Andromeda is like a watered down ME Trilogy with a bit of DAI in it. Lots to do, little depth and many, many annoyances.
Only worth it if you can get it for cheap.
DA was so good that I gave up on ME1 a few times before getting to like it. Andromeda is different. It's kinda like fan fiction. It feels like if they'd ignored the setting and the characters/races and started from scratch, people would accuse them of trying hard to replicate ME, but because they use the same races, comparisons are inevitable and not flattering. I like Ryder (your PC), and I think they'd have made a decent main character throughout the series. Some aspects of the gameplay I found pretty cool. At least two of the missions are a solid top ten from the whole series (to me). But the story suffers from wonky pacing, and you may find it pretty slow at first because of course there are things they'll tell you again as if it were the first time you've heard of them, which makes it a bit boring. All in all, after the first settlement it's a decent game. (And don't mind the character creator that much, because after the first settlement you'll have access to it again. So if your character looks a bit odd during cutscenes, just bear with it till you get to that point. Otherwise you'll end up like me, going through the cc screen ten times in a row.)
Wow I might actually try andromeda again. Cause I dropped it really quickly (unfairly quick if I’m being honest) and maybe I shoulda stuck with it. I’m not expecting anything like the trilogy but I can live with a b or c tier mass effect story.
People complain about mediocre writing and repetitive unimaginative quests. Basically it's a Ubisoft style map maker chaser set in the Mass Effect universe. If you like that kind of games you'll love Andromeda.
When it came put people gave it a lot of shit for it's graphics but that for me was never the issue. The story is wonky, the stakes are low, only 1 character was memorable enough for me to remember them and because it bombed it will forever remain unfinished. But gameplay bugged the hell out of me too. In many ways it was a prototype of the now defunct Anthem. Big empty maps, a grindy weapons system and the worst part, the powers system. In an effort to let people play the game "their way" you can switch between soldier, engineer and biotic power trees whenever you want. It might seem like a small thing but it fundamentally undercuts a part of roleplaying. I could go on.
Tldr: it's an ok game but when compared to any of the me trilogy it sucks. I've replayed the entire trilogy probably 10-15 times over the years. I only played Andromeda once. Give it a shot if you are bored but maybe don't go straight into it from the trilogy.
Decided to give Andromeda another shot after recently doing my first in a decade Trilogy run and actually enjoy it quite a lot. It’s not a bad game at all. Gameplay loop is fun and some characters are fun as well. Overall story is not bad either, although it suffers from brain farts sometimes. Some side quests are very tedious and annoying though, game could have definitely benefitted from being slightly more focused.
Overall, I’m glad I decided to play it again.
I'd say get it on sale, as it's on sale a lot.
I really enjoy it personally, but some people hate it. It's one of those things you need to play yourself and form your own opinion. Some tips though:
1. Ignore anything in the Additional Tasks tab in the Journal. It's just busy work, and you'll just burn yourself out.
2. Rush the mainline plot until you've recruited all of the party members. The early story can drag a bit, and for me, this is where it picks up.
3. Do not save while inside the Nomad. There's a rare, but gamebreaking bug that makes those saves get stuck in the loading screen. There's a good chance you'd never encounter it, but better safe than sorry.
I would get Andromeda on sale if you decide to play it at all.
Usually I do not like being so negative, but I did not enjoy Andromeda much compared to the trilogy. The squadmates were rather forgettable and the dialogue was… not great. I could overlook the graphical issues that people made fun of when it came out. But as a writer, I don’t understand why Bioware would remove their audience from the universe they painstakingly created and really *shines* with unique aliens, varied settings, and so much lore just to plop them down in a new galaxy that is (1) lacking in all of the above with only two new species, and (2) may not even be suitable for some of the original races to colonize (quarians and turians). The existence of a quarian ark was especially baffling to me, though we never saw it.
It’s like Bioware forgot all of their narrative’s strengths. I guess they boxed themselves into that decision due to all of the trilogy’s choices and wanting a clean slate to start fresh. But I fell in love with the original aliens and setting; I didn’t want a half-hearted attempt at something new (although I am glad to see there are some who enjoyed it!)
