[Megathread] Mass Effect Andromeda

[Jastall]

Man this game got blasted by reviews. For a AAA title to average 75 (78 on PC)... hot damn.

Yet I'm watching Totalbiscuit's stream and, I dunno, it seems like a lot of fun. Sure, there's a cringey line here and there and facial animations are really bad for a 2017 big budget game, but apart from that it seems good. The side-quests have context to them and aren't just fetching, the areas look nice, the VA work is decent across the board if you exclude Addison, and the combat looks very fun. So far it really doesn't seem like a game that deserves the lambasting (relatively speaking) it got.

It's especially ironic to see PC Gamer give this a much lower score than they gave DA2, which was worse as I see it.

[Edge-]

also on the subject of "there is no objectively bad writing" oh boy have a gander at mass effect: deception

Is your face tired? : P

[SDMF]

Is your face tired? : P

I swear to you, if I told any of my female friends that her face looks tired, she'd tear me a new asshole. It's just such an odd fucking way of saying "you look tired".

[Sunseeker]

I can see some resemblance but not enough to be a close resemblance. I cant tell if I see it because I am looking for it.

He's designed to look like his VA. That's like, in that VAs contract with everyone. Seriously, check out all the characters he's played.

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Man this game got blasted by reviews. For a AAA title to average 75 (78 on PC)... hot damn.

Yet I'm watching Totalbiscuit's stream and, I dunno, it seems like a lot of fun. Sure, there's a cringey line here and there and facial animations are really bad for a 2017 big budget game, but apart from that it seems good. The side-quests have context to them and aren't just fetching, the areas look nice, the VA work is decent across the board if you exclude Addison, and the combat looks very fun. So far it really doesn't seem like a game that deserves the lambasting (relatively speaking) it got.

It's especially ironic to see PC Gamer give this a much lower score than they gave DA2, which was worse as I see it.

I think to a large degree, the bolded portion of your post is what sold it for me. I liked DAI....but unless you played fetch it didn't feel like there was very much to the core game and playing fetch for a million pieces of random garbage made me bored. They seemed to have learned from that and the fetch quests are now very relevant to the things you're doing in game, which even though I fundamentally understand they're still "fetch" quests, makes them supremely more interesting and engaging to me. Like, instead of finding crystal skulls, I'm finding colonist corpses...which is morbid as hell but totally relevant and I like that.

[I Push Buttons]

I am starting to really agree with the reviewers about the interface/menus being bad.

I didn't really care at first, but now its getting annoying. Like crafting... You go into development and hit weapons... It lists EVERY SINGLE weapon schematic you have, including multiple tiers of the same weapons, across all weapon categories... And they aren't even in alphabetical order or separated by type. I don't even get why they would do it this way considering it was done pretty well in Inquisition where things were separated and ranked in order of tier and what not.

[Lahis]

I am starting to really agree with the reviewers about the interface/menus being bad.

I didn't really care at first, but now its getting annoying. Like crafting... You go into development and hit weapons... It lists EVERY SINGLE weapon schematic you have, including multiple tiers of the same weapons, across all weapon categories... And they aren't even in alphabetical order or separated by type. I don't even get why they would do it this way considering it was done pretty well in Inquisition where things were separated and ranked in order of tier and what not.

Form over function and console controls. They wanted everything to circle around the center circle instead of making functional menus.

[Edge-]

I am starting to really agree with the reviewers about the interface/menus being bad.

I didn't really care at first, but now its getting annoying. Like crafting... You go into development and hit weapons... It lists EVERY SINGLE weapon schematic you have, including multiple tiers of the same weapons, across all weapon categories... And they aren't even in alphabetical order or separated by type. I don't even get why they would do it this way considering it was done pretty well in Inquisition where things were separated and ranked in order of tier and what not.

...that sounds even worse than the UI for crafting in DA:I, and that's already bloody bad enough.

Ugh, how do studios regress so much on shit like menus and UI design, especially with all of the other games coming out this generation that are showing how to make some pretty fantastic UI's.

[Mirishka]

Witcher 3 had lots of UI issues as well at first that were eventually improved in patches. I imagine Andromeda will see similar refinement.

[MonsieuRoberts]

I imagine Andromeda will see similar refinement.

Let's hope. I get to play in about 3 hours! So excited to experience the combat!

[Derah]

Man this game got blasted by reviews. For a AAA title to average 75 (78 on PC)... hot damn.

Yet I'm watching Totalbiscuit's stream and, I dunno, it seems like a lot of fun. Sure, there's a cringey line here and there and facial animations are really bad for a 2017 big budget game, but apart from that it seems good. The side-quests have context to them and aren't just fetching, the areas look nice, the VA work is decent across the board if you exclude Addison, and the combat looks very fun. So far it really doesn't seem like a game that deserves the lambasting (relatively speaking) it got.

It's especially ironic to see PC Gamer give this a much lower score than they gave DA2, which was worse as I see it.

It became fashionable to bash the game. It happens. Sometimes the randomness of the internet picks on one target and just refuses to let go.

As much of a HARDCORE fan as I am of Mass Effect and Bioware, I'll be the first to admit that Mass Effect Andromeda is not a perfect game. Its definitely not 10/10 material. But a 6 out of 10? Are they high or something? Based only on what I've seen so far, I'd give it an 8/10. And only if the ending was real shit, a 7/10. And that's the lowest I'd rate it on the 1-10 scale (Assuming that 5 is an average game that is neither too bad to suck, but also not too good to shine. 5 is a mediocre average unremarkable game that doesn't stand out in any way. I'd give most CoD games a 5).

But no, lets pick apart the game, complain about every single little thing (even things that were present to a much larger degree in previous entries) watch every cutscene frame-by-frame so we can pick apart every single one of those glitches that you'd only see if you literally freezeframe each shot, and use those as evidence of how much of a shoddy product this is. Because that'll make us sound like the cool big boys, amirite?

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Is the game available for download guys?

(I'm asking because my friend ordered it via amazon, and on their page they said that they'd only send out the game keys when the game is available for download.)

[Sunseeker]

It became fashionable to bash the game. It happens. Sometimes the randomness of the internet picks on one target and just refuses to let go.

As much of a HARDCORE fan as I am of Mass Effect and Bioware, I'll be the first to admit that Mass Effect Andromeda is not a perfect game. Its definitely not 10/10 material. But a 6 out of 10? Are they high or something? Based only on what I've seen so far, I'd give it an 8/10. And only if the ending was real shit, a 7/10. And that's the lowest I'd rate it on the 1-10 scale (Assuming that 5 is an average game that is neither too bad to suck, but also not too good to shine. 5 is a mediocre average unremarkable game that doesn't stand out in any way. I'd give most CoD games a 5).

But no, lets pick apart the game, complain about every single little thing (even things that were present to a much larger degree in previous entries) watch every cutscene frame-by-frame so we can pick apart every single one of those glitches that you'd only see if you literally freezeframe each shot, and use those as evidence of how much of a shoddy product this is. Because that'll make us sound like the cool big boys, amirite?

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Is the game available for download guys?

(I'm asking because my friend ordered it via amazon, and on their page they said that they'd only send out the game keys when the game is available for download.)

I live in MDT, and no game here.

[Edge-]

It became fashionable to bash the game.

When did this happen? Because yeah, it's getting shit on a lot right now, some of it unfairly so, I agree, but it's not as if there aren't very valid reasons for the criticism or like it's gotten "trendy" to the point of bashing COD. I still remember last E3 when everyone on Twitch was losing their shit over the COD trailer...until they realized it was COD and went from losing their minds at this awesome looking space game to "LOLCODSHIT" in the span of about 5 seconds.

Remember, bad things stand out far more than good things. So a single bad line can ruin an entire lengthy cutscene that's otherwise completely solid, or even fantastic, or as we already know with the ME franchise a bad ending can ruin a whole game.

Is it fair? Probably not. But it's not something that's unique to BioWare games, this is a universal reaction across any game.

Edit: Thinking more on it, DA:I kinda has a lot of similar issues in dealing with the quality jump from last gen to this gen. As I've said I'm playing it now, and a lot of the wonky animations and writing, a lot of the UI issues (specifically with crafting), early bugs etc. But it got away with it because it launched early enough in the console cycle to fall into the "grace" period, where folks weren't really sure how good games would be and as long as everything was a lot shinier than last gen that was good enough for a lot of folks.

I think had they launched it today with the current expectations for this gen of games, it would definitely review lower than it did when it launched.

Honestly, it seems largely like BioWare is looking to do "more of the same" with a new coat of paint (Frostbite visuals). The issue is that current gen AAA games need more than just a fresh coat of paint on last generations games. There needs to be a solid bump in quality across the board that reflects the considerably higher quality games that this generation of hardware is capable of producing, not just graphically.

[Lahis]

When did this happen? Because yeah, it's getting shit on a lot right now, some of it unfairly so, I agree, but it's not as if there aren't very valid reasons for the criticism or like it's gotten "trendy" to the point of bashing COD. I still remember last E3 when everyone on Twitch was losing their shit over the COD trailer...until they realized it was COD and went from losing their minds at this awesome looking space game to "LOLCODSHIT" in the span of about 5 seconds.

Remember, bad things stand out far more than good things. So a single bad line can ruin an entire lengthy cutscene that's otherwise completely solid, or even fantastic, or as we already know with the ME franchise a bad ending can ruin a whole game.

Is it fair? Probably not. But it's not something that's unique to BioWare games, this is a universal reaction across any game.

Obnoxious Internet Mob mentality. People for some reason have this compulsive need to bitch and whine and complain about something and when a AAA game with issues comes along, it's easy to jump on the hatewagon.


Because every AAA ever so far has been a flawless masterpiece.

[I Push Buttons]

Form over function and console controls. They wanted everything to circle around the center circle instead of making functional menus.

But the the Inquisition version was made for consoles too and was far better than this :{

[Lahis]

But the the Inquisition version was made for consoles too and was far better than this :{

They didn't want to comform it into inane form factor that looks good in concept sketches, but doesn't work at all in practise. DA:I inventory is pretty basic list of menus with proper sorting and substantial room for text.

