Mass Effect: Andromeda

 Xbox One
User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1225 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 548 out of 1225
  2. Mixed: 154 out of 1225
  3. Negative: 523 out of 1225
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  1. WillGoss
    Sep 1, 2023
    7
    It's my first Mass effect ( I KNOWWWWW), but tbh, the game was good ! Not excellent but enough for me to make me want to play the other 3 games. The story is good, the characters are well made ( Peebee hehehe ) and the open world was very fun to explore ! Overall, I think that if you never played any of the game in the franchise, you should start with this one, to have a better experience!
  2. Loganrun
    Jun 15, 2023
    7
    I’ve been playing this game recently and it is not nearly as bad as people made me think it was. It’s flaws are there don’t get me wrong what with the awkward faces and what not but most of its issues I couldn’t see. There wasn’t many bugs like I thought and the crew while kinda generic at times I found to be pretty interesting. The combat is quite fun and the game has some fantasticI’ve been playing this game recently and it is not nearly as bad as people made me think it was. It’s flaws are there don’t get me wrong what with the awkward faces and what not but most of its issues I couldn’t see. There wasn’t many bugs like I thought and the crew while kinda generic at times I found to be pretty interesting. The combat is quite fun and the game has some fantastic looking environments. Its open world gameplay is a little generic and kinda unnecessary. The story’s not as good as the original trilogy but it’s decent and has a good premise but it’s not a premise that’s focused on enough and is soon replaced with another plot line. And the game has kind of a lack of music that can make things feel dead at times. Overall though I will say this game is flawed and not nearly as good as the original trilogy but it’s not god awful. I think it’s got some redeeming qualities that make it a generic but still quite decent game. If you want to try this game and see if you like it for yourself I say go for it. Just get it on the cheap if your not 100% your gonna like it.… Expand
  3. eva3si0n
    Jan 22, 2023
    7
    Mass Effect Andromeda is one of the biggest failures of 2017. But that was in 2017. Like most, I could not play it for a long time, I threw 10-15 hours without going through and 1/3 the plot. The memories of the original trilogy were too warm. And what is happening with Andromeda now in 2020s? And surprisingly, now in Mass Effect Andromeda you can play, against the background of how theMass Effect Andromeda is one of the biggest failures of 2017. But that was in 2017. Like most, I could not play it for a long time, I threw 10-15 hours without going through and 1/3 the plot. The memories of the original trilogy were too warm. And what is happening with Andromeda now in 2020s? And surprisingly, now in Mass Effect Andromeda you can play, against the background of how the gaming industry digitized. Mass Effect Andromeda is still quite an average game in quality, but if you abstract from the original trilogy, and if not just hate the game. And really play it, then you can enjoy it. Andromeda has interesting quests, for example, all partner quests. There is not a bad (by the standards of the 3 part of the series of course) final battle. Mass Effect Andromeda needs to be given a second chance. She is completely playable now after fixing all technical problems… Expand
  4. Art2020
    Mar 8, 2022
    7
    The game felt rushed and the playing character was so ugly it bothered me thru the whole game. Prepare for a Dragon Age Inquisition in space. One thing was great with this game: the combat. Its real fun and action packed.
  5. DrZomboid
