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. hcliffed
    May 29, 2017
    9
    I'm reviewing this post 1.07, where the game is now extremely stable.

    The continued hate should be directed at EA, not necessarily Bioware Montreal, who obviously busted their tails; no Mass Effect would live up to expectations. Enjoy it for what it is, play through the entire story, and if you're intelligent enough to understand the scope, you'll find a killer experience. The    I'm reviewing this post 1.07, where the game is now extremely stable.

    The continued hate should be directed at EA, not necessarily Bioware Montreal, who obviously busted their tails; no Mass Effect would live up to expectations.

    Enjoy it for what it is, play through the entire story, and if you're intelligent enough to understand the scope, you'll find a killer experience.

    The multiplayer alone has given my friends and I hundreds of extra hours of enjoyment!    … Expand
  2. peabuddie
    May 25, 2017
    4
    Let's all just agree that Shepard is a hard act to follow. Any thought of going into this thinking that it's going to be like the trilogy is unrealistic. It IS Mass Effect but in a way we haven't seen before.Having completed the game I have lowered my score from a 7 to a 4. It is just that bad.
    So first the negative:
    I'm with the rest when it comes to the menus, they are a mess and not    Let's all just agree that Shepard is a hard act to follow. Any thought of going into this thinking that it's going to be like the trilogy is unrealistic. It IS Mass Effect but in a way we haven't seen before.Having completed the game I have lowered my score from a 7 to a 4. It is just that bad.
    So first the negative:
    I'm with the rest when it comes to the menus, they are a mess and not very intuitive. There are WAY too many menus, It's ridiculous.
    Planet scanning: there are 4 steps of fancy graphics just to scan the planet. Why? When will publishers learn to quit wasting our time. YOLO and I don't want to spend it going through 4 stages to scan a planet. Also apparantly there are anomalies detected even after I've scanned the entire system and found every thing and scanned every planet. If there is still something out there where is it? How did such a simple mechanic become so cumbersome?
    Remember how you could set up your team's load out? Well, if you still can I haven't been able to figure out how. 20 hours in and I don't even know what weapons my team is using.
    Again too much talk, I'm still trying to get past simply competent when it comes to combat because I've experienced so little of it.

    Graphical problems yes, they are there but I don't really care that much.
    Character models, expressions ( there aren't any they are all blank faced models), horrible, but whatever.
    When not in combat I can't get away from the feeling that I'm playing an electronic barbie house. It's too much Mass Effect the Social Game for me. Way beyond anything in the trilogy.

    It doesn't give clear enough information on how to do basic things. Healing is completely different as an example, but I don't recall ever being told how to heal. I just ended up figuring it out after x amount of hours. Considering the difference, it's rather important strategic information when your in the middle of a fire fight. And that's just one example that extends to crafting, resources, etc.

    Too me the resource gathering and crafting is a slow and painful process. I have found no joy in it thus far. It's frustrating. The separation of research and crafting uhhg ain't nobody got time for that. Does Bioware think that we live and breath their creations? so much of this game seems so self-involved of the devs. Like they live in a world where everyone has 20 hours to figure out their cumbersome systems for doing things and we're supposed to like it. Games are meant to be fun, not tiresome.
    It seems that EVERYTHING is way more complicated and time consuming than is necessary.
    .
    The creative decisions above and many more are mind boggling. They just make no sense.
    The writing is the worst writing of any bioware game ever. It is amateurish, immature and boring. Absolutely nothing about Andromeda's mission makes any logical sense on any level.

    There is plenty to do (way too much actually) and much of it may keep your attention. There are interesting worlds and situations and pretty environments. The combat IS fun, I just can't get enough of it.
    The ships are cool, the Nexus is cool as far as concepts go and there is plenty to see and explore. There is some fun to be had here.

    If you want to try this game out, first say your goodbyes to ME as you know it. Let Shepard rest and enter a new world in the ME universe. The cheaper, more amateurish, emptier universe. A universe that exploits the once mighty name of ME and Bioware.    … Expand
  3. Bronandez
    May 23, 2017
    9
    I played the original three Mass Effect games. That being said, I still loved this game. It's just different. A new take on the series. Let's start out with the cons:

    The dialogue felt a bit dull at times. There wasn't too many radical dialogue options (ie paragon/renegade), so it did feel like no matter what I chose in a conversation, I would always end up in the same place. A bit    I played the original three Mass Effect games. That being said, I still loved this game. It's just different. A new take on the series. Let's start out with the cons:

    The dialogue felt a bit dull at times. There wasn't too many radical dialogue options (ie paragon/renegade), so it did feel like no matter what I chose in a conversation, I would always end up in the same place.

    A bit buggy. There were certain times were the game would not accept input from the controller, the game would freeze, or I would not be able to complete a mission. This is kind of a big deal for me, because right now, one of these bugs (not being able to complete "Task: Earn Your Badge") is preventing me from getting the game to 100%

    Pros:

    The game play feels very smooth and polished. The combat is Excellent. I really liked being able to choose my own class and what my character could do, and I spent hours trying different builds and respecing my character. In the end, the one I found most rewarding to play was a Vanguard with Charge, Turbo Charge, Nova.

    Visually, the game looks great and aside from bugs mentioned above, runs great. From the Galaxy view, to the surface of the planets, it is visually pleasing.

    Open world is a huge plus for me. There were times where I told myself that "I would beat the story today," and instead got sucked up into side quest after side quest for hours on end. There is definitely no shortage of things to do.

    All in all I love it. It's probably my personal favorite of the series, however, I saw it as more of a grind than a story like I did the previous three. That being said, I do love a good grind.    … Expand
  4. Shiranui
    May 22, 2017
    0
    This game has dragged Bioware's name through the mud. An absolutely broken mess with absolutely awful story writing and you still dare to charge people micro transactions for this... EA you ought to be absolutely ashamed of yourself.
  5. stelarrr
    May 18, 2017
    9
    Having finally completed the game for my first play through, and having read complaints, negative reviews and about the franchise potentially being put on hiatus, I feel the need to share my opinion of the game.

    Despite all the bad press this game is getting from a part of the Mass Effect community, fans and “professional reviewers” that clearly wanted another sequel to Shepherds story,    Having finally completed the game for my first play through, and having read complaints, negative reviews and about the franchise potentially being put on hiatus, I feel the need to share my opinion of the game.

    Despite all the bad press this game is getting from a part of the Mass Effect community, fans and “professional reviewers” that clearly wanted another sequel to Shepherds story, I found the game to be awesome. More than lived up to my expectations.

    I'm going to get my complaints of the game out the way first because they are small and very minor. First I thought the character customisation was limited and secondly I didn't like the canon Ryders look. Limited customisation in my mind is annoying for a game like this however the canon look wasn't the end of the world, it was just personal preference.

    The main character Ryder was a great hero. Someone thrown into a situation they hadn't prepared for and stepped up to greatness. I liked not having the paragon/renegade indicator it allowed me to switch between serious, funny, sarcastic and angry depending on the conversation and not have to worry about it making me good or bad overall. I played my Ryder as an easy going guy who used humour to diffuse a situation but didn't take any crap and followed a moral compass. This meant not always doing things that pleased people be they squad mates, superiors or various quest givers. I think this style of play over the paragon/renegade option gave for a more varied and interesting style of play. Plus it allowed for allot more characterisation from both Ryder and his squad mates.

    Turning to the squad mates I thought they were a great bunch on the whole with only one who really annoyed me (I'm talking to you Liam). However when you throw a bunch of people together from different backgrounds and species personalities are going to clash and this allowed for an interesting journey. I thought the voice acting throughout was top notch and loved the banter between squad mates. Later into the game little comments will crop up that are just perfect.

    Personally I didn't experience any bugs or glitches and I will be honest didn't even notice the problems with the animations until I read it had been patched. I was to busy enjoying a good character driven story to get hung up on minor inconveniences.

    This game is hampered by to many people wanting more of the same and not liking the new things that have been tried. I like the direction the game has gone in and am always open to these games trying new things. The fundamentals are all still there, epic sci-fi space opera, romance options with interesting squad mates, fun combat, exploration.

    The game is not without its flaws but as a massive Mass Effect fan from day one I can overlook this for more of what I love. Sadly we may have a long wait for anything more from this franchise due to people having overly high expectations. Stop trying to draw parallels to the original trilogy and enjoy the start of the next one. It can only get better and better.    … Expand
  6. FlailingPotat0
    May 15, 2017
    0
    Mass Effect Andromeda isn't a game, it's a meme. Play the original trilogy before you play Andromeda if you want to truly understand how terrible this entry is. Bioware/EA took the lazy way out: first, by giving a beloved franchise to their "B" Team in Bioware Montreal, then by stripping away everything that defined Mass Effect as a series. This was a cash grab by EA and Bioware, using theMass Effect Andromeda isn't a game, it's a meme. Play the original trilogy before you play Andromeda if you want to truly understand how terrible this entry is. Bioware/EA took the lazy way out: first, by giving a beloved franchise to their "B" Team in Bioware Montreal, then by stripping away everything that defined Mass Effect as a series. This was a cash grab by EA and Bioware, using the fans love for the series to sell it.

    Paragon and Renegade? Gone, replace by a vague "emotional" dialogue wheel with some of the worst lines in gaming history. You have no control over your characters personality, although no one else in this game has one either so why should your character?

    Important story altering decisions? Gone as well. There might be 1 or 2 designed to give the illusion of this but neither choice affects the story in any way apart from 1 or 2 lines of dialogue.

    Great story telling? Gone. Instead of the focused and exciting 30hr+ narratives woven through various planets, locations and side missions we get... about 6-8 hours of actual story content with about 25 hours of boring, monotonous and unrelated side-quests scattered over the "open" worlds. The typical side quest is something like "NPC needs heat lamp, traverse map to get one". It's like baby's first RPG in terms of design. Hope you like driving because its 2/3rds of the game.

    Everything is a rehash of ME1, from characters to story arc only much worse. The Archon (basically this games Sovereign) is so non-threatening its hilarious. If Mass Effect 1,2 and 3 were wide release summer blockbusters, ME:A is the direct to dvd sequel that no one asked for. Did I mention it takes place 600 years in the future in a new galaxy? Bioware Montreal took the lazy way out in terms of writing. Of all the different and interesting ways they could have gone and expanded the lore and universe (Leviathan species? Indoctrination theory?), they chose the most boring, cookie-cutter and lazy way out. And it shows. (First contact with a new species? Prepare to be underwhelmed. Neither side acts like its a big deal).

    Interesting locations? Sort of. They're interesting when you first land but you quickly realize they're all lifeless and empty. Although every planet has the exact same Dinosaur/Monster creatures. Every. Single. Planet. That's how lazy Bioware was. The same life forms on every single planet. Even some that are different colors (were these the devs from Grandma's Boy?)

    Epic music? Nope. As far as epic music to set the tone for the action/story: there is none. None that is memorable anyways. Remember the music from the Collector Base? Leaving Earth under Reaper attack? Meeting Vigil on Illos? Saving the Krogan? There is nothing like that in Andromeda. Nothing. At any point.

    Interesting characters? Nope. All of them are re-skins of ME1 characters, just way less interesting. You will never, ever be conflicted about who to bring with you on a mission (the way most people were with ME1-3). Also this game has odd character models. They all look too short, like kids running around in a theme park. I can't figure out if the camera angle is too wide of the modeler had no clue what he/she was doing.

    Graphics? Lol. Mass Effect 3 still looks better. Muddy textures on close ups and cartoony looking open worlds. It has its moments where it looks amazing but its wildly inconsistent.

    Multiplayer? That's not why people buy Mass Effect. Moving on.

    The combat? There's good and bad. Very fluid and dynamic, but you lose the ability to direct/control squad abilities as well as only having 3 abilities active at any one time. Apart from movement, its a downgrade.

    Overall? It's a tremendously boring and stale story, filled with flat, uninteresting characters, no memorable musical score, echoes the story beats of the first game (though poorly), loaded to the brim with boring, unrelated "filler" side quests scattered across vast, empty, lifeless worlds.

    I'm a huge Mass Effect fan. You don't have to believe me. But the game has been on sale since it released, EA has put the franchise on "hiatus" and Bioware Montreal is being demoted to a support studio. This game is trash and the evidence for that gets stronger every day.    … Expand
  7. GsPlayer
    May 15, 2017
    4
    As the 810 reviewer, I understand this wont get read much. But the game was such a disappointment, I couldn't help but put a review in.

    The tone of the game is just terrible. Travelling to a new galaxy should bring high levels of excitement and 'fear of the unknown' to the characters. Instead, it's self-consumed whinny wimps, asking for you to make them feel better everywhere you    As the 810 reviewer, I understand this wont get read much. But the game was such a disappointment, I couldn't help but put a review in.

    The tone of the game is just terrible. Travelling to a new galaxy should bring high levels of excitement and 'fear of the unknown' to the characters. Instead, it's self-consumed whinny wimps, asking for you to make them feel better everywhere you turn.

    Ryder talks like a civilian and lacks any true leadership skills or toughness, although he/she is a good smart ass at times.

    Driving around in the future's worst off road vehicle is just brutal. And made three times worse given you have to listen to your team member's P@ssy Whinny Wimpy Self Absorbed banter the whole time.

    Gameplay is long and tedious, and outside of a handful of good battles the shooting is easy and repetative.

    Im just finishing the game in hope of the next game being better, and to see if any of my choices actually matter to the ultimate outcome.    … Expand
  8. ElTioJeremy
    May 14, 2017
    8
    Mass Effect: Andromeda nos lleva a la galaxia de Andromeda, a explorar esta y entrar en la bùsqueda de una nueva casa para la raza humana. Precisamente, la exploraciòn en este Mass Effect es un punto muy importante, ya que podremos explorar diversos planetas, en busca de recursos para craftear, podremos hacer muchas misiones en los mìsmos. La exploracion encuentro que esta lograda, tienesMass Effect: Andromeda nos lleva a la galaxia de Andromeda, a explorar esta y entrar en la bùsqueda de una nueva casa para la raza humana. Precisamente, la exploraciòn en este Mass Effect es un punto muy importante, ya que podremos explorar diversos planetas, en busca de recursos para craftear, podremos hacer muchas misiones en los mìsmos. La exploracion encuentro que esta lograda, tienes muchas cosas que hacer, en cuanto a misiones, cosas por recoger, y todo este tipo de cosas.
    Otra cosa que hace bien este Mass Effect, son las escenas de acciòn, ya que es todo muy frenètico y muy entretenido. Tanto los saltos, los dashes y los poderes, le dan un toque muy bueno al juego.
    En cuanto al rendimiento, va muy fluido. He jugado la versiòn de Xbox One y va muy bien, apenas hay caidas de FPS, y si las hay, no bajan de unos 28,27 FPS. Esto hace que sea agradable a la vista y a la experiencia.
    Un punto muy criticado del juego son las animaciones. Y es verdad. Las animaciones estan mal hechas, parece como si le hubieran dedicado poco trabajo. Pero hay una cosa que aclarar. Las animaciones dejan de ser desagradables en cuanto màs tiempo le dediquemos al juego.
    Pero las animaciones no son el problema principal del juego, ya que no afectan en la experiencia de juego. El multijugador es el verdadero problema. He jugado unas 3 partidas, porque es INJUGABLE. Al no tener servidores dedicados, hace que las partidas se caigan a cada rato. Arruina completamente la experiencia de juego.

    En conclusiòn, encuentro que este Mass Effect: Andromeda es un buen juego, muy entretenido y con muchìsimo contenido. Si juegas al modo historia, se te pasara volando la hora. Como fan de la saga Mass Effect, encuentro que este està un peldaño por debajo de los demàs, pero esto no lo hace para nada un mal juego. Lo recomiendo si quieres hecharte unas horas.    … Expand
  9. 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
  10. mik785
    May 4, 2017
    10
    one of best Mass Effect I play.this chapter have a little bug if you like mass effect series you can love mass effect andromeda. Because, Yes this chapter have lot of narration ist normal its look like mass effect 1
  11. 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
  12. HunterCZE
    May 2, 2017
    3
    One big disappointment. Everything I have loved with the original trilogy has been just thrown to the garbage. I had big expectations from this title but it turned out to be a massive let down.

    - very poor main story line - terrible animations - absolutely disgusting characters (ME 1 characters were created far way better and that!s a decade ago) - zero impact with the choices made    One big disappointment. Everything I have loved with the original trilogy has been just thrown to the garbage. I had big expectations from this title but it turned out to be a massive let down.

    - very poor main story line
    - terrible animations
    - absolutely disgusting characters (ME 1 characters were created far way better and that!s a decade ago)
    - zero impact with the choices made during the gameplay
    - very limited conversation options
    - voice acting is hilarious and very bad
    - totally boring multiplayer (it's just a waste of time)

    + worlds look so amazing
    + buildings and ships are beautifully made
    + planet exploring is very interesting
    + loyalty missions and side quests are enjoyable

    In the state the game is (even with the latest patch) it's just a poorly made game. Not worthy of the money and the time. Every single ME game made you to want to play it again in a different way. Here unfortunately you don't get this kind of feeling at all.

    ME Andromeda had such a potential was completely squandered. Makes me wonder how the official reviewers can give this such a high score ... it appears they played a completely different game than the normal players got.    … Expand
  13. ApsidalFanatic
    May 1, 2017
    10
    UPDATE (patch 1.05 / 120+ hours gameplay)

    Allright people, after playing at least 120 hours I give it a solid 10. Positive: 1/ Graphics are stunning / after patch 1.05 good framerates / facial animations / lipsync works as well 2/ UI 3/ Weapon Mods are back 4/ Planet design / truly unique beautifully created artwork 5/ Menu System 6/ General atmosphere - do not expect something    UPDATE (patch 1.05 / 120+ hours gameplay)

    Allright people, after playing at least 120 hours I give it a solid 10.