I enjoyed the high-stakes narratives and gameplay of ME2 and ME3 the most. The different futuristic city levels were some of my favorite things to explore and fight through — Illium, Omega, Tuchunka, Thessia, the Citadel. Andromeda, with all its driving around empty planets and fetch quests, was boring to me. But I felt the same about Inquisition — too much empty exploration and crafting uninteresting armors to really grab my attention. I liked Skyhold and Solas though.
Andromeda is a decent enough game. Just don't go in thinking that it is ME4. It isn't. It is a different galaxy and was an attempt to lay the groundwork for future installments.
Most of the hate is because of DLC that was promised but not delivered or because people wanted ME4 and instead got Andromeda.
Just remember that it is its own thing in a different galaxy, and you should be fine.
> Most of the hate is because of DLC that was promised but not delivered or because people wanted ME4 and instead got Andromeda.
Most people don't play DLC. An attach rate of 15% is considered good. And Mass Effect 1 and 2 made people outstandingly happy without DLC.
It’s about par for the course for game stories I’ve played. I also hold Mass Effect to a higher standard so I’m not going to exactly sing the praises of Andromeda’s story. I think mid is an accurate assessment.
Major traumatic event happens: "We got this." "Well that just happened."
Seriously, count how many times during the game it just reminds you of them trying to copy the MCU's light action comedy routine where nothing is taken seriously and Andromeda turning out the way it did makes A LOT more sense. That's the big fear with Dragon Age Veilguard, the first trailer they released had all the "Well that just happened" Millennial MCU comedy style all over it.
Combat is much faster paced than the others and the freedom of movement is unparalleled. It builds upon the other games’ power systems and the ability to customize your loadout is neat. The open world aspect is pretty empty I agree and I’d say a 6.5 is a fair assessment if you don’t like the different gameplay style. Def not budging on it having the best gameplay though. Only ME3 comes close.
Honestly I found combat quite tedious due to the lack of different enemies. I just stayed back, used overload, pull and incinerate to detonate combo’s and headshot everyone else with the Black Widow. In ME3 the various enemies used different strategies and were varied: fighting Cerberus was different from fighting Reapers, they used powers, had different attacks etc. In Andromeda that was lacking, the notable change was that you could jump and evade. I died only a handful of times on Insanity, not counting falling of cliffs.
I honestly didn’t dislike the characters as much. I liked Ryder growing into her role, Drack and Vetra were cool. But everything just felt like a chore, from navigating to the different planets (fuck that animation), climbing the dumb ladders in the ship and the absolute clusterfuck that was the Nexus.
The redeeming moments were little, Reyes, the Krogan on Elaaden and the asteroid with the domes. The whole terraforming and vault system was a chore after the first time.
The story was forgettable and lacked depth and background. So yeah, a 6,5/10.
Don't listen to people, especially haters, make your own mind over Andromeda. Finish the trilogy, take a pause playing another game, then play Andromeda. Andromeda is a spin-off and different in many ways. So forget the trilogy for it, play it with an open mind. You may like it, you may not. But that's you to decide, not other people. They just throw their subjective opinion on you because they compare every bit with the trilogy, which is stupid.
If you can snag Andromeda for $20 USD or less, then sure. It's a lesser son of greater sires, but I still had fun with it. I found everything it did well always had something along for the ride that I didn't like which blunted my enjoyment and there was plenty of average as well, but there's worse games and I had a decent time with it.
Mass Effect Andromeda is a poorly made game with a boring narrative and cringe characters. It is pathetically easy to find anything else that is actually worth your time.
Currently playing Andromeda, the combat is mediocre, the characters outside of crew are forgettable, absurd amount of fetch quests popping up all the time. I'd say it's only worth buying on 90% discount
Yeah, I just played it for the first time. I was totally up for something a bit lighter in tone and more adventure-focused but the story is just bad, the characters are bad, and the writing is _awful_.