    Jan 29, 2022
    6
    Played it on Series X. Still not polished, bad face acting, dull combat, ok story.
  6. gentlebenno
    Jan 27, 2022
    7
    This is a playable game, that's just begging for an upgrade on the plot, construct, and characters. Instead we got large maps with a DA:I construct, which leads to boredom, and lots o' fetch quests. It's still Mass Effect, just not great Mass Effect, which makes it a huge disappointment about what could have been. The dysfunction of this game's development has become legendary and itThis is a playable game, that's just begging for an upgrade on the plot, construct, and characters. Instead we got large maps with a DA:I construct, which leads to boredom, and lots o' fetch quests. It's still Mass Effect, just not great Mass Effect, which makes it a huge disappointment about what could have been. The dysfunction of this game's development has become legendary and it shows. Will bioware ever make a good game ever again?… Expand
  7. JJ2FAS4U
    Dec 29, 2021
    5
    Atmosphere: 6
    Enjoyment: 4
    Gameplay: 6
    Graphics: 6
    Music: 5
    Story: 4
    Total: 5.17
  8. Elonmusk69
    Nov 30, 2021
    6
    The game has very good graphics and an excellent story in my opinion but the npc's are a pain whenever you have to do a mission they just follow you and don't have a mind of their own but the conversations are lackluster and the driving is better than it was in previous games but still not very good the game had very high potential with the overall story and the new universe but it justThe game has very good graphics and an excellent story in my opinion but the npc's are a pain whenever you have to do a mission they just follow you and don't have a mind of their own but the conversations are lackluster and the driving is better than it was in previous games but still not very good the game had very high potential with the overall story and the new universe but it just didn't live up to it a good game but still dissapointing… Expand
  9. CloudStrife05
    Aug 20, 2021
    7
    It was an ok game but fell so short of the original Trilogy. It's a damn shame to but I am not surprised as EA always managed to mess things up in the end and rush products out. Hoping they stop that.
  10. Valkillmore
    May 31, 2021
    5
    Uninspired Pee Pee Poo Poo, not good don't buy unless you liked Days Gone..
  11. RodrigoroRex
    Dec 21, 2020
    7
    "Mass Effect: Andromeda": Good game, it provides a good experience for the player. 5 out of 7. Played it on Xbox One.
  12. LGrekyy
    Dec 21, 2020
    7
    I enjoyed the story, I liked the characters and all the elements typical for Mass Effect Series, like all political games on Nexus station. The MASS EFFECT CORE is very good for me. Biggest problem for me was openworld elements on the surface of the planets. Some quest were like created by some "random quest generator" - scan 10 pieces of something, bring 5 pieces of other thing, switch 3I enjoyed the story, I liked the characters and all the elements typical for Mass Effect Series, like all political games on Nexus station. The MASS EFFECT CORE is very good for me. Biggest problem for me was openworld elements on the surface of the planets. Some quest were like created by some "random quest generator" - scan 10 pieces of something, bring 5 pieces of other thing, switch 3 devices... Sometimes less is better. Too much of generic boring fetch quests to do, till you get to more interesting moments of the game... especially if you still remember DA Inquistion with similiar structure.… Expand
  13. Mauriciojw
    Jul 30, 2020
    7
    I've never played a Mass effect game before, but the review's of the original game and it's sequels are very good, so I decided to give this one a try. So, here's what I think about it:

