Mass Effect Andromeda

[Ralph Wiggum]

Discussion on the latest foray into the Mass Effect universe from Bioware.

The reviews so far have been...lukewarm for such a highly anticipated game so far. Currently sitting at 77% on metacritic.

I'm about seven hours in and haven't even scratched the surface. This looks to be a game that will get a lot of playtime. There have been a lot of complaints about the quality of the facial rendering and animation. Now Bioware have typically been pretty average IMO when it comes to faces, but I had hoped for better on the Frostbite engine. So I agree with the criticism. But that aside, the graphics otherwise are pretty gorgeous. I've been on two alien worlds so far but the environments and set design n have been gorgeous. I hope this is the space exploration Mass Effect game people have been asking for.

Gameplay wise, it feels like a strong throwback to the original Mass Effect. You don't push a button to hide in cover, you merely walk up to it like the ME1. The pacing is slow at the beginning, and starts to pickup once you get your ship...very much like ME1. The inventory and mod system has returned with pickups, scavenging and management. I'm yet to try the research/crafting system.

There are annoyances, some minor like being unable to unequip a helmet, to the unforgivable like the lack of a quicksave system.

For a huge Mass Effect fan, I am enjoying a game which feels very much like ME1, but with upgraded graphics and combat. For newcomers, it'll be a bit of a slog to find the sweet spot.

[Disco]

I've been watching the reviews and I'm feeling less than impressed, I didn't play ME1 but got into the game with ME2/3 and this seems like a very lacklustre follow up.

[Mythor]

There are annoyances, some minor like being unable to unequip a helmet, to the unforgivable like the lack of a quicksave system.

There's an option buried somewhere in the settings that should let you be helmetless at all times. I set it to helmets off for conversations, but I'm pretty sure there was more "off" options.

I got about 5 hours into the trial version, at which point I hit an unpassable door. Haven't progressed past that yet. When I get time to load it up I'll probably stand around outside the door reading all the lore stuff I hadn't read due to time limit concerns in the trial.

[Ralph Wiggum]

There are annoyances, some minor like being unable to unequip a helmet, to the unforgivable like the lack of a quicksave system.

There's an option buried somewhere in the settings that should let you be helmetless at all times. I set it to helmets off for conversations, but I'm pretty sure there was more "off" options.

I got about 5 hours into the trial version, at which point I hit an unpassable door. Haven't progressed past that yet. When I get time to load it up I'll probably stand around outside the door reading all the lore stuff I hadn't read due to time limit concerns in the trial.

Yeah I googled it as well and ended up having it set as all helmets off. I believe the game will force a helmet on if you're in a poisonous/no air environment which is fine. I just thought it looked silly for me and my crew to be rockin around in full helmets when the NPCs are chillin with their heads exposed.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Okily dokily, finally getting round to posting some thoughts (spoiler free).

If I was to sum up my thoughts in ten points, they would be:
1. As a big Mass Effect fan (six playthroughts of the trilogy), I really enjoyed it.
2. You don't need to have played the previous trilogy, but obviously you well get more enjoyment knowing some of the little details.
3. It's a big single player game. Sometimes overwhelmingly big. I clocked 96 hours doing every single mission, side quest, and annoying fetch quest. Some parts feel repetitive. You can drive around on planets but I eventually made good use of the fast travel.
4. The graphics are a mixed bag. Yes, the animation can be iffy at times. Sometimes I questioned whether I was playing a game on the Frostbite engine as the graphics seemed bland (I'm playing on a GTX970). The planet designs however are mostly gorgeous, and some moments made me reach for the screenshot key.
5. The combat is more fluid and dynamic, and is the best of the series. It feels faster, louder, punchier, and is helped by a wide array of powers to choose from.
6. The game no longer locks you into specific classes, and gives you access to all powers from the combat, tech and biotic tree with the ability to save and load profiles. They're making the player feel more customisable but for an old Mass Effect dog, I stuck with the same powers.
7. The research and crafting (weapons/armour) aspect of the game is not explained very well, but at least it's there I suppose.
8. The game does give you a sense of exploration (though you have a limited number of planets you actually land on) and flying through space.
9. I found the game slow to get started, but once you get your ship and can travel between the planets, then it feels a lot better.
10. Overall I'd call it a solid game, but with some glaring faults which indicate a lack of polish and laziness from the developers.

[Sathias]

I'm about 10 hours in and really enjoying it. I love the premise of exploring a new galaxy and the game world feels suitably alien. And yeah Ralph, totally agree about the combat. The guns are really punchy and feel accurate.

[Mythor]

3. It's a big single player game. Sometimes overwhelmingly big. I clocked 96 hours doing every single mission, side quest, and annoying fetch quest. Some parts feel repetitive. You can drive around on planets but I eventually made good use of the fast travel.

What percentage completion did you end up with? I got to 97% but didn't do all the Tasks because trying to find all the damn things got a bit much after a while.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I'm sitting on 98% with one outstanding task which annoyingly can't be completed. It's finding the remnant data cores for Peebee which are mostly found in vaults. If you miss too many like I did, you can't go back because the vaults are locked. Bad design imo.

I agree the fetch quests were dumb, they were mostly time killers for me.

[Mythor]

It's finding the remnant data cores for Peebee which are mostly found in vaults. If you miss too many like I did, you can't go back because the vaults are locked. Bad design imo.

Ugh, yes, that's one of mine as well. With all your black market contacts and stuff you'd think they'd be available to buy from somewhere once you've finished the main story.