The real problems with Mass Effect: Andromeda

[@FoxHound1414]

An issue I had is that I thought they had killed Alec off too soon. It would have been nice to have gone on a few missions with him and seen the differences between a veteran leading the tempest and our protag later on.

[@ExaltedMarch]

FoxHound1414 I completely agree. I especially think his death could have potentially had a greater impact on the player if we got to know him and see a real father dynamic with the player-character. Also, Clancy Brown just sounds so badass and Alec was a really cool character.

[@klarnorbert]

Alec would've been a better main character imo. Ryder is just annoying and boring as fuck.

[@ConnorLonergan]

I disagree. I am fine with keeping him alive for only the Tutorial, but it would have been better if he was a "companion" for the whole thing so we would have an idea of what Scott/Sara has to live up to.

[@crackersdrake8448]

@@klarnorbert He's in the similar vein to Shepard. N7 operative with a distinguished military career. No one can take the place of Commander Shepard, so they needed to have a very different protagonist

[@catnipnapkin3329]

I read your comment and I literally had to think for a few seconds to remember who Alec was.

[@burningbend]

Definitely agree with the squadmate issue. I really felt like I was playing as a 1 person squad in this game, whereas in the trilogy, every person I took on a mission had to pull their weight or I died.

[@Patabot]

I absolutely missed the real time pause. I can understand that they wanted to make the SP and MP modes same, but there are many people like me who have barely played the multiplayer...

[@ExaltedMarch]

It makes ME combat really unique. I hope it returns.

[@Patabot]

@@ExaltedMarch Me too 🙂

[@Pir-o]

Its a weird argument to begin with. In rdr2 and rdro no one had issues with dead eye and the map working differently

[@Dunleap]

ME3 has a multiplayer and active pause in singleplayer. I spend so much time in both mode. ME3 did it well, Its just designer excuse for the backlash.

[@Redlionreal5649]

I can’t play multiplayer cuz I have error and keep saying offline not connecting even though it is connected

[@MsPig1985]

No more sudoku. Thank you for attending my Ted Talk.

[@ExaltedMarch]

Haha, it was the shortest but most succinct point to make.

[@95DarkFire]

9:23 This is what Mass Effect 3 did even better than ME2: Different "chapters" were the static "overworld" changed, and it felt like the story was moving along. I loved it!

[@Harrison11106]

My issue in terms of the combat was simple: One of the things that made the original ME trilogy SO replay friendly was that each class the player chose for Shepard had their own strengths & weaknesses. The companions in that example would fill in for those gaps, or alternatively make Shepards party "top heavy". With ME:A Ryder could not only be any class, but s/he could be a mix & match abilities of ANY of the classes, with the ability to switch "load-outs" between missions. In short, Ryder was literally a one person army, which begged the question: What the hell were the companions even there for? The other weakness (or blown opportunity, depending on your view) was said in the AngryJoeShow review of this years ago, you could've played as another race, since each had their own Pathfinder.

[@whatshisface04]

Agree 110%! I think the customization went too far, and it felt like there was no point to even having classes in ME:A. Maybe I’m just more of a fan of classic RPG’s, but I want choosing a class to mean something, and not be able to just swap them whenever I want. Plus, once you learn that just three powers covers 90% of all confrontations all the other options feel pointless as well.

[@fox9165-g7u]

I personally saw the lack of real time pause and inability to issue squad commands as a reflection that Ryder was inexperienced in command (IE the fact that while they were an alliance soldier they were only ever on relay guard duty) and that while the squad respected Ryder they didn't have the same level of respect as say garus or tali had for shepard. Simply speaking I saw it as further details in the story.

[@Avenray19]

Very well put. I had a lot of complicated feelings about how ME: Andromeda was handled and you eloquently wrote it into an essay. 👌 Thank you for putting a more sophisticated and thoughtful approach to criticizing and reviewing games. Looking forward to your next TED talk.

[@ExaltedMarch]

I did get it under that magic 18-minute TED Talk mark didn't it? Lol Thank you for watching/listening!

[@CarsSimplified]

Nicely put! I don't mind sodoku when I choose to play it; it's another thing entirely when it's a hard stop on action and/or story.

