Mass Effect: Andromeda

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 4128 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,607 out of 4128
  2. Mixed: 660 out of 4128
  3. Negative: 1,861 out of 4128
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  1. marnes
    Mar 25, 2017
    7
    This is a good game with major flaws. Fortunately the combat and rover exploration portion of the game-play is quite good and represents the majority of the game. Everyone knows animations are hilariously bad, and I'll get to that later.

    Biggest negatives are: 1. huge lack of music in the game, and key signature moments (say becoming a Spectre in ME1, or getting the Normandy) -- the    This is a good game with major flaws. Fortunately the combat and rover exploration portion of the game-play is quite good and represents the majority of the game. Everyone knows animations are hilariously bad, and I'll get to that later.

    Biggest negatives are:
    1. huge lack of music in the game, and key signature moments (say becoming a Spectre in ME1, or getting the Normandy) -- the equivalents in ME4 are very brief casual affairs with no music. This is very disappointing for me, and even the memorable space exploration music is so subdued and ambient, you have to crank the sliders to even hear it.
    2. The space exploration, while pretty, transitions take too long, aren't skipable, and there is very little of interest. Very half-baked and incomplete. Sometimes you find minerals or a derelict ship/satellite. Scanning planets is briefer than the ME2 system, only because there is literally only 0 or 1 anomalies per planet (mostly 0). Feels empty.
    3. Character/Animation system. Looks like Bioware moved from the expensive motion captured method to procedural animations. The characters are a real step back, character generation is limited. We're talking worse than Skyrim here. Eyes looks largely flat and dead, and when the lead character smiles she looks like Jack Nicholson in the Shining.
    4. Crafting, research, scanning -- it seems to be a lot of work to do everything needed to research and craft items, and by the time you are able to do so, you end up looting superior items and not needing to craft at all. Still I'm still in the first quarter of the game. Feels like crafting is to fill gaps, but the pacing feels bad and difficult in the beginning, possibly due to the overwhelming amount of choice. So I'm saving it for when I need it.

    Overall the game is fun and engaging, but there are several parts of the game that feel undercooked. While animations are genuinely pretty bad, I can overlook some of that. But I'd say if Bioware is listening, music and space exploration needs more work and balancing. Maybe more planets that you can rover on.    … Expand
  2. SSH83
    Apr 30, 2018
    7
    Finally had the chance to play this game for the first time with all the patches. It's a good first game. if they had created a new IP instead of Mass Effect, it would've been compared favourably with the first Mass Effect.

    This game succeed in combat and driving simulation. I like all the new companions as much as the original, IF I remind myself that Andromeda is 1 game... not 3    Finally had the chance to play this game for the first time with all the patches. It's a good first game. if they had created a new IP instead of Mass Effect, it would've been compared favourably with the first Mass Effect.

    This game succeed in combat and driving simulation. I like all the new companions as much as the original, IF I remind myself that Andromeda is 1 game... not 3 game worth of character growth/attachment. A few narrative gems exists in the plot like Kadaran main quest. I wish those gems had been extended to take over the main plot.

    Writing wise, there is a ton of rehash. A lot of "this is just a crappier version of the original." Lots of good political critique that fail to deliver entertainment value. Compare this to the original's balance between gripping narrative and morality lessons, it's quite clear new Bioware writers don't understand that the patrons giving them money deserve more than a peach that they didn't sign up for.