    POSITIVE ASPECTS: The alien world's are very well crafted, which makes the exploring off Frozen or Sandy, rocky or treefull planets very exciting. The characters from different races and with different    I've never played a Mass effect game before, but the review's of the original game and it's sequels are very good, so I decided to give this one a try. So, here's what I think about it:

    POSITIVE ASPECTS: The alien world's are very well crafted, which makes the exploring off Frozen or Sandy, rocky or treefull planets very exciting. The characters from different races and with different personalities, makes every talk with them very interesting. You're character is fully customizable, and you can also chose what he or she will say, which makes the game a very personal experience. NEGATIVE ASPECTS: They're some glitches in the gameplay, mostly when driving and besides, for what I've readed, the experience is not so profound like in other games of this series. Plus the fact that there are some annoying part's in the game, like when you are solving those riddles and the menu is also a mess (It's very difficult to find what you're searching for). The facial animations are poorly done, and the map's, despite of being beautiful, are very empty. For that, I change my score from 8 to 7.    … Expand
  14. helZNate
    Aug 4, 2020
    7
    Due to the current lockdown situation I've just played all 3 Mass effect games back2back (thanks Back compat) and thought I'd give ME:A a shot and I'm glad I did.

    It's had 6 patches I think and they've mostly fixed the issues that plagued the release; although the characters are a bit weak compared to the original trilogy and the character animations are completely fixed. Gameplay is    Due to the current lockdown situation I've just played all 3 Mass effect games back2back (thanks Back compat) and thought I'd give ME:A a shot and I'm glad I did.

    It's had 6 patches I think and they've mostly fixed the issues that plagued the release; although the characters are a bit weak compared to the original trilogy and the character animations are completely fixed.

    Gameplay is really tight, looks amazing, performance is good on the OG Xbox 1 and they've gone back to their RPG routes from the 1st game; of which there's a steep learning curve to get to grips with the RPG mechanics, so I'd advise a WIKI on standby.

    The only major downside from is the font is ridiculously small; a common theme this gen and I wish devs would get to grips with, as we're not all sitting 2ft away from our screens.

    So a solid 7 from me.    … Expand
  15. TheBakerNation
    Jul 30, 2020
    5
    For a game which main focus is storytelling and character development, it does a horrendous job. The facial animations are dull to say the, the characters are boring and the story is predictable. Yet the setting on a new galaxy, the soundtrack, the landscape and most importantly the combat make it fun to play for a few hours. 5/10.
  16. Luccio26
    Apr 2, 2020
    7
    Mass Effect: Andromeda received a large backlash from its audience upon release, and I can understand why if you were expecting Mass Effect 4. The game however offers the player with superior combat and great progression system that trumps all the original games.

    The Story 1.5/3 For many the Ryder family seemed doomed from the start and were never going to live up to commander    Mass Effect: Andromeda received a large backlash from its audience upon release, and I can understand why if you were expecting Mass Effect 4. The game however offers the player with superior combat and great progression system that trumps all the original games.

    The Story 1.5/3
    For many the Ryder family seemed doomed from the start and were never going to live up to commander Sheppard. You would be right as I also found the brother and sister arc to be quite predictable and without spoiling the plot as generic as you could ask for. However that didn't prevent me from enjoying the other characters. The story arcs of your followers and companions I did find myself enjoying, reading all the codex's and trying to delve into this new world. Yes missing some of the old favorite races were a miss and with really only 3 or 4 alien types that you spent your time with during the play though at times it did seem to feel repetitive. I would say comparing to the other 3 games it is the weakest Mass Effect story, however as a video game and Sci-fi story it is not a bad one and will keep any newcomer engaged.

    The Gameplay: 3/3
    This is by far the best combat system of any Mass Effect game. It gets rid of the rigid cover system that I feel plagued the original games. It does this by giving you greater movement in combat, and more fun powers to help build your own class. You can really make it your own in this game unlike the others which had a focus on your selecting your play-style before you begun the game. The game allows you to change up builds on the fly, trial different builds as your progress through the story and doesn't lock you down to I guess give new players a chance to enjoy the game for what it is without restarting. I feel like the classes (if you can call them that) feel more balanced they they did in the other games from start to finish. Biotics generally felt like Gods toward the end and hit like wet noodles at the start. But in this game you can really flesh out other avenues in combat to balance out weaker abilities until you can spec into them. Really clever and increases viability. The crafting system is great and encourages you make new weapons and armor as well as discover new alloys to make them in game.

    The Art Design 1/2
    This game looked beautiful running on my xbone S. I had played this post patch where there were issues with facial expressions and a lot of the physics seemed off. I enjoyed the sky boxes on all the planets with all of them seeming different to the other. The character models for me were not as bad as what people made them out to be, however they weren't up to what most triple A titles at the time were delivering

    Sound/Music 2/2
    All of the weapons felt great and that was thanks to the sound team. Whether it was the Biotic powers or the assault rifle firing it all felt believable and gave it weight. The voice acting I felt was just as strong as any other Mass Effect Game. I did enjoy the characters as I said at the start (although could have been more) and the music focusing on the eeriness of space was a perfect fit.