[@aurrickan]

I'm not sure I agree with the points you made about the lighter tone. Andromeda really was going for a new feel to a Mass Effect game. It's a story about exploration and discovery, and of finding and creating a new home for humanity and the other Milky Way races in Andromeda. Having a dark gritty tone for the game would've been sort of a clash. If there's ever a sequel to Andromeda I'd hope to see lighter tones remain in the story. However the games taking place in the Milky Way picking up after ME3 should definitely keep those darker and grittier tones from the original trilogy. I see Andromeda as more of a spin off or side story to Mass Effect anyways, so the tonal shift is appropriate to me.

[@kingpin3357]

I liked the sudoku. I like sudoku in general but I dont go out of my way to play it so having the chance to play it in a real game was fun for me

[@ExaltedMarch]

I’m actually kind of glad to know this. Even thought it pokes a hole in my bold proclamation haha. Maybe they can make bypassing it easier to give everyone a chance to do what they like? Thanks for commenting your view on it though!

[@ajstyles5704]

Exalted March Me too like the sudoku, I actually look forward to the Sudoku challenges, it sort of made sense to me, because the console have big blocks and you need to put in the right keys in. I remember once I sigh for not having a sudoku challenge at a monolith.

[@CReaper210]

I really wish they would have developed the first contact situation better. Our characters should have been the first Milky way characters the new aliens meet and the whole meeting, follow-up conversations, diplomacy, etc. should have been the entire first act of the game, along with at least another 1-2 new alien species. It would've gone a long way in showing us that this new galaxy is alive and that it's worth exploring. Once I realized that there was only one new alien species and that all the planets have the same life, whether intelligent or non-intelligent animals, plus the same precursor robots, I felt way less eager to bother exploring, because I knew what to expect and was never surprised by anything. And having a genuinely good first contact situation in the first place also could have shaped the rest of the game and how our character will act and would just be a nice way or seeing how the milky way races and the new Andromeda ones act around each other. It also just would've been really cool to see in general and I'm shocked the developers didn't feel like that was the case. But that was basically my main problem with the game, apart from the more obvious technical issues and poor story elements, the discovery and exploration aspect should have been the selling point and that was what I was hoping to get. Mass Effect, but exploring a new galaxy. Sounded amazing at first. Unfortunately, the new galaxy didn't really offer up anything unique. Complete wasted potential in my eyes.

[@toomanylies7716]

1:57. Thank you! No one seems to care that this isn't a thing anymore but it's the ONE reason I didn't stick with the game. To me the gameplay wasn't as fun as the original 3 because for all their verticality and loadout switching (which lengthened the combat encounters but didn't make them better), the lack of controlling other characters made the game too slow for me. As I said in another video, if I wanted a space shooter, I'd play Halo.

[@emmanuel4989]

Definitely agree with the pacing issue in andromeda. This is one of the reasons mass effect 2 is my favourite in the series, you don't have to go on for hours doing side missions that have nothing to do with the main story and that are quite frankly, boring.

[@ajstyles5704]

Emmanuel 49 Erm, MEA is about colonisation of Heleus, reuniting exiles and deserters with the initiative, not destruction of Kett. In ME2 you are a special task force eliminating enemies like the Apex team in MEA, in MEA you are in the pathfinding team, finding suitable planet, first contact and exploration. Restoring Angaran faith in there are good aliens, dealing with Roekaars that are hunting your people, and settle problems of outposts. In ME you are a soldier, in MEA you are a peacekeeper.

[@emmanuel4989]

Aj Styles I know that, and I don't mind the mission's like making the planets viable, looking for the arks or even helping squad members with their loyalty mission my problem is there are too many side missions that are either boring, fetch quests, annoying or just stupid stuff that has nothing to do with what Ryders job actually is, which is made even worse by the fact that the actual main story is ridiculously short. These side missions make the game drag, and because the campaign is so short you're kinda forced to go through them or risk winning the game too quickly.