    I still like my idea of Mass Effect 4 more. Reapers are in Andromeda, Shepard and crew goes there through a super relay, capable of transport. Story completely and directly inherits from the trilogy with all the fan favourites.    … Expand
  3. simulacra
    Apr 1, 2017
    7
    A good game as far as games go, but it doesn't measure up to the rest of the Mass Effect trilogy, or other contemporary RPGs. The game's mediocrity comes from its half-baked story, bad pacing, and uninteresting characters. There are some good moments but they're few and far between. Much of the game feels empty and unfulfilled. There's an abundance of boring fetch-quests and uninspiredA good game as far as games go, but it doesn't measure up to the rest of the Mass Effect trilogy, or other contemporary RPGs. The game's mediocrity comes from its half-baked story, bad pacing, and uninteresting characters. There are some good moments but they're few and far between. Much of the game feels empty and unfulfilled. There's an abundance of boring fetch-quests and uninspired locations. I feel like too much time was spent creating massive, sprawling planets rather than coming up with cool and interesting locales. As for the characters, Lexi, Drack, and Vetra were the only ones who caught my interest, and even they left me wanting for more. Liam and Cora are awful: Liam's always talking about how he's crying about this or that; Cora likes to drone on about her asari training. Jaal is alright but I feel like he and Liam were written because of this absurd cultural movement to feminize men. Liam's always crying and saying its okay to cry and Jaal's always talking about his feelings, because he's so liberated. Peebee is annoying. She's always saying weird and awkward things that just feel out of place. She lacks depth and never really comes together. The Mass Effect series is about story and characters. That's what makes it great. This game focuses far, far too much on exploration and discovery. It's stretched so thin that none of it feels compelling. I'm disappointed.… Expand
  4. ChickenCrimpy
    Mar 25, 2017
    7
    I don't get all the hate. I nearly didn't buy this because of all the hate and bad reviews. Lucky I chose to ignore them. Is it perfect? No, the facial animations are distracting but I find them quite funny. Is the game rubbish? No. The gunfights and basic game play are well done. People that are giving this game a 0 are simply trolling it seems. They state they like certain aspects yetI don't get all the hate. I nearly didn't buy this because of all the hate and bad reviews. Lucky I chose to ignore them. Is it perfect? No, the facial animations are distracting but I find them quite funny. Is the game rubbish? No. The gunfights and basic game play are well done. People that are giving this game a 0 are simply trolling it seems. They state they like certain aspects yet still give it a 0? Really? This game seems to suffer the same fate as COD and Assassins Creed. I don't think giving a game 0 is a fair review. I'm an avid Mass Effect fan. This game is a nice offshoot to the old series. I'm having fun with this game. It seems the patch fixed all of the bugs people complained about. I haven't encountered any at all 15 hours in! Its a slow starter but once you get past prologue its great. Not everyone will love this game but its a good t=game for me, and I feel many others. The average score is slowly getting higher which should tell you that the people that have actually played the game are weighing into the debate. Get the game and make your own decision, Don't be swayed by all these negative scores, many of which it seems haven't played the game at all.… Expand
  5. Shaftoe
    Mar 22, 2017
    7
    Its not great, but its certainly not as bad as everyone is claiming. The facial animations are awful. its true, its a major step backwards. The writing is exactly the same as every other recent bioware game - its not got the more mature / developed plot of Witcher 3.

    But the game play is fun, the story is essentially on par w/ other Mass effect games. If you liked the other games,    Its not great, but its certainly not as bad as everyone is claiming. The facial animations are awful. its true, its a major step backwards. The writing is exactly the same as every other recent bioware game - its not got the more mature / developed plot of Witcher 3.

    But the game play is fun, the story is essentially on par w/ other Mass effect games. If you liked the other games, you will most likely enjoy this game. I definitely would suggest buying it, but perhaps on sale, depending on how much you liked the previous games.

    Basically, most of the negativity focuses on the really strange facial animation of the humans, which is true, but is really a relatively minor detail in the game.    … Expand
  6. JBurnes3
    Nov 12, 2019
    7
    Even though I'm writing this review in 2019, I played this game at launch and I played through it at least 3 or 4 times. There were numerous technical issues, nothing truly major that I experienced though other than of course the facial animations of some characters.

    Graphically I thought it looked beautiful, however was disappointed many aliens such as the Asari used the same 2 or 3    Even though I'm writing this review in 2019, I played this game at launch and I played through it at least 3 or 4 times. There were numerous technical issues, nothing truly major that I experienced though other than of course the facial animations of some characters.

    Graphically I thought it looked beautiful, however was disappointed many aliens such as the Asari used the same 2 or 3 models just with different textures applied. Whereas previous Mass Effect games may have used the same models at times, but they had enough varieties of models spread though out that it was unnoticeable.

    Personally I enjoyed the story, especially the final battle which I think is more how the final battle of Mass Effect 3 should've turned out. That being said there were story threads that were left open for DLCs instead of wrapping the story up properly. Especially the whole thing with the Quarian arc, which unfortunately is a DLC we'll never get to see.

    Ultimately a flawed game, but still a fun time for fans of Mass Effect or Sci-Fi in general that don't need things to be perfect.    … Expand
  7. RealMuthaF
    Dec 26, 2017
    7
    Considering all the hate this game's got, I've decided to write a few words in its defense.

    Mass Effect Andromeda is not a bad game. Having spent 69.5 hours in its campaign and 5 more in multiplayer, I mostly enjoyed my time. Hell, if I didn't, I wouldn't have played this long. The game's got good graphics (especially the vistas), improved combat and this advertised sense of    Considering all the hate this game's got, I've decided to write a few words in its defense.

    Mass Effect Andromeda is not a bad game. Having spent 69.5 hours in its campaign and 5 more in multiplayer, I mostly enjoyed my time. Hell, if I didn't, I wouldn't have played this long. The game's got good graphics (especially the vistas), improved combat and this advertised sense of exploration, of being a pioneer. And it works. While the original trilogy was about a massively populated universe where humans are just another race, in Andromeda the whole Milky Way expedition is around 100.000 souls, the resources are scarce, and it's up to you to find a new home.

    Now I can't deny Andromeda also has plenty of issues, which I would structure into three main categories.

    Gameplay:
    While the combat has become much more fluid and agile with the welcome addition of jump jets, I found it irritating how close the camera was to the character with weapons drawn, severely limiting the field of view. Some other decisions like having to leave the planet every time you board the Tempest, some abilities dependent on power cells, and the lack of tactical pause are also questionable.

    Story:
    Let's be honest, the old ME games could not boast any original story. It was just a dude assembling forces to fight giant space prawns. For 3 games straight. Here the main plot mostly mirrors the first game, with the protagonist being the only one able to interface with some derelict tech from an ancient race (Protheans/Jaardan) while fighting enemies who represent a much larger ominous force (Reapers/Kett). While things are pretty straightforward, the game does manage to set up things nicely for the much larger populated galaxy with the huge Kett empire lurking within. I would say, however, that the antagonist is very boring, there was plenty of cringy dialogue, there could have been more original races, and that the squadmate roster is inferior compared to the old games.

    Engine:
    I bought the game in version 1.10, with improved animations and fixed bugs. There still were occasional crashes, freezes, glitched animations and quests, but it wasn't really bothersome. I do imagine though, that if these were much more abundant at game's launch, I would have been pissed.

    To sum up, the fact that ME Andromeda was basically broken at launch is inexcusable for any AAA blockbuster and a continuation of a popular franchise, and I understand where the hate was coming from. Still, in its current state and for the current price (got it for like 20$) it's well worth picking up. If you are a fan of the old MEs, or RPG's and Sci-Fi in general, I would honestly recommend it.    … Expand
  8. alanbessa
    Feb 24, 2018
    7
    Recommended.

    Lackluster story with a buggy gameplay, but it's very fun and the action is addicting.
  9. shepard75
    Sep 2, 2017
    7
    I really loved the first 3 Games, esp. ME3. Everything was perfect in this Game: Soundtrack, cool graphics, exciting Action, not too complex RPG Elements, fascinating story, great Characters with also great voice actors and animations. With ME:A you should tear down your expectations regarding these points. It's still a good game, and i love being in that universe but IMO it's onlyI really loved the first 3 Games, esp. ME3. Everything was perfect in this Game: Soundtrack, cool graphics, exciting Action, not too complex RPG Elements, fascinating story, great Characters with also great voice actors and animations. With ME:A you should tear down your expectations regarding these points. It's still a good game, and i love being in that universe but IMO it's only average, when you compare it with ME3. Sad to say this, but EA should have kept the original ME Team for developing such an important franchise, instead of experimenting with a new staff.… Expand
  10. thisjustin02
    Feb 6, 2021
    7
    I'm about 70 hours in and I'm really liking it so far. The combat is fantastic, which I know is not the reason anyone buys a Bioware game, but it doesn't make it not true. Is it polished? Not at all. There was a lot of work left unfinished and it's buggy, but that doesn't make it a terrible game. The writing isn't on par with the first three, but it's not the dumpster fire that a lot ofI'm about 70 hours in and I'm really liking it so far. The combat is fantastic, which I know is not the reason anyone buys a Bioware game, but it doesn't make it not true. Is it polished? Not at all. There was a lot of work left unfinished and it's buggy, but that doesn't make it a terrible game. The writing isn't on par with the first three, but it's not the dumpster fire that a lot of the reviews say it is. I think this game has become one of those things the internet has collectively decided to hate just because everyone else says it's bad. It's not that bad. It's not amazing, but it's at least "good". The 1's and 0's seem reactionary and not what I'd consider to be a fair scores, but that's just my opinion. If you liked the first three, you owe it to yourself to give this a shot. Just know that this game starts from scratch.… Expand
  11. NoobTooberton
    Mar 25, 2017
    7
    I really question how people can justify anything under a 5 on this game. I understand that it may not be as good as the first installments but come on guys. This has enough of the ingredients to enjoy regardless of whether you're playing it for the first time or you're a seasoned vet. Keyboard warriors in full effect with this one.
  12. Sojum
    May 27, 2017
    7
    Early on and the game is fine. Not sure why this one is attracting so many troll reviews. Yes there are bugs and some occasional weird animations. They are exceptions though - they don't persist constantly throughout the game. Anyone focused solely on them has is merely parroting what's popular on the internet. Did I hope for better? Yes. But I'm also just coming off of Horizon Zero DawnEarly on and the game is fine. Not sure why this one is attracting so many troll reviews. Yes there are bugs and some occasional weird animations. They are exceptions though - they don't persist constantly throughout the game. Anyone focused solely on them has is merely parroting what's popular on the internet. Did I hope for better? Yes. But I'm also just coming off of Horizon Zero Dawn which set an incredibly high bar. Follow the critics score on this one, not the troll score.

    Having now finished the game, I'll leave my original rating of 7. There's plenty to do here, and gameplay is much more satisfying than the negative reviews will acknowledge. It's not a stellar entry or the space exploration game I keep waiting for. But, it's so far from the 4.8 user average currently showing in metacritic that it's comical. I think it's time to start verifying that the people writing reviews have actual played the game (watched the movie/read the book/used the product/etc). I tell my kids to try things, truly try them, before they make up their minds about whether or not they like them. My sense anymore is that reviews are regurgitating popular sentiment on the Internet or expressing a dislike of superficial, easily observed, features of something without actually sampling it (i.e. ewwww, it looks gross therefore it must be gross).    … Expand
  13. jadam914
    Apr 6, 2017
    7
    After a full play through here is my take. Not sure why all the hate, it's a good game but it could have been great. One of the glaring problems is frostbite the game engine. The mechanics are clunky at times and under whelming ad to that it hammers on ps4 hardware and fans even though other titles with better graphics run easier on it. The writing was not terrible and some of the normalAfter a full play through here is my take. Not sure why all the hate, it's a good game but it could have been great. One of the glaring problems is frostbite the game engine. The mechanics are clunky at times and under whelming ad to that it hammers on ps4 hardware and fans even though other titles with better graphics run easier on it. The writing was not terrible and some of the normal Bioware humor and attention to continuity was there but not as much as expected. One quest areas dialog was completely miss scripted and it showed. Facial and body mechanics were poorly done and lacking. The general story was good and enjoyable. More decision impact on the story would have been nice. I tire of Bioware pushing the lgbt stuff so hard every game, it doesn't need to be so "In your face" they need to chill a little. A little more content would have been nice though I don't feel robbed with what I got, with all the star systems available there was room. It's hardly a POS like Dragon Age II was but was still below standard as triple A title. Even with all the negatives i still enjoyed it and look forward to improvement on the next Mass Effect title.… Expand
  14. Rem
    Mar 21, 2017
    7
    After 52 hours, Mass Effect: Andromeda is quite perhaps the biggest fluctuations of enjoyment I've ever had. In some points, I was genuinely having a good time toying with the revamped combat and exploration and other times I am absolutely apalled at its technical state, with the stilted and uncomfortable facial animations sadly ringing true. Even more than that, the story and theAfter 52 hours, Mass Effect: Andromeda is quite perhaps the biggest fluctuations of enjoyment I've ever had. In some points, I was genuinely having a good time toying with the revamped combat and exploration and other times I am absolutely apalled at its technical state, with the stilted and uncomfortable facial animations sadly ringing true. Even more than that, the story and the characters that participate in it are of a lower quality than what we have come to expect from perhaps the greatest trilogy in gaming. Make no mistake, this still feels like Mass Effect with the core components present, but it is also the weakest of them.

    Taking control of Ryder, players venture into the Andromeda Galaxy in hopes of starting a new life with the Milky Way races. The first hours don't leave a very good impression, swapping smart and intelligent dialogue of the games before with hammy, awkward dialogue that would be more right at home with an FX drama/comedy. It's not bad, and it's certainly allowed to be different from Shepard's adventures, but none of the characters made as much of an impact as Garrus, Liara, or Legion did and before anyone says "Well Shepard had 3 games!", this game is easily twice as long as any of the games in the Original Trilogy. It's not a matter of length, it's a matter how effectively you use that time. The story eventually goes somewhere and picks up, but it's more in the realm of movie blockbuster, with really predictable threads and a fairly cookie cutter villain. The story and dialogue is further hampered by the technical issues, none that made it unplayable, but definitely noticeable. If anything, you'll enjoy Andromeda's length and where it takes you. And the aforementioned facial animations are back, and they are quite sub-par. It doesn't bother me as much it did others, but when you combine that with dialogue that seldom delivers, it really gets to you.

    The main focus this time seems to revolve around exploration and combat, both of which are significantly better. Classes are more or less done away with and instead you are allowed to mix and match however you please among the original 6 classes with a newly added one. The addition of the jump jet keeps the action frantic. It's amazingly still Mass Effect, but definitely evolved. The exploration also has seen a boost with absolutely large worlds to explore (though there aren't as much as you might think). Traversing with the nomad is leagues better than the mako and it always was entertaining if not for the fact that fetch quests are in abundance and most are as unengaging as the name implies. Overall, the quests flow more in the vein of Dragon Age: Inquisition than the Original Trilogy, and that's a damn shame. In addition, the menus are clunky and comparing equipment is a chore. The loyalty missions are what we've come to expect from a Mass Effect game, but it's the characters that sell it decently, rather than great.

