Mass Effect: Andromeda

[Flawless]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

Messed around with the trial on PC enough to know I want to play it at some point. Curious to hear non-spoiler impressions on where it goes, because it does get better before the cut-off point.

Anybody else play the trial on PC and experience frame rate drops, specifically during transitions in conversations? Maybe new drivers will fix this.

Some environment screens I took.

http://i.imgur.com/eOPxx2d.png

http://i.imgur.com/89InpDB.png

http://i.imgur.com/UbNuQgQ.png

[Flawless]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

Some reviews:


Eurogamer

Where the original Mass Effect games kept you moving through the story, Andromeda relegates its critical path to second place, offering up a spread of loosely associated scenarios that just happens to include a fairly uninspired tussle with a genocidal tyrant. It's a game that is more interested in keeping you busy than keeping you in suspense about what happens next, or making you feel the consequences of your actions.
...

The lion's share of Andromeda's missions are busywork - go to a waypoint, scan 10 Remnant collapsible shelving units with your ugly wrist-mounted display, scoop up five mineral deposits for some lazy boffin back on the Nexus, blow up three raider outposts, and so forth.

The last of Mass Effect: Andromeda's major shortcomings is, I hope, a temporary fixture: this is one of the most technically uneven games I've ever reviewed, though also one of the more beautiful. On a good day you can expect frequent texture pop-in, facial animations that run the gamut from "just had my Botox" to "quick, phone the exorcist", and performance that sags from 30 frames a second into what feels like single digits. And on a bad day? Well, where to begin. The least bothersome bugs include enemies getting stuck in mid-air after leaping out of dropships, or trapped inside objects. Further up the scale of severity, I've encountered the odd piece of dialogue audio that won't play, dooming the participants to an eternal stare-off, and a boss that spawns hundreds of metres from where the script suggests it should appear, as though hurrying back from a cheeky cigarette break.

PC Gamer - 8

Marred by inconsistency and in need of a polish pass, this vast new sci-fi frontier nonetheless rewards dedicated exploration.

Game Informer - 8

When taken as its own journey (and not in comparison to Shepard’s saga), Mass Effect: Andromeda is fun, and the important parts work. The narrative isn’t astounding, but keeps you invested and drives you forward. The combat is entertaining whether you're in single-player or multiplayer. The crew isn't my favorite, but I like them and they have some good moments. Even with its other problems, these are the largest forces shaping your experience with Mass Effect: Andromeda, and they make it worth playing. At the same time, I was often left looking through a haze of inconveniences and dreaming about the game it could have been.

IGN - 7.7

Mass Effect: Andromeda is an expansive action role-playing game with a few great moments that recapture the high points of the landmark trilogy that came before it, and energetic combat and fantastic sound effects contribute to a potent sci-fi atmosphere. Without consistently strong writing or a breakout star in its cast to carry it through the long hours and empty spaces, however, disappointments like a lack of new races, no companion customization, and major performance problems and bugs take their toll.

Polygon - 7.5

Let’s be clear: I’m conflicted about Mass Effect: Andromeda. There’s a lot of roughness throughout the game, and the technical issues, while not game-breaking, are often incredibly distracting.

But it’s my time with the cast that I’m still thinking about, and the mysteries about the world that haven’t been answered that make me feel like I’m waiting once again for a new Mass Effect game. And if I’m judging a game by where it leaves me, Andromeda succeeds, even if it stumbled getting there.

US Gamer - 3/5

The weak main quest was much on my mind while I was deciding how to score Mass Effect Andromeda, as were the comparatively shallow mechanics and repetitive enemies. Even the much ballyhooed planets offer comparatively little to discover outside of pretty scenery, resources, and bandit camps (happily, there are so many quests that you rarely notice). The character models and animation, obviously, were a factor as well, though they weren't as noticeably bad in my playthrough as the hype would suggest. The vast, rather beautiful landscapes definitely helped.

All of these issues keep Andromeda from reaching its full potential, and it's a shame to see BioWare play it so safe with such a rich setting. But I still managed to mostly enjoy my time with Andromeda, and I may even go back to completing some stray quests once this review is live. There's an overwhelming amount to do in this game, and I'm still invested enough in the setting to want to continue visiting it.

In that, I suppose, Mass Effect Andromeda does its job as a soft reboot for a new series. It certainly doesn't hit the highs of its predecessors, but it still feels nice to be back in the Mass Effect universe, which is richer and more interesting than I remembered, kett or no kett. I just hope that the inevitable sequel is a step forward rather than another step back.