[@ajstyles5704]

Emmanuel 49 Which one? On Eos 100% of your job is to sustain the outpost including waking up colonist or find them, removing threats such as Kett spying, researchers that went missing giving informations, finding beacons. Voeld is to destroy Kett and giving advantage to the Angaran 100%. Kedara is to remove a faction but get them work with Angaran at the same time, if you pick Sloane she is a Kett killer, if you pick the other, you get better diplomat situation with Angara, and the rest is about reducing hostility of the exiles, again everything is protect the outpost or show the harm the outpost can receive if you don’t do anything about it. Eladeen as well, not once I’m on a mission and like, what’s the point of this? Yes you can rush end game but that’s not your true purpose, that’s why you can still go on and play, finish the game after you became a hero. To me MEA made a huge mistake in predicting different choices you make, they could have added more variants of discussions or sequence to make it entertaining. My opinion is they should direct the plot more like Subnautica, add in pieces and bits to keep something distracting from boredom.

[@Synthia17]

I think one of the biggest issues with story in this game is SAM. He does way too much and Ryder ends up feeling like an empty vessel that carries his plot device around.

[@whatshisface04]

Sometimes I wish they would have allowed you to side with the radical group that wanted to remove you from SAM. It could have added a completely different experience going through the game, but I find myself saying, “I wish they would have…” a lot when trying to replay ME:A even though I did like my first time playing through the game.

[@Gangerworld]

Funny thing about the Mass Effect Legendary edition is that I'm having a blast playing through it, but every now and then it reminds me of Andromeda. What it lacked story-wise but what it did well gameplay-wise. I think when I'm done with a couple of Shepards on the Trilogy I might give Andromeda another go for the first time in ages. EDIT: Nah. After watching your video it reminded me of why I was satisfied after only 2 playthroughs with Andromeda. (As a comparison I think I completed the ME trilogy with like 7 different Shepards?) Twice is probably enough. EDIT 2: Thanks for reminding me of DA:I though. That's a game I played a ton and greatly enjoyed. I haven't played it in a while cuz like I got burned out but after the Trilogy I'll probably go back to it.

[@aaronlauretani8921]

This video is perfect. I couldn't agree more. The tone feels like BioWare did market research and found that crowds connect with sitcom-style levity, so they forced it into nearly every scene. It ruins the game.

[@JimankyGaming]

God damn it... you want to know how good Mass Effect 2 is? I got so invested in the silent conversation of the crew planning to infiltrate the Collector Base that my brain tuned out your video and I just now realized it. Now I have to go back and listen again lmao

[@amouramarie]

Haha, same. "Oh, he's choosing Tali to go into the vents. Solid choice, but I prefer to send Legion for lore reasons...."

[@mesmercricket6720]

How is progress on that video explaining your idea for solving ME:A's story structure/pacing problem?

[@MrEwetoobs]

Really great pair of videos on mea that I’ve enjoyed rewatching after all these years! I do think that their design choice to synch both single and multiplayer gameplay systems was more of a result of the development limitations so supporting one system instead of two made sense for them (tag around 3:30).

[@iki9230]

Jaal at 3:03: I'M HELPING! I agree with most of your points. I too disliked how they removed the pause option and squad commands from combat; they took away all the unique features that set Mass Effect combat apart from other third-person shooters. The light-hearted tone of the game also felt wrong because the story itself is quite bleak, with death and despair aplenty.

[@filipelouro1482]

How does your asari at 4:20 look so good ?

[@ExaltedMarch]

Peebee tweak by a very experienced modder named Elise, is the way to go. www.nexusmods.com/masseffectandromeda/mods/291/? The outfit is this mod: www.nexusmods.com/masseffectandromeda/mods/622

[@filipelouro1482]

@@ExaltedMarch thanks you for the reply!

[@phant0mdummy]

Imagine a world where EA didn't scoop up Bioware and slowly rot away their inner core. I mean, probably ... what, maybe 20% of the original "Bioware" are left at this point? At best, I imagine. This is what happens to everything capitalism touches. List your favorite developer that has been making bad games for the last 10 years, or your favorite developer that got shut down in the last 10 years. The list is long, and longer still if you want to expand that 10 years out.