    My final rating for this game is a 7.5/10 and I would recommend those who skipped because of the backlash it received. I would say for a standard play though, completing most of the side missions for your companion and completing the mains story you're looking at around 45 hours. For completionists you're looking at 60-70 as there are a lot of collectibles and extras.    … Expand
  17. Altrovarius
    Nov 30, 2019
    7
    Lo juge sin muchas esperanzas y con muchos prejuicios y solo porque estaba de oferta. Como juego de mass effect es malo, pero como juego de aventura espacial me gusto y me dio entretencion, el uso del nomad, el combate me gusraron pero para ser un mass effect le falto
  18. tom974
    Sep 30, 2019
    7
    Good game, lacking the aura of the original trilogy but it still is damn good to go back to this universe.
  19. Xsari
    Feb 24, 2019
    7
    Andromeda is a good game but it’s not the great game it should have been. The combat is amazing but the story is lacking. Party members range from engaging to annoying. Facial animations aren’t brilliant but are now far better compared to when the game was first launched. There are a lot of open ended parts to the story that will now never be resolved. Mostly I enjoyed my time playing thisAndromeda is a good game but it’s not the great game it should have been. The combat is amazing but the story is lacking. Party members range from engaging to annoying. Facial animations aren’t brilliant but are now far better compared to when the game was first launched. There are a lot of open ended parts to the story that will now never be resolved. Mostly I enjoyed my time playing this game, its just a shame how it has been handled and now abandoned. It could have been exceptional, a lot of potential wasted.… Expand
  20. crusher351
    Sep 4, 2018
    5
    Mass Effect Andromeda; a game that caught a lot of flack to bad technical glitches when released. Now, to be clear, I started playing this game after the last patch was released, so a lot of the glitches were taken care of. After putting almost 50 hours into the game over the last few months, I can safely say that it's better than people give it credit for, but comes nowhere close to theMass Effect Andromeda; a game that caught a lot of flack to bad technical glitches when released. Now, to be clear, I started playing this game after the last patch was released, so a lot of the glitches were taken care of. After putting almost 50 hours into the game over the last few months, I can safely say that it's better than people give it credit for, but comes nowhere close to the original trilogy.
    One of the improvements to the game play is the combat. It is much quicker and very fluid. The characters are kind of a double edged sword. They have some depth but they never get to the same level as the characters from the trilogy do in terms of engrossing you and making you want to learn more. There is honestly not much more to write about the characters because they are so bland. The whole idea of the research and development of weapons, armor, and mods is good in theory, but its still much easier to just buy the equipment from vendors in game. One of the best features was that you didn't have to pick a certain character type to play as, but could choose between combat, biotic, and tech powers at will. Some things that were not so great included the somewhat long loading screens and freezes that happened. The freezes were most frequent when driving the Tempest, which besides that, is fun to do. Of course you can't talk about a Bioware product without talking about the story and the quests. The main story is pretty good, but doesn't have the same depth as you would hope. It all feels very generic in a way, and that can be disengaging for a player. The big problem when talking about the quests, are the sheer amount of fetch side quests throughout the game. Some add to the story, but most are a waist of time. I know open world gaming is the future, but I would have liked them to have done more with it. There are so many worlds when you look at the galaxy map, but you can really only explore six or so worlds.
    Overall, this game is fun to enjoy for one story play through, but it really doesn't have the replayability of the original games. Since they are not going to release any DLC for this game, there are a lot of questions that may never be answered.    … Expand
  21. Nataraja
    Aug 31, 2018
    6
    The game is seriously mediocre. Shooting is okay, graphics are marginally better than Mass Effect 3 and the character models out of armor are just poorly done and this is after the major patch job done to resolve the many issue it had at launch, It has bloated content and side missions are terribly dull and poorly implemented. Bioware should be ashamed of this title - Dragon Age 2 wasThe game is seriously mediocre. Shooting is okay, graphics are marginally better than Mass Effect 3 and the character models out of armor are just poorly done and this is after the major patch job done to resolve the many issue it had at launch, It has bloated content and side missions are terribly dull and poorly implemented. Bioware should be ashamed of this title - Dragon Age 2 was actually better than this game and didn't waste nearly as much of my time.