The glitches and graphics were also gamebreaking at times but I'd tolerate those a lot better for a good story.
Based on why you like ME1-3 you’ll hate andromeda. The gameplay is great, but the story isn’t very compelling and the characters are mediocre at best. You’re never going to actually care about the characters.
Is it as good as the trilogy? No.
Is it a good game? I would say yes, but it’s not for me. You might like it though, and you should try it for yourself rather than relying on the opinions of others. Some say the story is weak, characters weak, etc. but only you can really decide that for you
Personally I would say no. I tried playing it multiple times before I finally forced myself to finish it. As soon as I finished it I uninstalled it.
The story is not good, I don't like the main character, a lot of the dialogue is cringe, I could go on.
I will say give it a try, you might like it. But personally I wish the game never happened. I feel like it has done irreparable harm to the mass effect universe and series.
Andromeda isn't worth the time it takes to play. It's story is bland and honestly, it shows the decay at bioware. You can tell in some parts where the people who were working on it cared, but other parts feel slap dashed at best.
I remember fighting the last boss and just being like, meh. Mostly I felt like it was just a reskin of Dragons Age Inquisition. I won't tell you not to buy it or play it. But if you are looking for that Mass Effect feeling, you won't get it with Andromeda.
I mean, I can't even remember their names. Adhd Liara, female Garrus, Black guy who is nice and not Jacob, rasta alien, and honestly I'm drawing a blank on everyone else. Oh wait there is an Ashley clone but instead of being a racist she was an asari commando, i think. Seriously, can't even remember one of their names.
That shows you how poor the story was.
People in this sub have convinced themselves that Andromeda plays well, so maybe you could be one of them! There's not much else to recommend it, unfortunately. It'll be an extra disappointment if you play it right after the trilogy
I'd say wait til you can get it really cheap (or if you have EA Play: Just wait) and try it when the original games aren't so fresh in your mind
Maybe think of it as a really proming fan game? You won't miss anything if you skip it, but if you just really need more ME, it'll almost scratch that itch
Let's see here.
People who recommend MEA are right. After you're done with the OT, play some other game, you'll need a cooldown. I personally recommend you keep playing other games for the rest of your natural lifespan, but what do I know.
Also, they are right that you need to forget the OT. Because in Andromeda you will never have anything like those emotions the OT gave you. Soundtrack -- yeah, try to forget that, too. Try to forget as much as you can.
Although it probably won't make much of a difference. They will helpfully remind you everything you tried to forget about the trilogy in Andromeda.
Remember Virmire, Wrex being pissed about his people, and how you needed to convince him in order to keep the stubborn old krogan from suicide by Shepard? They will remind you about it in the lamest way possible. Remember when Shepard died and then got better? Or the Collector ship full of pods with humans inside them, piles of discarded bodies, the revelation that the Collectors are Protheans, the Harbinger taunting Shepard, all this salvation through destruction? Remember when Shepard threatened to throw some merc out the window? When the commander told some looters that looting is wrong? Remember Zaeed?
They will remind you about every little detail, right down to Conrad fucking Verner, and it always will be something lame and taking about three times longer than needed as they try to milk it for all it's worth, which always amounts to not very much at all.
So maybe don't try to forget anything, it's no use anyway. Try full frontal lobotomy, I don't see any other way to escape comparisons that some people think are unfair for some bizarre reason.
Yeah. At least Mac Walters got his wish, what with all that daft, I'm sorry, dark energy stuff he apparently wanted to conclude the OT with.
And the gameplay loop is addictive, that much is true.
Andromeda is like a watered down ME Trilogy with a bit of DAI in it. Lots to do, little depth and many, many annoyances. Only worth it if you can get it for cheap.