    Positive:
    1/ Graphics are stunning / after patch 1.05 good framerates / facial animations / lipsync works as well
    2/ UI
    3/ Weapon Mods are back
    4/ Planet design / truly unique beautifully created artwork
    5/ Menu System
    6/ General atmosphere - do not expect something like ME1/2/3
    7/ Nomad / Tempest have VERY nice looks
    8/ Sidequests are a real addition // they are just as much amazing if not more sometimes than the main storyline
    8/ Enemy AI is smart, permanently goes to cover, moves and dodges / fight is simply very fun and NOT easy to handle even w/ upgraded lvl 7 / 8 equipment
    9/ For a new engine, new gameplay concept, new story, new platform, the game is VERY WELL done
    10/ Squadmates are smart, are a REAL AID, die on a rare occasions and if they do they DIE HARD / they use their powers / abilities according to situations, dodge and evade (unlike Samara in ME2 who died every minute and left me w/ one squadmate in the worst possible situations)
    11/ Storyline (open ended storyline, you defeat the main Enemy but there is more to it - see NOTES section)

    Mediocre:
    1/ Character Development / till the point you unlock ALL memory triggers
    2/ Epic moments are less epic than they should be..
    3/ It took time till I got used to Scanner 2.0 - now I am ok w/ it
    4/ It took time till I got used to AVP System / Strike Team System

    Bad:
    1/ There is only one (not even Andromeda native) main enemy, the kett
    2/ Incendiary / Cryo / etc. Bullets are now consumables no permanent effect if selected
    3/ Augmentations / Mods are HARD to trace if attached as names are NOT displayed
    4/ Mining probes system is not consistent, mining zones hard to max out in regards of mined materials
    5/ Graphics glitches (characters / npc's animals fall from the sky, and they start attacking you standing in the air)
    Sometimes when you get out of Nomad while its moving you get out and stand next to Nomad where your squadmates catapult like rockets in the sky flying around 200 meters and have to run back to you (pont 5 can be resolved easily w/ a patch nothing to worry about happens on rare occasions)

    NOTES: This game imho is only the beginning of a new ME Universe. Too much not closed hints, storylines, etc. If I am right the decisions you made in this game will have effect much later on (like in ME1 Rachni Queen decision if you remember).
    I give this game a 10 AFTER I played the whole series beginning in 2007w/ ME1 through ME2-3 where I played ME2 at least 6 or 7 times. This is a good solid gaming experience just give it a chance you won't regret it.    … Expand
  14. cobwil
    Apr 30, 2017
    0
    This is the first time I've ever breathed a SIGH OF RELIEF upon finishing a game. I was glad it was over. The entire thing was a grind. Had it been any other game I'd have returned it many hours prior, but this was Mass Freakin' Effect, so I stayed with it, hoping that at some point there would be SOMETHING in it that would validate the hours I was putting in. Never happened. Here's why:This is the first time I've ever breathed a SIGH OF RELIEF upon finishing a game. I was glad it was over. The entire thing was a grind. Had it been any other game I'd have returned it many hours prior, but this was Mass Freakin' Effect, so I stayed with it, hoping that at some point there would be SOMETHING in it that would validate the hours I was putting in. Never happened. Here's why:

    THE CHARACTERS: As boring as they are unpleasant to look at. It's as if designers deliberately went out of their way to create mannish facial features (PeeBee), gross hair (Cora), or just overall unattractiveness (Vetra). None of them had much of interest to say; I found myself pressing /x/ to skip through dialogue A LOT (which I typically never do in rpg's of any sort, much less BioWare games). The bland dialogue is typical of everything else: I just wanted it to be over.

    THE COMBAT: Solid, if not particularly memorable, for two reasons. First (and this may not bother anyone else), they've removed the time-slow mechanic for snipers, making playing as a stealth-sniper much less satisfying. Why? I had similar problems with the way they neutered mages in D.A: Inquisition, taking away a lot of impressive offensive spells (particularly the AoE variety) and making them more dependent on defensive ones. For whatever reason they seem intent on scaling back their most powerful (and fun) playstyles. Secondly...

    THE VILLAIN: I won't look back fondly on the combat in this game because I was so unengaged by the enemy I was fighting. The Kett were never very threatening (unlike Superman's "Doomsday", who they seem to be modeled after) or interesting; I realize not every enemy can be something on par with the Reapers, but how about the level of Saren or The Illusive Man or the Shadow Broker? Granted, the Archon finally gets a BIT more sinister toward the end, but it's too little too late... capped by a yawner of a "climax".

    THE SIDE QUESTS: Talk to this guy, go here, fetch this, then fetch two more, go back to guy, he sends you to another guy, fight some more humdrum kett... blah! In between each step, you're trying to figure out frustratingly placed nav points, and you end up doing a lot of running-in-circles-around-landform and jumping-repeated-alongside-landform attempting to access things or get to certain places, because the maps are so vague and inadequate. Now someone might say, "Well in real life an explorer would face those challenges so it's realistic!" I agree. In real life, explorers also have to stop to go to the bathroom occasionally, but I certainly don't want THAT experience incorporated into my video game either. When your game consists of 75% uninteresting fetch quests, and you then make the fetching as frustrating as possible with misleading nav points, you're not winning points for the realism.

    THE ENVIRONMENTS: THIS they got right. The game LOOKS gorgeous (with the exception of every romanceable female character).

    THE SJW FACTOR: We all know it exists, but most of us are afraid to comment on it because if we do, angry trolls label us as hatemongers and bigots. So we tiptoe around it. But look... nobody's being fooled here. Certainly, humanity's diversity must be reflected in games (as BioWare has always done well), but they're now going so overboard with it that it's no longer an accurate reflection of the population. And when you hire angry bigots to oversee the development of your games, that's going to happen.

    PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, and it adds up to the biggest disappointment I've had since the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man.    … Expand
  15. Mustakrakysh
    Apr 28, 2017
    1
    This game is a disgrace to the Mass Effect series. The writing is TERRIBLE. The Story makes no sense. This game is such a disappointment that even a lazy person like me who never writes reviews felt I had to. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. Let Mass Effect be over with the original series. This game will ruin Mass Effect for you.
  16. MartijnJ
    Apr 26, 2017
    10
    people like to hate, they hate for the dumbest reasons on new games, Ive been gaming since 1998 and if I look at mass effect andromeda it is a great game, games are evolving , the haters can keep hating let them replay the old mass effect games as commander shephard dozends of times. We live in 2017 not in 2007, just deal with it.
  17. EggShen
    Apr 25, 2017
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is not Mass Effect, this is Dragon Age: Inquisition in space, right down to the "dragon" boss encounters on each world. Something has gone horribly wrong at Bioware. For a series that was built on engaging choice driven stories, interesting characters, well written dialogue and a sci-fi world with characters and lore to become invested in... none of that is present in ME Andromeda.

    Very little about this game is memorable. I've reached 100% completion and can barely remember anything about this experience that stands out, at least in a positive way. The writing is poor by any standard but its almost unforgivably so for a Bioware game, you'll be hard pressed to take anything this crew says seriously without shaking your head at how cringe worthy the dialogue is.

    The story is a poor rehash of ME1: Ancient and absent technologically advanced species left behind tech that humanity can use. Oh and apparently only humanity can use it and does so immediately after arriving in a completely new galaxy. The Kett are the bad guys and are as generic as they come and even have a process that echoes indoctrination from the original trilogy. You're crewmates are also pale rip offs of the previous games. Jaal = Garrus, PeeBee = Liara, Chora = Ash, Drak = Wrex, Liam = Kaiden and Vetra is literally a female Garrus. Vetra and Jaal come the closest to being interesting.

    The Archon is the stand-in for Sovereign, voice and all, but unlike Sovereign before him the Archon is about as menacing and threatening as a muppet. You don't even get to fight him in the stories climax (unlike Saren 10 years ago).

    You're the Pathfinder and that means instead of using sensors or science teams to determine planetary viability, they send you because: video game. The entire Andromeda Initiative literally waits on one boring guy to give the okay on habitable worlds. Luckily Ryder and his crew gets along with everyone in the Universe save the Kett. Not one argument, not one disagreement, not one raised voice, not a shred of personality can I remember in this game. They're the most agreeable bunch in the entire universe.

    The plot is forgettable, like everything else. The Archon wants control of Remnant technology to convert the galaxy to Kett... or something. The Kett can only reproduce through "Exaltation", even though exalting the Andomeda galaxy would basically mean there's no one left to exalt and continue the species.

    Then there's The Scourge and The Remnant. The Remnant were at war with... something that left the Scourge behind as a weapon against the Remnant, who themselves vanished for an unknown reason and now the Kett are trying to conquer the Angara but lucky for them humanity is here to do in days what they couldn't in decades... The plot manages to be boring, confusing, unoriginal and nonsensical all at the same time. Oh and first contact with the Angara? Forget about that being an epic moment. Luckily they all speak fluent English, right after the game establishes that they don't.

    Combat is an improvement for the series but pales when stacked up against any other modern shooter. The controls are clunky and while the dash ability is handy, the game is too glitchy (especially multiplayer) for this to be anything other than passable. Its good, not great. Enemy encounters quickly get repetitive.

    2/3rds of the game is driving around boring empty "open worlds" with tons of unrelated side quests. Actual story content is probably between 8-12 hrs with the rest being filler side quests.

    Its not a Mass Effect game. This has nothing in common with the series apart from the art design. This was a cash grab from EA and Bioware using the series name to sell it. You're still better off playing the original trilogy    … Expand
  18. TOA91
    Apr 20, 2017
    8
    My first time into the ME Universe and after being bombarded with negative 'hype' from various youtubers, I thoroughly enjoyed the game. Everyone knows about the writing and animation issues, yes they are there and are immersion breaking at times. However the thrill of exploring a totally new universe, lore, and species both introduced in this game and the ones already established wasMy first time into the ME Universe and after being bombarded with negative 'hype' from various youtubers, I thoroughly enjoyed the game. Everyone knows about the writing and animation issues, yes they are there and are immersion breaking at times. However the thrill of exploring a totally new universe, lore, and species both introduced in this game and the ones already established was great as a first time ME player, long time Open World RPG player. In addition, the combat mechanics and movement for a 3rd person cover shooter is delicious!. The Game overall has some glaring negatives, but also some excellent pros. The high score is because the issues with animations and voice didn't effect me as much as others, but a solid platform that hopefully BioWare can build on, and fingers crossed cancerous EA doesn't meddle too much.… Expand
  19. Alecj
    Apr 19, 2017
    7
    Mass Effect Andromeda is a good game with too much expectation and pedigree to allow that to be enough. It should have been better. It seems like corners were cut. Why? The tech issues it has are inexplicable. The lack of focus leaves you prone to meandering through the open worlds lacking that feeling of purpose the previous games in the franchise gave you.

    BUT- purely as a space    Mass Effect Andromeda is a good game with too much expectation and pedigree to allow that to be enough. It should have been better. It seems like corners were cut. Why? The tech issues it has are inexplicable. The lack of focus leaves you prone to meandering through the open worlds lacking that feeling of purpose the previous games in the franchise gave you.

    BUT- purely as a space adventure, on the merit of its combat and expansive worlds to discover, ME:A is still a fun friggin game.

    The multiplayer is exactly the same as it was in ME3 which seems, like one of several missed opportunities for the franchise to innovate much like its predecessors. Its a good enough system, but why not try some new ideas or attempt to make it even better. It truly seems like a straight remaking of a MP component that is over 5 years old.

    The characters are not as strong as the previous trilogy but i have a few favorites.

    Overall, it isnt a bad game when judged on its own merit, but place it next to the paradigm change caused by the original Trilogy, and it seems a bit middling.

    Also after a long, well funded development cycle in the care of Bioware, it should have been better.

    I still have enjoyed my 60 hours with Mass Effect Andromeda, and plan on continuing for a couple dozen more. Just dont go in with inflated expectations and you may come away having enjoyed your time with ME:A    … Expand
  20. red_ninja_9
    Apr 19, 2017
    9
    Dang, this game is getting a lot of hate. I just finished the game and i really enjoyed it. There were definitely some minor bug and glitches in the animation and also frame drops sporatically. Nothing that is game breaking or of that calibur. The game is still well made and will give anyone high value entertainment. I recommend this game to all scifi fan.
  21. RokasX
    Apr 18, 2017
    9
    The begining was a bit boring I must admit and they put plenty of annoying run around through many loading screens which caused me to have to take breaks to not fall asleep. Once you get into it however you I found the story to be more then enough to keep me playing. I enjoyed raising viability and playing through the relationship quests to get the many side stories. I am a fan of the newThe begining was a bit boring I must admit and they put plenty of annoying run around through many loading screens which caused me to have to take breaks to not fall asleep. Once you get into it however you I found the story to be more then enough to keep me playing. I enjoyed raising viability and playing through the relationship quests to get the many side stories. I am a fan of the new combat, after playing through the other mass effect games it felt a little weird but loved that i could choose to snipe while my crew held of the enemy without worrying about ammo or having to be stuck confined areas that let enemys rush you. Took me 56 hours to beat the game (main story, viablity and all relationship quests). I probably won't be restarting as there is no important game changing decisions to make but i do prefer it that. I probably will keep playing on and off to finish side quests and enjoy the combat more.

    Final note, the boring scan each planet to get 100% is still annoying and even with the ability to skip the flying I wish there was a better way.    … Expand
  22. sdwillie
    Apr 18, 2017
    0
    It's broken garbage.

    The multiplayer isn't fun to start with, and quickly becomes boring. The campaign was dull until it locked up on an autosave, causing me to force quit. That led to the game failing to load, with the stupid ring in the corner spinning endlessly. For some reason this also caused EA Access to do the same, endlessly trying to connect to their servers. I guess I have    It's broken garbage.

    The multiplayer isn't fun to start with, and quickly becomes boring. The campaign was dull until it locked up on an autosave, causing me to force quit. That led to the game failing to load, with the stupid ring in the corner spinning endlessly. For some reason this also caused EA Access to do the same, endlessly trying to connect to their servers. I guess I have to take them at their word that they fixed some of the creepy faces.    … Expand
  23. RP421969
    Apr 17, 2017
    10
    it's probably a 8.5 but all these 0...come on... It's a good adventure with lots to do, sure there are some bugs but so what, hardly game breaking. banter was good back and forth, combat was tight, and 'situation normal' lol, quite possible the best line/reference in the game. Nothing wrong with the writing. Do yourself a favor. If you like RPGs pick it up.
  24. ReclaimerRob
    Apr 16, 2017
    10
    Absolutely incredible game I have never felt so connected and immersed into a cast of characters and universe in my 25+ years of gaming. I can't wait for more.
  25. chagordz
    Apr 15, 2017
    9
    Very good game, not excellent but very enjoyable.
    Good graphics in the pit and with a fluid gameplay.
    The bad thing is some bugs that I have found but not so bad to ruin the game experience.
  26. VgilAntikz
    Apr 14, 2017
    5
    If you love Mass Effect...don't buy this game at full price, wait until it hits the 15 to $20 range so that way you won't get too disappointed when you play it, definitely not for your collection, and feels like that time you wake up in bed with the result of some very bad choices when you went out and got pissed drunk the night before.
  27. SpartacusNZ
    Apr 13, 2017
    0
    You greedy ar__holes Bioware. Sort out your **** with EA - stand up to them and delay release until testing AND corrections are finished. This is full of bugs and looks appalling. Get is right! You had an amazing franchise and you let greed get in the way.
  28. NickDaWOlf
    Apr 13, 2017
    8
    I've updated my review originally I gave it a 7 but since the patch which fixes the facial animations the game is a solid 8. I was expecting a game which would be a 10 like ME2 and ME3 but the story, characters and immersion just isn't quite what you'd expect from Bioware. Getting rid of the paragon renegade system also annoys me I liked having the choice to be a hero or a bastard. ThoseI've updated my review originally I gave it a 7 but since the patch which fixes the facial animations the game is a solid 8. I was expecting a game which would be a 10 like ME2 and ME3 but the story, characters and immersion just isn't quite what you'd expect from Bioware. Getting rid of the paragon renegade system also annoys me I liked having the choice to be a hero or a bastard. Those are the kind of things that made Bioware games great and for some reason they are shedding them. The visuals are pretty impressive other than the characters, the gameplay i solid though clunky at times, the multiplayer is ok but tends to get repetitive fast. Overall its worth a buy but its not as glorious as it could of been.… Expand
  29. AgentICE
    Apr 11, 2017
    8
    If you love Mass Effect, you'll feel the same about ME: Andromeda. Despite the character models not feeling very Next Gen-ish, I found it very entertaining. I love games that allow you to create your own characters, but I felt it was easier to create a decent-looking character in previous titles. Despite this issue, this is game that I will place in heavy rotation.
  30. CTDave
    Apr 10, 2017
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ******MILD SPOILERS******

    I was a huge fan of the original trilogy, though I was critical of the final 20 minutes of the ME3 to the point where I stopped playing the games entirely until the ending got patched up.

    I went into playing this game with some expectations, as BioWare had done an awesome job on Dragon Age: Inquisition and had seemingly redeemed themselves in my eyes, and thus, I relinquished $90 for the deluxe edition of Andromeda. I sincerely wish I hadn't. I should have waited until Black Friday to scoop the game up on sale.

    The game is unoriginal and liberally borrows/steals from the original trilogy. Essentially, this is Mass Effect, just with: slightly upgunned graphics; a slightly new galaxy (where it seems physics really took a holiday); gender swapped, carbon copies of old squad mates; even the new enemies, the Kett, are essentialy dumbed down Reapers.

    It was a tough to slog through the first 8 hours, where I'd give the game a 3/10, but then the game opens up and BAM! 7/10. The next 30 hours were a delight to sit through...