[@hueyhavok]

The weapons variety KILLED me. Mining (To fabricate anything) just slows everything down. And puzzles get in the way of the pacing. They brought back these elements from ME2 But in ways that get in the way of playing the storyline. The ME2 mining was FUN for Space exploration, the puzzles were a bit more practical but I’m glad they didn’t keep it for ME3. I appreciated them giving us a lot of weapons/armor to choose from but The fabrication mechanic was awkward and forced you to slow down between missions that already felt like 80% driving.

[@kyzit8458]

I didnt have any problem with finding materials xd. I always had enough.

[@shepardcommander6811]

You have some really good takes, please upload more

[@sewnmind1786]

I got really good at sudoku thanks to Andromeda. If that didn't make me hate this game, nothing will.

[@DarthKilaj85]

More than just squad commands were missing like squad weapon loadout needed to be fixed and the not limiting the player on how many powers can be available I like the weapon wheel and that it froze time when you chose from it not just slowed it down

[@Alitheone6618]

11:40 wow, that guy flew!

[@ZeSgtSchultz]

I hope he has a video about all the plot holes and story issues. Itd be 2 hours of that sweet voice lol

[@kahleeb624]

I really wish people would stop constantly saying that thi go would be better with higher stakes or bigger explosions or stories or need to be dark. I honestly really feel that a perfect sequel that would play perfectly with what Mass Effect does best with convos and relationships and that would be to have the sequel be about curing your mom. Things are becoming built up around andromeda, further reaching settlements further out and all that and just the pure process of trying to find a cure. Just thinking about the planets you could go to and how that larger scope of a cure sought out through an entire new part of the galaxy. It would be great, it would be meaningful and could lead in to a lot of really cool scenarios.

[@stickboy6474]

I wish BioWare would stop with the fake open world. Endless driving in me1, the same reused map in da2, the hinterlands, every planet in andromeda, felt fake and empty. Either go linear or go the bethesda route of fully fleshed our open world with true exploration. Just driving back and forth is tedious

[@xevinsjaegernaut1414]

bethesda route with some driving would be my ideal, but the driving should be limited only to areas that need it, the areas shouldn't all be made for it.

[@cinnamon-skateboarding5987]

I prefer destiny sized maps but filled with a ton of good stuff to do. They're not full open worlds but are easier to fill in with stuff to do and easier to make.

[@ducky36F]

While I somewhat agree with you I really wouldn't want them to take the Bethesda route personally. I have played Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3 and 4 while I enjoy them I always find them a slog. Generally I get lost and start doing something else then cease to care about the main plot. Skyrim probably is the best example where you can play upwards of 40 hours without even encountering the first dragon battle. I like that bioware games somewhat direct you and in my ideal world they'd got back to DAO style maps. But if they continue open world (which I imagine they will) I'd prefer if they went either the Witcher 3 or Divinty 2 approach, where even though you can go anywhere you have clear goals that aren't lost as long as you pay attention and the side quests are actually worth while. In Witcher the open world and side quests help build the world while in divinty they generally progress your ability to continue the main plot or offer an alternative direction to the obvious critical path. The most infuriating thing about DAI and MEAs open worlds to me is the fake barriers (namely mountains and casms) to pad out the travel time. Remove those or make them more traversable and you're some way to fixing it

[@cinnamon-skateboarding5987]

@@ducky36F how about an open landscape that isn't really an open world, or rather just a very small one (like a 1/4 of the size of the map in fo3 or smaller) And then rinse and repeat that same logic for 4-7 open worlds that are just as big or smaller as said above. Then fill each playspace with quests, loot, enemies, challenges and whatnot to instead of padding out the game time, it enriches and expands the lore, the characters, the game world and much more while also aiding you in your main quest.

[@stickboy6474]

I would prefer the dao version personally, I don’t really want the Bethesda open world for BioWare it would just be an improvement over andromeda’s and dai pseudo open world. It is the in between that breaks immersion and replay for me. Too much a chore.

[@harel70]

I don't agree with your comment about the squad friendship aspect. Here are my reasons. The squad members life is dependant on each other. Life and death situations can create an intense bonding between people. The andromeda is a small ship, and most of the crew members work together and live in the same room. I assume that they share stories and know a lot of things about each other, this again can form close bonding between people. When I was in the army, people in my squad were my best friends, we did everything together, knew a lot about each other, and trusted each other. I see in the Tempes a similar type of bonding.

