPr5vraWU
Getting stalked by a dead Coral on the tempest..
https://youtu.be/1RbPr5vraWU
Getting stalked by a dead Coral on the tempest..
I am going to wait until this appears with all the DLC included, as others have said the competition for sci-fi games these days is high. You have the crazy expanse exploration of elite and the in depth sandbox of star citizen (when ever its released). On top of this there are a flood of titles on the horizon that are trying new things. This just looks like the same old formula. I personally felt that ME2 was the best out of the original series and it seemed to dumb down a lot for ME3.
Mannginger said:
MrBrightSi said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Be prepared for lots of elevators.I kept my old copies. The backwards compatibility does work, as does buying DLC through the store. I don't know why it's causing you an issue, both 1 and 2 have required about 7 gig a piece to install, both with files coming online and from the disc, so it's a puzzler, hope you figure it out.
Just finished Mass effect 2 on the run up to buying Andromeda.
For you guys going back through the original trilogy, honestly get The Arrival. It's an incredible DLC, they're not especially long this and the shadowbroker dlc, but both have extra fun gameplay and add a lot of depth to the story, the shadowbroker terminals in the base add depth and the ending of The Arrival made the reaper invasion feel imminent not something in a game 2-3 years away.
For you guys going back through the original trilogy, honestly get The Arrival. It's an incredible DLC, they're not especially long this and the shadowbroker dlc, but both have extra fun gameplay and add a lot of depth to the story, the shadowbroker terminals in the base add depth and the ending of The Arrival made the reaper invasion feel imminent not something in a game 2-3 years away.
Lair of the Shadow Broker was - at the time - my favourite piece of DLC for anything, ever. It's still strong today. Arrival was great as well, but if we're talking about ME DLC we have to talk about ME3s Citadel. It was basically a farewell to Shepard and the crew, played out over what was a potentially serious quest line that had its tongue firmly in its cheek, allowing every cast member from the trilogy a chance to say farewell, with bickering, infighting and banter aplenty, even when things looked desperate.
It was terrifically written and wonderfully acted by a team who clearly loved the cast as much as we do, and was a fitting send off for the likes of Garrux, Wrex and of course Shepard him/herself.
It was terrifically written and wonderfully acted by a team who clearly loved the cast as much as we do, and was a fitting send off for the likes of Garrux, Wrex and of course Shepard him/herself.
MrBrightSi said:
I kept my old copies. The backwards compatibility does work, as does buying DLC through the store. I don't know why it's causing you an issue, both 1 and 2 have required about 7 gig a piece to install, both with files coming online and from the disc, so it's a puzzler, hope you figure it out.
Need the discs apparently, otherwise it won't work.Gassing Station | Video Games | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff