T
TorontoReign
Guest
Defending Mass Effect Andromeda is akin to defending Fallout 4.
The official "Where we review Mass Effect: Andromeda" thread *spoilers*
- Thread starter CT Phipps
- Start date
Walpknut
This ghoul has seen it all
Seems the only thing keeping Bioware fanboys from realizing the Mass Effect series was extremely mediocre was bad facial animations. Bethesda fanboys tho, those are beyond help, they are almost on mind control.
CT Phipps
Carbon Dated and Proud
No, Mass Effect 3 was the series' Fallout 4.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is the Fallout 2.
Die-hards don't think like changes but it's still pretty damn good.
Vinsmoke
First time out of the vault
Mass Effect 3 isn't that bad. It has some big flaws but it also has some good writing, Mordin's character arc and the conclusion of the Genophage and Geth Storylines were really well done.
Prone Squanderer
A bit of a Sillius Soddus.
You're joking right?
Mass Effect 3 had its share of issues, primarily the ending and EA's business practices, but it was still a decent entry in the trilogy. We saw how our actions in the first two games affected our interactions with the other races in 3, we see how characters have developed. And as dated as the animations may be, at least people act and look human rather than possessed corpses.
EDIT: This is bad. No one should be expected to pay $60 for this.
I'm not sure what you're trying to say here, but if I've understood correctly then I find it funny how you're talking about people not liking changes when only a few posts ago you said you prefer to get the same thing over and over instead of something new.
Otherwise just ignore that point.
CT Phipps
Carbon Dated and Proud
Eh, I think of ME3 as a game coasting on the good will of the previous ones. Everything good in it came from previous memories of good stuff in ME1 and ME2. I, of course, am one of the few people who hated Samantha Traynor as replacing Yeoman Kelly. But yes, ME3 symbolized the "I don't give a ****" nature of the system as the major point of the game in getting points to fight the Reapers is completely irrelevant to the ending.
Andromeda has its flaws but it's got likable characters, fun gameplay, and a coherent self-contained story. It's not as ambitious as the original games but it does what it does well.
The facial graphics weren't nearly as bad as I'd expected either.
Everyone looks fine in my gameplay. ME3 is definitely inferior to Andromeda, even without the ending.
My point regarding Andromeda is it's pretty much the embodiment of a archetypal Mass Effect game and it does everything you'd want from an ME game right.
Prone Squanderer
A bit of a Sillius Soddus.
Totally, Traynor had way too much character and actually did useful things.
You can't have expected that much then.
ME3: "This war's brought us pain, and suffering, and loss. But it's also brought us together, as soldiers, allies... friends. This bond that ties us together is something that the Reapers will never understand. It's more powerful than any weapon, stronger than any ship. It can't be taken or destroyed. The next few hours will decide the fate of everyone in the galaxy. Every mother. Every son. Every unborn child. They're trusting you. Depending on you to win them their future. A future free from the threat of the Reapers!
But take heart! Look around you! You're not in this fight alone. We face our enemy together, and together, we will defeat them!"
MEA: "I think I pissed him off. Maybe because I shot him in the face!"
I got nothing more to add.
Then to me that's another added to the list of dead franchises.
Tell me you didn't buy the game or at least got it real cheap, because if you willing paid full price for it:
BigGuyCIA
Yer fond of me Lobster!
ME:A Culpa - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
----------
The Good:
- Combat flow and player controlled animations (movement) are much better than the original trilogy. There are some bugs but nothing significant enough to cause problems.
- Dynamic cover system is solid and works without any major issues.
- Game performance exceeded expectations. I didn’t experience any major hitches or hiccups during the 30-40 hour play through.
- The departure from the rigid class system is interesting and well-done. You can mix and match playstyles, or you can stick to a certain class (now called a profile) and earn benefits to various abilities (using tech abilities as an engineer will get you further than using combat abilities).
- Voice acting work for Scott Ryder is on par with Shepard’s voice work.
- Crafting system is a banal yet beneficial addition to the franchise.
- Cast of supporting characters (namely five of the six companions) are likeable, and each one has their own story to tell.
- The planets you visit are pretty interesting and the life-support system adds a meter you need to monitor when you’re exploring.
- Main story is decent and by no means terrible. It’s not pushing the potential that the setting had, but it set up the groundwork for an expanded universe nicely.
- The new alien species (Kett, Angara and Remnant) are interesting additions to the franchise. Each one has a significant amount of lore developed around them. The Kett, in particular, are a quasi-religious, military empire who are focused on finding galaxy clusters and ‘exalting’ them – aka assimilation (Borg). They believe that doing so is for the greater good (ala Tau Empire in Warhammer 40k). It’s very apparent that the writer’s borrowed heavily from various works of fiction when creating the Kett. Appears to be a blend of the Engineers (Alien), the Borg (Star Trek), and the Tau (Warhammer 40k).
- Ludo-narrative dissonance is minimal to non-existent. There’s no disconnect between the story (investigating and foiling the Kett) and the gameplay (exploration).
- The game involves making certain choices that have negative or positive outcomes throughout the story. Many decisions were open-ended – i.e., they will come into play in the sequels (the game is obviously set up as a trilogy). One very noticeable decision that stood out was choosing whether you oust the Asari Pathfinder for having betrayed her superior officer to save the Asari ark. I chose not to oust her, and she ended up fighting with me in the final battle and in turn saved the Captain of the Human Ark with a biotic shield when it crash-landed.
- Final mission against the Archon was enjoyable and somewhat difficult (Hardcore difficulty)
- Star Trek-esque vibe in the epilogue that was a nice touch (explorers of the unknown).
The Bad:
- Sara Ryder’s voice work was grating – like nails on a chalkboard.
- Somewhat annoying segment of the game where you must assume control of the other sibling to save your character. I didn’t like this because the game threw me a barebones pistol and a single omni-grenade.
- Ammunition options have been narrowed down to Warp, Incendiary, and Cryo. AP ammunition (my personal favorite) has been removed. Furthermore, ammunition functions as a consumable which grants you a temporary boost. I would have preferred the older system (ammo as a skill) because this change to consumables has gimped the Soldier class badly.
- Pistols, Snipers, and Shotguns outclass AR and SMG weapons.
- Planetary exploration is dull and uninspired. The exploration devolves into visiting various enemy camps and clearing them out to scan a piece of tech for a quest, and visiting three Remnant ruins so you can restore the terraforming technology.
- Restoring the terraforming technology on each planet is somewhat disappointing. Eos had a somewhat more involved process in that you could revisit the planet and see changes in the atmosphere and climate. The terraforming eventually unlocked areas that you could explore further. Planets that come after Eos don’t really do this, and the changes are near immediate. There’s no difference in exploring before or after activating the remnant terraforming technology.
- Minor tasks fall into Inquisition territory where you are doing things like scanning plants/ingredients for a bartender, finding beer for supervisor Kesh, or scanning space junk throughout the galaxy.
The Ugly:
- UI navigation is unintuitive and poorly done. Quest logs are tabbed rather than nested, and the crafting/research menu is cluttered.
- Navigating through space is a tedious chore and a step backwards.
- There’s a severe lack of quality and consistency in NPC character animations. The majority of NPCs are dead in the eyes and show little to no emotion.
- Character customization is completely gimped and a huge step backwards. The developers blatantly lied about the level of customization that would be available in ME:A, going so far as to say that it would be on par to Dragon Age: Inquisition (it’s not even close).
- NPC variation is incredibly poor and half-assed. Human NPCs use a variation of the character presets with different hair and some alterations, and the alien species all use the exact same facial geometry maps with some face paint splashed on.
- A transgender character was thrown in “just because” and it felt really artificial. The transgender character in DA:I actually had a purpose as being Bull’s second-in-command. That she turned out to be transgender was incidental - it was very subtle. The transgender character in ME:A is a shallow attempt at diversity for diversity’s sake.
- References to contemporary social-constructs/concepts that have no business in the Mass Effect universe, and are otherwise far too nuanced in scope for a Bioware writer to reliably talk about.
Conclusion:
The overall experience is mixed. A good way to describe the game would be a rollercoaster with lots of ups, downs, and slow sections. I recommend people watch a few playthroughs (after the first planet) and base their purchase on that information alone. There’s something special here but it’s bogged down by a lot of varying issues that drag you out of the experience.
I expected more from a five year development cycle.
----------
The Good:
- Combat flow and player controlled animations (movement) are much better than the original trilogy. There are some bugs but nothing significant enough to cause problems.
- Dynamic cover system is solid and works without any major issues.
- Game performance exceeded expectations. I didn’t experience any major hitches or hiccups during the 30-40 hour play through.
- The departure from the rigid class system is interesting and well-done. You can mix and match playstyles, or you can stick to a certain class (now called a profile) and earn benefits to various abilities (using tech abilities as an engineer will get you further than using combat abilities).
- Voice acting work for Scott Ryder is on par with Shepard’s voice work.
- Crafting system is a banal yet beneficial addition to the franchise.
- Cast of supporting characters (namely five of the six companions) are likeable, and each one has their own story to tell.
- The planets you visit are pretty interesting and the life-support system adds a meter you need to monitor when you’re exploring.
- Main story is decent and by no means terrible. It’s not pushing the potential that the setting had, but it set up the groundwork for an expanded universe nicely.
- The new alien species (Kett, Angara and Remnant) are interesting additions to the franchise. Each one has a significant amount of lore developed around them. The Kett, in particular, are a quasi-religious, military empire who are focused on finding galaxy clusters and ‘exalting’ them – aka assimilation (Borg). They believe that doing so is for the greater good (ala Tau Empire in Warhammer 40k). It’s very apparent that the writer’s borrowed heavily from various works of fiction when creating the Kett. Appears to be a blend of the Engineers (Alien), the Borg (Star Trek), and the Tau (Warhammer 40k).
- Ludo-narrative dissonance is minimal to non-existent. There’s no disconnect between the story (investigating and foiling the Kett) and the gameplay (exploration).
- The game involves making certain choices that have negative or positive outcomes throughout the story. Many decisions were open-ended – i.e., they will come into play in the sequels (the game is obviously set up as a trilogy). One very noticeable decision that stood out was choosing whether you oust the Asari Pathfinder for having betrayed her superior officer to save the Asari ark. I chose not to oust her, and she ended up fighting with me in the final battle and in turn saved the Captain of the Human Ark with a biotic shield when it crash-landed.
- Final mission against the Archon was enjoyable and somewhat difficult (Hardcore difficulty)
- Star Trek-esque vibe in the epilogue that was a nice touch (explorers of the unknown).
The Bad:
- Sara Ryder’s voice work was grating – like nails on a chalkboard.
- Somewhat annoying segment of the game where you must assume control of the other sibling to save your character. I didn’t like this because the game threw me a barebones pistol and a single omni-grenade.
- Ammunition options have been narrowed down to Warp, Incendiary, and Cryo. AP ammunition (my personal favorite) has been removed. Furthermore, ammunition functions as a consumable which grants you a temporary boost. I would have preferred the older system (ammo as a skill) because this change to consumables has gimped the Soldier class badly.
- Pistols, Snipers, and Shotguns outclass AR and SMG weapons.
- Planetary exploration is dull and uninspired. The exploration devolves into visiting various enemy camps and clearing them out to scan a piece of tech for a quest, and visiting three Remnant ruins so you can restore the terraforming technology.
- Restoring the terraforming technology on each planet is somewhat disappointing. Eos had a somewhat more involved process in that you could revisit the planet and see changes in the atmosphere and climate. The terraforming eventually unlocked areas that you could explore further. Planets that come after Eos don’t really do this, and the changes are near immediate. There’s no difference in exploring before or after activating the remnant terraforming technology.
- Minor tasks fall into Inquisition territory where you are doing things like scanning plants/ingredients for a bartender, finding beer for supervisor Kesh, or scanning space junk throughout the galaxy.
The Ugly:
- UI navigation is unintuitive and poorly done. Quest logs are tabbed rather than nested, and the crafting/research menu is cluttered.
- Navigating through space is a tedious chore and a step backwards.
- There’s a severe lack of quality and consistency in NPC character animations. The majority of NPCs are dead in the eyes and show little to no emotion.
- Character customization is completely gimped and a huge step backwards. The developers blatantly lied about the level of customization that would be available in ME:A, going so far as to say that it would be on par to Dragon Age: Inquisition (it’s not even close).
- NPC variation is incredibly poor and half-assed. Human NPCs use a variation of the character presets with different hair and some alterations, and the alien species all use the exact same facial geometry maps with some face paint splashed on.
- A transgender character was thrown in “just because” and it felt really artificial. The transgender character in DA:I actually had a purpose as being Bull’s second-in-command. That she turned out to be transgender was incidental - it was very subtle. The transgender character in ME:A is a shallow attempt at diversity for diversity’s sake.
- References to contemporary social-constructs/concepts that have no business in the Mass Effect universe, and are otherwise far too nuanced in scope for a Bioware writer to reliably talk about.
Conclusion:
The overall experience is mixed. A good way to describe the game would be a rollercoaster with lots of ups, downs, and slow sections. I recommend people watch a few playthroughs (after the first planet) and base their purchase on that information alone. There’s something special here but it’s bogged down by a lot of varying issues that drag you out of the experience.