[@95DarkFire]

What Mass Effect actually needs is REAL CHOICES. Almost any choice has a "perfect" and "less perfect" choices. The best choices in the series are those where you actually can't save everyone (Virmire, Destiny Ascension)

[@lennynull-funf-zehn5416]

man....it's been a while

[@ExaltedMarch]

🗓 ⏰ 5/10?

[@JordTheeNord]

This is a smaller thing but didn't like the gun audio. Most gun sounds seemed generic compared to ME2.

[@davidwatson7919]

Stupid puzzles. None were fun. Played once through but no desire to play again.

[@amouramarie]

Ooooh, I hate *unearned* buddy-buddy. I love Star Trek, but I couldn't stand how in _the second film_ of the reboot they had Spock crying over Kirk. In the original series, they had the entire tv series, AND the film series (including the first film which had an entire subplot of Spock learning the importance of emotion to him) to get to a point where we believe Spock would cry over his captain's death. In the reboot (though I do like it regardless) we had ONE FILM in which they mostly _hated each other_ and on the second outing Spock is screaming his name and here's some Vulcan tears. I am a total sap, all right? I love me some sappy shit. But if the characters haven't earned it, it just makes the whole thing meaningless and leaves a sour taste of failure.

[@killingtime8539]

so right i hope bioware c this

[@KEWords]

I enjoy MEA sometimes more than the overprasied ME2. Notice the use of the accountable pronoun "I" Some of what you say makes sense, agree ocn title assertion that squad commands like trilogy are better. Be "we" is presumptive and is a way of verbally avoiding owning Your opinion. There are a ton of dark games. As I play ME2 after one play of MEA and two of ME1 the thing I dislike most is the dark fatalism. ME1 starts hopeful, and even as the circumstances get worse is still hopeful. ME2 starts with compromise and gets darker so far. The is no WE here, there is you. And that's fine. ME1 would be a good tone, please not ME2, in next Installment.

[@tigeroix9759]

The third point just doesn't work. It's three games to one, obviously you're going to bond more over 3 games.

[@efxnews4776]

He didn't explain well, the reason why the bonds feel forced, is because the idiots in Bioware didn't know the difference about friendship and brotherhood. In Mass Effect what you have is a brotherhood bond, it is friendship, but a friendship builted in fire. In Andromeda is forced, is the type of friendship that is supposed to be there from the begnning, but you just meet those folks, you don't know who they, you don't know how they are like. It's stupid, and fake, almost like this folks are bootlicking Ryder because he/she is the pathfinder (wich actually means nothing to be honest), none of them should be friendly with each other aside from possibly Gil, Vetra and Kalo that were already working toguether for a long time. All those characters should initially despise Ryder, because he/she isn't Alec, and because of the circunstances on he/she become the pathfinder. Cora should hate Ryder, because she was supposed to be the pathfinder, and also that whole zealotry over the asari should be because a deeper reason, like she was a girfriend of the asari (wich would be a hint for a lesbian romance if you play as Sarah). Liam, should be a completly different guy, instead of and over confident and hyper active idiot, he should be kinda like an insecure guy that would share with Ryder his doubts and fears, growing alongside Ryder. Vetra was the skeptic one, someone that doesn't see Ryder as fit for the job, but try to mentor he/her into be a good pathfinder. Peebee should be there only by interest, she only cares about Ryder because of SAM, also, instead of a crazy lunatic she is, i would made her a crazy sociopath, that is after the relics to aquire power. Drack should be just a merc that happens to be in the succession line of the korgan colony, he cares nothing about the initiative, but he cares about money (maybe because a secret noble goal). Jaal SHOULDN'T trust Ryder at all, he should be there only as a diplomatic gesture of angarans and the initiative, someone that would be there as an embassador watching and judging the initiative, not as the open minded Jaal that we know, but one that keeps to himself, one that if you do a paragon run, would open itself and accept the pathfinder mission as his misson, OR if you play the renegade card, he would ended betraying Ryder and the initiative.

[@bookkat07]

Honestly, with more of the SWJ/cultural awareness crowd honing in on video games the last several years, I believe EA/Bioware wanted to placate them by making things "lighter", more slapstick and less serious. The last decade has seen a huge shift in such serious discussions about how culture should represent everyone, that it seems the gaming industry, like Hollywood and the media, is trying to make everyone happy, and ultimately failing in a lot of ways. I did like having a younger PC, with a non-military-based vessel and crew. It gave me DA2 vibes. Too bad there isn't as much character development among the crew outside of Ryder. That's where the side quests failed. So much wasted potential on character growth.

[@Rb889]

Lighthearted stories and humor can be done easily with a campy, affable villain. Not genocidal monsters hellbent on destroying your entire species, much harder to do. Your other option is typically a snarky, wisecracking protagonist with a plucky companion to play the straight man. Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L Jackson in the Hitman's Bodyguard, for instance; Leon Kennedy, Deadpool, Spiderman, there's a long list of archetypes to choose from. They could've done the second one if they had both Ryder siblings together, where the two had that kinship and shared humor. A younger character wasn't too bad, there were a few good moments; "Hey guys? If I die, if I get eaten? Delete the video. Even if it's hilarious."

[@Edridx]

Kat C: I think the characters that had the closest development to Ryder is Liam and Cora, I say those two because they have the best loyalty missions, and Liam pretty much is with you from the start and he grows along with your character throughout the game. the downside is he puts people at risk and why alot of people didn't like him, but I think that's what makes him relatable, atleast to me anyway. and he actually fits in a relationship with Sara Ryder compared to Scott Ryder and Cora, or even Peebee, they don't have alot in common, but when you play as Sara Ryder, her and Liam have alot in common.

[@SvenTviking]

You see, this is the problem with RPG players. They go on and on and on about stories, missed opportunities, dialogue and how the original trilogy was so much superior. But what they fail to mention is that (at least on console) the gameplay in the original trilogy was pretty shit. One button working virtually everything, run, climb, take cover, and (in ME3) roll and roll from cover to cover is a recipe for disaster. How many times did you take cover on the wrong side of a barricade when you meant to run? How many times did you press X to take cover only for the game to ignore you? How many times did a biotic hit a wall, not the target? Incredibly frustrating. MEA was much better at actual game play. Which is the bit you do, not cut scenes.

[@DarkVWolf]

Dude, I never had those problems. It seems like you’re just not good at the game. Also, mass effect is a story based game. The gameplay is not the priority. The story and choices are the priority. That is why story, choices, and consequences are being focused on the most because that’s how it should be. Don’t get me wrong, I like Andromeda’s gameplay and its smoothness (I don’t like the jump mechanic though). However, the story and choices come first and the game failed to focus more on that. The Frostbite engine isn’t good for RPGs though, so fortunately, BioWare is going back to the Unreal Engine, and I’m very happy about that.

[@Pir-o]

Just playing the game and yeah, the combat is nice but its just a bunch of jumping and zooming in the air, thats not mass effect. Also the story and the lore is sooo boring. In original trilogy, every codex entrance was interesting. But in andromeda they overload you with boring shit. And speaking of character creation, it took me 3 days to remove the uncanny valley effect from those default faces

[@gerza71]

The problem with the game is the game was rushed and EA did not let them finish the game. That game needed 6 months to complete. 3:39 True.

[@zahierabaloch8118]

As someone who enjoys both Mass Effect and Sudoku, I now feel insulted...

[@DocDarkness]

I rarely used squad commands. And I've watched alot of streamers play the game and not use them either. I think it's a nice feature to have if you want to use it. But it seems to me that it was removed because quite frankly its not used that much by most players. I do however miss custom load outs and costume changes for squad mates.

[@darthmarr9886]

Ryders are not Commanders. It makes sence that they can not direct their squad as well as Shaperd did. Edit: OMg dude, don't compare Citadel DLC to movie night. It is two way difrent thing. You just said it, citadel dlc is a goodbye. The movie night is a hang out and lets know each other better. Movie night is a team building event, it wass never ment to be like the citadel dlc. Ahh wahtever, hater will always be blindsided ....