    But then, 80 hours and far too many fetch quests later, the game has left too many threads open for the sequel rather than wrapping things up. After 80 hours, you begin to really see that the graphics were not where they should be with the current power of consoles, with too much texture pop-in, frame rate drop, and weird animation glitches. The game beat me down via poor design.

    They had 5 years and $40 million to get this done. They relied far too heavily on name recognition to get them through, and have lost me as a day 1 buyer. I will wait until their new titles go on sale before laying down my hard earned cash on them again.

    My final score is 4/10. Sad given that I really wanted to like this game.    … Expand
  31. lee21
    Apr 10, 2017
    9
    Take no notice of the gimps who know nothing about games and gave it a low score, they probably gave it a low score because it was to difficult and CONFUSING for them, are bless their poor cotton socks
  32. Hydraulic343
    Apr 10, 2017
    9
    I just finished Mass Effect: Andromeda last night and it was an awesome ride! Problems first: I did notice a couple animation glitches at certain less important moments in the game, but those can be patched so I don't see it as a serious problem. My more legitimate complaint is with a certain aspect of the combat: I didn't like how I didn't have as much control over my squad mates inI just finished Mass Effect: Andromeda last night and it was an awesome ride! Problems first: I did notice a couple animation glitches at certain less important moments in the game, but those can be patched so I don't see it as a serious problem. My more legitimate complaint is with a certain aspect of the combat: I didn't like how I didn't have as much control over my squad mates in combat like in previous games. You can tell them where to move and who to shoot at, but you can't tell what powers to use or even when to use them often times. Other than that, I don't have any complaints really. Most of the characters are incredibly interesting and enjoyable to be around. The main story path, while simple on paper, has so much more depth and interesting ideas and potential behind it. Of course, the main appeal is always what you get to do with all the characters and their loyalty missions and opportunities to hang out with them is what makes the game shine most. I also really dig how dialogue options aren't morally binary like the original trilogy and how choices and fialogue are much more about what YOU think is the best thing to do.

    I think we all know that Metacritic users score averages are slanted as hell by people who just want to hate. Almost all the people giving 1s and 0s either didn't play the game and just want to ruin it for us, or we're already against it because of how ME3 ended or because it was a departure from the trilogy. Not saying we need to say there are no problems with the game, but we should point them out as constructive criticism to be built upon so that the game becomes closer to what we want. Not to be used as an indictment of the entire game and the people who built it. Don't forget that this studio hasn't made a Mass Effect game before and that most of the team were originally fans of the original games. They want to make an awesome game and more games after this, so we should help them succeed because we all succeed.    … Expand
  33. CarmenWillow
    Apr 10, 2017
    7
    This game is like a book that has a slow beginning. Often, you can't get through the first three chapters and you put it back on the shelf. This game is like that, but if you can stick with it through the boring opening, it does get better. I actually would rate this game higher but for one glaring reason: story.
    Bioware's success with the Mass Effect series was based on its compelling    This game is like a book that has a slow beginning. Often, you can't get through the first three chapters and you put it back on the shelf. This game is like that, but if you can stick with it through the boring opening, it does get better. I actually would rate this game higher but for one glaring reason: story.
    Bioware's success with the Mass Effect series was based on its compelling story and fine characterizations. Andromeda, while not bad, simply does not live up to the writing and to the characters that we saw in the first series. The game is particularly lacking in proper pacing and dialogue for their romance arcs. There's no tension there, no sense of overwhelming attraction between characters to make the romance fun. I think Bioware got so wrapped up in being politically correct that they forgot what makes a romance a good romance.
    Gameplay was very difficult until the patch, now perhaps they dumbed it down a little too far, but better that than what we had. In addition, the creators of this game fell in love with their jump jets and created what I like to call "the revenge of the shards." (If you played Dragon Age: Inquisition, you KNOW what I mean.) And the puzzles, oh please why so many puzzles so many different ways? The game should be fun, instead it literally gives me a stomach ache at times from the frustration of the puzzles and the jump jets. Bioware, I don't understand. Your forte is story, characters, plot. Why oh why did you forgo that for the lure of the "open world"? It was okay in DA:I, but here, it doesn't serve you well.    … Expand
  34. TinkleCrusher
    Apr 10, 2017
    8
    I'll preface this by saying I have never played another Mass Effect game.

    I have thoroughly enjoyed playing this game. I was engaged in the story from the beginning and have not once felt like there has been a lull in the narrative. As someone who knows nothing of the back story of the Mass Effect universe I do not feel like I have to go back and play the old games in order to make    I'll preface this by saying I have never played another Mass Effect game.

    I have thoroughly enjoyed playing this game. I was engaged in the story from the beginning and have not once felt like there has been a lull in the narrative. As someone who knows nothing of the back story of the Mass Effect universe I do not feel like I have to go back and play the old games in order to make sense of what is transpiring in Andromeda.

    However, I have encountered a few bugs, some texture/entity popping that detracts from the immersion and some occasionally wonky controls. The controls feel good for the most part, not great, but far from bad.

    This is a game that i have no desire to put down and will dedicate hours more to in the future.    … Expand
  35. TheWaffle
    Apr 9, 2017
    6
    Andromeda starts with a promising concept: explore a new galaxy, start afresh, establish new colonies. But it fails to deliver on a number of fronts. The most galling development is that the menus and interface have somehow gotten worse. The combat system is much more clunky than it was in ME3, and you can't even coordinate your abilities with your teammates. Despite venturing to a wholeAndromeda starts with a promising concept: explore a new galaxy, start afresh, establish new colonies. But it fails to deliver on a number of fronts. The most galling development is that the menus and interface have somehow gotten worse. The combat system is much more clunky than it was in ME3, and you can't even coordinate your abilities with your teammates. Despite venturing to a whole new galaxy, the alien design is about as generic as you could imagine: humanoids carrying rifles. They're basically just humans with a bad skin condition. And the characters are as vanilla as they come. Through the first two hours of gameplay I honestly could not have told you the name of a single team member that was following me around. Everyone's motivations are bland and the character development is a far cry from Garrus, Wrex, Ashley, Tali, Liara, and all the other original cast. The scene and sound editing has sequences trampling over one another and there are a slew of minor bugs that add up to a substantial annoyance. Andromeda is a decent enough open-world game, but it's nowhere close to what I would have expected from the Mass Effect franchise. I loved the entire trilogy (warts and all), and I was even excited to see them take a chance with a whole new storyline and cast of characters. Unfortunately, Andromeda is just a buggier ME3 with worse characters.… Expand
  36. closedsocket
    Apr 9, 2017
    8
    Do not let the lack of polish ruin the game for you.

    This is a worthy successor to the original Mass Effect trilogy and does a great job at introducing the new setting and problems that will be faced throughout the Andromeda games. There are a few things that are different from the original trilogy that some players may like or dislike. First is the absence of the paragon system,    Do not let the lack of polish ruin the game for you.

    This is a worthy successor to the original Mass Effect trilogy and does a great job at introducing the new setting and problems that will be faced throughout the Andromeda games.

    There are a few things that are different from the original trilogy that some players may like or dislike. First is the absence of the paragon system, which I found liberating. The choices I made actually felt like I made them. I did what I thought was best for my team without the guidance of trying to stay into preset parameters of good and evil. The second is the ability to change classes on the fly. No longer are you required to pick a class and stick with it throughout the whole game. I believe the way they implemented this in the game, and made it part of the lore, was really well done. Third is that you can no longer can really command your companions, you have no choice over their equipment, you can tell them to attack and that's really about it.

    Now that some of the bigger changes are out of the way, I will just hit on what I liked and disliked about the game.

    The game play is the best in the series. I mean the running, jumping, shooting all feels very satisfying. It plays like a full blown cover shooter now, and less like a KOTOR game. It works very well and everything fills natural, but if you were into more of the RPG element of the game, then that's all just about gone. Combat is fast and fluid with abilities having to be mapped to active buttons, there's no pausing and wheeling a specific ability or weapon, it's all done in real time. The game is VERY open. You have main story missions but the game spends no time opening up the galaxy and saying go explore, create your own path. Unfortunately, I believe this hinders one of Mass Effects previous best points - the story telling. If you choose to just follow the main story, which is possible, you miss a lot. I mean a lot. Andromeda's best missions, and most fleshed out story telling, are side quests (particularly the crew relationship quest lines) and it's a shame that in Biowares haste to make an open world game, they allow the user to bypass the best parts of the game.

    Now for the facial animations. The facial animations aren't bad, especially if you are playing the male Ryder, but they aren't great either. I do think Andromeda's lack of polish is what holds it back from being the GREAT game it could have been, but the animation is average. It's somehow worse than Dragon Age Inquisition which is three years older and much worse than the great animation of Witcher 3, but it's not so bad that it's distracting (or at least you shouldn't be distracted by it).

    In conclusion Andromeda is a solid game, that misses being great because of a lack of polish. It's still fun, and should make you excited for the next game, if you truly like the franchise. It's worth playing.

    gameplay stats: Game beat with an 88% completion in 55 hours on standard difficulty.    … Expand
  37. ZMannZilla
    Apr 9, 2017
    4
    Mass Effect Andromeda has a lot of hurdles to overcome, the biggest being "the new chapter of an epic IP famous for a deep rich storytelling experience". I went into ME:A trying to be fair and remembering that this was supposed to be a whole new story set in the Mass Effect universe. This means I was able to find wholly unique reasons to dislike it on its own merits.

    While the game    Mass Effect Andromeda has a lot of hurdles to overcome, the biggest being "the new chapter of an epic IP famous for a deep rich storytelling experience". I went into ME:A trying to be fair and remembering that this was supposed to be a whole new story set in the Mass Effect universe. This means I was able to find wholly unique reasons to dislike it on its own merits.

    While the game wasn't entirely terrible, here are the other hurdles I had to get over to find the little nuggets of fun:

    - BLATANT palette-swapping: You can look at so much and tell which Mass Effect things they were either smooshing together or baltantly lifting. Peebee = Liara/Jack, Jaal = Javik/Garrus, Remnant = Geth/Proteans, and so on. There's also a lot of things that make the game feel like Dragon Age Inquisition wearing a Mass Effect skinsuit - Architect (read: dragon) battles, the crafting system, and the strike teams thing come right to mind.

    - So... Much... Busy work: There are way, WAY too many missions in this game that boil down to "go to 3 places and do a thing", and/or include "go to 3 or more planets to do things", because spending 30% of your total mission time sitting through transitional animations and load screens counts as play time, I guess?

    - The scanner is just obnoxious: What seems like it should be a cool feature ends up becoming the bane of your existence, as you'll waste so much time (which again, apparently counts as play time) trying to find the tiny thing that's making your controller vibrate.

    - The entire "twin sibling" thing: Without spoiling anything, I felt like they did nothing good or fun with this otherwise intriguing concept

    - Lame payoffs: Again, no spoilers, but SO MANY stories and missions in this game end with lame payoffs, and the cheesy unsatisfying conclusion of the final battle, followed by a sudden cut to credits, should take the crown away from the end of ME3 as the worst official ending in the series.

    - Obvious sequel setups: Not to nitpick, but ME1 didn't actually leave any gaping cliffhangers in its subplots. By contrast, ME:A leaves you hanging SO HARD on multiple fronts.

    - Planet Kadara. Just... ALL of it. Movement in Kadara is unnecessarily clunky, between the "switch from city to surface" thing and the doors that open way slower than literally every other door in the galaxy. But hey, it adds play time! This game deserves Hell just for turning its version of Omega into the most annoying place to spend any time. Honorable mention: Planet Havarl can also go sit in the corner and think about what it did.

    - And yeah, blah blah bugs, blah blah bad faces, blah blah et cetera, honestly this stuff didn't bother me nearly as much because I already knew about them and frankly, that's just AAA gaming these days.

    OK, so I got through all that... what was good about it? What kept me playing to the end? Here it is:

    - The angarans are actually kind of cool: I really like the new race they introduced. The angarans have a unique culture and philosophy that make every encounter with them engaging, as well as a history so in tune with the colonial/expansionist undertones of the plot that their inclusion adds so much towards making the struggle feel real and important.

    - Decent combat: I really enjoy having the freedom to build my Ryder in whatever direction feels good (even if I basically just made another by-the-book Vanguard by the end of it all). The combat isn't without its problems but at least this way you can really develop your own unique personal Ryder. I never actually used the profiles system but I'm sure it was pretty cool.

    - Romance options out the wazoo: There's multiple choices for everyone here. Multiple gay options, multiple straight options, even options if you just want to be a horny Captain Kirk type and get randy with anything that has a heartbeat. They even added a krogan romance option. Sort of. Yeah, I went for it. Then reloaded my save.

    - Dat sarcastic dialogue tho: It's not exactly genius-level dialogue, in fact in places it's clunky and horribly read. But trust me, if you choose the "casual" response whenever possible, you're gonna have a good time. In a lot of ways, it feels like the writing team from the Citadel DLC had full creative control over Sarcastic Ryder.

    All in all, I highly recommend that casual fans of the series wait for this one to hit bargain bins. Hardcore fans should... lol, we already bought it, and we're gonna buy the next one too. We're in an abusive relationship with BioWarEA. They steal our money and insult us constantly, but at least the sex is fun.    … Expand
  38. JayDiggler
    Apr 9, 2017
    10
    This game is getting a lot of unfair hate. I just finished playing through it, I did every single available side quest, and I loved every minute of it. The first 3 Mass Effect games are some of my favorites and in my option this one is the best one. There are a lot of morally tough decisions to make throughout the game and I look forward to seeing the outcomes of these decisions inThis game is getting a lot of unfair hate. I just finished playing through it, I did every single available side quest, and I loved every minute of it. The first 3 Mass Effect games are some of my favorites and in my option this one is the best one. There are a lot of morally tough decisions to make throughout the game and I look forward to seeing the outcomes of these decisions in future games in the series. If you loved or liked the other ones, give it a try and I don't think you'll be disappointed.… Expand
  39. sikfuk
    Apr 8, 2017
    0
    BW needs to hire competent people to make their games in the future. this is not good. i miss the good old games like Kotor, Jade Empire, Dragon Age: Origins. back then the company had a passion for making great games with a fantastic story. now the company has been infested with sick people who focus more on pushing their twisted political and social agenda rather than making good games.
  40. f8tal1ties
    Apr 7, 2017
    10
    I just finished off the campaign and I absolutely loved the story. There's not as much of a sense of urgency as the original trilogy, but this one is just as fantastic. In fact they wrapped it up super nice and left it open for DLC and more to come. Great ending to the main campaign. I completely had some OMG moments.

    Combat was fun and immersive. Cover didn't always work but having the    I just finished off the campaign and I absolutely loved the story. There's not as much of a sense of urgency as the original trilogy, but this one is just as fantastic. In fact they wrapped it up super nice and left it open for DLC and more to come. Great ending to the main campaign. I completely had some OMG moments.

    Combat was fun and immersive. Cover didn't always work but having the jetpack made that unnecessary a lot of the time. It was also nice being able to use biotic powers along with tech. Mixing and matching whatever you preferred.

    As for people griping over the new crew all I can say is get over it. If you give the new crew a chance you will find they are pretty fantastic. You got connected to the original trilogy crew over 3 games. Give this one a chance. They really grow on you. We're never getting Garrus and Joker back.

    As for facial animations, there were a couple of scenes where it might have bugged me but it was so bad it was actually comical and not game breaking. Do I wish my Sara Ryder could smile without looking like a clown ... yes. But maybe that will be fixed with a patch. Even then it didn't detract from the game for me.

    I also see people complaining about the sidequests. I don't get it. People don't complain about these fetch quests in Skyrim and some of these are actually interesting and add to the story. On top of that you don't have to do them. You do not need to do sidequests to receive 100% viability on a planet. If you want to do them feel free. I really can't see why people would complain about the addition of these sidequests. No one is forcing you to do them.

    Lastly the MP in Mass Effect is awesome. It's truly one of the only games I have really put a ton of time into playing MP with. The whole team combat thing really works well with the Mass Effect universe. I loved it in 3 and I love it in Andromeda.

    I'm really looking forward to what happens next with this series. This was not a disappointment. Happy endings can happen in the Mass Effect universe :D    … Expand
  41. sirbow
    Apr 7, 2017
    9
    This game is one of the best this year. Giving 0 to MA: Andromeda is being dishonest. Sure it have some flaws, but I only care about the story, space explorations and characters interaction and I got served with this new addition of the series. I can't say if its better or worst than the other games of the series because its a totally different experience and that's what I hoped for, notThis game is one of the best this year. Giving 0 to MA: Andromeda is being dishonest. Sure it have some flaws, but I only care about the story, space explorations and characters interaction and I got served with this new addition of the series. I can't say if its better or worst than the other games of the series because its a totally different experience and that's what I hoped for, not another clone only for fans to be happy. Some minor bugs here and there but nothing compared to others titles, its almost perfect. Its true that its slow to start and to understand what's really going on, but be patient and you'll be rewarded.… Expand
  42. sadamo1
    Apr 6, 2017
    4
    This is not a fully baked game. The game play isn't snappy at all. "Cumbersome: is a better word to describe it. Controller inputs are "drifty" so when you point Ryder in a particular direction there seems to be too much momentum. Also, the graphics are almost laughable for an XBox One game. The characters graphics in the first three were much better which is an enormous stepThis is not a fully baked game. The game play isn't snappy at all. "Cumbersome: is a better word to describe it. Controller inputs are "drifty" so when you point Ryder in a particular direction there seems to be too much momentum. Also, the graphics are almost laughable for an XBox One game. The characters graphics in the first three were much better which is an enormous step backwards. You would almost have to try to mess them up given the advanced power of a third generation console. All in all I'm disappointed so far. I have heard that the "updates" will improve the game but this is a perfect example of a developer bringing a product to market well before it is ready. Even worse, it is not like there was a huge lead time issue here. It had already been several years since ME3. Why not hold the release until you are ready? Really disappointed so far, especially considering this is one of my all time favorite franchises.… Expand
  43. BlueApricity
    Apr 6, 2017
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Spoiler: An elitist alien race begins kidnapping innocent colonists to genetically modify them and turn them into an army. You need the technology of a mysterious, ancient alien race to help save the galaxy. Sound familiar? That's because it's the story from the previous games, and it's also the story of this game. I wanted to love this game, but how can you give love to something that clearly had no love put into it? To copy another writer's work seems lowly and sad; to sell it to people who loved that writer's work and thought that they were getting a fresh new take on the Mass Effect Universe? I have no words. Moving on. The voice acting doesn't even make sense. I don't want to say that the voice actors are bad (although some of them are), I just have no idea why they picked certain voice actors for certain characters. For example, in previous games, all krogan had variations of a rough, warrior type voice. In this Mass Effect, most of them sound like hipsters in fish tanks. Luckily your main krogan companion still sounds like a krogan, otherwise, you would literally be taking the same two companions with you everywhere you go. Vetra, Drack and Jaal were the only worthwhile companions, but if you're looking for a Mordin Solus or Garrus, there are no characters like that in this game. I had companions that I despised in the other Mass Effects, Jack for instance, but they were still good characters that added to the story. Liam? I'm sorry but his room is disgusting and he literally commits treason and gives away Nexus secrets. One of my dialogue options after that was essentially "it's all cool man, that was a lot of fun." No. In real life, when you commit treason, no one tells you "good job, your heart was in the right place." There should have been an option to kick him off your team, because that's what any sane person would have done. Cora? She throws a tantrum every time you go in her room about how she didn't get to be the pathfinder and you did. Peebee is unbearably annoying, like a child. Who picked these people to go on an elite mission in another galaxy? So the dialogue between you and pretty much everyone is just awkward and forced (the cursing is particularly bad, not natural at all). My romance options as a straight female were a guy who can't pick his trash up off my floor and sleeps on a couch that probably has fleas, an overly emotional cat-snake-man thing, or a shady detective that I have to land on a planet and then take a shuttle to see. Character creation was horrible. My character had fat face no matter what I did. They also didn't let you make your character pale, which is not a huge deal, except I don't understand why they would regress in character creation from previous games. The characters all look confused and surprised all the time. Every other quest is glitched. The menus are unnecessarily confusing. The armor and weapons you can craft aren't much better than what you find. The bosses all have the same mechanic (an orb floats around them to give them a shield, shoot the orb). The only explanation I can think of for so many things to have gone wrong in this game is poor management. The combat and sound effects are the only positive things in this game. My father was an alcoholic and when we took away all his alcohol, he'd drink mouthwash to get that little fix. Mass Effect Andromeda is mouthwash.… Expand
  44. MrWax
    Apr 6, 2017
    4
    I gave it a four. It really is a 5 or maybe 6 game, but I deducted 1 because of the hurt I felt with the disappintment. This is what happens when executives take Excelsheet-decisions, as in opposed to letting the creative and real gamedevelopers decide what is best for the game.

    So much potential in the predecessors, in the the universe they've built, and in the obvious huge budgets a    I gave it a four. It really is a 5 or maybe 6 game, but I deducted 1 because of the hurt I felt with the disappintment. This is what happens when executives take Excelsheet-decisions, as in opposed to letting the creative and real gamedevelopers decide what is best for the game.

    So much potential in the predecessors, in the the universe they've built, and in the obvious huge budgets a game like this carries. Still, 50-60 hours in the game and I am slowly realising that it is not going to get any better.

    Bugs I forget. Graphics is only so-so important to me. This game just lacks playabilty, and the story is a boring one so it doesn't make it better. In all, it just feels like no love has been put in this game. Not the love a creator has for his work, so this game probably lacks just that ... Someone with a vision. This, I think, is to much influenced and shaped by a board or people who don't game themselves.

    Dammit.    … Expand
  45. Mistwire
    Apr 5, 2017
    3
    This is 2017. The bugs, glitches, crappy gameplay mechanics, poor voice acting, and shoddy mo-cap would be acceptable if this wasn't 2017... and there weren't THREE OTHER GAMES in the series for Bioware to learn from.... but it IS 2017 and there is no excuse for us to have waited 5 years for THIS piece of crap.
    Example of horrible game-play: in one mission I had to "read an email from    This is 2017. The bugs, glitches, crappy gameplay mechanics, poor voice acting, and shoddy mo-cap would be acceptable if this wasn't 2017... and there weren't THREE OTHER GAMES in the series for Bioware to learn from.... but it IS 2017 and there is no excuse for us to have waited 5 years for THIS piece of crap.
    Example of horrible game-play: in one mission I had to "read an email from Reyes". In order to do so I had to (a) go back into space from the planet Kandara, (b) read the email, (c) get on a video call with Reyes to say "Yes, I want to go to a party ON KANDARA", (c) LAND BACK ON KANDARA, (d) navigate to the party!!! It took me ~20 minutes of real time gameplay to answer an email and go to a party ON THE PLANET I WAS ORIGINALLY ON. This level of stupidity is rife throughout the game. The game is a giant, pointless fetch quest.

    There are only 2 plot lines that actually engaged me.

    The UI is awful. What was wrong with the old wheel? Now we only have 3 power options to choose from unless we want to switch our "profile". God forbid you want to try out new powers without setting up a special profile for it.

    There's no point to the armor/weapons leveling systems. I used the same original gear for most of the campaign.

    Even if this game didn't have the shoulders of ME1-ME3 to stand on... I'd still say it was a crap game.    … Expand
  46. Toophat82
    Apr 5, 2017
    4
    Bottomline it's not mass effect we love or wanted instead it's DAI but in space. So think about it they simply recycled and reused the same formula from last RPG they worked on and developed before Andromeda which was Dragon Age inquisition. The Story, characters, dialogue, ui, and etc all sub par to bad. Only improvements was the huge worlds and combat itself which unfortunately isBottomline it's not mass effect we love or wanted instead it's DAI but in space. So think about it they simply recycled and reused the same formula from last RPG they worked on and developed before Andromeda which was Dragon Age inquisition. The Story, characters, dialogue, ui, and etc all sub par to bad. Only improvements was the huge worlds and combat itself which unfortunately is hindered by the bad UI that is limited and tailored for multiplayer period as only allows three abilities are allowed during combat no matter campaign or multiplayer mode. Alot is missing from originals too like races, weapons, having meaningful choices and consequences, squadmate loadouts, and renegade/paragon system and there isn't enough new to make up for it either. They even ruined special anmo along with biotic and armor piercing not even in game too. Game is also very buggy and lacks polish along with alot of what made mass effect and bioware rpgs special in first place.

    In Mass effect Andromeda Good luck finding white males and males period in any powerful or meaningful role in game you quickly find that all mission givers and characters that are in power and meaningful in game are overwhelming female with the lesser being minorities or aliens if male at all. While White males are nowhere to be found in game except as cannon fodder or for mockery. This game not only is too extremely politically correct but ractist against white males and white people in general to the point that its too obvious and sickening to loyal fans who love the franchise and have been loyal since it started.

    There is diversity done right like mass effect 1 through 3 and then there is ME andromeda not the way you want to do diversity in games as people play games to get away from their personal lives and have fun. The designer of game clearly wanted to get political and personal on a level that is bad for business given fact that majority of gamers will be of male gender to begin with and most likely a good amount white too when it comes to the RPG genre too not smart at all for a business.    … Expand
  47. Derf_Xephon
    Apr 4, 2017
    0
    Buggy piece of crap that needed a better budget or to be in development longer. Writing is terrible and the story is predictable and boring. EA has turned yet another great franchise into garbage.
  48. smokestorm9121
    Apr 4, 2017
    1
    Oh my god.... do you know how much I wanted this game to succeed?... Man I was so ready to pop this in and be transported back to the world of rich story, awesome character development, and fun battles. Unfortunately this game screws up on so many things that made mass effect good. I feel like i'm going through the 7 stages grief man! No **** joke! I think I made it past denial andOh my god.... do you know how much I wanted this game to succeed?... Man I was so ready to pop this in and be transported back to the world of rich story, awesome character development, and fun battles. Unfortunately this game screws up on so many things that made mass effect good. I feel like i'm going through the 7 stages grief man! No **** joke! I think I made it past denial and somewhere between sadness and anger, probably entering anger right about now... anyways to break it down because a lot of people have already made it clear here it is... Bland dialogue, **** ass facial AND BODY (no one ever mentions that) animations, OK graphics. The sound is... oh my god the sound... the thing that actually did it for me was the stock audio you would get at like free stock audio . com or something. And to those who are saying the sjw **** Have you seen Suvi Anwar if you haven't stfu that would be sjw target number 1... anyways games **** And suvi is f***ing hot. Case Closed.… Expand
  49. adalia3x0h
    Apr 4, 2017
    10
    While there are definitely flaws and the game is a little unpolished--likely due to pressure to get it out on the market--I have found that I thoroughly enjoy this game. As an avid fan of the Mass Effect series, and BioWare in general, none of the faults have been great enough for me to dislike or discontinue playing the game. I'm over 50 hours in and I still love it. It's way moreWhile there are definitely flaws and the game is a little unpolished--likely due to pressure to get it out on the market--I have found that I thoroughly enjoy this game. As an avid fan of the Mass Effect series, and BioWare in general, none of the faults have been great enough for me to dislike or discontinue playing the game. I'm over 50 hours in and I still love it. It's way more immersive and open world than previous Mass Effect games, which I absolutely love. The narrative so far (I've done I think four main plot missions) has been enjoyable, although some plot twists are definitely reminiscent of previous games... it can feel a bit like a cop out, but in my perspective, I think the point is more to be like 'this crap can happen across galaxies and isn't exclusive to the Milky Way.' I'm looking forward to the improved character generation, human & Asari eyes, and better syncing of mouths with sound that BioWare has promised are forthcoming. There are only two things that have slightly impacted my enjoyment of the game-- 1. They scrapped the power wheel. I'm level 43 now, and I've maxed out almost all passive traits, as well as three abilities, and since you can only equip three at a time, I feel like there's not much point to having so many options available. 2. The long wait between planets while exploring the galaxy map. The cinematics are cool, but after the first system it feels a bit redundant. Overall, I still absolutely love this game and will continue to play it... probably several times through! (Side note: Jaal might be my favorite BioWare romance ever--which is saying something.)… Expand
  50. Zuganug
    Apr 4, 2017
    6
    Excepting the horrible ending of ME3, I played and loved ME1, 2 and 3. I took a chance pre-ordering this new installment, and I don't think the gamble paid off. Let me say that I'm evaluating the game based on meeting a pretty high bar set by the previous games. That being said, the previous games sold around 14 million copies, or something like $700 million in gross sales. That, combinedExcepting the horrible ending of ME3, I played and loved ME1, 2 and 3. I took a chance pre-ordering this new installment, and I don't think the gamble paid off. Let me say that I'm evaluating the game based on meeting a pretty high bar set by the previous games. That being said, the previous games sold around 14 million copies, or something like $700 million in gross sales. That, combined with several years to work on this, should lead customers to accept nothing less than an outstanding title. This isn't it.

    I do think they kept the great ME 'feel' and some of the visuals are great. I'm NOT going to get into the many bugs with the game, as many others have already elaborated in great detail, except again to say that several years of lead time combined with the incredible profits of the last series IMHO should absolutely mean no significant bugs.

    So let me say that I feel like this game tried to figure out what to be and instead of coming out with something innovative, seems to have just copied features from other games. The Vaults and robots in the first planet are straight up ripoffs of Borderlands, all the way down to some of the visual elements.

    There are actually, IMHO, far too many options for combat, tech, and biotic powers. Plus the weapons and augment slots, and now crafting, this game seems like it's just trying to be like other games.

    As good as some of the visuals are, the overall look, stories, voice acting, and animations already fall far short of Witcher 3, which was done FAR better by FAR smaller studio with, I'm sure , a FAR smaller budget.

    I had high hopes for this, but this game falls far short.    … Expand
  51. DukeJon
    Apr 4, 2017
    6
    Good

    - combat
    - world exploration
    - scope

    Bad

    - facial anims
    - glitches and bugs
    - dull characters
    - lousy dialogue
    - ugly faces on characters
    - unable to play as a white person. racist bigot for a game designer. SJW handprints everywhere.
  52. Explofion
    Apr 4, 2017
    6
    I loved the first trilogy and this Mass Effect is a complete different kind of game and this is good. The only problem for me is every things they made differently is bad or boring.

    -Animation: First when you start the game you are welcomed with broken animation everywhere, but this is just a minor problem, it can be fixed and this is Mass Effect it should be good even with that.    I loved the first trilogy and this Mass Effect is a complete different kind of game and this is good. The only problem for me is every things they made differently is bad or boring.

    -Animation:
    First when you start the game you are welcomed with broken animation everywhere, but this is just a minor problem, it can be fixed and this is Mass Effect it should be good even with that.

    -Game play
    Next step, Gunfight. I really don't understand why we cannot stop the fight to control our partners actions. All is very very action, I don't like the new system where you can't equip more than 2 powers but have to switch to different profile. The fight are always dashing everywhere trying to cover.
    Some gunfight are difficult, boss fights where nicely organized.
    So for the gameplay I don't liked it but it's not bad it is just my personal feeling about it.

    Exploration:
    The exploration is good, a mixed between Mass Effect 1 for the Mako and Dragon Age inquisiton (I loved it) for the out post system and the tower to activate to find a final cave or whatever secret thing. The system with the five (I think) planet to colonized is rewarding because you can feel the evolution of it talking to people in the main Hub and by destroying the threat it will became (almost) peaceful place to live on.

    Story and characters:
    This point was the most important and I'm very very very very disappointed about it. No spoiler ahead but the story is boring af, the end was terribly... Average. I almost feel like every characters on the Tempest were cliché (Good point for the Sera from Dragon Age disguised in Asari).
    I tried to do a maximum side quest possible before the main quest but I was blocked waiting to receive mail from my team mates to continue their side quests. Like seriously? And then I did one mission and everybody sent me mail so I was submerged with side quest all of a sudden..
    I'm going to start a New Game + but I'm not as excited has I'm still am when I start again the first trilogy or even a Dragon Age game.

    Conclusion: Returning into the Mass Effect universe feels good. The Andromeda initiative is a good concept for a game, the main story of exploring planet and the exploration itself is nicely done. The gunfights are what they are you like it or not but you can't say it's bad. But thanks to a lot of bug and a poor story telling I cannot say I'm happy with this game and I'm very sad of it.
    But your opinion will be the best so try the game if you never played any Mass Effect you can start here and you will discover one of the biggest and best universe of the video game history.

    Final Point: I personally don't think that the open world fit well here and really don't know why because I liked it with Dragon age inquisition. But a good linear game is better than an average open world one.

    Sorry for bad English.    … Expand
  53. Kenmei
    Apr 3, 2017
    4
    I got the distinct impression that Bioware didn't learn anything from the failures of Mass Effect 3, beyond the crappy ending. Andromeda is a very disappointing next step in the Mass Effect world and has no baring on the original series. What was supposed to be a new beginning for the series gets off on a very mediocre note filled with tons of bugs and glitches and just generally boringI got the distinct impression that Bioware didn't learn anything from the failures of Mass Effect 3, beyond the crappy ending. Andromeda is a very disappointing next step in the Mass Effect world and has no baring on the original series. What was supposed to be a new beginning for the series gets off on a very mediocre note filled with tons of bugs and glitches and just generally boring gameplay. And while there are some very good moments sprinkled in the game, there are far too many mediocre/bad ones that those moments can't rise to the surface.
    The story is a mix bag. With a slower beginning/middle and decent end part. While the ending is very open to another game in the series, there were tons of unanswered questions left open from the main important quests you could do. While there's tons of potential for DLC there, it's a wonder what Bioware will actually do here. Especially about half of the life forms from the Mass Effect universe aren't in this game (I'm particularly upset there are no Quarians in the game world so far). The two new races are a mixed bag as well. The Kett being very similar in look to the Protheans from the first game and the Angarans not being very interesting honestly. And your crew is also shortened up by quite a bit with only 6 choices to choose from, and 2 of them being regular humans. No one stands out in this group like Garrius or Tali from the first series but there are some good ones here. The best parts of the game are the crew interactions with each other and how witty and clever it can be while driving over planets. And some of their loyalty missions are great, including one that I personally felt was the best mission since ME2. But on the flip side there's also some very boring characters, including the new female Turian who is just boring and doesn't contribute much to the story.
    Gameplay hasn't changed much from the ME3, with the addition of a jetpack that is kinda neat. However the jetpack got me stuck a few times, which leads to the biggest problem with the game: the bugs and glitches. I personally didn't have too many problems with this until the mid point of the game where it became almost crippling. Tons of lag and pop-in, doors not opening, glitched cutscenes, freezes, you name it. I had just about every bug type known to gaming hit me during the last half of the game and it almost caused me to quit the game. It feels like the game wasn't finished with testing before it was released. And this is supposed to be with a patch to fix these things.
    In the end, I can't recommend this in it's current state because of the bugs and glitches. There are things here that fans will like and the few missions that I loved and the crew interactions are pretty much the only reason why I'm giving this game the score I did. However it's a broken mess that needs patching asap to fix all the problems before answering any questions there might be about story continuation or even a ME:A2. Because Bioware has shown they didn't learn anything beyond not making a crappy ending when they went from ME 3 to this. And I'm losing hope with them that they're figure it out for the sequel.    … Expand
  54. MySecretWeapon
    Apr 3, 2017
    9
    This game is better than people are giving it credit for.

