Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect: Andromeda is a science-fiction fan’s wet dream; a game incredibly difficult to put down once started.

After 5 long years of waiting, Mass Effect returns in a big way with a new title that meets our expectations. A more polished combat system, good RPG elements, an intriguing plot and a high level secondary missions that lay the foundations of this new story. It does not reach perfection, but it is one of the best games that we have been able to play this generation.

Mass Effect Andromeda is a little rough around the edges but still provides fans of this series or newcomers an immersive experience in another part of this universe. There’s some good storytelling and world building with interesting gameplay mechanics to help keep you invested. I like my protagonist of Sara Ryder and even though she’s no Commander Shepherd, we did have a connection and I look forward to visiting this universe time and time again. Sure, the graphics can cause some issues at times and as mentioned, hopefully these will be resolved in the future but overall, Mass Effect Andromeda ticks all the right boxes when it comes to space exploration as it channels its persona from science fiction. Sure, there is still grinding involved as you ‘level-up’ your character but if you make the investment, Mass Effect Andromeda delivers on most levels.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is simply an amazing game. It renews the franchise yet manages to feel really familiar for fans. Unfortunately, the game suffers from some technical problems, but they hardly impact the gameplay.

Mass Effect: Andromeda doesn’t quite live up to the hype, but it comes close. Considering the situation in which the developers found themselves, they put out an addition to the franchise that really feels like returning home even though you’re millions of light years from Earth. With stunning scenery, a distinct Mass Effect feel, and an abundance of things to do, it’s a worthy investment for any Mass Effect veteran or newcomer—but don’t expect it to be perfect.

Whether it's a new beginning or a better beginning, only time will tell. This new Mass Effect tries its best to walk in Shepard's shoes on a different galaxy, but your willingness to forgive Andromeda's flaws and start anew depends on how fond you were of the original saga.

Mass Effect Andromeda is a huge space opera, made by interesting character stories and a beautiful and dynamic combat system, set up in beautiful planets rich with activities and sub-quests.

Overall, despite its shortcomings Mass Effect: Andromeda was an enjoyable experience for me. The first few hours feel like a grind, but you will be rewarded for sticking with it. The game is dragged down a bit by all of the reading that must be done and some overly long conversations, but this is rather typical for the genre. The game really shines when you're exploring an alien world and battling the local fauna, and when you get down to it that's what you really want out of a space-based RPG.

It can't match up to its predecessors, but Andromeda is a thrilling adventure nonetheless. [May 2017, p.73]

Andromeda is still Mass Effect, and for some that might be enough, but this avenue needs more to be held in similar esteem. It does reach a satisfying conclusion, at least as far as the buildup warrants, but it takes the long way around. It does hit something that feels like a fresh, Mass Effect-patterned beginning, but a lot of the sophistication in plot that’s alluded to is left up in the air. Of course, we've also heard all of this before, when people were unsure about just what BioWare was trying to do with the original Mass Effect. It really took us two games to come to believe in the vision in the first instance, and perhaps that is the case with our new home in Andromeda, too.

Andromeda looks like a double-sided production. On the bright side we find some gorgeous environments, satisfying combat and a convincing discovery feeling, while on the darker one there's an un polished game with several bugs, dull and uninspired characters and a problematic multiplayer. Still a good game, but not Mass Effect-good.

The scope and fun of the game shines through, and if you give it a chance, Andromeda will reward you with an enormous amount of satisfaction.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is far from a perfect game, but it is an absolute must-play for fans of science-fiction or BioWare RPGs. The storytelling is at an all-time high once things get underway and players who make it through the adventure will be unlikely to regret their time spent in this new corner of the Mass Effect universe.

Mass Effect Andromeda is a great game with some serious side effects. The bugs and glitches take me out of the experience at times, and some of the story falls apart, but the exploration and characters constantly drag me back in. It is a rough start for sure. I wondered a few hours in if I was going to keep going, but it finally sucked me in and never looked back. It feels safe, it feels like Mass Effect, but that is also what makes it worth playing.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is a game for a different kind of gamer. Those who can appreciate the lore and immense depth of stories upon stories, upon stories. However, if you’re a newcomer and are interested in the content that this game brings, I encourage you, it is a wonderful ride. The universe, characters, tone, the music… EVERYTHING plays a part in this game and melds together in a way that feels like this could be where our technology heads towards in 600 years.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is a paradox: it's both disappointing and excellent. A mammoth title, it delivers tons of great content, but hamstrings itself with a poor first few hours, a few horrible systems, and some uninspired scenarios. Even so, it's pretty great.