Gamespot - 6

In many ways, Andromeda feels like a vision half-fulfilled. It contains a dizzying amount of content, but the quality fluctuates wildly. Its worlds and combat shine, but its writing and missions falter--and the relative strength of the former is not enough to compensate for the inescapable weakness of the latter. As a Mass Effect game, Andromeda falls well short of the nuanced politics, morality, and storytelling of its predecessors. For me, the series has always been about compelling characters and harrowing choices, so to find such weak writing here is bitterly disappointing. Yet even after 65 hours, I still plan on completing a few more quests. The game can't escape its shortcomings, but patient explorers can still find a few stars shining in the darkness.

ACG - Rent or wait for sale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzJc6jo-0XA

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kzJc6jo-0XA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[N51_rob]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

No you don't need to know anything about the trilogy. It's a soft reboot of the franchise.

I'm jealous that you have your 10 hours. I wish I had 10 more.


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I may have created another account bought one month of live and and access just to play it again....


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[PVarck31]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

Still getting this despite the average reviews.

Exploring a galaxy is what's most appealing to me. Seeing different planets and what goes a lot with them is a big draw for me.

[Cubfan]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

I played 3 hours on Xbox 1 through EA Access and enjoyed my time with it. Nice to be able to go between the different powers and not be tied down to just one. Didn't run in to any technical issues.

[souljahbill]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

Woohoo!


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[The 24th Letter]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

I take all reviews with a grain of salt of course but it sucks to hear that the game may be light on story/morality choices.

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[Skyboxer]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

With The Show coming and still into Ghost recon I am ok waiting for a patch/sale to get this.

[The JareBear]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

The Polygon and PC Gamer reviews actually have me prettt excited.

Sounds like an incredible amount of content, and in sure the game will be polished as much as possible with some patches

[Sandman42]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

After playing Eos in the trial and now seeing the reviews my worst fear that this is Mass Effect: Inquisition is realized. The animations I can look past, its the boring mission design and writing that'll keep me off of this one. Shame that this is the series that had one of the most chill inducing dialogue sequences ever in the Sovereign conversation in ME1. Looks like I'll wait a year until this is free on Origin Access.

Too many good games out now to play a mediocre Mass Effect spin off.

[N51_rob]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

So I've watched a few streams last night and this morning and the one complaint that I have is this....

Spoiler

The lack a races in Andromeda. Going back to ME1 you had Humans, Turians, Salarians, Kroga, Asari and even the extinct Rachni. Not counting all the others like Hanar. I could be wrong but from what I've seen there are the Kett and Angara. I could be wrong because I really didn't want a lot of the game spoiled so I didn't stay in a singles stream to long. But I will be personally disappointing if we find this brand new galaxy only to find two sapient species in the entire Andromeda galaxy.

Now, clearly that leaves the door open for more allies and enemies in any sequels, but I'd still be kinda bummed out. I enjoyed learning the histories of the milky way races in ME1 and each sequels.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

So I've watched a few streams last night and this morning and the one complaint that I have is this....

Spoiler

The lack a races in Andromeda. Going back to ME1 you had Humans, Turians, Salarians, Kroga, Asari and even the extinct Rachni. Not counting all the others like Hanar. I could be wrong but from what I've seen there are the Kett and Angara. I could be wrong because I really didn't want a lot of the game spoiled so I didn't stay in a singles stream to long. But I will be personally disappointing if we find this brand new galaxy only to find two sapient species in the entire Andromeda galaxy.

Now, clearly that leaves the door open for more allies and enemies in any sequels, but I'd still be kinda bummed out. I enjoyed learning the histories of the milky way races in ME1 and each sequels.

One thing about alien races:

Spoiler

It appears as though (both from early access and reviews, that your exploration of this new galaxy is limited to specific worlds within it that are deemed habitable. Plus, it also appears the Kett don't take too kindly to anyone...lol...so it could be that species are either limited or more scattered due to that.

Since the first ME series took place in an established network with established species and this one is operating more in the unknown, it may be that it simply takes more time (either in game or, as you mentioned, through sequels) to discover other races.

Not saying that it really changes much in terms of how it's received (I am also hoping to discover more species)...only saying why it would make sense if that were indeed the case.

[C the Lyte]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

I've seen the reviews. I guess they have some merit for general purposes. But me, I'm just itching to dive in past the trial portion. May even take a day off tomorrow from work. Do the do that anymore for games. But this game has its hooks in me for some reason. Almost Witcher 3 like excitement for me.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

Metacritic is averaging around 75% for the PS4 version. I'm sure that will go up with patches fixing certain things.

The Polygon reviewer spent 80 hours on his game and said he had a few things left. Another guy said he spent 45 hours and was 75% complete so there is a lot of content even if some may be too much filler. Most people really enjoyed the combat although there was a complaint about only being able to map 3 powers to each loadout (which requires pausing to change). I remember feeling a bit limited in DAI with 8 + the 1 basic attack lol.

[Flightwhite24]

Re: Mass Effect: Andromeda

Might want to check your local Gamestops. Mine is releasing at 9pm


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