    What's Good -- The Overall gameplay is fantastic. The core mechanics have been highly polished, and the combat is smooth, responsive and enjoyable. In my opinion, it's better than any previous Mass Effect game in that regard. The skill system is a much greater improvement over the previous games as well. Instead of being    This game is better than people are giving it credit for.

    What's Good --

    The Overall gameplay is fantastic. The core mechanics have been highly polished, and the combat is smooth, responsive and enjoyable. In my opinion, it's better than any previous Mass Effect game in that regard.

    The skill system is a much greater improvement over the previous games as well. Instead of being tied down to a class, you get to have all the parts of every class you liked in the past. Want an assault rifle wielding, flame-throwing, singularity packing Pathfinder? Go for it! This time around, your imagination in a class gets to run free.

    The Multiplayer is back and better than before. Strike teams taking out waves of enemies couldn't be more enjoyable. The versatility in classes and skills available make each match feel worthwhile and nothing short of great fun. Even after tens of hours in multiplayer, it's still enjoyable every time.

    Finally, the Research and Development (crafting) system is enjoyable, even if a little overwhelming at first. It's really fun to be able to harvest materials through planetary exploration on the ship, mining on the ground, using mining probes on the Nomad, and through the Strike Team/Multiplayer missions, and then turn around and make your own weapons, armor, and augments. I especially enjoy the ability to modify the weapons during the creation phase.

    Assault rifles that shoot grenades? Yes please!

    The Not as Good --

    The game does have some hiccups. The story isn't as hardly driven as the previous games. If they were going for an essence of confusion and just having to kind of wing it (which is exactly what they were going for) they executed it perfectly.

    I think the problem people have is that in previous Mass Effect games, you felt that the hero chose his path and knew the risks. It really gave the sense of heroism on a grand scale. In Andromeda, you know the risks, but you're forced into the role with no choice on your part. Not that you had that choice in Mass Effect 1-3, but the illusion of that choice was there. You chose to be the hero. You didn't chose to be the Pathfinder.

    The other major complaint you've all read about is the animations. I don't know if they've patched any of it by the time you've read this, but they're janky at best some times. The facial expressions seldom match the tone of the scene and the eye movements are almost frightening. It feels to me like they did their preliminary work on animations, and then were rushed out by EA and didn't get to go back an polish them up.

    Conclusion --

    This game is not a perfect game. It doesn't live up to the storytelling standards of the previous trilogy, and it has its faults; as most games do. But what it does right, it does really right. It's an absolute joy to play and when I'm not playing it, I'm wishing I were.

    Give this game a chance, If you liked the trilogy or sci-fi RPG's in general, you'll enjoy this game.

    8.75/10    … Expand
  55. Mrvictor
    Apr 3, 2017
    10
    OH MY GOODNESS USERS RATE THIS A 4.6??? That is outrageous we have truly become a nation of crybabies. This is a terrific game! Im roughly halfway through and I am having blast! The overall story is different and refreshing and the story behind the Kett is pure genius. There are a few bugs, but nothing to seriously detract from gameplay. Not like Skyrim. which I enjoyed, but it hadOH MY GOODNESS USERS RATE THIS A 4.6??? That is outrageous we have truly become a nation of crybabies. This is a terrific game! Im roughly halfway through and I am having blast! The overall story is different and refreshing and the story behind the Kett is pure genius. There are a few bugs, but nothing to seriously detract from gameplay. Not like Skyrim. which I enjoyed, but it had missions that were unplayable because of bugs and that game got sky high reviews! Not to mention numerous other RPGs I have played that all had as much or worse bugs and got much higher reviews! The worst bug Ive seen is Peebee one of the characters leaning on a table that isnt there once or twice. Oh and by the way the worlds are HUGE and unique, there are tons of missions (I have like 15 different missions waiting on me right now). I cant imagine anything that could happen over the rest of the game that would change my mind. My favorite game ever is the Witcher 3 and this game isnt quite that good, but its not far behind! My only quibble is I prefer 1st person to 3rd person and I think this game would be much more fun and replayability would be higher if it was a FPS. But thats just s small thing. BUY IT… Expand
  56. arcanum2240
    Apr 3, 2017
    8
    Don't listen to the hate, and notice that most of the 0/1 star reviews state that they didn't even play enough to get past the intro. Took a couple of points off for the technical issues, but these definitely aren't enough to actually get in the way of the game.
  57. arcayos
    Apr 3, 2017
    8
    I originally stalled my purchase of the game due to the number of bad reviews . After playing the game I realised that the bad reviews were by angry people with bias and sometimes childish ratings. 0/10? No game is 0/10. I give this game a 7.5/8. The animations at times are bad but it doesn't distract you from the story because the voice acting is fine (abit dodgy on some characters).I originally stalled my purchase of the game due to the number of bad reviews . After playing the game I realised that the bad reviews were by angry people with bias and sometimes childish ratings. 0/10? No game is 0/10. I give this game a 7.5/8. The animations at times are bad but it doesn't distract you from the story because the voice acting is fine (abit dodgy on some characters).

    The music needs to be turned up a notch, it seems too backgroundy when it comes to cut scenes that need that umph from the music.

    The story regarding path finding is great but the detail within that is pretty poor.

    The characters all have strong backgrounds which you can spend a lot of time getting into.

    The fighting is good, the open world and quests are mainly good.

    The customisation of weapons and gear is good yet confusing interface at first.

    The questing interface sucks tbh and could be much clearer. Having to press start to select the map is annoying rather than having a pre assigned button.

    I like the worlds , the different aliens, the idea of colonising planets making them habitable is great.

    I made my own Sarah Ryder as the preset version of her is rather ugly lol, they gave her a huge mouth for some reason. There are at least two good looking females in me:a Cora,and the asari dr beginning with k.... and The Scottish ginger aired one Suri?

    Overall the scale and graphics plus the path finding story, customisation, vibrant planets and worlds make this game a 7.5/8 out of 10. Detail of the story , animation bugs and interface damage it's score but not enough to make you think it's terrible and unenjoyable.    … Expand
  58. fubenalvo
    Apr 3, 2017
    7
    I don't care about the animations, it's okay I think. But I have bugged in unfinishable quests on two planets from two. Yep, I'm still playing and I will finish the game because I love the game and the universe. Anyway... this is a public beta now with floating AI-s 5meter above the ground, and terrible camera handling with random dialogues with NPC-s. Meh... There will be any fixes forI don't care about the animations, it's okay I think. But I have bugged in unfinishable quests on two planets from two. Yep, I'm still playing and I will finish the game because I love the game and the universe. Anyway... this is a public beta now with floating AI-s 5meter above the ground, and terrible camera handling with random dialogues with NPC-s. Meh... There will be any fixes for these? Should I wait for them? :/

    Oh and... SUDOKU? Why? Why? :(    … Expand
  59. thatwassarcasm
    Apr 2, 2017
    0
    This is an atrocious piece of garbage. I would include many details explaining why it's so horrible, however, Metacritic has removed my review for this game twice and has not explained what about my review is objectionable. This is the first game I've ever written a review for when using Metacritic, and I can't believe I took this site seriously. It's clear there is blatant censorshipThis is an atrocious piece of garbage. I would include many details explaining why it's so horrible, however, Metacritic has removed my review for this game twice and has not explained what about my review is objectionable. This is the first game I've ever written a review for when using Metacritic, and I can't believe I took this site seriously. It's clear there is blatant censorship going on. I abided by their terms of service and they STILL removed my review. And they didn't send an email explaining why it was removed.

    Since I'm not sure why my review was removed twice, and Metacritic will not give me additional information explaining their censorship, , I don't feel comfortable using this site with details supporting my review. I'll just simply explain thay I have this game is 100% painfully awful and Metacritic should be ashamed of themselves for inappropriate censorship.    … Expand
  60. JonasCroft
    Apr 2, 2017
    10
    Although some buggy gameplay and lack of optimization put into the game, it really shows up that Bioware can bring a great fresh new start to the Mass Effect series. The graphics and gameplay are incredible, and in mine experience, I kept entertained for a good amount of hours. Besides, the planet's exploration isn't boring at all: you have a lot of things to do, and the loyalty missionsAlthough some buggy gameplay and lack of optimization put into the game, it really shows up that Bioware can bring a great fresh new start to the Mass Effect series. The graphics and gameplay are incredible, and in mine experience, I kept entertained for a good amount of hours. Besides, the planet's exploration isn't boring at all: you have a lot of things to do, and the loyalty missions is a good aspect added to the game. The game's story is so powerful, and I really enjoyed (like the previous ME games) the choice system, that makes players think twice before responding. Overall, the game is a great restart to the series, and makes us curious for what's next. Everything I was expecting from this game was impressively done. I'm truly anxious for the next game.
    A small update to this review (that I found important to add) - This version in particular (XOne, I mean) needs to be updated, as well the PS4 one. I think Bioware needs to optimize better this game better on the consoles, as I said before, but in a form they can reach a constant 30-fps gameplay. XOne has it's lows, but impressively, can keep up and maintain it's fps where PS4 can't - that's impressive.    … Expand
  61. polygon3d
    Apr 2, 2017
    0
    Basically everything that made the original trilogy great will not be found here. The characters have 0 depth and the story is completely dull when compared to the old games.
  62. star_nerdy
    Apr 1, 2017
    6
    Overall, the game was ok. What bugged me the most were easily correctable things that people didn’t think through. Here are some of the things that I think would have made the game better:

    1. Get to the planet faster. Once a system has been explored 100%, we should go straight to the planet. The animations of going from planet to planet are pretty, but it’s something that demos    Overall, the game was ok. What bugged me the most were easily correctable things that people didn’t think through. Here are some of the things that I think would have made the game better:

    1. Get to the planet faster. Once a system has been explored 100%, we should go straight to the planet. The animations of going from planet to planet are pretty, but it’s something that demos really well, but in practice it gets tiresome.

    I’ve explored the system, there is nothing new, so why should I have to click on a system, then click on a planet and then click on a landing spot? That’s 3 clicks that could be minimized into 1.

    2. Universal shop. I get it, all these planets have different shops with different things to offer. That’s cute. How about all the shops have the same stuff, except things cost more at certain shops because they have to pay extra to have it shipped?

    I hate having to run around the universe to find element zero or maybe find a mod. One stop shopping would be nice. In the real world, these shops would be talking, so they should talk in the game.

    3. Targets for every mission. Some missions have targets and some have you run around guessing and trying to uncover things. I’m sorry, I finished the story mode and am going for 100%. I hate having to go on forums and try to find where everything is.

    Maybe you can buy maps with everything on it on those planets. IDK how it’s done, but guidance on where to go next for every mission item is ideal. Running around scanning things gets super old super fast.

    4. Where are things. To piggy back on #3, some missions say find a tablet or something random. That’s fine, but it won’t tell me what planet I got the mission on. So now I don’t know the location or even planet the mission was assigned on. This gets annoying when all you have are tasks left and can’t remember where to go.

    5. Glitches. Forget animations, when you arrive on planets you arrive without a helmet and then the screen goes black and reloads with your helmet. Some planets have doors to places you need to go that won’t open. I expect glitches week 1. I just hope this is short term not long.

    6. Shorter conversations. Less is more.

    7. In the future, have actors record together! It’s super annoying to hear actors argue as part of the story and you can almost hear where audio was cut and spliced together. If they interact on script, they should record together. Audio spliced together is lazy and sucks.

    8. Character writing. Some characters do grow on you. But some…yikes. Some of the scripts are bad. The words on paper seem ok (which means heavy editing is needed), but besides that they are emotionless.

    This is a preference thing, but I would have preferred Cora didn’t have the whole Asari arc. In fact, I would have swapped Cora and Vetra’s stories. I also would have made the Krogan female, the doctor human and male and I would have made the loyalty missions more fun.

    9. Slow down! Some parts of the story were rushed. I would have appreciated if certain parts were slowed down. Getting to know Ryder and his father more, get to know the crew more, understanding the universe, how dire things are, why some people are on the planet and out of stasis and others aren’t, etc. The story should have been slower.

    I had to purposefully slow myself down because you can gun through the story in 10 hours if you’re not careful.

    10. Make simple what you can. I think the game was too busy trying to be too much. A simple story about everyone being stranded and lost, trying to get everyone united, terraforming planets, but finding out there are reasons why your scientists were wrong on the planet would have been nice.

    So many good missions could have been made with this. You could have had western style missions bringing order to outposts. You could have had missions where you’re connecting outposts. You could have seen outposts grow due to connectivity and taking down Kett bases. Then, you find out there are alien things in the grown you can unlock and then you find out they can fix the planet. You do this on one planet and then your dad dies. Then, being the only one that knew what he did, you are tasked with helping other planets.

    Overall:
    There was potential and there still is potential. I’d argue that Mass Effect Andromeda would benefit greatly from better writers. I’d happily write or help plot what happens next. There’s plenty of potential, but you have to keep things simple.

    Also, stupid running around missions are super old and annoying. Don’t have me run around to scan things to then tell someone what I found. That’s super lazy and cheap. Make it mean something.    … Expand
  63. exleper
    Apr 1, 2017
    2
    What a huge let down. I do like the story but the game is just bad. Would be a better TV series. Quest system is junk, game is buggy, AI away team mates are frustrating, and it's just not fun.
  64. Ghost_GBG
    Mar 31, 2017
    2
    Constant crashes on Xbox, poor story line (compared to previous mass effects), repetitive gameplay. Not worth buying. It is such a let down as I am (was) a massive Mass Effect fan.
  65. rickxy007
    Mar 31, 2017
    4
    I have waited for this game to be released for 5 years. And It obviously raised a lot of anticipation, having to live up to one of the most successful and well developed game franchises ever. However, after playing roughly 3 hours of game, I simply ejected the disc, and I suppose I will never play it again. The customization options for the main character appear to be a collection ofI have waited for this game to be released for 5 years. And It obviously raised a lot of anticipation, having to live up to one of the most successful and well developed game franchises ever. However, after playing roughly 3 hours of game, I simply ejected the disc, and I suppose I will never play it again. The customization options for the main character appear to be a collection of stereotypical hair styles, from the "afro" to the "buzzcut", though most of the options remind me of a japanese emo boy band. In comparison with Skyrim, for example, Andromeda has maybe 1/10 of its customization options. Graphics seem last generation as well, it doesn't come even close to The Witcher 3, and it pales in comparison to Horizon: Zero Dawn. Character personalities are the same old formula, the tough female soldier (just like Cassandra on Dragon Age: Inquisition - another flop by the way), Liam is a photocopy of Kaiden (Mass Effect trilogy), not to mention the "mama's boy look" of the main character.
    The game would't be that disappointing had it not attempt to continue on a galaxy that brought so many joyous moments, and that is now stained by this sad excuse of a spin-off.
    Controls are weird and uncomfortable, the map system is abhorrent, the compass is confusing and the dialogue options are almost as lame as Fallout 4 (no one will ever beat that one). Combat is equally displeasing, not for the AI (which is lacking to say the least), but because there is no way to crouch or cover at will, and you depend on the AI (which is lacking, to say the least - part 2) to do it "semi-automatically".
    There has been a tendency to "actionize" RPGs, and games such as Horizon: Zero Dawn (to a certain extent - it is all in all an action game), Andromeda and Fallout 4 have become hybrids, as if sale volume has become the sole purpose for game development. Developers are trying to make an action game, or a FPS "look like" an RPG by adding dialogues and a couple of customization options, though the essence of a true RPG is not there. No options matter, because you will reach the same ending.
    And this is exactly what Andromeda is. A lame FPS which does not deliver as one (not even close to Titanfall or Destiny), and it isn't a RPG either (such as The Witcher 3). it is a waste of money, time and a total disappointment delivered by one of the most (or a tie with Ubisoft) profit centered companies out there, which fell from being the most beloved RPG company in the world to a third class FPS developer. (along with Square-Enix - another flopping company with its God of War-Like Final fantasy 15)    … Expand
  66. Azeriel
    Mar 31, 2017
    0
    Remember when they said they wanted to make a game that rivals "The Witcher 3"?

    Kinda made you wonder if they were saying that ironically because at this point they are not even playing in the same league anymore. The best part about one of the high scoring reviews on this site was and I quote "Bioware was never known for their strong dialogue". HAH! Shows you the level of exposure    Remember when they said they wanted to make a game that rivals "The Witcher 3"?

    Kinda made you wonder if they were saying that ironically because at this point they are not even playing in the same league anymore.

    The best part about one of the high scoring reviews on this site was and I quote "Bioware was never known for their strong dialogue". HAH! Shows you the level of exposure these "high-scorers" have with Bioware games.

    If you're an old-school Mass Effect fan (like I am), feel free to skip this one - or get it once it's heavily discounted with all DLCs included. There is nothing Mass Effect about this except in name and the "sci-fi" theme. You lost control over your squad, you lost squad customization, you lost paused strategy, and you lost having all your abilities instead of just 3 loadouts per combat. Furthermore, this is not a Mass Effect story you'd love and respect. Facial animation and all the other glitches are one thing, the simple fact that you simply couldn't care less to the two main protagonists (because they're as bland as a sack of potato) is another. Unlike Shephard, the game removes majority of you meaningful interaction and decision by removing the Paragon/Renegade option. All four options of your dialogue wheels pretty much saying the same thing with a different intonation or sentence structure. If the original Mass Effect trilogy is an epic full-length premium cinema, this is their direct-to-DVD spin off.

    If this is your first RPG however, and you never played Mass Effect before. Go for it. You have no greatness to base on, and the simplified RPG system of this game will serve you well as a training wheel of such genre going forward. Not to mention there will be more than enough flashy combats to keep your attention glued to the screen before you can repeatedly press skip on the next conversation.

    TL;DR, if you're a Mass Effect fan, let the taste of that great masterpiece fade with Shepard instead of being marred by this new release. If you're new to the genre, the franchise, or just looking for a mediocre cover-based shooter masqueraded as a Fischer-Price RPG. This is for you.