[@garmrbanalras2579]

Hope se can look back at Andromeda by the time the next mass effect game comes around and see it as the one bad ME game

[@doomblackdragon]

odd video to make for a game franchise that is dead. Did the officially announce MEA2? Cause I was on the impression that EA was ready to kill Bioware if the next Dragon Age game does not sell 100 million copies. With like a billion loot boxes.

[@klarnorbert]

Remaster of the original trilogy just got announced. There will be no sequel for Andromeda tho(thank god).

[@ahhhyessir2780]

I have to disagree with the point about the crew near the end, namely because the way the crew comes together isn't militant nor does it call for such. There is no Pathfinder team protocol or a sort of tough situation in a massive mission. Your mission is essentially what you make it. Ryder is their own person, with their own ideals.

[@JonathanSirico]

The story was garbage and the companions were forgettable. Add in the fact we lost a bunch of races from ME3 and none of your choices really mattered, they were just window dressing. So...bad dialog, bad story, less interesting villains, less cool alien races, forgettable companions, constantly repeating the same boring delves...well, at least the environs looks good.

[@blackknight50277621]

srsly I HATE the 12 yo writing in this game so much the main reason I dropped it after mid-game

[@Rb889]

Agreed, the problems weren't with gameplay, the combat is pretty good, somewhat in spite of missing features and lack of greater customization; less about the pause, though missing squad commands was dumb. My problem was that you could only have three powers equipped at a time, logged to hotkeys, with over 30 powers to choose from. If they weren't incompetent... They'd have had two sets of three equipped; one set when ADS, the other whenever you aren't aiming, each with their own cooldown. This would've expanded greatly on the level of personalization, flexibility, and reaction speed you could have achieved, far better than the "profiles" BS. The main problems were with story, graphics, content, forced SJW politics, piss-poor attention to detail, and rushed work because those idiots couldn't make a goddamn decision and COMMIT to it. Nevermind the dumbest looking options I've ever seen in the character creator... Ugh, the half-shaved combover douche haircuts everywhere. Mocap and basing presets off of people would've been better choices, like they did with Commander Shepard. Being lighthearted wasn't as big an issue as the piss-poor writing and dialogue, though I admit they did a good job getting the carefree teenager personality of Ryder across; using different aspects in responses was a great idea that was poorly implemented, somewhat of an improvement over the ME trilogy's Paragon/Renegade dichotomy. If they wrote half a well as the previous writers did, they could've at least created some excellent meme material. But, alas... Andromeda will be completely forgotten and ignored by new games in the Mass Effect series. The comments on character inter-personal relationships is a really good criticism of the problems in the writing, a very subtle, but uncomfortable feeling the game gave me as I played, something not present in ME1, 2, or 3, all of which simply had better writing in the dialogue. Pacing was almost as bad as the ME3's first mission that gave you your goal. "Hey, huge alien machines came to kill us! BTW, remember that alien thingamajig on Mars we've known about for a hundred years? Yeah, we sent Liara there last week, yesterday she found the plans for an alien macguffin that could save us, go fetch it." Yeah, that felt really heavy-handed, like it came out of someone's ass in a meeting at the end of the development cycle because nobody could come up with a better idea and the release date was approaching, but nobody had the balls to stand up and say, "That's the dumbest fucking idea I've ever heard." Also... Yeah. Sudoku. Reminded me of the hacking of ME2 that I physically couldn't do on the tiny-ass, mis-colored TV I first played it on ten years ago. Stocked up on remnant keys, fuck that nonsense. Ancient alien sudoku, what the Christ.

[@doubleedzo5609]

I hope they go back to original mechanics tbh

[@Dunleap]

Lets play trilogy 10th time

[@MistahJay7]

Who actually does the puzzles in Andromeda? lol just get the remnant keys and be done with that shit

[@X3NOYRX]

Not gonna lie the worst part of andromeda is the sudoku I litterally had to search KZbin for a video on how to do it even then it took me HOURS just to finish one

[@zlostnypopolnik]

I personally do not need another travesty from a failed company without a soul.

[@GhostCell47]

They should never made this game if they cannot do it right in the first place.

[@luciusnetheril]

Wokeness is anathema to humor, so how can there be any good humor, in Andromeda? The only thing that makes people laugh is the game itself and just how bad it is.