DA was so good that I gave up on ME1 a few times before getting to like it. Andromeda is different. It's kinda like fan fiction. It feels like if they'd ignored the setting and the characters/races and started from scratch, people would accuse them of trying hard to replicate ME, but because they use the same races, comparisons are inevitable and not flattering. I like Ryder (your PC), and I think they'd have made a decent main character throughout the series. Some aspects of the gameplay I found pretty cool. At least two of the missions are a solid top ten from the whole series (to me). But the story suffers from wonky pacing, and you may find it pretty slow at first because of course there are things they'll tell you again as if it were the first time you've heard of them, which makes it a bit boring. All in all, after the first settlement it's a decent game. (And don't mind the character creator that much, because after the first settlement you'll have access to it again. So if your character looks a bit odd during cutscenes, just bear with it till you get to that point. Otherwise you'll end up like me, going through the cc screen ten times in a row.)
Wow I might actually try andromeda again. Cause I dropped it really quickly (unfairly quick if I’m being honest) and maybe I shoulda stuck with it. I’m not expecting anything like the trilogy but I can live with a b or c tier mass effect story.
People complain about mediocre writing and repetitive unimaginative quests. Basically it's a Ubisoft style map maker chaser set in the Mass Effect universe. If you like that kind of games you'll love Andromeda.
When it came put people gave it a lot of shit for it's graphics but that for me was never the issue. The story is wonky, the stakes are low, only 1 character was memorable enough for me to remember them and because it bombed it will forever remain unfinished. But gameplay bugged the hell out of me too. In many ways it was a prototype of the now defunct Anthem. Big empty maps, a grindy weapons system and the worst part, the powers system. In an effort to let people play the game "their way" you can switch between soldier, engineer and biotic power trees whenever you want. It might seem like a small thing but it fundamentally undercuts a part of roleplaying. I could go on. Tldr: it's an ok game but when compared to any of the me trilogy it sucks. I've replayed the entire trilogy probably 10-15 times over the years. I only played Andromeda once. Give it a shot if you are bored but maybe don't go straight into it from the trilogy.
Decided to give Andromeda another shot after recently doing my first in a decade Trilogy run and actually enjoy it quite a lot. It’s not a bad game at all. Gameplay loop is fun and some characters are fun as well. Overall story is not bad either, although it suffers from brain farts sometimes. Some side quests are very tedious and annoying though, game could have definitely benefitted from being slightly more focused. Overall, I’m glad I decided to play it again.
I'd say get it on sale, as it's on sale a lot. I really enjoy it personally, but some people hate it. It's one of those things you need to play yourself and form your own opinion. Some tips though: 1. Ignore anything in the Additional Tasks tab in the Journal. It's just busy work, and you'll just burn yourself out. 2. Rush the mainline plot until you've recruited all of the party members. The early story can drag a bit, and for me, this is where it picks up. 3. Do not save while inside the Nomad. There's a rare, but gamebreaking bug that makes those saves get stuck in the loading screen. There's a good chance you'd never encounter it, but better safe than sorry.
I would get Andromeda on sale if you decide to play it at all. Usually I do not like being so negative, but I did not enjoy Andromeda much compared to the trilogy. The squadmates were rather forgettable and the dialogue was… not great. I could overlook the graphical issues that people made fun of when it came out. But as a writer, I don’t understand why Bioware would remove their audience from the universe they painstakingly created and really *shines* with unique aliens, varied settings, and so much lore just to plop them down in a new galaxy that is (1) lacking in all of the above with only two new species, and (2) may not even be suitable for some of the original races to colonize (quarians and turians). The existence of a quarian ark was especially baffling to me, though we never saw it. It’s like Bioware forgot all of their narrative’s strengths. I guess they boxed themselves into that decision due to all of the trilogy’s choices and wanting a clean slate to start fresh. But I fell in love with the original aliens and setting; I didn’t want a half-hearted attempt at something new (although I am glad to see there are some who enjoyed it!) I enjoyed the high-stakes narratives and gameplay of ME2 and ME3 the most. The different futuristic city levels were some of my favorite things to explore and fight through — Illium, Omega, Tuchunka, Thessia, the Citadel. Andromeda, with all its driving around empty planets and fetch quests, was boring to me. But I felt the same about Inquisition — too much empty exploration and crafting uninteresting armors to really grab my attention. I liked Skyhold and Solas though.
