[Megathread] Mass Effect Andromeda

[endersblade]

Honest to goodness Every single face I have ever seen from this game is an abomination and is completely turning me off from wanting to play this game.

[May90]

Finished the game today. 99% completion: did all quests I could find (except for 2 bugged tasks, and 1 task I messed up), explored all systems, found all hidden caches, talked to everyone after the final mission and such. 141 hours, which is almost as much as the entire ME trilogy completionist playthrough takes.

The game is truly fantastic, I haven't had so much fun with a video game in a long time. The main story seemed somewhat lame initially, but the final two missions were mind-blowingly awesome and redeemed it for me. Dialogues and the overall lore are a usual Bioware level, not any worse than in the previous games. Really loved the amount of interaction between the companions and the loyalty missions (hilarious, and yet featuring nice character evolution). Even the exploration component is really well made, looks like they learned a lot since Inquisition - although the game could use fewer "find 5 bodies and scan them before embarking on the journey to the villains' lair". Liked character progression and the gear system a lot, although, I think, the crafted weapons are way overpowered, compared to the gear you obtain by other means; not sure how it could be changed, but it is something to look into improving.
Also, they finally learned how to make sex scenes that don't look awkward as hell!!!

Multiplayer is also awesome, this is the only shooter multiplayer I never get bored with. Combat is a bomb, and I'm afraid it might spoil me too much and make replaying the trilogy less fun, because of how tame the combat there is. You leap around, use crazy abilities and weapons, set up combos, switch between profiles and weapons constantly - reminds me of Doom (2016) a lot, only a bit less 3-dimensional and more ability-heavy. The final boss fight was insanely intense, as are multiplayer missions on Gold.

The cons are mostly some questionable design decisions (wonky save system, weird spawn system), and... BUGS. This is probably the buggiest Bioware game ever, and while I would expect this level of bugginess from open world games like the ones Bethesda makes, I can't help but keep Bioware to a higher standard. Nothing game-breaking, but some bugs have you restart the game to be able to play further, get you stuck beyond the mission zone in multiplayer without the ability to get out, shut down all sound temporarily for no reason, make some optional task objects disappear without a trace.
Also, music was somewhat lacking, again, by Bioware standards. Some great tracks, such as main menu theme, a few story themes and a few combat themes - but also a lot of lacklustery ambient tracks that are just loops of various effects with no real themes.

Overall, the game is everything I wanted from it, and more (didn't expect to enjoy the multiplayer so much, I used to be against the multiplayer in single-player games, but my mind is changed now). A bit rough in technical implementation and some aesthetics, but excelling in almost everything else. Can't say I liked it more than ME2/ME3, I played those games too many times and they will always have a special place in my heart - but it is a true continuation to the series, and with a lot of potential for DLCs and sequels. Were it not for bugs, wonky save system and somewhat lacking soundtrack, I would give it 10/10; as it is, solid 9/10.

[Sixnalia]

Pfft, 2/10 from me just due the lack of Quarians, fuck Bioware =(

They're coming.

[NoiseTank13]

They're coming.

by then there will only be a small percentage of people left giving a damn

[RohanV]

Is there any difference in endings and such if you skip a lot of the side stuff? I'm getting a little tired of trying to do all the tasks/quests, and was thinking of just powering through the main story and companion quests.

[Ilikegreenfire]

Is there any difference in endings and such if you skip a lot of the side stuff? I'm getting a little tired of trying to do all the tasks/quests, and was thinking of just powering through the main story and companion quests.

If you don't find all 3 arks bad things happen

[PACOX]

The endings very slightly. Its tailored to a few choices you made but overall all endings are the. The only choice that matters is what Ilikegreenfire said. Also where is the krogan pathfinder?!?!?

[Ilikegreenfire]

The endings very slightly. Its tailored to a few choices you made but overall all endings are the. The only choice that matters is what Ilikegreenfire said. Also where is the krogan pathfinder?!?!?

I don't think they ever had one in the first place. Pretty sure the only reason they were even brought along was the need for muscle and because of Kesh.

- - - Updated - - -

Rumor also has it the who you bang can change the ending sligtly

[Elim Garak]

Also where is the krogan pathfinder?!?!?

They arrived as part of Nexus crew, no pathfinder was needed for their task, they didn't come to find paths. Also one of the directors is Krogan. And they managed to snatch a planet without SAM, they are Krogan after all. They don't crave no SAM.

[Deleted]

Also where is the krogan pathfinder?!?!?

The Krogan were hired as the Nexus engineering crew. Kesh wasn't even part of the director's team when the Nexus arrived.