    In the era where we seen The Witcher 3, GTA V, and Horizon Zero Dawn, in what way this garbage release is deemed acceptable?    … Expand
  67. Maleficento
    Mar 31, 2017
    0
    If mass effect was a tire, and two was a hover tire, this game would be the equivalent of a wooden cart wheel.

    An step backwards in a franchise that use to be great.
    That's what happens when you let sjws run your studio.
  68. ourtimehascome
    Mar 31, 2017
    1
    To call Andromeda a disappointment is an understatement. For gamers who apparently aren't longtime Mass Effect fans who can overlook the glaring bugs, glitches and problems will enjoy the quick action diversion. When compared to the beloved series of which I am a massive fan, it can only be described as a lame copy of interesting ideas in Mass Effect which were done and done better yearsTo call Andromeda a disappointment is an understatement. For gamers who apparently aren't longtime Mass Effect fans who can overlook the glaring bugs, glitches and problems will enjoy the quick action diversion. When compared to the beloved series of which I am a massive fan, it can only be described as a lame copy of interesting ideas in Mass Effect which were done and done better years ago. The story is bland, the characters more so, and its only saving grace at times can be the combat, which is some of the worst I have seen in a video game. No redeemable qualities present.… Expand
  69. NoMaDXT
    Mar 31, 2017
    8
    So. I hear all the bad things about the game. And they're most definitely there. So let me get them out the way first. The HUMAN character animations during conversation and cutscene are actually laughable. No kidding i've laughed. Especially when Addisson tells me "Her face is tired" with no expression. I've actually laughed a few times because of this. But lets be realistic here. We gotSo. I hear all the bad things about the game. And they're most definitely there. So let me get them out the way first. The HUMAN character animations during conversation and cutscene are actually laughable. No kidding i've laughed. Especially when Addisson tells me "Her face is tired" with no expression. I've actually laughed a few times because of this. But lets be realistic here. We got some amazing animations with Bioware's last game Dragon Age Inquisition. But Mass effect, historically hasnt really concentrated on it so i'm fine with it. next issue please. The Sound design was more prevalent in previous games and it felt like a space opera. Its less so. You have to scan everything to gain points for blueprints that you later can craft. This feels a little redundant and grindy. Let me say that I do find that people are concentrating more on the bad here than the good. That being said, next paragraphs, on to the good stuff.

    Its Addictive. OMG. SO addictive. I've been fortunate to play two games this year where i feel like a kid that wants to get home so he can play with his new toy. This game is one of them. The battles feel natural and expanded on the previous Gears of war- esque gameplay and it feels like tactically you dont have to stay behind cover. The RPG elements are fantastic as you carefully have to pick skills that compliment your playstyle and it sort of forces you to try new skills to enjoy more varied tactics. I love this. Enemies feel a little bullet spongy but this goes away completely when you realise there are power combos you can perform as experiment with crafting more powerful weaponry and find weaponry that compliments your playstyle. The combat system and charcter crafting is involved and anyone that just wants to play through shooting stuff is probably gonna have a hard time.

    The alien races are a little slim. You only Meet the Kett and the Angarians. But granted this is only a small cluster in mostly unexplored Andromeda galaxy. But the new Character, Jaal's personality and race are fascinating and their plight against the Kett involving. Exploration is fun, you get planted on a planet and ride around solving puzzles and mysteries of a technologically advanced master race (Nod to Promethians). You make new friends along the way while rasing the vialbility for colonization for your fellow Milky way natives.

    The story so far is fantastic, engrossing and mysterious. The lore might not be as rich as in previous games but remember this is our first foray into Andromeda. Human kind had been collecting information for a century in the original trilogy on the known galaxy. Andromeda is mostly still unknown. You really do get to feel like an explorer making history meeting new civilizations and plotting a course through the unknown.

    Exploration is possibly the best part of the game as i've dont more increasing the viability of my explored planets than i have in progressing the story line. But when i get bored of exploring and I want some cinema experience with some good game play I persue the storyline.

    Multiplayer is very much like ME3 but with some slightly tweaked game modes and the depth of the combat system from the single player of Andromeda makes this a fun and involved multiplayer. Even if you squeeze only 20 hours of multiplayer out of it its worth it and makes this game a whole bumch of value for your buck too.

    To be clear, I'm giving this game an 8. It should be a 7 objectively considering the glaring problems. But I'm giving it an 8 because the positive things ivé experienced about this game FAR outweigh the negative and the gameplay its self carries it through. If they had fixed the animations and sound issues I'd have given it a 9.    … Expand
  70. branysersh
    Mar 30, 2017
    9
    I just finished my first play through for Mass Effect Andromeda after about 70 hours of play I finally finished the main story for Andromeda and overall I found Andromeda to be a pretty good game. First things first yes the animations are terrible there's no denying and it could use some polishing around the edges if issues like these bother you too much then I would say don't buy it orI just finished my first play through for Mass Effect Andromeda after about 70 hours of play I finally finished the main story for Andromeda and overall I found Andromeda to be a pretty good game. First things first yes the animations are terrible there's no denying and it could use some polishing around the edges if issues like these bother you too much then I would say don't buy it or wait for it to go on sale your mileage may vary depending on who you are. Without out of the way I have to say That I found Mass Effect Andromeda to be a very enjoyable experience and should not be overlooked. Andromeda is an ambitious game that takes a few pages out of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar where as a pathfinder it's your job to explore an uncharted in hopes of finding a new home and that is the heart of Mass Effect Andromeda. With that being said you will spend a lot of time exploring multiple planets that each vary drastically from each other and have absolutely amazing environments that will leave you in awe at times. When exploring you will often come across many hostile enemies and have to say combat has never felt this good in a mass effect game it's fast and fluid, the game gives you lots of opportunities to take advantage of verticality and some of the new powers are just a blast to use. The profile system also works out really well with the favorites system as it allows you to save 4 different loadouts with different powers and profiles that allows you to change on the fly and most of the fun with this system is experimenting with what powers synergize the best with each other the only negative thing I can say about the system is you lose the ability to use your squad mates abilities but luckily though they can take care of themselves in battle. Speaking of squad mates I really enjoyed I really enjoyed each and everyone of them and just enjoyed getting to know them and the one thing really like about the squadmates in this game is they always interact with each other in the game when exploring a planet or when your on the tempest. Comparing them though to the squadmates in the original trilogy obviously the original characters are better but that's not such a bad thing especially considering that this is the only game so far where we get to know them and surprisingly there's not one squad mate in the game I found myself disliking (although depending on who you are you will either really like or hate Peebee).Paragon and Renegade system has been removed in favor of a new system where you choose what kind of appeal you want to make and I have to say I have a hard time making an opinion about it because it's a little more realistic in a way and doesn't force you to make paragon and renegade choices so you can use a special dialogue option but it often just feels like have to play a paragon character because you rarely get a chance to make a renegade dialogue choice, I also found there to be very few interrupts which kind of sucks. In Mass Effect Andromeda the game contains plenty of side missions for you to perform if you wish and a lot of the ones I played play out really well and at times force you to make a hard call and those choices you make will often affect the world around you as well as the story, with that being said try to play as many as you can before you decide to finish the story. Overall I would say Mass Effect Andromeda is a really good game for what it is going in I had no expectations for this game to exceed the original since that's what it often gets compared to but that's not a bad thing because the original trilogy set a high bar and it's hard to expect it to surpass that bar, If I were to recommend this game to anyone I would recommend it to anyone who really likes the first Mass Effect game just because this game has so much emphasis on exploration it's really what makes this game great.… Expand
  71. LucasGreen
    Mar 30, 2017
    4
    So to begin this game is a great game if it had come out during the Xbox 360 days. Yes to everyone the game play is tedious with no way to tell where you are going. The story is decent but could use refinement. and finally the cut scenes are terrifying with graphical glitches. This is Mass effect by the big dogs at Bioware I expect a better game from them not what honestly feels like a AASo to begin this game is a great game if it had come out during the Xbox 360 days. Yes to everyone the game play is tedious with no way to tell where you are going. The story is decent but could use refinement. and finally the cut scenes are terrifying with graphical glitches. This is Mass effect by the big dogs at Bioware I expect a better game from them not what honestly feels like a AA title put out in the dry summer lull where bad games go to die.… Expand
  72. OhPuck
    Mar 30, 2017
    1
    Always been a Mass Effect fan. Loved the game play, story, combat, all of it. This game within 5 hours of playing presented me with a Sudoku like puzzle with no explanation as to what it is or how to solve it. Terrible 4k quality picture on the XB1 compared to any other platform (it looks like a decent XB360 port). And gave me walking controls so disconnected that I felt more like a movingAlways been a Mass Effect fan. Loved the game play, story, combat, all of it. This game within 5 hours of playing presented me with a Sudoku like puzzle with no explanation as to what it is or how to solve it. Terrible 4k quality picture on the XB1 compared to any other platform (it looks like a decent XB360 port). And gave me walking controls so disconnected that I felt more like a moving air hockey puck. I constantly had issues over jumping or running off an edge because my character wouldn't stop.

    Throw in an inventory system where you cant tell how to upgrade, build, equip, or generally just know what you have, and you have a game so frustrating that within 2 hours you will be so annoyed you'll just quit like me. Honestly this is a horrid attempt at a sequel from a great company. This felt like more of a cash grab. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Not worth it even at a 50% discount 4 Christmases from now.    … Expand
  73. kelnagryphon
    Mar 30, 2017
    8
    Long term and massive fan of the original trilogy.

    Like pretty much everyone, I thought the ending of the original trilogy was a clusterf**k, but I loved the universe, the lore, the characters and I really wanted Andromeda to be the next stage. I joined EA Origin purely to get my 10 hour trial and I must admit that I left it pretty disappointed, the Internet criticisms, whilst    Long term and massive fan of the original trilogy.

    Like pretty much everyone, I thought the ending of the original trilogy was a clusterf**k, but I loved the universe, the lore, the characters and I really wanted Andromeda to be the next stage.

    I joined EA Origin purely to get my 10 hour trial and I must admit that I left it pretty disappointed, the Internet criticisms, whilst massively overblown, are valid, the first hour or two is rushed with fairly poor writing, my game crashed to the extent I had to pull the power cord out of the wall to reboot the xbox, Addison really does come from the hideous depths of the Uncanny Valley, and really does actually say the line "my face is tired"

    However, once the tutorial stage of the game is out of the way and everything opens up, it starts to feel like 'Mass Effect' again, the planets look absolutely gorgeous, some of the attention to detail (snow frosting on armour, sand spilling over the entry ramp of the Tempest when landed) is impressive, and the crew are perfectly lovely, likeably, interesting people.

    The biggest problem Mass Effect: Andromeda has is that it's Mass Effect, Drack is absolutely awesome, he's gruff, grumpy, angry and likes to smash things, but he's going to be compared to Wrex, who was the mac daddy, Peebee is cuter, more endearing and perhaps even geekier than Liara T'soni, and definitely better voice acted, but Liara has also existed for 10 years now.

    If this was the first game in a new franchise, we'd be mocking it like we mock Skyrim for the bugs and cr*p animations, but we'd be enjoying the world and the potential it has, but it's not new, it's 10 year old IP with a massive amount of baggage, and suffers massively for that.

    Try and enjoy it for what it is and you really will have a good time, it's not an all-time classic but there are some genuinely great bits, Andromeda is genuinely interesting, intriguing and comedic in places and doesn't deserve to be piled on in this way.    … Expand
  74. Drucifer
    Mar 30, 2017
    10
    I had my doubts after all of the negative reviews this game received, but was very pleasantly surprised once I actually played for myself. I absolutely love it. The first couple of hours drag by; this is typical for modern AAA RPGs (e.g. The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn). However, once the first couple of hours are completed, the game opens up into a true open world(s) game that is utterlyI had my doubts after all of the negative reviews this game received, but was very pleasantly surprised once I actually played for myself. I absolutely love it. The first couple of hours drag by; this is typical for modern AAA RPGs (e.g. The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn). However, once the first couple of hours are completed, the game opens up into a true open world(s) game that is utterly incredible. The story lines are compelling, the characters are very likable and relatable, and the dialogue is very realistic. Conversations don't fit the typical rigid and over exaggerated format common to many games, which may not work for gamers who are more accustomed to interacting with video game NPCs than having conversations with people in the real world. After 60 hours of gameplay, Mass Effect: Andromeda has impressed me more than I had ever expected and has become one of my favorite titles. I enjoyed this game even more than the original series. The story isn't quite as interesting as the reaper concept, but the rich open world exploration teeming with fun missions to do combined with the amazing lore the Mass Effect series has built up made this one of the funnest games I have ever played. Neither me nor my wife has experienced any glitches or strange/ugly facial animations with our Ryders. It took me a couple tries to design one that I liked, but once I did I had no issues throughout my play through. It seems that a lot of the people giving Mass Effect: Andromeda negative feedback are going into the game expecting to find something bad, only instead of reviewing it objectively, they critically search for flaws to reaffirm their expectations. This type of behavior, along with people rating it who have never even played it has left a game easily worthy of a 10/10 with a user score of 4.5.… Expand
  75. rempedaal
    Mar 30, 2017
    10
    This game is definitely not a 4.5, which is the current user score average. Some really bad critics who seemed to be pissing on this game even before it came out, plus a few glitches that have been blown waaaay out of proportion, has culminated into a herd-mentality-hating-bandwagon-negative-review-fest. This game is a solid 8.5 for me after about 25 hours of gameplay. Not a 10, becauseThis game is definitely not a 4.5, which is the current user score average. Some really bad critics who seemed to be pissing on this game even before it came out, plus a few glitches that have been blown waaaay out of proportion, has culminated into a herd-mentality-hating-bandwagon-negative-review-fest. This game is a solid 8.5 for me after about 25 hours of gameplay. Not a 10, because the menu options for weapons and such could use some improvement, and because what really made the ME series great was the impact of decisions you make. That doesn't seem so apparent in this game so far, but to be honest I'm not really qualified to judge that after 20 hours. But other than that, I like the characters and the dialogues, the environments are awesome, combat is great, I really like the animations in space and overall I'm having a great time playing this game. I'm giving it a 10, not because it's a 10, but to offset the hater bandwagon. Every game has bugs, some a bit more than others, but in my experience with the game so far, I have hardly encountered any. Give the devs a break and stop whining so much. Yes, the faces can look a bit dead sometimes, but that never stopped me from enjoying the game. Overall, awesome game.… Expand
  76. Technoraze
    Mar 30, 2017
    5
    First mass effect game ive played and initially i was hooked. Great story but the gameplay is pretty much like all ea games, not very well programmed. Movement is not fluid like in some of the high end games. Quite a few technical issues here. I loved the whole concept of the game but sadly its been let down. My biggest issue is the way ea have to use this stupid card/box system in allFirst mass effect game ive played and initially i was hooked. Great story but the gameplay is pretty much like all ea games, not very well programmed. Movement is not fluid like in some of the high end games. Quite a few technical issues here. I loved the whole concept of the game but sadly its been let down. My biggest issue is the way ea have to use this stupid card/box system in all their games. It sort of works for Fifa with fut cards but in games like this and battlefield, no. Game is overly complicated and they should take a leaf out of massive entertainments book with weapon upgrades/modding (the division).
    Overall i did like the game but only as a budget game as i feel it lacks too much to warrant an A game rating.    … Expand
  77. djl3485
    Mar 30, 2017
    8
    This review is based on a complete playthrough of ME:A.

    ME:A is a good intro for a new trilogy in the Mass Effect universe. It has some problems most likely due to the inexperience of the team making it. This is a learning experience for them all and hopefully, the DLC and following sequels will build upon what was started here. People also seem to hung up on the original trilogy cast    This review is based on a complete playthrough of ME:A.

    ME:A is a good intro for a new trilogy in the Mass Effect universe. It has some problems most likely due to the inexperience of the team making it. This is a learning experience for them all and hopefully, the DLC and following sequels will build upon what was started here. People also seem to hung up on the original trilogy cast and keep comparing the new cast to them which is a shame because each character has its own story to tell with why the joined the Initiative. The initial start is slow but the game takes off after the first planet.

    I've read some reviews say that your decisions do not matter which I disagree with. You can see the effects of some of your decisions at the end and other decisions you won't be able to see their effect until the sequels come out. All in all ME:A is a decent game but the bugs/glitches prevent it from being great, luckily most of these issues can be fixed with patch updates (aka Skyrim).

    Pros:
    Good companions with good back stories.
    Good voice acting like always.
    Gameplay is great, along with the inclusion of jet packs.
    Multiplayer is fun, if you enjoyed MP in ME3 then you'll love it here.
    Unlike other people I had no problem with the Nomad, in fact, I enjoyed it and it was a big improvement over the Mako.
    Beautiful worlds.
    I liked the new research/development figure but a storage could have been added for your materials.

    Cons:
    Graphic bugs/glitches - Yes they are there but they are not game breaking. Skyrim had worse bugs/glitches when it was first released. I didn't have as many bugs/glitches that some people seem too.
    U/I- It's not horrible but it isn't the best either. Once again it isn't game breaking.
    Writing - While the voice acting is good the writing was hit and miss...some convos were plain awkward.    … Expand
  78. GainesvilleGuy
    Mar 29, 2017
    0
    Wow, metacritic has now deleted TWO of my reviews for this game. I can't imagine how low the user score for this game would be if they stopped deleting the negative reviews (was an average of 4.2 just two days ago). I guess they insist I don't point out how "progressive" Bioware is these days, so I won't mention it. Just google "Manveer Heir" and decide for yourself if Bioware sharesWow, metacritic has now deleted TWO of my reviews for this game. I can't imagine how low the user score for this game would be if they stopped deleting the negative reviews (was an average of 4.2 just two days ago). I guess they insist I don't point out how "progressive" Bioware is these days, so I won't mention it. Just google "Manveer Heir" and decide for yourself if Bioware shares your values these days.