    It's important to also note that the developers of the Original Trilogy did not work on Andromeda, and it shows. The games is absolutely gorgeous while still retaining its large scale, but are inhabited by quests that do little more than mediocrity The characters (while interesting) aren't as memorable, and the plot (which is supposed to be a standalone and set a foundation for future titles) is only good enough instead of breaking the mold. Despite my criticisms, I very much enjoyed exploring the galaxy map (its rendition of Uncharted Worlds is amazing), combat and exploration are great, and the game is gorgeous. However, there is no denying that Andromeda is disappointing, not because it's a bad Mass Effect game, but because it stumbles in key components that takes any game beyond great. As it stands Andromeda is merely decent, a stepback from the constant amazing the OT delivered. This is not Shepard's favorite game in the Citadel.    … Expand
  15. Juhiz
    Mar 23, 2017
    7
    It´s ok.. Feels rushed.
    I would have accepted frame rate and texture loading issues like in the previous Bioware games. But these animation and art asset bugs are staining the otherwise pristine reputation of "new" Bioware. To be fair somewhere behind technical difficulties and tedious fetch quests there is a decent RPG-Shooter. My assessment: Buy it after 10 patches and spend only    It´s ok.. Feels rushed.
    I would have accepted frame rate and texture loading issues like in the previous Bioware games. But these animation and art asset bugs are staining the otherwise pristine reputation of "new" Bioware. To be fair somewhere behind technical difficulties and tedious fetch quests there is a decent RPG-Shooter. My assessment: Buy it after 10 patches and spend only 40$/€ on consoles, because on launch day, it´s a mid-tier game with AAA-paintjob.    … Expand
  16. Reciter5613
    May 2, 2017
    7
    It isn't bad. The action and style is still good. My problem is there was not enough interesting quests and stuff to motivate me to finish it. They all got boring and felt like unwanted filler. Also it was annoying how your actions in the last few games doesn't affect this one like they never happened.

    As a Mass effect fan, this was sad that it didn't grab my interest like the other games.
  17. EnderDragon
    Apr 5, 2017
    7
    I was expecting very little after the snore fest that was the entirety of Mass Effect 3 (expect the ending, I genuinely liked the original ending and hate that they caved in to the whiny, self-entitled crybabies that ruined it by making them change it.) and after the utter disappointment that was Dragon Age: Inquisition, and I think that is why I enjoy Mass Effect: Andromeda. Yes, I haveI was expecting very little after the snore fest that was the entirety of Mass Effect 3 (expect the ending, I genuinely liked the original ending and hate that they caved in to the whiny, self-entitled crybabies that ruined it by making them change it.) and after the utter disappointment that was Dragon Age: Inquisition, and I think that is why I enjoy Mass Effect: Andromeda. Yes, I have hit some of the character model animation glitches, arms flailing, eyes rolling sideways until it is all white, a dead character glitched in to the ground that I can not revive, etc. But, aside from that, I enjoy the story they were trying to impart, even though it seems the writers lacked the proper ability to convey it. Is this a perfect game? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. But they are working to make it better, and I commend them for it. Publishers make the developers send the game to print by a deadline, and sometimes they are not finished. But it is what the developer does after the game is sent to print that matters at that point. We get day zero and day one patches, or early patches like what ME:A is getting soon to fix things they did not have time to address because of a deadline. I am willing to give this game a chance because of that.… Expand
  18. DrMaskWolf
    Mar 26, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have almost finished this game and I'm willingly going to play again. The issue with this game, besides the graphical glitches which can be horrifying if using the default or just using an unedited pre-set head, is the same issue I have with Dragon Age Inquisition when you start out. That issue is a boring and overly long first act. Things really do kick up after you escape the Archon for the first time and characters start to open up the exact same way they did in Dragon Age.

    I actually blame the writers for the dull characters since most of them seem to have written characters the exact same way in, you guessed it, Dragon Age Inquisition. This is on the other hand and change of form for the Mass Effect franchise that not a lot of fans don't like, and it also feels like a reboot of the first 2 games smashed together which I admit was something I had already thought before playing but those thoughts were only reinforced. I felt for each of the characters after the first act, I wanted to see them succeed and not get hurt even though I know they are fictional. And I have to give the writers credit since I didn't give a **** about a lot of characters from Dragon Age Inquisition.

    There are issues with the game running like crap sometimes for seemingly no reason at all. It could either be in a field of grass on a planet or in the Tempest, it will just start to chug near the end of the second act. Also, the facial animations, although some of them might have been fixed since I saw some online that I never saw in game, it's unacceptable that they would focus so hard on the combat to leave the most basics part of the game so ****ty.

    Speaking of combat it is great. Similar to MGSV where the gameplay was it's saving grace, for me at the very least, Mass Effect Andromeda's combat is good and I didn't even take advantage of all of the gimmicks they added. It's fun and I don't complain when I have to fight in a quest or just in the story. I feel like a badass without trying too hard and not having to fight every little thing.

