I have to disagree with him. They put out a mess of a game and rightfully got called out for it. But he's right about if you buy the game NOW , its a game worth buying. That was after 6 patches.
Official Thread Mass Effect: Andromeda
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I have to disagree with him. They put out a mess of a game and rightfully got called out for it. But he's right about if you buy the game NOW , its a game worth buying. That was after 6 patches.
B-be nice to mass effect 
I can't disagree entirely though.
As a sidenote I finally beat the damn thing, after about 105 hours. I'd wager around 4 of that was trying to figure out those dumb randomly generated objective missions. Otherwise it was all enjoyable story and side missions for me. The technical issues didn't get me down all that much, prevalent though they were. Nothing for me to do anymore but eagerly await the next one, we're short enough on quality sci fi. RIP in piece quarian ark
I can't disagree entirely though.
As a sidenote I finally beat the damn thing, after about 105 hours. I'd wager around 4 of that was trying to figure out those dumb randomly generated objective missions. Otherwise it was all enjoyable story and side missions for me. The technical issues didn't get me down all that much, prevalent though they were. Nothing for me to do anymore but eagerly await the next one, we're short enough on quality sci fi. RIP in piece quarian ark
LTTP, as they say. I'm about 6 or 8 hours in.
I really did not like it much at all, for the first few hours. It seemed very generic. I know that word is overused, but it fits. Everything felt uninspired, safe, derivative.
I had just come off playing Hellblade, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Yakuza 0 -- all unique, creative, risk-taking games -- so the contrast with Mass Effect couldn't have been more stark. Mass Effect felt like homogenized AAA junk in comparison -- no inspiration, no imagination, play it safe drivel. I actually started the game over after playing for a couple hours as a male Ryder, switching to female, because I had to inject some degree of uniqueness into the equation. Playing as a male space soldier in what felt like a generic AAA game just felt way too boring to me. The sex change didn't help a whole lot, but it made it feel a little different.
I was annoyed at how little sense the story made. The guy is irreplaceable and solely responsible for the fate of hundreds of thousands of people, and so he goes down to a dangerous planet with a tiny little squad -- sure, why not. Both of his children are on this highly select squad, btw, and I'm sure that was all based on merit, no issues of favoritism there. Then he goes wandering off by himself, putting the entire 100,000 at risk, because, hey, why not. And then he sacrifices his life to save his son/daughter -- which sounds noble until you realize that it means he didn't have the foresight to recognize that having his son/daughter in mortal danger might influence his decision making and cause him to do what he did, which is to passing on his responsibility for safeguarding the entire fleet to his completely inexperienced, naive 20 year old son/daughter -- whom everyone else accepts as the supreme leader, because, well, you know, there's no choice. Other things seemed nonsensical, too, but I won't belabor it.
I didn't care much for the characters. No one seemed interesting or likable. Their little expositions seem forced and fake. Maybe that'll change as I get farther in.
The dialog seems poorly written to me, average at best. In general it just doesn't carry much weight or emotional impact. One of my pet peeves is when writers insert modern idiom into games set a thousand years in the future. Do they really think people will still be saying "been there, done that" in a thousand years? And everyone has smirky, smart remarks. Everyone is jokey and flip. I like humor, but it becomes dull and predictable if you over-use it. There's very little emotional range or depth here, so far.
I miss the snarky and rude dialog options. That would make it more fun. Even the dialog options feel safe.
I also disliked how little they made out of arriving in a new galaxy. That is a huge opportunity for wonder and imagination in storytelling. Instead we get a fairly boring arrival story, followed by a "first contact" that is over in a few seconds and holds no tension or mystery. Then two alien races that look like modified humans -- put a couple kinks in their legs, paint them a different color, disfigure their faces a little, slap some big ears on them, and you've got yourself a Mass Effect alien race. They really could have done so much more with the setup.
However, after laying for a few more hours, some interesting things started to happen. And some other characters were introduced. So my interest level is rising.
I'm sticking to main missions and the companion quests (loyalty missions), disregarding pretty much the rest of the game. Hopefully I won't be too underleveled.
I really did not like it much at all, for the first few hours. It seemed very generic. I know that word is overused, but it fits. Everything felt uninspired, safe, derivative.
I had just come off playing Hellblade, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Yakuza 0 -- all unique, creative, risk-taking games -- so the contrast with Mass Effect couldn't have been more stark. Mass Effect felt like homogenized AAA junk in comparison -- no inspiration, no imagination, play it safe drivel. I actually started the game over after playing for a couple hours as a male Ryder, switching to female, because I had to inject some degree of uniqueness into the equation. Playing as a male space soldier in what felt like a generic AAA game just felt way too boring to me. The sex change didn't help a whole lot, but it made it feel a little different.
I was annoyed at how little sense the story made. The guy is irreplaceable and solely responsible for the fate of hundreds of thousands of people, and so he goes down to a dangerous planet with a tiny little squad -- sure, why not. Both of his children are on this highly select squad, btw, and I'm sure that was all based on merit, no issues of favoritism there. Then he goes wandering off by himself, putting the entire 100,000 at risk, because, hey, why not. And then he sacrifices his life to save his son/daughter -- which sounds noble until you realize that it means he didn't have the foresight to recognize that having his son/daughter in mortal danger might influence his decision making and cause him to do what he did, which is to passing on his responsibility for safeguarding the entire fleet to his completely inexperienced, naive 20 year old son/daughter -- whom everyone else accepts as the supreme leader, because, well, you know, there's no choice. Other things seemed nonsensical, too, but I won't belabor it.
I didn't care much for the characters. No one seemed interesting or likable. Their little expositions seem forced and fake. Maybe that'll change as I get farther in.
The dialog seems poorly written to me, average at best. In general it just doesn't carry much weight or emotional impact. One of my pet peeves is when writers insert modern idiom into games set a thousand years in the future. Do they really think people will still be saying "been there, done that" in a thousand years? And everyone has smirky, smart remarks. Everyone is jokey and flip. I like humor, but it becomes dull and predictable if you over-use it. There's very little emotional range or depth here, so far.
I miss the snarky and rude dialog options. That would make it more fun. Even the dialog options feel safe.
I also disliked how little they made out of arriving in a new galaxy. That is a huge opportunity for wonder and imagination in storytelling. Instead we get a fairly boring arrival story, followed by a "first contact" that is over in a few seconds and holds no tension or mystery. Then two alien races that look like modified humans -- put a couple kinks in their legs, paint them a different color, disfigure their faces a little, slap some big ears on them, and you've got yourself a Mass Effect alien race. They really could have done so much more with the setup.
However, after laying for a few more hours, some interesting things started to happen. And some other characters were introduced. So my interest level is rising.
I'm sticking to main missions and the companion quests (loyalty missions), disregarding pretty much the rest of the game. Hopefully I won't be too underleveled.
Make sure to bang the lobster-cat. He's a babe.
I like the scoundrel dude too, he had a fun quest.
You kinda sound like you've decided on what your opinion is going to be going into the game, but I found a lot of the side quests really enjoyable, especially the companion stuff.
The crafting/item screens suck. It's a pain in the arse figuring out if weapons are actually better or not. Gimmie a Diablo style armour screen.
I'm liking it a bit more now that I've gotten farther in, but it still feels pretty uninspired. The story is okay, although it hasn't engaged me emotionally or intellectually. Combat is okay, but more just something to handle, rather than fun. I'm still getting to know the characters, so maybe something will spark me there. I like Cora and the Irish girl.
I don't like my own character, which is kind of a problem. I said this the other day: "I've seen some serious crap, but that is straight-up evil." You have to try hard, to write a line that bad. In general, the dialog just doesn't seem well-written to me.
I'm playing through it, and it's okay, occasionally entertaining. It feels like there is a lot of fluff to it, a lot of filler. And that's when I'm skipping all the side activities, focusing only on the main mission and companion quests. It's okay, but I have a feeling it's going to be one of those games that I forget about soon after I finish.
I don't like my own character, which is kind of a problem. I said this the other day: "I've seen some serious crap, but that is straight-up evil." You have to try hard, to write a line that bad. In general, the dialog just doesn't seem well-written to me.
I'm playing through it, and it's okay, occasionally entertaining. It feels like there is a lot of fluff to it, a lot of filler. And that's when I'm skipping all the side activities, focusing only on the main mission and companion quests. It's okay, but I have a feeling it's going to be one of those games that I forget about soon after I finish.
I wonder if the dialogue is written by the Watch Dogs 2 writers, lol. Lots of stupid hip cringe. I've seen vids from ME that have the characters saying the stupidest things (the "my face is tired" immediately comes to mind).
I think part of it may be that it's written by younger people who haven't really had to do "grown up/serious" things in life, or worked with real professionals that one would meet in a military or high end scientific field (like the world in which ME operates). They just don't seem to have a grasp on that type of person/position. I don't know. I mean, stupid things are still said, but it's very different. When I saw the scene where
the dad dies
I never did play the third game after having played the first like four times, and second just the once. I played through the first game again last year and plan on playing the second again. Mostly my fault but I was burnt out on the series by the time the third game came and then after hearing how bad the ending was I lost all interest. With the announcement of Andromeda I got excited again which is why I played the first game again to start a new character arc on PC, but then hearing how bad Andromeda was I lost interest again lol.
I don't like the fact that she's a 20 year old kid who has been handed control of the entire human fleet (through her father's nepotism), and she treats the whole thing flippantly, making wisecracks. It doesn't match the situation at all. It might be different if her wisecracks were funny or witty, but they aren't. They just seem out of place.
Yes. Reminds me of a conversation we had on GAF last week, about the fact that almost all lead directors and developers in the game industry are young people (under 35, say). The ones who have experience with the industry generally leave after leading a few projects, because it's so stressful. So what you are left with is a never-ending stream of young people coming into the field, games being led and developed by young people, and then those people moving on to other fields, to be replaced by more young people.
Nothing against young people, and I'm not saying that young people can't write/develop good games -- they certainly can -- but the dynamic where games are almost always led/developed by young people restricts the range of what games can be. The themes, the depth of characters, the sophistication of the writing and dialog -- all of that is restricted in range, because you're missing the other half -- the older, seasoned, more experienced people.
Yup. Didn't care. He was just there as a plot device.
I stopped playing the game. Just didn't seem worth the time. I didn't feel engaged in it at any level. Just wasn't having any fun or feeling interested.
Not just young, either, but young people who likely had a pretty run-of-the-mill upbringing, went to college for writing, and now try to channel a war-hardened warrior or a character with high levels of responsibility. It's very hard to get that if you haven't experienced it to some degree. Hell, even say, working on a farm through childhood, gives you a whole different look on life and how to handle demanding, physical roles than someone who worked at Starbucks while going to University, and that is very much how I see some of the writing now-a-days. Life is much easier for people these days as opposed to yesteryear where you didn't spend all day inside or behind a computer.
Just the thought of an overworked and stressed medic saying "my face is tired" is hard to fathom. It doesn't help that It feels like no real research goes into the things they write about. That's just my impression.
And this was after the game received patches. Imagine trying to play through the game with the issues you described but also with game breaking issues, broken animation and crashes.
The game was justifiably criticized and I stand by all my previous complaints.
I still can't get into this game, it just seems so average. The graphics are ok but not great, the combat is ok but not great, the story so far hasn't really grabbed me and I just find myself bored with it. I really liked the last dragon age so I gave this a shot but I just don't seem to be able to find anything redeeming about it. I'm glad the rest of you are enjoying it though
I had the same feeling about it. I think I played around 30 hours? Maybe it was 20 and just felt like 30. I was finished with my second settlement, I know that. It just didn't hold my interest.
I agree. I thought the writing and storytelling was really lackluster. At first I thought it was just a contrast effect, coming off Hellblade and Yakuza, which have such sharp writing, but no. The writing and storytelling was just not very good.
That's a good point. That is how the characters came across -- as if they were written by people with no real depth of experience.
Yeah, I remember thinking, "I don't like this game, and it has nothing to do with the facial animations."
I should clarify: I didn't dislike the game. I just didn't like it. It didn't move me or interest me. I didn't feel anything in particular towards it, except a sense that if I stopped playing it, I could probably find something more interesting to do.
Super cheap
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-lis...02-20&linkId=ee7ebb2617dc12ae23fde70d8d5168a6
And coming to EA access soon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-lis...02-20&linkId=ee7ebb2617dc12ae23fde70d8d5168a6
And coming to EA access soon
Not Mass effect related per se but worth repeating:
Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw has left BioWare
Aside from masterminding the Dragon Age series, Laidlaw—not to be confused with Marc Laidlaw, who left Valve in 2016—was also the lead writer on Jade Empire, and a designer on the original Mass Effect. His departure comes just three months after that of general manager Aaryn Flynn—and the return of former Mass Effect project director Casey Hudson.
http://www.pcgamer.com/dragon-age-creative-director-mike-laidlaw-has-left-bioware/
Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw has left BioWare
Aside from masterminding the Dragon Age series, Laidlaw—not to be confused with Marc Laidlaw, who left Valve in 2016—was also the lead writer on Jade Empire, and a designer on the original Mass Effect. His departure comes just three months after that of general manager Aaryn Flynn—and the return of former Mass Effect project director Casey Hudson.
http://www.pcgamer.com/dragon-age-creative-director-mike-laidlaw-has-left-bioware/
I don't think he's retiring. The wording of his goodbye was odd for a retirement speech.
Yeah, he's probably a little too young to hang it up completely. Sounded like he might take a break for a while, though. He said something about looking forward to playing games, enjoying the fictional worlds built by others.
But yeah, someone will snap him up, offer him something interesting. He's probably tired of writing the same sort of thing constantly. Wants to do something new.
Don't see this as a bad thing. A shake up across Bioware's games is necessary, imo.
Now they're giving it away.
Mass Effect: Andromeda Now Available For Free Through EA / Origin Access Vault
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mass-effect-andromeda-now-available-for-free-throu/1100-6454134/
Mass Effect: Andromeda Now Available For Free Through EA / Origin Access Vault
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mass-effect-andromeda-now-available-for-free-throu/1100-6454134/