    I just hope that Anthem is not a train wreck and that there are actual stories of interest in the game. If Bioware can go back to telling great stories with plenty of tension and action then Anthem may be what Destiny should have been. But if it resembles Andromeda in terms of story, it will be another let down.    … Expand
  22. SKSK
    Jul 24, 2018
    7
    The main story is good but it's pretty short and some cutscenes are badly executed. For being too rushed, the progress system doesn't work as it should. The love affairs are kinda boring and senseless. The gameplay is cool and the graphics ok.
  23. Locke_Cole
    Nov 7, 2017
    7
    Viendo las reviews de otros usuarios me llama la atención la cantidad de odio demostrado a este juego. Quizá sea porque son fans decepcionados, que no es mi situación: no soy un fan de la saga, sólo he terminado Mass Effect 3 en su versión de Wii U, y ahora esta entrega. Sin embargo si que he jugado a muchísimos juegos de rol, al ser éste mi género favorito. Y sinceramente, puedoViendo las reviews de otros usuarios me llama la atención la cantidad de odio demostrado a este juego. Quizá sea porque son fans decepcionados, que no es mi situación: no soy un fan de la saga, sólo he terminado Mass Effect 3 en su versión de Wii U, y ahora esta entrega. Sin embargo si que he jugado a muchísimos juegos de rol, al ser éste mi género favorito. Y sinceramente, puedo recomendar con la conciencia tranquila a Andrómeda, pese a sus muchísimos fallos. Eso sí, siempre y cuando no te importe el rendimiento del juego, pues es horrible y si te es muy importante no podrás disfrutarlo.

    Partiré con lo negativo: el rendimiento técnico en general y casi en todos sus apartados. Las animaciones, como mucho se ha hablado, son horribles y poco creíbles. así mismo hay texturas que no terminan de cargar y el pop up en los mundos mas amplios es abusivo. Hay momentos en que el framerate se transforma en una presentación de power point. La parte buena es que los tiempos de carga son bastante bajos. Lo siguiente no esta relacionado al rendimiento: hay muchas misiones de recadeo, que en general me dan mucha pereza. Algunos dialogos son redundante, pero esto suele ocurrir en las misiones alternativas.

    Ahora pasaré a lo que considero positivo: la historia principal es muy enganchante y está bien contada. El sistema de diálogos esta muy bien llevado, de la misma manera la personalidad de los personajes esta bien pulida, por lo que mucho influye tu comportamiento en como te lleves con ellos. El sistema de juego está bien, mucho mejor que ME 3. Tiene una buena duración, yo lo dejé a las 60 horas y aun me quedaba post-game por hacer.

    Espero realmente que haya una secuela para este juego. Me gustó pese a sus muchos fallos, pues es un universo lleno de vida, con varias intrigas y algunos personajes entrañables. Le doy un 7 pese a que lo recomiendo, por que se lo importante que es el rendimiento para la mayoría de los jugadores. No es mi caso, pero con altura de miras no puedo darle una nota de recomendado.    … Expand
  24. OwlCloud
    Nov 2, 2017
    5
    A bitterly disappointing follow up to one of the most important trilogies in gaming history. There was so much to be excited about when information about this refresher to the Mass Effect series began to surface.

    The development was quite obviously plagued by uncertain decision making, as the game we were left with feels like a very distant whisper of what might of been. Put simply,    A bitterly disappointing follow up to one of the most important trilogies in gaming history. There was so much to be excited about when information about this refresher to the Mass Effect series began to surface.

    The development was quite obviously plagued by uncertain decision making, as the game we were left with feels like a very distant whisper of what might of been.