[Deleted]

4 weeks remaining for fixes. Want to see that

[shammypie]

Honest to goodness Every single face I have ever seen from this game is an abomination and is completely turning me off from wanting to play this game.

welcome to the valley. your at the almost but not quite completely real section where male faces look believable and the females look ugly. i like they are going for more realistic but outside super model, faces look like butts.

[pateuvasiliu]

Finished it. Is there a way to see how long it took me? I'd say it was under 50 hours but that's just an estimate.


I'll admit it's way worse than I would've hoped for but way better than what I was told.

I expected something that was better than Mass Effect 3... it was not that.

Some of you may argue that the gameplay is better, but I disagree. The squadmates being retards that spam their skills and go die off randomly is not better gameplay. Sure, being able to make detonations on your own is nice and all, but Mass Effect was a strategic shooter RPG where you were meant to use your head. I put plasma seeking bullets on my Revenant, pumped points into shields/assault rifles/sniper and could kill anything. I think I died less than 10 times during it all, despite how fast you die if you peek out of cover on max difficulty.

The end fight was a bit disappointing, I expected a boss.

The time spent between planets/travelling is abysmal. Horrible. Having to watch 20 second intros to move from a planet in system A to a planet in system B... wasted time.

I'd give the gameplay an 8/10, where 10/10 was Mass Effect 3's combat and 7/10 was Mass Effect 2's. It's worse than ME3 because squad mates are moronic, but better than Mass Effect 2 because you can curl spells/bullets around cover to make the enemy jump out.


The squad mates are for the most part well done: Drack is an instant classic and among the best characters in the franchise, Vetra is adorable and Peebee wasn't as bad as I expected her to be. Liam, Jaal and Cora were boring as hell, though.


I went for the Vetra romance and found it sweet. I don't know in what universe a human would be attracted to a turian and I don't want to imagine how kissing/sex works, but the dialogue itself is endearing.


All in all, I'd give it a 7/10 on a scale where Mass Effect 3 was a 9-10. Those ratings I offer are strictly for Mass Effect, I don't consider ME3 to be the king of RPGs ( That's Gary the Metrosexual Fruitcake's territory ) but I think it's the best in the franchise... by far.


On a funny note, I recall how they said Ryder's nowhere near as strong/important as Shepard yet he quickly becomes one of the most important persons in Andromeda and has some whacky powers that Shepard couldn't dream of.

[Mellomania]

Finished it. Is there a way to see how long it took me? I'd say it was under 50 hours but that's just an estimate.

The time spent between planets/travelling is abysmal. Horrible. Having to watch 20 second intros to move from a planet in system A to a planet in system B... wasted time..

Should see it if you just go to load save, and then check the latest one.

You are able to skip planet travelling now, only system that takes time after the patch.

[pateuvasiliu]

37 hours. Did all loyalty missions bar Jaal and just a few sidequests. Not bad, I guess. Longer than the other mass effects, if you only count companion/main missions.

[Adam Jensen]

So . . . Backlash can deflect an Ascendant orb.



First few seconds is me deciding if I dare to risk a sync kill if I charge in to kill the adds. The tight area worried me that I wouldn't have room to dodge. Then I missed the orb first time Backlash was up (oops.) Then it killed him.

Granted, I'm sure he was missing a huge chunk of his health first, but still.

[Mistame]

Honestly, I fail utterly and completely to understand why her haircut has drawn the unstoppable rage of the internet. Seriously. I can't.

Honestly, I was more put off by her ass than anything else. Maybe that's where they put all of her biotics or something.

[mickybrighteyes]

They arrived as part of Nexus crew, no pathfinder was needed for their task, they didn't come to find paths. Also one of the directors is Krogan. And they managed to snatch a planet without SAM, they are Krogan after all. They don't crave no SAM.

At first I assumed it was only counsel species that got an ark and pathfinder... then I hear about the Quarians and fall back on "something something anti-krogan something blah blah".

From what I understand, that Krogan director wound up getting the job due in part to the uprising htat occurred where basically all the krogan left.

[I Push Buttons]

I went back to play some SWTOR since they have a double xp event going on for May the 4th...

How did Bioware fall so far..? Like random side quests in this 6 year old MMO have better voice acting and facial animations than Andromeda's main story :'(

[istroxpro]

I went back to play some SWTOR since they have a double xp event going on for May the 4th...

How did Bioware fall so far..? Like random side quests in this 6 year old MMO have better voice acting and facial animations than Andromeda's main story :'(

Yet, it is totally broken game (I mean SWTOR)
Andromeda is more multiplayer oriented than SWTOR.