You might initially turn your nose up at Mass Effect: Andromeda, but stick with it and you'll be richly rewarded with a vast space opera that gets better and better. It has problems, but they pale into insignificance once you're swept up in the exploits of Mass Effect: Andromeda's Pathfinder.

Mass Effect Andromeda is a return to the original Mass Effect game in ways both good and bad. Interesting characters, solid gameplay and RPG mechanics, and the revival of the open-world elements of the series will immerse and delight longtime fans. However, wooden characters, a light story, and plenty of glitches hold this title back from fulfilling its full potential.

It is a new start. For mankind. For the hero. For the franchise. For Bioware. And for the most time, it gives you decent entertainment, albeit very safe and carbon-copied from ME1 and other sci-fi franchises - Andromeda treats the original basically like The Force Awakens approaches the elements of A New Hope. Just don’t expect anything new or fancy. Plus: the script quality varies between good, fairly decent and outright embarrassing and awkward.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is an expansive action role-playing game with a few great moments that recapture the high points of the landmark trilogy that came before it, and energetic combat and fantastic sound effects create a potent sci-fi atmosphere. But without consistently strong writing or a breakout star in its cast to carry it through the long hours and empty spaces, disappointments like a lack of new races, no companion customization, and major performance problems and bugs take their toll.

Mass Effect: Andromeda at times captures the essence of the Mass Effect trilogy but doesn’t quite live up to its potential. The story and its lovable cast of characters stand as solid starting blocks in an expansive universe. Performance issues, bugs, and design flaws hurt an otherwise commendable role-playing game.

I’m conflicted about Mass Effect: Andromeda. There’s a lot of roughness throughout the game, and the technical issues, while not game-breaking, are often incredibly distracting...But it’s my time with the cast that I’m still thinking about, and the mysteries about the world that haven’t been answered that make me feel like I’m waiting once again for a new Mass Effect game. And if I’m judging a game by where it leaves me, Andromeda succeeds, even if it stumbled getting there.

As a shooter, it succeeds greatly. As an RPG it suffers several missteps that are salvaged by what can at least be called inconsistency, meaning for all the bad it does, Andromeda does equal parts good. It feels like Andromeda is worth exploring just once. In many important ways it's a small step for BioWare, but with regard to characters especially, it's hard to ignore the giant leap backwards.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is obviously not as good as it could have been. Once you get over the fact that it’s not quite as polished as its predecessors nor does it further the series in any meaningful way though, you can still appreciate what it is: a Mass Effect game through and through.

This is by far the least optimized, most buggy entry in the series. The sheer volume of glitches, animation problems, frame rate issues, and weird hitching lag plagues the entire experience, and it's a damn shame.

Exploration is a great deal of fun right up until the denizens of the newly discovered planets drag you into their own problems, which aren't all that impressive in the grand scheme. Nobody said being a Pathfinder would be easy, but it probably would have been a bit more tolerable if it wasn't so mired in managing tedium.

Performance issues are a huge let down, and it feels more Dragon Age than Mass Effect. But if you like open world exploration with fast paced gun fighting, and a hero story like an OTT Hollywood action movie, you'll probably like Andromeda.

At times, Mass Effect: Andromeda can feel like an expansion and not a true follow-up. A lot of strides have been made to improve the already dazzling combat system (which is leaps and bounds more exciting than your average cover shooter), but so much of it feels like a regression. That slip still puts it a cut above a lot of others in the same space, but the failure to iterate after the divisive conclusion of the original trilogy isn't going to do BioWare any favours.

Mass Effect: Andromeda spends a lot of time not really feeling like a Mass Effect game. If anything, it feels like a spin-off -- the sort of thing created by another studio that's unsure about what direction to take it. Like in the game itself, there are problems with the atmosphere.

The writing itself is often uncomfortable. Every line feels like an attempted one-liner vying for your attention, the result being conversations and interactions that often sounds unnatural. Both the larger story and these rough exchanges turn what should be a very interesting and nuanced premise into a great lolloping narrative that leaps from one thing to the next.

There is a strong core of characters and story bedrock laid down in Mass Effect: Andromeda, but between questionable design choices, boring missions, and glitches galore, it’s hard not to view BioWare’s journey to a brand new galaxy as anything less than mission failure.

It’s a shame that the central narrative of Mass Effect Andromeda is deflated by this burdensome gameplay, because the crew of the Tempest is worth meeting. The mystery of the Kett is a fresh spin on the apocalyptic war of the original trilogy, and following the stories of people in the Heleus cluster often leads to surprising developments with tough decisions waiting at the end. Ryder’s tale and the thrill of colonizing a new star system set Andromeda apart from other Mass Effect games, but it often plays worse than a game from five years ago.

A new low for the Mass Effect series. [Issue#186, p.71]