    Put simply, everything feels empty. From the cringe worthy dialogue to the lackluster story focus, it was just plain awful. Even the narrative threads that initially spark our interests are concluded by a bitter tinge of disappointment.

    Sure, the gameplay mechanics are fun and the presentation is absolutely stunning - but that's not why we pick up a Mass Effect game. The open world nature of Andromeda was a forced agenda and it suffers because of this. It thins out any sort of drive a player has to complete what should be an epic quest drenched in mystery.

    To long running fans of the franchise, it's safe to say there was a faded effort to write a passionate love letter to the original trilogy. One can feel it, but it all rings hallow while an obviously synthetic heart attempts to pump life into the game.

    The characters, even the ones with great potential, felt lifeless and lost among the wreckage. They feel utterly disconnected to their conceivement, which was the game's ultimate downfall. The day a BioWare game doesn't endear us with at least a handful of it's cast, poor story or no, is the day a BioWare game fails. Looking at you Dragon Age 2.

    As I alluded to earlier, there are moments here when the game that this should have been breaks through. One moment with a favorite character of mine, Kallo, in which he remembers his pre-voyage comrades is a touching, beautifully written and wonderfully acted moment. This moment, this feeling, is what should have and could have been the core of how us star crossed adventurers should have felt throughout the entire adventure; hopeful, lonely and yet driven to succeed.

    But all is lost in the lack of a real threat and / or mystery to unravel. Instead, replaced with the desire to market an 'open-word' which seems to be the unfortunate buzz-term at the moment.

    Mass Effect Andromeda is terribly unfocused, cringe inducing and utterly disappointing.    … Expand
  25. SupR_G
    Aug 28, 2017
    7
    Played this game after the last patch was issued which fixed most of the bugs and animation issues that plagued it on day one. So none of that will be in my review. It is by far the worst of the Mass Effect games, but worth the low price the game sells for now. Graphics are good. Story is okay. Characters are mostly uninteresting. It was fun exploring and discovering new places, quests andPlayed this game after the last patch was issued which fixed most of the bugs and animation issues that plagued it on day one. So none of that will be in my review. It is by far the worst of the Mass Effect games, but worth the low price the game sells for now. Graphics are good. Story is okay. Characters are mostly uninteresting. It was fun exploring and discovering new places, quests and situations, but didn't quite have the depth you'd expect from a more traditional open-world RPG. The game is very easy, so I recommend to play on a harder difficulty for a better overall experience. Not interested in playing multiplayer. Bioware has abandoned the game and will not release any additional content, making decisions much less important at the end of the game. All in all, worth a play if you can get it in the Walmart discount bin.… Expand
  26. banda89
    Jul 15, 2017
    7
    Boy do people love to hate this game! Bought it the first week, only played the beginning, do to work issues couldnt play it till 2 months later!

    But here it goes. As a massive fan of the first trilogy I was hyped for thise game. It delivered in some instances and in others it was just average. The story: what is an integral part of a mass effect game? the story, right? well in    Boy do people love to hate this game! Bought it the first week, only played the beginning, do to work issues couldnt play it till 2 months later!

    But here it goes. As a massive fan of the first trilogy I was hyped for thise game. It delivered in some instances and in others it was just average.

    The story: what is an integral part of a mass effect game? the story, right? well in andromeda they seemed incapable of laying aninteresting story, All we got was a boring, uncreative story filled with not so good jokes. seriously, is this a marvel movie? too many jokes, TOO MANY UNFUNNY JOKES!!!

    Characters: I had mixed reactions with them, while I cared for some, mostly all of them irritared me. Specially Ryder. That for me was my main problem with this game, could never get behind ryder, he is not a credible leader, wouldve been better controlling his dad instead. And seriously. why the jokes? i felt i was watching goddamned avengers while listening to the conversations, too many, forced jokes upon us!! Drack I liked, Cora I liked and Peebee I liked. The rest of them where just there. Hated Liam specially.