[Derah]

When did this happen? Because yeah, it's getting shit on a lot right now, some of it unfairly so, I agree, but it's not as if there aren't very valid reasons for the criticism or like it's gotten "trendy" to the point of bashing COD. I still remember last E3 when everyone on Twitch was losing their shit over the COD trailer...until they realized it was COD and went from losing their minds at this awesome looking space game to "LOLCODSHIT" in the span of about 5 seconds.

Remember, bad things stand out far more than good things. So a single bad line can ruin an entire lengthy cutscene that's otherwise completely solid, or even fantastic, or as we already know with the ME franchise a bad ending can ruin a whole game.

Is it fair? Probably not. But it's not something that's unique to BioWare games, this is a universal reaction across any game.

That effect you described there (Which I remember very well, A LOT of people were flipping their shit at the footage of Infinite Warfare, until the CoD logo showed up, at which point all the cheers turned to groans) is in full appliance here.

but it's not as if there aren't very valid reasons for the criticism

Ohh there are valid reasons for SOME of the criticism. As I said before, even though I am a diehard HARDCORE EXTREME Bioware fan, and always will be, and I utterly adore to the ninth degree the Mass Effect Franchise, even I can't give this game a 10/10. This is not 10/10 material. Not even a 9/10. The highest rating I would give it if I was a game critic, would be a solid 8. Because I know the game has quite a few serious issues that are quite baffling for a studio known for its quality.

But some people are rating it 6/10, while others are saying hyperbolic comments like "Worse than DA2", or "Not even worth pirating", or, "This game is insulting garbage for mentally retarded people" or "Even No Man's Sky is better".

And that's when we realize it became fashionable to just shit on the game, for the joy of shitting on the game.

[Edge-]

Because every AAA ever so far has been a flawless masterpiece.

Absolutely not. We've had plenty of bombs and misses, successes and , from Homefront: Revolution to Deus Ex: Whatever to Killzone: Shadows Fall, from Uncharted 4 to Horizon to Witcher 3 (probably not the best spread, but my brain hates me right now).

But those games didn't get "hate bandwagons". I won't try to argue that there aren't people shitting on ME:A just to shit on it, because there absolutely are.

But to say that it's receiving a lot of criticism given its pedigree - both the studio behind it and the franchise - at least compared to other major AAA releases, is an understatement. And I think that falls more on the quality of the game than some coordinated internet/reviewer hate mob that's just out to get it.

[Jastall]

When did this happen? Because yeah, it's getting shit on a lot right now, some of it unfairly so, I agree, but it's not as if there aren't very valid reasons for the criticism or like it's gotten "trendy" to the point of bashing COD. I still remember last E3 when everyone on Twitch was losing their shit over the COD trailer...until they realized it was COD and went from losing their minds at this awesome looking space game to "LOLCODSHIT" in the span of about 5 seconds.

Remember, bad things stand out far more than good things. So a single bad line can ruin an entire lengthy cutscene that's otherwise completely solid, or even fantastic, or as we already know with the ME franchise a bad ending can ruin a whole game.

Is it fair? Probably not. But it's not something that's unique to BioWare games, this is a universal reaction across any game.

It's not across any game. These internet bandwagons pick their targets. As you said, CoD is a popular one (then these same people turn around and act like Battlefield 1 is God's very own gift to the multiplayer FPS months before its release, when it's a reskinned Battlefield 4 for the most part). Ubisoft games also count, especially since AC:Unity. And on the flipside, there are untouchable darlings like Nintendo, CDPR and Naughty Dog. I'm not saying all the criticisms or praise these studios/games get is not earned, not at all, but the echo chambers amplify them to an extent I find a bit ridiculous.

It doesn't affect me much. The only opinion I care about in the end, is my own. For instance, I enjoyed Darksiders II a lot while most people thought it was forgettable at best. But Andromeda got hit by this stupid trend harder than most games, I find, even for Bioware standards. Assuming the game stays consistent with what I've seen of it so far in streams, I frankly don't think anything but the facial animations deserve the unrelenting scorn the title got, and believe the professional reviewers were harsher with Andromeda's issues than they were with, say, Fallout 4's.

[Deleted]

Why do people here go "witcher 3 had that too" when it comes to problems with the game? The most andromeda can compare to are other shooters since the only difference between them is that andromeda has a slightly better story.

It can't ever compare to witcher 3, none of the bioware games can. That game had flaws yes, but it was still crafted together into a top tier game and only improved upon in future updates. They improved an already great game.

Andromeda on the other hand is a rush job made by people that are completely out of touch with what makes a quality game.
Don't hold your breath for any drastic improvements when they don't even understand what's wrong with their game. A few updates won't fix bad game design.

[I Push Buttons]

...that sounds even worse than the UI for crafting in DA:I, and that's already bloody bad enough.

Ugh, how do studios regress so much on shit like menus and UI design, especially with all of the other games coming out this generation that are showing how to make some pretty fantastic UI's.

Don't know if it was a bug or had something to do with the R&D terminal I was at before (one down on Eos), but looking at the R&D terminal now on the ship shows me extra categories with stuff separated unlike before where I only saw one category and it listed everything.

So rest easy