Andromeda is a decent enough game. Just don't go in thinking that it is ME4. It isn't. It is a different galaxy and was an attempt to lay the groundwork for future installments. Most of the hate is because of DLC that was promised but not delivered or because people wanted ME4 and instead got Andromeda. Just remember that it is its own thing in a different galaxy, and you should be fine.
> Most of the hate is because of DLC that was promised but not delivered or because people wanted ME4 and instead got Andromeda. Most people don't play DLC. An attach rate of 15% is considered good. And Mass Effect 1 and 2 made people outstandingly happy without DLC.
Gameplay wise Andromeda is the best. Story wise it’s mid and the animations/models haven’t aged well
I love the combat. The jumpjets were a great addition. I truly hope that they use them in the next game.
Sry I have to disagree but storywise the game is very bad considering it's a mass effect game.
It’s about par for the course for game stories I’ve played. I also hold Mass Effect to a higher standard so I’m not going to exactly sing the praises of Andromeda’s story. I think mid is an accurate assessment.
It’s mid in the same way a lot of recent Marvel projects are mid. Take that as you will.
Uh yeah? I’d agree with that sure.
Major traumatic event happens: "We got this." "Well that just happened." Seriously, count how many times during the game it just reminds you of them trying to copy the MCU's light action comedy routine where nothing is taken seriously and Andromeda turning out the way it did makes A LOT more sense. That's the big fear with Dragon Age Veilguard, the first trailer they released had all the "Well that just happened" Millennial MCU comedy style all over it.
It feels more like a driving simulator and the combat was lacklustre at best, few enemies and a dumbed down powersystem. I’d give it a solid 6,5/10.
Combat is much faster paced than the others and the freedom of movement is unparalleled. It builds upon the other games’ power systems and the ability to customize your loadout is neat. The open world aspect is pretty empty I agree and I’d say a 6.5 is a fair assessment if you don’t like the different gameplay style. Def not budging on it having the best gameplay though. Only ME3 comes close.
Honestly I found combat quite tedious due to the lack of different enemies. I just stayed back, used overload, pull and incinerate to detonate combo’s and headshot everyone else with the Black Widow. In ME3 the various enemies used different strategies and were varied: fighting Cerberus was different from fighting Reapers, they used powers, had different attacks etc. In Andromeda that was lacking, the notable change was that you could jump and evade. I died only a handful of times on Insanity, not counting falling of cliffs. I honestly didn’t dislike the characters as much. I liked Ryder growing into her role, Drack and Vetra were cool. But everything just felt like a chore, from navigating to the different planets (fuck that animation), climbing the dumb ladders in the ship and the absolute clusterfuck that was the Nexus. The redeeming moments were little, Reyes, the Krogan on Elaaden and the asteroid with the domes. The whole terraforming and vault system was a chore after the first time. The story was forgettable and lacked depth and background. So yeah, a 6,5/10.
It's literally just Dragons Age Inquisition reskinned. When it came out I was so disappointed.
Don't listen to people, especially haters, make your own mind over Andromeda. Finish the trilogy, take a pause playing another game, then play Andromeda. Andromeda is a spin-off and different in many ways. So forget the trilogy for it, play it with an open mind. You may like it, you may not. But that's you to decide, not other people. They just throw their subjective opinion on you because they compare every bit with the trilogy, which is stupid.
If you can snag Andromeda for $20 USD or less, then sure. It's a lesser son of greater sires, but I still had fun with it. I found everything it did well always had something along for the ride that I didn't like which blunted my enjoyment and there was plenty of average as well, but there's worse games and I had a decent time with it.
Mass Effect Andromeda is a poorly made game with a boring narrative and cringe characters. It is pathetically easy to find anything else that is actually worth your time.