    Gameplay is ok, wouldve liked to stop time and manage and order around your squadmates, more customizable assets on your team. at leas could we change the color of Liam's armor?

    Final thoughts? Its an Ok game. Nothing special, but not worthy of a 5 or a 4 that most people are giving it. Hell most of the people here if an eye bugs out but the rest of the game was a masterpiece they'd give it a 0 out of 10 just because that one time the eye bugged out.    … Expand
  27. Kubasa_Undead
    Jul 3, 2017
    6
    First of all I wanna say that I'm a die-hard fan of Mass Effect's franchise and that fact makes it very hard for me. So. let's start with saying that this game definitely did not live up to my expectations. It still is a solid game but there are a lot of things missing or made completely wrong. It's very sad because I was really waiting for this release for a long time. But let's get toFirst of all I wanna say that I'm a die-hard fan of Mass Effect's franchise and that fact makes it very hard for me. So. let's start with saying that this game definitely did not live up to my expectations. It still is a solid game but there are a lot of things missing or made completely wrong. It's very sad because I was really waiting for this release for a long time. But let's get to the game itself, it's as I said- solid. It has most of the modern open-world game mechanics and it works pretty good. My overall experience was great, I've had fun playing it. I just think that it shouldn't be called Mass Effect because it doesn't feel like it.… Expand
  28. TheQuietGamer
    Jun 3, 2017
    7
    Andromeda seeks to take Mass Effect in a new direction. It does so by taking some elements from the very first game and putting the emphasis on being a new face an unfamiliar world. Exploration, discovery, and new beginnings are at the heart of the experience. All of this certainly showed a lot of promise. While it succeeds at being a new start, shoddy development and uneven execution ofAndromeda seeks to take Mass Effect in a new direction. It does so by taking some elements from the very first game and putting the emphasis on being a new face an unfamiliar world. Exploration, discovery, and new beginnings are at the heart of the experience. All of this certainly showed a lot of promise. While it succeeds at being a new start, shoddy development and uneven execution of it's many intricacies and lofty ideas make it something of a disappointment as well.

    It is likely that the reason Andromeda isn't all it could be is because it was developed by BioWare Montreal and not by the more experienced studio, Edmonton. Their technical experience is noticeably lacking. The graphics are all over the place. The game can be strikingly beautiful one moment and hideous the next as textures fail to load among other things. The character models and animations are just as bad as you've likely already heard at this point. There are also a myriad assortment of bugs, glitches, and other technical issues to worry about. Nothing game breaking, but still annoying and far to frequent, especially after all these patches. It feels like the work of an inexperienced team who didn't polish things up before release.

    The writing and characters are far from BioWare's best. The plot is a touch weak until it's final hours. Outside of those last few main story missions there's no sense of urgency. It's still a great concept, but it rarely feels like anything is at stake. Your character, team, and vast majority of people (and aliens) you meet are really laid back. With a few exceptions everybody is sarcastic and always cracking jokes. Never mind that they just traveled to another galaxy and their very existence is at stake. At least it can be a pretty funny game. Not as funny as some of the other BioWare games, but still. Plus we get that warm, happy ending we didn't receive in Mass Effect 3. There also heart-warming moments of family and friendship that are very enjoyable. The characters you'll be surrounded by are a bit bland at first and all feel like the exact same wise-cracking archetype, but as the game progresses you'll learn more of their individual traits and most of them grow on you. Still, don't be surprised if there are one or two in your squad that you don't check in with that often. The acting that brings them all to life is pretty great, even if what they're saying isn't always very well-written ("my face is tired"). I do have to give the writers credit for providing several moments of genuinely tough decision making. The removal of the paragon/renegade from the previous games actually works to Andromeda's advantage. The morally gray choices did make me pause to think.