    Most of my complaints can be fixed with a few patches so maybe after it's all done I can feel good about giving them a 8 or 9 but pretty worlds, convincing characters, and tight combat doesn't make up for the fact that there are tons of problems and BioWare should have maybe delayed the game again to iron them out instead of going with the build that they tested over the holidays.    … Expand
  19. scythe_pl
    Jun 13, 2017
    7
    It's perhaps the biggest and most expensive to produce 7/10 game there is. After patches, that is, because before 1.06 it was unplayable. Story is slow and mediocre, combat is repetitive and kind of tedious, there's definitely too much pointless running around (Kadara and the elevator, FFS). In general it's a decent game, but it's much, much, much below expectations.
  20. Mallshalay
    Jun 6, 2017
    7
    I'll say just a few words how I feel about this so called Mass Effect game.

    Take Mass effect 2 and 3's AI - EDI.. Interesting, human-like and a great squadmate addition to the game. You can see throughout the both games its character development, how it's trying to understand humans (organics you might say) and at the end even how it's falling in love with Joker. And now ME:A's AI -    I'll say just a few words how I feel about this so called Mass Effect game.

    Take Mass effect 2 and 3's AI - EDI.. Interesting, human-like and a great squadmate addition to the game. You can see throughout the both games its character development, how it's trying to understand humans (organics you might say) and at the end even how it's falling in love with Joker.

    And now ME:A's AI - SAM.. Overall boring, flat and definitely one of the most annoying things about the game. How it constantly reminds you that you can mine here and there or that you have nonexistent emails in your mailbox or fake pending vidcalls. You can't see any character development whatsoever even though the game reminds you like 2 or 3 times that SAM is learning about human feelings and such.

    That would be my view of ME:A. Take it as you see fit. 7/10. (7/10 because of the amazing combat system, without it it would be just 5/10, which I'm really sad to say taking in consideration that it's Mass Effect and a Bioware game even)    … Expand
  21. Walker5482
    Nov 6, 2022
    7
    The game seriously lacks polish. It's been a long time since I've seen a game where the issues and flaws are so obvious. Animations, clipping, graphics glitches, all of these things are substantially sub par for a AAA game. This being said, the environments seem to be large and beautiful. Unfortunately the story seems to only be serviceable, not extraordinary like the previous Mass EffectThe game seriously lacks polish. It's been a long time since I've seen a game where the issues and flaws are so obvious. Animations, clipping, graphics glitches, all of these things are substantially sub par for a AAA game. This being said, the environments seem to be large and beautiful. Unfortunately the story seems to only be serviceable, not extraordinary like the previous Mass Effect games. I would have preferred this game be a PC exclusive so that we would have one great game rather than three okay to good games. Now I have to treat Bioware like Ubisoft.… Expand
  22. Big_Bear
    Apr 7, 2017
    7
    Whilst there are always senseless, moronic reviews attached to any new release these days, some of the choice ones on here really do reach new levels of stupidity. Mass Effect Andromeda is a massively ambitious game that doesn’t hit every mark it tries to and there are some truly baffling and terrible design decisions but it is in no way even half as bad as some have claimed.Whilst there are always senseless, moronic reviews attached to any new release these days, some of the choice ones on here really do reach new levels of stupidity. Mass Effect Andromeda is a massively ambitious game that doesn’t hit every mark it tries to and there are some truly baffling and terrible design decisions but it is in no way even half as bad as some have claimed.

    Unfortunately the very first step of the game is also one of the most disappointing. There really is no excuse here. 5 or 6 years development time and we have been given a truly awful character creator. It is massively limited by not allowing the player to actually create a face like Fallout 4 does for example, but simply provides around 10 increasingly terrible looking presets for the player to choose which they can then only change some dimensions and positions on. For a game considered to have strong RPG elements this is of course very damaging. What is a welcome idea is that the player is able to edit their characters sibling as well to dictate their in game appearance which in turn, generates what their father, the original Ryder looks like. But of course, this good idea is also stifled by the hugely simplistic creator.

    Not long after this crushing disappointment and confusion as to how any dev could actually sign off on this creator and believe it is ok, the game opens very well in my opinion. In a throwback to the original ME, the player has a brief intro to their situation in deep space and are then quickly thrust onto a planet which turns out to be very hostile. This introduces the player to the much improved and enjoyable combat system, one of the squad mates and a taste of the, pretty stunning environments the player can expect from the rest of the game.

    After that the game properly opens up and really does get better and better as you go through it. As I have mentioned the planets and environments are beautiful but unfortunately are not matched by the character models with human characters in particular being very disappointing and lacking in detail. Out of the many negative claims about the game prior to release, the dead eyes of human characters is one that was very true, a real shame given that some of the alien characters look great.