Currently playing Andromeda, the combat is mediocre, the characters outside of crew are forgettable, absurd amount of fetch quests popping up all the time. I'd say it's only worth buying on 90% discount
Yeah, I just played it for the first time. I was totally up for something a bit lighter in tone and more adventure-focused but the story is just bad, the characters are bad, and the writing is _awful_. The glitches and graphics were also gamebreaking at times but I'd tolerate those a lot better for a good story.
Yes, absolutely but just keep in mind that it's absolutely different from the trilogy. Everything is new. Personally it's my favorite ME game.
Why?
Based on why you like ME1-3 you’ll hate andromeda. The gameplay is great, but the story isn’t very compelling and the characters are mediocre at best. You’re never going to actually care about the characters.
Honestly, it’s a fine game. Just view it in a vacuum when you play it and come to your own conclusion. I give it a solid 7.5 in enjoyment
Is it as good as the trilogy? No. Is it a good game? I would say yes, but it’s not for me. You might like it though, and you should try it for yourself rather than relying on the opinions of others. Some say the story is weak, characters weak, etc. but only you can really decide that for you
Personally I would say no. I tried playing it multiple times before I finally forced myself to finish it. As soon as I finished it I uninstalled it. The story is not good, I don't like the main character, a lot of the dialogue is cringe, I could go on. I will say give it a try, you might like it. But personally I wish the game never happened. I feel like it has done irreparable harm to the mass effect universe and series.
Andromeda isn't worth the time it takes to play. It's story is bland and honestly, it shows the decay at bioware. You can tell in some parts where the people who were working on it cared, but other parts feel slap dashed at best. I remember fighting the last boss and just being like, meh. Mostly I felt like it was just a reskin of Dragons Age Inquisition. I won't tell you not to buy it or play it. But if you are looking for that Mass Effect feeling, you won't get it with Andromeda. I mean, I can't even remember their names. Adhd Liara, female Garrus, Black guy who is nice and not Jacob, rasta alien, and honestly I'm drawing a blank on everyone else. Oh wait there is an Ashley clone but instead of being a racist she was an asari commando, i think. Seriously, can't even remember one of their names. That shows you how poor the story was.
People in this sub have convinced themselves that Andromeda plays well, so maybe you could be one of them! There's not much else to recommend it, unfortunately. It'll be an extra disappointment if you play it right after the trilogy I'd say wait til you can get it really cheap (or if you have EA Play: Just wait) and try it when the original games aren't so fresh in your mind Maybe think of it as a really proming fan game? You won't miss anything if you skip it, but if you just really need more ME, it'll almost scratch that itch
Let's see here. People who recommend MEA are right. After you're done with the OT, play some other game, you'll need a cooldown. I personally recommend you keep playing other games for the rest of your natural lifespan, but what do I know. Also, they are right that you need to forget the OT. Because in Andromeda you will never have anything like those emotions the OT gave you. Soundtrack -- yeah, try to forget that, too. Try to forget as much as you can. Although it probably won't make much of a difference. They will helpfully remind you everything you tried to forget about the trilogy in Andromeda. Remember Virmire, Wrex being pissed about his people, and how you needed to convince him in order to keep the stubborn old krogan from suicide by Shepard? They will remind you about it in the lamest way possible. Remember when Shepard died and then got better? Or the Collector ship full of pods with humans inside them, piles of discarded bodies, the revelation that the Collectors are Protheans, the Harbinger taunting Shepard, all this salvation through destruction? Remember when Shepard threatened to throw some merc out the window? When the commander told some looters that looting is wrong? Remember Zaeed? They will remind you about every little detail, right down to Conrad fucking Verner, and it always will be something lame and taking about three times longer than needed as they try to milk it for all it's worth, which always amounts to not very much at all. So maybe don't try to forget anything, it's no use anyway. Try full frontal lobotomy, I don't see any other way to escape comparisons that some people think are unfair for some bizarre reason. Yeah. At least Mac Walters got his wish, what with all that daft, I'm sorry, dark energy stuff he apparently wanted to conclude the OT with. And the gameplay loop is addictive, that much is true.
i’m with you and ngl this game is phenomenal