    The gameplay side of things is one part progression and one part throwback. It's where the game harkens back the very first Mass Effect the most. For example there's the return of vehicular exploration, scanning planets is encouraged, and even the combat system is more in line with that game's offerings. I feel like the gameplay side of things fares a bit better than the writing, even if it suffers from the same fate of showing promise, delivering here and there, but falling short of what one would reasonably expect from Mass Effect. The change to a more open-world structure similar to that of Dragon Age: Inquisition has allowed the game to come with a lot of content. Each planet and hub world is filled with side-quests and other distractions. You can spend countless hours with the game and there is quite a bit of depth in it's many systems. Not all of it is all that interesting though. It's hard to care about everyone you meet due to the previously mention writing flaws and the fact that the vast majority of the people you encounter don't stick around after you complete their quest(s). A lot of the time I found myself just going through the motions, checking thing off my ever-growing to do list without investing in the events themselves.

    The combat is a particular highlight. You're given genuinely cool powers and weapons. Fights are exciting, especially during the scripted story missions. Auto-cover shouldn't have come back though. Loot collecting is held back due to a restrictive, crowded inventory system and no cache to store items. Space exploration is outright botched, but still kind of fun. Travelling cutscenes are unnecessary and make the process overly long. It's obvious that they're just loading screens. It also kind of sucks to sit through them only to end up at one of the sadly numerous barren planets which you unfortunately have to go to in order to get 100% done. Multiplayer is a big letdown. The maps are too small for the zoomed-in camera.

    While things turned out mostly fine, Andromeda serves as a perfect example of why the B-team shouldn't be given the bigger jobs. In the end I liked it, but for me this is BioWare's first real letdown. Montreal just couldn't do Mass Effect the true justice it deserved.    … Expand
  29. Achtlos
    May 7, 2017
    7
    We all know this game has unforgivable technical faults, considering it's the 4th instalment in a series, running on much better hardware than the previous games. I picked this up and started playing more recently, commencing after some of the patches. (I did play the preview hours last month). The game is undeniably fun. The graphics work well presenting great vistas, just the animationsWe all know this game has unforgivable technical faults, considering it's the 4th instalment in a series, running on much better hardware than the previous games. I picked this up and started playing more recently, commencing after some of the patches. (I did play the preview hours last month). The game is undeniably fun. The graphics work well presenting great vistas, just the animations are poor at times. The dialogue choices can often feel like there's no distinction between two opposite paths. The open world "go to point A then B" is falling into the Ubisoft "Map or markers" trap. All that said, the game is engaging and the Sci Fi plot, although clichéd is very fun.… Expand
  30. Drachmalius
    May 3, 2017
    5
    Right in the middle of the scoreboard. Nothing too terrible, and nothing to make it stand out. You play through it, find some things enjoyable, but it's overall meaningless. There's a lack of polish that I normally wouldn't mind, but the writing and characters are so unremarkable that it needed something to redeem it.

    If you're a die-hard Mass Effect fan, pick this up at $20 or less or    Right in the middle of the scoreboard. Nothing too terrible, and nothing to make it stand out. You play through it, find some things enjoyable, but it's overall meaningless. There's a lack of polish that I normally wouldn't mind, but the writing and characters are so unremarkable that it needed something to redeem it.

    If you're a die-hard Mass Effect fan, pick this up at $20 or less or get it from Gamefly for a weekend if that's your jam. If you're a newcomer to the series, don't start with this one. You'll get a bad first impression of the series. I'd only recommend this if you really want to play through it and be ready for when Bioware hopefully releases another good game in the series...basically out of obligation to a game series that used to be great.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Best Xbox One Game of 2017
2
#2 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2017
4
#4 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. games(TM)
    Jun 14, 2017
    50
    A new low for the Mass Effect series. [Issue#186, p.71]
  2. Gamers' Temple
    Apr 20, 2017
    82
    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.
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  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Apr 15, 2017
    80
    It can't match up to its predecessors, but Andromeda is a thrilling adventure nonetheless. [May 2017, p.73]
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