Mass Effect Andromeda is the long-awaited installment of the Mass Effect series. Set in between the second and third games, you play as Scott or Sara Ryder who’s on a mission to find habitable planets in the Andromeda Galaxy. Ryder does this primarily by solving puzzles in an alien shrine so the planet becomes a little more habitable. They also clear out the planet of hostile alien life as well as gathering resources. The loyalty mechanics of the past games are also present here, of course. There are six new companions you can deepen your relationships with. Two humans, an Asari, a female Turian, a Krogan, and a native Andromedan Angara.
It’s set to be an epic journey across a new galaxy, filled with exploration and combat with Kett.
Living Up to the Hype?
Many people have been waiting for a more satisfying Mass Effect after the whole debacle about the ending of 3. For a time, the developers hyped Andromeda enough to make it seem like it would. However, when it was released, it seemed a little lackluster, garnering a mix of reviews.
On one hand, it seems like everybody’s complaining about it. Graphics are weird, the UI too clunky, you don’t know what the important quests are. The more I read about it the more I want to know if people are just exaggerating, or if it’s really that bad. It oddly makes me want to play it just to see for myself. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind those things if the story is good, and I don’t have to grind so much. One review I read rated the writing inconsistent, though, which could disappoint me (or not), I don’t know.
On the other hand, however, one thing everybody agrees on is that the combat is good. Since the trailer came out, I was very interested with how Ryder can somewhat teleport or flash step toward the enemy, and even jump and hover. The class-less and choose your own skill system also gives more freedom for players to mix and match skills rather than being locked into one class. You can only equip three of your skills, but you can switch them mid-battle, with a cooldown penalty.
My Thoughts
Judging from what I’ve read about it, it’s a game I’d enjoy playing. However, it’s not something I’d play right away. I can wait until it has some animation patches or mods that fix a few things. It’s not a really bad game, but I guess there’s just enough bad in it to irritate and keep players from enjoying it fully. Then again, people will always find something to complain about.
I’ll play this sometime. It’s not that high in my ‘To Play’ list because of all the complaints. Besides, right now it’s still pretty expensive and stuff so I’d really rather wait.
https://www.facebook.com/GameSpotUniverse/videos/10158468518510436/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED
If I try playing it now, I’d probably be laughing too hard at all the animation blunders (see the above video). I won’t be able to take this game seriously because of that. For me, I like a balance between humor and seriousness so I’ll wait a bit more. I mean, it’s not like a Steam key for it will be released so I do have to figure out how to play this without going through horrible Origin. In the meantime, I can enjoy some other games first.