I expected more from a five year development cycle.
Guys, when talking to Phipps, you should get used to the fact that he flip flops quite often on certain topics. Be it about quality, content, changes or the lack of them.
T
TorontoReign
Guest
Speaking of coasting on the goodwill of previous games how about Fallout 4 @CT Phipps?
Flip floppity floop.
Flip floppity floop.
I will be getting the game but when its on sale I will tell in about half. Of course paying full price for this sort of shit kinda sucks because you expect it to be so much. It does have some good points and some bad point.
My advice complete forget about it and pick it up in half a year for $20. They you wont have so much to lose and you cna form your own opion
My advice complete forget about it and pick it up in half a year for $20. They you wont have so much to lose and you cna form your own opion
CT Phipps
Carbon Dated and Proud
I'm pretty consistent on my preferences, it's just that seems to mark me as a Moon worshiping savage from Mars around here. I like long running franchises which don't change very much: Telltale Games, Assassins Creed, the Elder scrolls, Halo (before Guardians), Call of Duty, Mass Effect, Bethesda Fallout, and Dragon Age. Bioware, Ubisoft, and Bethesda in general. I don't like games which are too difficult and prefer story over challenge. Don't take the idea I prefer "mediocre games" literally so much as I like consistent products which I can depend on a yearly basis of purchase for fun and continuing the stories I like.
Is that so hard?
I thought my opinion was, "I liked it a lot but it was nowhere near as good as Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3."
Given I gave it an 8 out of 10 and the other two a 10 out of 10.
I also stated my 8 was conditional on the fact I liked the characters a lot.
I agree with you liking a franchise that can be consistent. Over 3 games mass effect built the franchise and they put out 3 good games. However Andromeda seems to be alot worst in many aspects compered to them games. But thats the things seriers can;t last forever they have to end. Just have three games and live it like that.
CT Phipps
Carbon Dated and Proud
Eh, that's the thing, Andromeda really went with what I liked about ME rather than what I didn't. The appeal of the franchise was creating living worlds full of politics, culture, and how "real life" in Space worked. Andromeda triples down on this element, being about getting all the species to work together despite the fact they hate each other as well as basic survival things like, "okay, this breathable atmosphere generator is busted and we have no parts to replace it" versus the increased focus on the Reapers.
To me, that is a really really good sign of the franchise deserving to continue.
Versus....
Well...
Halo.
Andromeda is the Anti-Halo 5/Guardians.
Well if you think so. The real problem with the pervoius statement you you mention change. Is that if you buy the same game all the time and not different ones game developers will keep having to make the same kinda of game all the time and that kinda sucks.
For me from what I have seen so far and read from reviews is that Andromeda trys (Can't remeber the wording exactly) But it was not new enough to be some new and not good enough to be similar to the older games. I kinda get that its the same has't really changed but yet does alot of things worse than the older games.
Its got a pretty decent meta critic score though so I does suggests it good in some ways.
I am just concered for the game indstury over all where people keep buying these games and they will eventually get shiity and shittier with even more mirco transtactions.
Now mass effect is wearing the EA badge it has come off alot worse (Not developers faults I know)
CerberusGate
I should save my game in a whole new slot
So to sum up, you're one of those consumers contributing to the problem of the industry by endorsing gimmick-filled yearly sequels. That explains the need to flip flop to defend said practice.
No one ever really does. Though I have friends who do mention Obsidian having well-written gay characters so that's something.
CT Phipps
Carbon Dated and Proud
I have to use small words to explain myself to people who can't come up with a reason why they dislike it.
Supreme Shah Ismail
Where'd That 6th Toe Come From?
So 11 hours in and im beginning to get a sense of fatigue out of it.
Ill play civilization 6 on the side while slowly going thru andromeda. spring break is around the corner so I will probably have a bit more time to get deeper into it later on.
Ill play civilization 6 on the side while slowly going thru andromeda. spring break is around the corner so I will probably have a bit more time to get deeper into it later on.
The notorious OVB
Minster of Truth
Bioware is only human after all, just gonna leave this here.
Also, back on the topic of the Krogan fight, Kirk fighting the Gorn looks better.
Also, back on the topic of the Krogan fight, Kirk fighting the Gorn looks better.
Walpknut
This ghoul has seen it all
In the wise words of YMS: Just enjoy the game by ignoring parts of the game!