    As for why this game deserves a ZERO I detailed that in my previous two reviews (that metacritic has deleted), one of which described in detail via 8 points why this game gets the worse game of the year award. I'm not going to waste my time providing the details again, you can blame censorship for the loss of that valuable information.

    But trust me on this, this game is laughably bad. Just watch youtube videos of it and get the laughs for free and don't waste your money seeing for yourself. I'm officially done ever buying another Bioware game again, and I was once their biggest fan. That's how pathetic this game is.    … Expand
  79. Ozimandeus
    Mar 29, 2017
    7
    The facial animations and cheesy dialogue aside, there is a good game here. But you need to be very patient to get to it. It could have been a top drawer title. It isn't but it's ok.
  80. pnathan28
    Mar 29, 2017
    4
    This game is a massive disappointment. I am a huge Mass Effect fan, having played the first 3 games multiple times and in comparison Andromeda falls woefully short. First, the combat is smoother and faster but they have removed direct control and customization for squad members. The facial animations are HORRENDOUS and really take you out of the game, but the environments are done prettyThis game is a massive disappointment. I am a huge Mass Effect fan, having played the first 3 games multiple times and in comparison Andromeda falls woefully short. First, the combat is smoother and faster but they have removed direct control and customization for squad members. The facial animations are HORRENDOUS and really take you out of the game, but the environments are done pretty well. The writing is also mediocre at best, given that Mass Effect writing hasn't always been high literature but at least it was funny, charming and enough to get you invested in the story. I'm already 25 hours into Andromeda and i just cant get myself to care about the stories and the characters. My biggest disappointment were the mundane fetch quests that just littered the game. It seemed like a majority of the quests were a simple go here find 3 of these and sent you off to all corners of the map, and it got really old really fast. Which is really sad because there is a good game in here somewhere, the areas are massive and there is plenty to explore.… Expand
  81. pearson490
    Mar 29, 2017
    1
    So recently I purchased Mass Effect Andromeda and was overall happy with the purchase. The story was interesting and the combat was well done. There were a few glitches here and there but nothing truly disruptive. So the game was average with some pretty visuals but then everything went downhill. After completing the first planet my game started repeatedly freezing and crashing. I haveSo recently I purchased Mass Effect Andromeda and was overall happy with the purchase. The story was interesting and the combat was well done. There were a few glitches here and there but nothing truly disruptive. So the game was average with some pretty visuals but then everything went downhill. After completing the first planet my game started repeatedly freezing and crashing. I have restarted the game and hell even uninstalled it to re-install it but still crashes. So despite the fact that the game is enjoyable at least for me it is fundamentally broken. Until a patch comes out I probably will not be able to continue so pretty much benched for me.… Expand
  82. drnicholasmills
    Mar 29, 2017
    8
    I'm a big Mass Effect fan, especially the original 2 games, 3rd not bad but a let down. The negative reviews on the fourth installment delayed my initial purchase of the game. I'm currently about 6 hours in and generally it is a positive experience. The Graphics are OK, the Sound is good, the story is good at present and everything generally works. I've had a death bug in a firefightI'm a big Mass Effect fan, especially the original 2 games, 3rd not bad but a let down. The negative reviews on the fourth installment delayed my initial purchase of the game. I'm currently about 6 hours in and generally it is a positive experience. The Graphics are OK, the Sound is good, the story is good at present and everything generally works. I've had a death bug in a firefight with a fiend on Eos. The graphics do pop out every so often. But for me, gaming is about enjoying the experience and the first 1 hour or so was absolutely one of the best story openings ever in a game, IMO.

    Credit is due to the development team as the world appears really well detailed. The game is full of positives at the moment with very few downsides. I don't know if it's me, but the problems with games now are generally minuscule compared to years ago when they were full of technical bugs. I came from an era where games were loaded by tape, low res 8 bit graphics, movement **** etc, but the games were great. I prefer the experience to the graphics and sound etc, and on that basis, I give the game an 8 so far. Perhaps, Im a bit more forgiving because I understand what it takes to get a game to publication, perhaps others do not. The creative talent out there is absolutely tremendous, and gaming has a great future. However, to produce an error free game is extremely difficult when the games are so complicated and technical, of course, money talks. To achieve excellence is something we should all aim for, very few achieve it. Well done Bioware, great game.    … Expand
  83. Knightley
    Mar 28, 2017
    7
    Mass Effect Andromeda is a game that I was honestly looking forward to in 2017. Although my worries appeared after the memes of the game's animation surfaced. Despite all of the backlash, I thought I'd get it and judge for myself (thank god for prime savings).
    Starting off i must admit that yes the game isn't the best to look at, it's covered in bugs, and overall lacks polish. The game    Mass Effect Andromeda is a game that I was honestly looking forward to in 2017. Although my worries appeared after the memes of the game's animation surfaced. Despite all of the backlash, I thought I'd get it and judge for myself (thank god for prime savings).
    Starting off i must admit that yes the game isn't the best to look at, it's covered in bugs, and overall lacks polish. The game itself feels like it's still in beta and didn't get put through any worthwhile QA testing. Even through all of this, I feel I had one of the better experiences with only minor framerate drops and certain characters popping in and out of locations. In addition, I got my Ryders to look somewhat decent. In spite of all this, most of the aliens manage to look pretty good while most of the humans look like plastic dolls.
    The story and writing of Andromeda is honestly not very good. As new players are thrown into a giant pile of exposition. Ryder makes way too many jokes all the time (most not funny), taking barely anything in the entire game even slightly seriously. The romances that Bioware has become so well known for are rather disappointing, as most of them happen late game or barely happen at all.
    By far the best part of the experience was the combat. There's an added layer of mobility with the new jump jets. No more class restrictions or level caps (that I know of) give a feeling of freedom that wasn't really in previous games. It may start off slow when you have nothing unlocked but it only gets better as you progress
    There's also multiplayer but I couldn't even be bothered to try it as it's pretty much horde mode with microtransactions. The menus are also confusing to navigate. There's a crafting system that is just plain not fun. I enjoyed the crafting in Dragon Age: Inquisition, so i'm curious as to why they didn't just carry over that system instead of this mess.
    Despite all of it's flaws, I did enjoy the game. In it's current state it deserves more of a 6.5 but it gets a 7 because I was feeling generous, and because of my better experience with the game. In the end it feels more like a Dragon Age game with a Mass Effect paint job.    … Expand
  84. SuperkenGaming
    Mar 28, 2017
    8
    Mass Effect Andromeda
    A Love Hate Relationship
    Mass Effect Andromeda tells the story of the 2 Ryder Twins You can fast start as either of the 2 or customize your character Since Scott Ryder looks like an identical twin of a certain handsome game review I know, not mentioning any superken from superkengaming names... I didn’t have to edit a thing But if you do choose to customize, the    Mass Effect Andromeda
    A Love Hate Relationship
    Mass Effect Andromeda tells the story of the 2 Ryder Twins
    You can fast start as either of the 2 or customize your character
    Since Scott Ryder looks like an identical twin of a certain handsome game review I know, not mentioning any superken from superkengaming names...
    I didn’t have to edit a thing
    But if you do choose to customize, the game will make a twin version of your character who does show up in your story…
    Mass Effect fans seem to hate this entry...
    But im not a mass effect fan and I loved it.. I played the first 2 games in preparation for this one and found them to be pretty boring... Mass Effect Andromeda is more of my play style… and without having played mass effect 3, As of right now, Andromeda is my favorite game in the series…
    For the fans of the series, there’s a lot here to love as much as there is to be desired…
    And I don’t mean just the aliens…
    There are tons of missions to do here outside of the campaign, including loyalty missions like everyone loves from mass effect 2…
    But there is a noticeable lack of emphasis on your crew this time around…
    Because the story is about making a planet inhabitable for life forms to call home
    Wasn’t really interesting though…
    So lack of interesting story, boring crew members... I understand why fans of the series don’t like this game... what about the rest
    Lets get the elephant out of the room right now
    You cant romance natalie dormers character
    I should honestly stop the review right here and give it a 0/10 for playing with my heart like that…
    But they did throw some real nudity and booty in here.. So slightly forgivable... but... Natalie Dormer guys...
    How could you do this to me?
    But the worlds in mass effect Andromeda are beautiful and the campaign which takes about 12 hours one its own is actually fun to run through…
    The direction system does a great job of telling you where to go, though the command to show the point on the map frustratingly doesn’t always work…
    Not sure on the rules behind when it will and when it won’t…
    But the fact that clicking down doesn’t always show you where you’re going to is annoying…
    And many missions here are set in an open world that you can explore with the nomad, that drives perfectly…
    You also have a jump pack for hopping gaps and doing sick in air kills with your weapons that are equippable with mod slots…
    And you can upgrade these weapons as well as unlock special moves for you and your crew with the skill points you get for leveling up…
    My only issue with the campaign is the annoying scanning…
    You’re asked to scan items way too frequently, stopping the flow and excitement of missions…
    And the final stretch of the game feels recycled… and therefore feels like a grind…
    I was happy with the games ending..
    But the boring final stretch to get there almost seemed unworthy it, especially with a forgettable throwaway feeling boss fight…
    I understand why mass effect fans don’t like this game... its very action third person cover based shooter heavy... very few dialog options that matter to make this feel like an rpg…
    But if you look at this as just a game without the name mass effect attached, Andromeda is a solid experience…
    People have noted animation problems.. but I didn’t notice any in my play through, and besides a few awkward transitions, my play through was fairly clean of bugs
    And when you’re done with single player you can hop right into multiplayer where you’ll spend 15 seconds and realize you’re not going to waste your time on this garbage just like ea should have
    This mode is a lazy and boring co-op objective based wave mission mode.
    Every game developer in the world play uncharted lost planet 2 and lost planet 3 multiplayer
    IF you don’t plan on making anything like them in your 3rd person shooter
    save your time and money and don’t bother.
    Despite the disappointing multiplayer, and disappointing RPG bioware DNA elements…
    Mass Effect Andromeda is a solid experience that as a 3rd person shooter action adventure fan you shouldn’t pass up
    I give Mass Effect Andromeda
    an 8/10    … Expand
  85. DarkLordReveng
    Mar 28, 2017
    10
    This was a fantastic game.

    Does it have bugs. YES. So did Mass Effect 1, ME2, ME3. So did Dragon Age Origins. These large scale games often do have bugs. Thats the reality. The story is solid. This game had to introduce new players to the entire canon of information plus a TON of new information. So ya, it can start a little slow. But it gets so much better. It starts to gain    This was a fantastic game.

    Does it have bugs. YES. So did Mass Effect 1, ME2, ME3. So did Dragon Age Origins. These large scale games often do have bugs. Thats the reality.

    The story is solid. This game had to introduce new players to the entire canon of information plus a TON of new information. So ya, it can start a little slow. But it gets so much better. It starts to gain traction on Eos and by Kadara I was totally hooked. So many new questions I have which are leaving me on the edge of my seat already for the next game. Characters like Liam start off slow but they develop into really interesting characters as they go. Drack reminds me a lot of Garrus. The characters we loved from the original had 3 games to develop. Ashley and Kaiden were dull as dirt in ME1, even Garrus was great. ME2 made me love them and ME3 made them remarkable.

    Andromeda deserves no where near the hate. The professional reviews are closer with fair concerns but also acknowledging the strengths. It does take much to see a pattern with the hate. Those that wanted a sequel to the original series hated this concept from the beginning and I won't even start on the ones who hate any game that shows the slightest bit of diversity. There are some generally insightful comments that give this a 7 and depending on what you like in a game that makes sense. But the 0 and 1s are ridiculious.

    Give this game a chance, a real chance, and if you like these kinds of games you will enjoy it.    … Expand
  86. palkab
    Mar 28, 2017
    10
    Although the storyline is a bit slow to gain traction, I thoroughly enjoyed the game from the opening to the closing moments. This is truly a Mass Effect game.

    There are some obvious technical issues and glitches that are almost inescapable with a game of this magnitude, but you'd have to be pretty shallow to not look past this. The game shines best at moments of exploration, combat is    Although the storyline is a bit slow to gain traction, I thoroughly enjoyed the game from the opening to the closing moments. This is truly a Mass Effect game.

    There are some obvious technical issues and glitches that are almost inescapable with a game of this magnitude, but you'd have to be pretty shallow to not look past this. The game shines best at moments of exploration, combat is fluid and the amount of content is huge.

    I finished the game in about 50 hours but touched on less than half of the sidequesting.    … Expand
  87. DonMega
    Mar 27, 2017
    0
    If you enjoy the following buy the game:

    1. Ugly ass characters. 2. Terrible UI that will make you feel confused and lost. 3. Garbage character creator that won't let you choose white skin color or edit the face details to exactly how you want your character to look. 4. Dry and boring voice acting that sounds like the actors read from the script without seeing whats on screen. 5.    If you enjoy the following buy the game:

    1. Ugly ass characters.
    2. Terrible UI that will make you feel confused and lost.
    3. Garbage character creator that won't let you choose white skin color or edit the face details to exactly how you want your character to look.
    4. Dry and boring voice acting that sounds like the actors read from the script without seeing whats on screen.
    5. Script written by a hormonal 16 year old.
    6. Repetitive quest from WoW days. Go here, collect these items and return to quest giver x 100
    7. Political views forced down your throat
    8. Same rehashed story as mass effect 1
    9. Bugs, glitches that totally help with immersion
    10. Bioware is trash    … Expand
  88. MrNamed
    Mar 27, 2017
    8
    This is a 6, in truth, but I'm being very generous because I believe the Hate Train is even worse than Fanboyism, in this case.

    I've seen a lot of passionately hateful reviews of this game during the Early Access phase. I don't trust reviews that are necessarily based on so little actual game time, especially when a certain attitude starts trending and spreading like fire across the    This is a 6, in truth, but I'm being very generous because I believe the Hate Train is even worse than Fanboyism, in this case.

    I've seen a lot of passionately hateful reviews of this game during the Early Access phase. I don't trust reviews that are necessarily based on so little actual game time, especially when a certain attitude starts trending and spreading like fire across the internet. The popular view.

    Let me be clear, the complaints are VALID. The animation flaws are obvious and far below the standards of Bioware. This was a quantity over quality issue and that is not justification for the flawed content. It's not game breaking but it does detract from the player's connection to the characters and often interupts the exposition of the narrative.

    The other issue is the character styling. Yes, this does seem to have a rather obvious political undercurrent. The character presets are essentially Everything-But-Caucasian. This is taking "inclusiveness" way, way too far. Gamers - or any media audience - tend not to appreciate being smacked with a sledgehammer of whatever political agenda. Subtle is more effective. Subtle gets a message across without bludgeoning people with it and therefore making them react negatively to it, which is what creates this backlash, which in turn triggers a counter-backlash of predictable and eroneous accusations of misogyny or racism or -phobia.

    Let's be very objective and factual about this. Video games have come from Occidental countries and cultures. That's who the culture "belongs" to. That's who created and maintained this whole industry. When you turn against these people - when you make the majority group into the enemy within their own culture, you OBVIOUSLY get a very serious backlash. It is dismissive, lazy and grossly inaccurate to describe this as misogyny or racism.

    It doesn't matter where you sit on the political spectrum - it's important to recognise that culture is culture - you can't displace and villify the majority group with heavy handed political correctness and not expect them to resist this encroachment on their territory. Again, there is a subtle and tasteful way to promote inclusiveness without making it THE PREVAILING THEME and guiding principle of a project. The end result is always ugly. It's Ghost Busters ugly. It does not work. It does nothing to promote that political agenda - it in fact damages the cause of that political agenda by instigating a strong counter-cultural backlash. So just stop it, please.

    But what else can we expect from a studio in Canada, I suppose?

    Anyway, with that political ugliness aside...

    The technical flaws in Mass Effect Andromeda have been thoroughly reported on. It is sadly true that the quality of the cutscene animations have really detracted from the story telling. It is near impossible to relate to characters like these. Combine this with dreadful dialogue... these characters don't seem to take their situations seriously, so why should we? I found myself skipping through so much of the dialogue because it consistently disappointed me, often making me feel really uncomfortable. I recall walking into an area of my ship and Liam is shirtless. The "flirtation" dialogue options are just thrust awkwardly into these interactions and often made me really uncomfortable. Not just with Liam. On another ocasion I felt homosexuality being thrust without invitation on my character. It's crude and uncomfortable.

    I read a lot of science fiction from amateurs, and ALL OF IT is better than this. So why were no decent writers brought onto the payroll? There is absolutely no shortage of them in the marketplace.

    Okay, that is a lot of negativity, but I felt it important to illustrate that I am very aware of the flaws in this game. I'd still rate it a 6 or 7 because i'm still playing it, despite those many flaws, and i'm still enjoying most of it. I acknowledge that we shouldn't have to adapt to the flaws in an AAA title game, but it's kind of worth doing. There is a lot of content to enjoy here. The open world concept was done well, in my opinion. I welcome a departure from linear progression. Some are complaing about the multitude of side quests, but how is that new? It's an RPG. Every RPG does this. They are OPTIONAL quests. Spend time doing them if you wish or ignore them if you feel they are pointless. I appreciate having that choice and at least half of the sidequests were introduced in a fairly natural way. You're a pathfinder, after all. You're heading out into the wilderness so it does make sense that settlers would ask you to scan X or collect Y, since few would be capable of venturing out into danger themselves.

    Overall this title definitely doesn't live up to expectations but that doesn't make it unworthy of your time or money. Bioware didn't completely fail ; it's enjoyable, but it's not Mass Effect quality. Bioware deserves a chance to redeem themselves. But only one chance!    … Expand
  89. QuinnTs
    Mar 27, 2017
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Vague Spoilers:

    Due to the slow start, the game doesn't quite make it to 9. It takes about 5 hours before the game gets exciting.