    This, regrettably, brings me onto one of the worst, most bizarre design decisions/omissions I have ever seen. So whilst the crafting system is decent, essentially you are only ever crafting gear for yourself as Bioware has taken the very strange decision not to allow players to gear squad mates AT ALL. Quite unbelievable that a game in any series can regress this far considering it was something that you could do in the original ME. Yes they also strangely limited choices in the follow up OT games but now there is nothing at all. Not allowing the equipping of squad mates is just baffling, and it is hard to see any reasoning behind a decision to limit the player in this way. Personally I had hoped not only to be able to equip them, but to be actually able to edit them in game as well, so my disappointment was confounded by having no options whatsoever here.

    In a lot of ways it’s like the devs seem to have assumed that any sort of micromanagement, whether regarding squad mates or planets, is a bad thing. I would wholeheartedly disagree with that and would take some micromanagement over what we have been given. For a game such as MEA it adds control and diverse experiences for each player.

    However unlikely, I hope that some of the most glaring issues are somehow fixed or enhanced with future patches. For now all the issues in the game do unfortunately pull it down from being great but happily not quite to the point of completely ruining it.

    It’s much closer than I would have liked but I think the good points just about outweighing the bad. I understand why many have been left disappointed as expectations were very high. I am in the same boat and have been left disappointed and frustrated at many aspects of the game. However focusing on the strong points of MEA has allowed me to enjoy my time with it a lot, and with aforementioned future fixes/enhancements I hope for, along with some sizeable DLC, MEA could still be great. For now, it is a solid 7/10.    … Expand
  23. JackKasket
    Mar 26, 2017
    7
    After +20 hours played. Andromeda is a fair successor to the ME trilogy. Don't get me wrong, it is not a great successor, just fair.

    The characters and writing are not nearly as bad as many first hour user reviews lead on. In fact, I personally quite enjoy the story so far, and the characters are easily distinguishable, albeit, after 20 hours of gameplay, I really like only two of them.    After +20 hours played. Andromeda is a fair successor to the ME trilogy. Don't get me wrong, it is not a great successor, just fair.

    The characters and writing are not nearly as bad as many first hour user reviews lead on. In fact, I personally quite enjoy the story so far, and the characters are easily distinguishable, albeit, after 20 hours of gameplay, I really like only two of them. That's one less than in the whole ME trilogy. I also enjoy the flippant version of Ryder quite a lot, and I think the writing of the main character is great.

    Combat is OK, but not great. The cover system seems unfinished and on some areas there is virtually no viable cover available, making the battles pretty one sided. There is something oddly clunky about going in and out of cover as well, mostly because it is not always obvious what is a cover and what is not. I haven't messed around with the skills that much yet, but they seem to work as expected.

    Graphics is a major gripe for lot of the red naysayers, and let's be honest, the animations look horrible. Coming from titles like Horizon, it's like looking at a PS3 game. The faces are just plain bad, and there is no excuse for that considering you spend 40% of your time looking at one.

    The exploration is a bit of a hit and miss. On one hand, you are constantly wondering what you're going to encounter, but on the other hand, the free space exploration is dumbed down to pointless. The mini game of resource farming from planets is really, really, pointless from space, and mining on the rover is a huge pain. But, I like diving into new areas, and see what I can find, and that part is done well in this game.

    Besides this, there are game crashing bugs riddled across the board, that are frustrating. Luckily I've only had a couple of minutes off roll-back so far, but I'm saving a great deal more often after crash number five.    … Expand
  24. GamerJosh0137
    Mar 21, 2017
    7
    Mass Effect Andromeda is not at all a bad game or in my experience, as broken as some would leave you to believe. Animations are bad, I have had a few “backwards gun” instances, and some dialogue issues but these are all things relatively easy to fix via patch. It will really depend on the player and what he or she can tolerate and what they can’t. The one thing that can’t be fixedMass Effect Andromeda is not at all a bad game or in my experience, as broken as some would leave you to believe. Animations are bad, I have had a few “backwards gun” instances, and some dialogue issues but these are all things relatively easy to fix via patch. It will really depend on the player and what he or she can tolerate and what they can’t. The one thing that can’t be fixed would be it’s writing. Mass Effect Andromeda puts you in a new galaxy with new planets, but fails to match the wonder and excitement of discovery by making characters say the WORST possible things at the WORST possible times. This is a very effective way of taking the player out of the “moment” only to realize they are playing a video game. Then there are the dialogue options. I get that the paragon and renegade system might be “too Shepard” but nevertheless that system added depth and weight to each choice as well as consequence. In MA: Andromeda you will usually have 3 or 4 options varying from rational, emotional, or sarcastic. The problem is you can pretty much choose whatever you want but everything still plays out the same. This seems like it will make the player not care at all about what they say, which is a HUGE part of the Mass Effect series, and in my opinion what made Mass Effect Mass Effect. On the other hand I think the combat will be what saves this game. It’s fun, fluid and with the large amount of biotics, combat can be tailored to any play style. Enemies are quite challenging. I, as well as other reviewers from what I have seen have died a few times just on the tutorial planet. When it comes down to it Mass Effect Andromeda is nowhere near the greatness of the original trilogy and can unfortunately will probably be compared to being the “Phantom Menace” of the Mass Effect saga. If you are a long time Mass Effect fan looking for a evolution of the Mass Effect series this is not where you want to look. However, if all you need is more Mass Effect, Mass Effect Andromeda will be totally adequate.… Expand
  25. rosnk30
    Jan 19, 2021
    7
    First of all I concluded it with 40% (without much effort), and other 60% of game is destined for secondary mission (boring missions). MEA has great graphics and gameplay content but storyline's sometimes is confused a lot.....

    Game's too short too....
  26. kwstas
    Mar 25, 2017
    7
    this game reminds in some ways dragon age inquisition it is not perect and it had changed in a way for good and worst . for instance the story line and the characters are not so well designed and memorable , the whole scenario is a little bit pathetic and cheesy but this is not what disappoint me the most , the worst thing is that the game have some issues and bugs probably some glitchesthis game reminds in some ways dragon age inquisition it is not perect and it had changed in a way for good and worst . for instance the story line and the characters are not so well designed and memorable , the whole scenario is a little bit pathetic and cheesy but this is not what disappoint me the most , the worst thing is that the game have some issues and bugs probably some glitches and there is some lag and that is what i hate so bad . anyway i still give it a 7 because it is still a cool game it has really nice graphics and the planets design is beautiful enough also the combat feels really great sometimes . it is perfectly clear that ea didnt do the best work here but still the game is underrated and i think some people overacted the 4/10 is just too low but anyway everyone have his opinion so whatever.. but i would love to say to anyone who hesitate to buy this game because of the critics dont even bother listen to them most people know nothing about games there not even gamers most of them and i swear you wouldnt even believe what super crap games hit 9 and 10 in this site..… Expand
  27. Borgoros
    Apr 26, 2018
    7
    A pretty good game, that many loves to hate before even playing the majority of it... The more I play it, the more I love it! Fantastic atmosphere, strong and varied gameplay, graphics are for the most part great, a good variety of different sidequests and a main story with lots of meaning. Not as good as Mass Effect 1 and 2, but still solid. The downside is humas character animations andA pretty good game, that many loves to hate before even playing the majority of it... The more I play it, the more I love it! Fantastic atmosphere, strong and varied gameplay, graphics are for the most part great, a good variety of different sidequests and a main story with lots of meaning. Not as good as Mass Effect 1 and 2, but still solid. The downside is humas character animations and some lame dialogue, but that is not enough to ruin this beautiful game.

    My evenings/nights with this and Breath of the Wild are are good times too look forward to after work, workout and the usual real life things.    … Expand
  28. TheMegaGodz
    Jan 13, 2020
    7
    Mass Effect: Andromeda is a game that is decent enough on its own, but when compared against its predecessors in the franchise, it falls short and fails to meet expectations.
  29. aacak99022
    Mar 26, 2017
    7
    i buy this game only to play multiplayer but there are many glitch and bugs in multiplayer. Sometimes this game can cause my ps4 to become no sound any more but when I close the game application, my ps4 bad normal again, this game is very broken to play online even more worse than ubisoft game like division.Beware for any person who want to buy this game for multiplayer
  30. KayVen17
    Sep 23, 2017
    7
    Deutsche Review - Kritik

    Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln    Deutsche Review - Kritik

    Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln verstanden?
    Dann sind hier meine Punkte.

    Mein persönlicher Score = 66/100
    Mein User Score = 7/10    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
5
#5 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 61 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 61
  3. Negative: 1 out of 61
  1. Power Unlimited
    Oct 19, 2017
    78
    It might be the biggest, most complex and action packed game in the franchise, but Mass Effect: Andromeda is also the least convincing one. The dated facial animations, the inconsistent writing quality and the regularly occurring bugs take you out of the experience too often. On top of that, BioWare has not used the concept of a whole new universe to its full potential, which often makes it feel like Mass Effect: Andromeda has not left our Milky Way at all.
    Read full review
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Jul 7, 2017
    70
    While it’s underwhelming in places, there’s a lot to like as you venture into the weirder parts of Andromeda. Frequent technical issues hamper the experience a bit, as does an uninspiring main story. [June 2017, p66]
  3. Games Master UK
    Jun 6, 2017
    81
    A welcome, if slightly patch return for Mass Effect. The script has problems, but combat is bloody brilliant. [May 2017, p.62]
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