    The combat is nearly perfect and the amount of class customization is vast. One cool thing to note: You can switch classes at any point.

    Some of characters are a bit annoying (Liam, Peebee, Cora) but the rest are interesting and the loyalty missions are equal if not better than the ones in ME2.

    The Nomad controls very well and has several upgrades.

    Animation is a little weird at times and the games tends to lag when you drive the Nomad really fast on the planets.

    New races (Kett, Angara, Remnant) are interesting and original.

    The game is much longer than the last 3 games and there are many, many side quests to do.

    One cool thing to do in the game is increasing the livability of the planets so you can plant an outpost.

    I found when I stopped comparing this to the trilogy and judging the game as its own game, the game felt great!    … Expand
  90. nicoelcainri
    Mar 27, 2017
    8
    I don’t understand why MEA is so bashed by the majority of the professional testers and players. Of course, the game is not perfect (patches are necessary to correct the bugs and slowdowns), but it’s really a good game. It is worthwhile: To sum up, the spirit and universe of ME are respected. The storyline is interesting (little by little). The fights and side missions are fun. The HeleusI don’t understand why MEA is so bashed by the majority of the professional testers and players. Of course, the game is not perfect (patches are necessary to correct the bugs and slowdowns), but it’s really a good game. It is worthwhile: To sum up, the spirit and universe of ME are respected. The storyline is interesting (little by little). The fights and side missions are fun. The Heleus sector is huge. The lifespan is large. Etc.… Expand
  91. Diode
    Mar 27, 2017
    8
    The hatred for this game is more about jumping on the "hate train", and little to do with the games own merits. You will find that the majority of negative reviews focus mainly on 3 issues; the animations, bugs and lacklustre story.

    While this instalment of the series certainly does suffer from these issues, the game is still hardly deserving of such ridiculously low scores. Especially    The hatred for this game is more about jumping on the "hate train", and little to do with the games own merits. You will find that the majority of negative reviews focus mainly on 3 issues; the animations, bugs and lacklustre story.

    While this instalment of the series certainly does suffer from these issues, the game is still hardly deserving of such ridiculously low scores. Especially since this game has been improved upon in many other areas. The combat, game size, graphical fidelity, sound and weapon/armour modifications, have all improved.

    But none of that seems to matter because the "faces are weird"........ so it deserves a "1". Give me a break. There are so many games released with bugs and bad animations; this game is not the first, and certainly won't be the last. And I'm not saying that this should be an acceptable practice; only that ME;A is getting crucified for it when so many other games, of the same calibre or less, get a "pass" of a 5, 6 or even higher of a rating. This should tell you that these are nothing more than "hate train" reviews.

    Yes, this game is lacking in areas, but all games do, albeit some more than others. There are even design choices they've made in the game I had wished they'd done differently. However, overall, I find it fun and engrossing, despite it's flaws and short-comings.

    In my opinion, ME;A is far from a masterpiece, but also far from a terrible game.    … Expand
  92. rnlpakele
    Mar 27, 2017
    10
    As a virtuoso gamer it can be difficult to find a game that has it all.

    With that said, I found it. The entire Mass Effect storyline is gamer GOLD! I find myself invested in the colonies and their issues. Constantly traveling between the colonies to improve lives. Bioware, if you're listening, you did everything right with Mass Effect: Andromeda. Don't listen to the naysayers, I'm the    As a virtuoso gamer it can be difficult to find a game that has it all.

    With that said, I found it. The entire Mass Effect storyline is gamer GOLD! I find myself invested in the colonies and their issues. Constantly traveling between the colonies to improve lives. Bioware, if you're listening, you did everything right with Mass Effect: Andromeda. Don't listen to the naysayers, I'm the real gamer here and I'm blown away. I'm already hyped about the next installment I can't wait to see what happens to Elaaden, Kadara and Meridian. I won't give anything away, but I've spent HOURS handling bad guys in the beautiful environments created by the developers.    … Expand
  93. grizzyGR
    Mar 27, 2017
    8
    Mass Effect Andromeda is a great game. While there are many negative reviews keep in mind that the people who are hating Andromeda and are saying the original ME trilogy was amazing are the same people who did nothing but complain about Mass Effect 3 (view their old reviews of ME3 if you don't believe me) In today's day and age, there will always be haters.

    Andromeda reminds me a lot of    Mass Effect Andromeda is a great game. While there are many negative reviews keep in mind that the people who are hating Andromeda and are saying the original ME trilogy was amazing are the same people who did nothing but complain about Mass Effect 3 (view their old reviews of ME3 if you don't believe me) In today's day and age, there will always be haters.

    Andromeda reminds me a lot of the original Mass Effect. It is a solid game with great ideas and promise, but it comes up a little short on some fronts. The primary difference is that Mass Effect (1) introduced us to this whole new universe, and Andromeda is just a new galaxy within that universe.

    Yes, facial animations aren't great but they don't ruin the game. Game-play is incredibly fun and the new jump boost takes it to a whole new level. My biotic can now get up close and personal and quickly boost away to get back to cover before getting destroyed. Multiplayer is still great (some issues linking to single player on occasion, but not too bad). The story is decent so far, but nothing groundbreaking. However, the focus that YOU are the alien is a feeling I enjoy very much. Planetary exploring is also very fun and satisfying. Some missions can be monotonous, but there are enough options that you can change things up pretty easily.

    Overall, I give this game an 8. However, the level of enjoyment I receive while playing feels like a 10. Give this game an honest chance, and try not to dwell on the bad things you may have read. Having tunnel vision on one or two flaws can make you blind to the beauty around it.    … Expand
  94. Cale
    Mar 27, 2017
    8
    To hell with the hate and hype, welcome to an objective review.

    I haven't noticed the strange facial expressions outside the occasional NPC staring at me dead-eyed. I mostly take games as they are, no matter how strange, so it isn't even a nitpick for me. Graphics are fantastic, but aren't as good as I was expecting. I've seen games whose cutscenes make you wonder if they recorded    To hell with the hate and hype, welcome to an objective review.

    I haven't noticed the strange facial expressions outside the occasional NPC staring at me dead-eyed. I mostly take games as they are, no matter how strange, so it isn't even a nitpick for me.

    Graphics are fantastic, but aren't as good as I was expecting. I've seen games whose cutscenes make you wonder if they recorded it with a live cast, but ME:A's graphics are below that level.

    Definitely like the jumpjet mobility. Jumping into something's face, hovering during the aim and giving them a face full of buckshot (aka Shotgun Angel) is one of my favorite things, and something so far limited to Halo 5 and Destiny (that I've played).

    LOTS of weapon diversity. I always carry one Remnant tech weapon once I could get it, as they act like ME1 weapons. Heat management is a small price to pay for unlimited ammo.

    Didn't like the sudoku-like puzzles. At least they aren't randomized and you can just look up the solutions.

    Mining is still tedious, but now has an annoyance factor and is far more time-consuming compared to ME2/3. You're reminded by your AI that you can mine an area every time you open the mining interface in a place you can look for resources. You then wander around in that area looking for the resources through the interface. Sometimes you find the resources in nodes out in the open. I wish that it was more frequently like that.

    The auto-cover system while usually adequate was somewhat a nuisance. With no manual override, I found myself out of cover at the worst times, my character standing there like a jackass getting killed as I tried to trigger going back into cover without success. There is also no crouch or prone function, automatic or manual, which can greatly reduce high ground advantages.

    Having the 'do/get stuff' button being the same as the melee button means that if one enemy dropped something while you're swimming in enemies, you can't melee. Not cool.

    Cryo, disruptor and incendiary ammo are now consumables, meaning I rarely ever use them as there are far better uses to the harder to earn credits. I miss cryo ammo, OP as it was.

    Sometimes, voices will play at the same time, making it hard to understand what was said. More than once, it was important enough information to have me running in circles of confusion.

    When you need to use facilities aboard the Tempest, you have to take off and go to orbit. Nit-picky, but it bothered me.

    It would have been very helpful to have a way to access the map without hitting the menu. Another minor complaint to be sure, but a nagging one.

    Strangely, the music is typically subtle and light. It could have used a bit more impact to it from time to time..

    All said, it's worth buying. It is the Mass Effect universe, the story is awesome. It is every bit as good and bad as the original trilogy, and hopefully, people won't force this new tale to live in their dark, nostalgic shadow.    … Expand
  95. NSFDrevan
    Mar 26, 2017
    8
    I don't understand the hate this game is receiving. Yeah it has its problems and some stand out more than others. However, this game has so much to offer that its still easy to sink tons of hours into. It's not trying to be Mass Effect 4, if anything it feels like Mass Effect 1 because its a whole new story with all new characters.

    Animations are weird yes, but have they ever been    I don't understand the hate this game is receiving. Yeah it has its problems and some stand out more than others. However, this game has so much to offer that its still easy to sink tons of hours into. It's not trying to be Mass Effect 4, if anything it feels like Mass Effect 1 because its a whole new story with all new characters.

    Animations are weird yes, but have they ever been amazing in any Mass Effect game? Is the Voice acting Bad? No not at all. Is there writing bad? Nope, works fine. People are trying to hard to shoot this game down, but in all honesty, its a damn good time if you just go in with an open mind and realize its supposed to be a brand new experience.    … Expand
  96. Excesswand3738
    Mar 26, 2017
    9
    I do not understand all the hate that this game has received.
    I have played about 30 hours so far on the Xbox one and I have enjoyed a lot of the elements of the game. The combat elements of the game are better than ever, the exploration is exactly what I wanted in the original mass effect game and the characters are interesting and unique. I have not finished the main story yet however I    I do not understand all the hate that this game has received.
    I have played about 30 hours so far on the Xbox one and I have enjoyed a lot of the elements of the game. The combat elements of the game are better than ever, the exploration is exactly what I wanted in the original mass effect game and the characters are interesting and unique. I have not finished the main story yet however I have enjoyed it so far, the pace starts slow and has gotten progressively more intense and I feel that there is more at stake after each mission, including side quests. Perhaps others have had a different experience but for me I have encountered very few bugs, and the ones that I have seen have been very minor and frankly the kind of things that I have come to expect in a RPG open world game. The facial animations are bad in some spots but for the most part they don't bother me. I'm not sure how a fan of the mass effect trilogy would not like this game as everything about it feels like a mass effect game. Though mass effect 2 is still my favourite for story, Andromeda is probably my favorite mass effect game to play. Overall I quite enjoy the game so far and would recommend it to be people that thought the game looked good but didn't get it because of bad reviews.    … Expand
  97. Broyax
    Mar 26, 2017
    3
    Je suivais depuis quelques mois les infos de ce Mass Effect nouveau comme tout bon fanatique de la trilogie qui se respecte... et j'espérais surtout ne pas avoir à faire à un... Mass Effect Inquisition !

    Or, le début du jeu a été rassurant à cet égard : à la joie de la découverte s'est mêlé un entousiasme évident. La mise en place est excellente, la Citadelle -le Nexus pardon- est    Je suivais depuis quelques mois les infos de ce Mass Effect nouveau comme tout bon fanatique de la trilogie qui se respecte... et j'espérais surtout ne pas avoir à faire à un... Mass Effect Inquisition !

    Or, le début du jeu a été rassurant à cet égard : à la joie de la découverte s'est mêlé un entousiasme évident. La mise en place est excellente, la Citadelle -le Nexus pardon- est superbe et tandis que les tenants et aboutissants de cette nouvelle histoire nous sont progressivement dévoilés, pendant que l'on fait connaissance avec ses nouveaux amis, on se surprend à croire que la magie opère, comme au bon vieux temps...

    ça tient le coup jusqu'à la première planète, les premières escarmouches, la ballade en Mako -pardon, en Nomade. On apprécie les environnements magnifiques et s'il est une chose que Bioware sait toujours faire, c'est bel et bien sa patte artistique inimitable, faite de bon goût et de ravissement pour les yeux.

    Puis, bien sûr, on se rend compte lors des premiers combats que la partie tactique est passée à la trappe ; on le savait mais l'impossibilité de contrôler ses coéquipiers avec la pause active est dure à avaler.

    Si on peut sauter comme un Mariol, c'est parce que ce Mass Effect est devenu presque un jeu de plate-forme... ça fait partie de l'exploration évidemment, une exploration qui a pris trop d'importance, à la manière d'un Dragon Age Inquisition !

    Car à la seconde planète, puis la troisième (et ainsi de suite) on se rend compte que le même principe de DAI a été intégralement repris : de grandes zones à farmer jusqu'à dégueuler partout. On découvre avec horreur que le jeu entier -en dehors de sa quête principale quand même !- est une usine à Fedex et UPS.

    C'est un peu mieux emballé et présenté que dans DAI mais ça reste du gros farmage de livraisons et aucune quête dite "secondaire" n'y fait exception. L'écriture est pauvre et souvent pathétique, ce qui m'amène à l'histoire principale tout aussi pauvre et pathétique...

    J'ai mis le turbo pour terminer la quête principale en apnée (j'en pouvais plus...) et force est de constater que si le jeu procure un minimum de spectacle, il ne surprend que très rarement. Sans rien dévoiler, je vous dirai qu'on passe son temps à appuyer sur des interrupteurs entre deux séances de tir. Ouais, c'est pourrave.

    Idem pour les nouveaux compagnons dont aucun ne se détache réellement, à part la petite Peebee peut-être, la chipie un brin névro-sociopathe. La comparaison avec la trilogie fait très mal à cet égard : on a l'impression d'être entouré de jeunes cons, superficiels et sans épaisseur.

    D'autre part, les décisions et de ce fait les directions que l'on voudrait faire prendre à notre héros -ou héroïne- sont généralement toujours trop molles et enlisées dans le consensus mou du "vivre ensemble", car Ryder est excessivement diplomatique, quelles que soient les réponses choisies : impossible comme naguère de faire un personnage pragmatique et impitoyable -la mission avant tout, bordel ! on baigne dans beaucoup trop de discours moralisateurs écrits par une équipe entière de social justice warriors. C'en est presque niais.

    Par ailleurs, les humains ont tous des sales gueules. Impossible de se faire un beau perso avec l'éditeur -très limité- et même les tronches par défaut des héros ou héroïnes sont juste dégueulasses.
    A croire donc que tout ce qui concerne les persos a été réalisé par une équipe de stagiaires qui a étalé à la fois son incompétence et son mauvais goût partout.

    Mal écrit -on l'a déjà dit- le jeu reste pourtant très bavard, ce qui n'est pas vraiment une qualité, car les dialogues donnent souvent l'impression de sortir d'une sitcom ou au mieux d'une série télé de bas étage. On ne reconnaît pas les dialogues ciselés de la triologie Mass Effect ici et on ignore où ils sont passés...

    Voilà ce Mass effect Andromeda : un mod de Dragon Age Inquisition, une skin de Dragon Age Inquisition, un calque de Dragon Age Inquisition appliqué à l'arrache sur Mass Effect en arrondissant à peine les angles. Quelle déception ! quelle trahison de la part de Bioware !    … Expand
  98. sebassbruu
    Mar 26, 2017
    5
    Horrible experiencia de juego. Una lastima, por que el sistema de combate me habia interesado.
    Y la historia? apenas me llama la atencion
    (y mejor ni hablo de la cantidad de bugs y el horrendo trabajo de diseño y animaciones)
    En fin, otro juego mediocre hecho por una empresa triple A.
  99. Vitality4Gamers
    Mar 26, 2017
    4
    I have enjoyed aspects of the game and nowhere near the level I would of expected. Many areas are without proper polish and the formula doesn't seem to have improved. At one point I am looking at an image of the universe that is flat (obvious skybox), poor detail and ruins the atmosphere; this sums up the game..
  100. jimjim101
    Mar 26, 2017
    7
    If you're not giving it a rage-score and you're not giving it a fan-score, this Mass Effect sequel is a firm 7. It's a good game, but not a great game - and with very noticeable flaws. In its current state, you can expect to see inconsistent texture quality, pop-in, the map looking like garbage for half a second every time you go to it, rough level geometry, and bad camera positioning (inIf you're not giving it a rage-score and you're not giving it a fan-score, this Mass Effect sequel is a firm 7. It's a good game, but not a great game - and with very noticeable flaws. In its current state, you can expect to see inconsistent texture quality, pop-in, the map looking like garbage for half a second every time you go to it, rough level geometry, and bad camera positioning (in conversations). Some people see this as "rushed", but the fact is that the quality is there - the models and textures for example are better than any previous Mass Effect game - but there's a lack of polish which speaks to an overwhelming push for features.

    What about those features? It has the usual Mass Effect/Bioware explore/fight/quest loop that keeps you moving forward until you suddenly realise that eight hours have passed. That one-more-objective addictiveness is propelled by good-quality story and cutscenes, different for the Mass Effect universe (no Reapers here, it seems!) but with a lot of influences from other sci-fi sources. It's a new galaxy with new characters, and ME3's "galactic readiness" activities have segued into basic colony-building, a vastly less boring result. There's more involved crafting than before, but the only benefits relate to combat.

    The best summary of its shortcomings is that after the publisher/developer logos come up, the first thing you see (with a complete install) is... a loading screen, not even the game splash because that's what it's loading. The combat is in the normal vein for the series: completely serviceable but not really exciting or interesting, and it keeps throwing you into it. The RPG elements are the very traditional run-here-do-that-talk-to-npc loop that you've seen a million times. It's as if the Mass Effect team suddenly forgot everything they've learned about making games (tech aside) since Mass Effect 1; or, as if the guys who made the Star Trek reboot tie-in game in 2013 had been given a heap of money to try their hands at Mass Effect.

    We'll probably look back at this as a good one that was overshadowed by a bad launch and unfortunate timing in being released so close to the well-loved Breath of the Wild. For me, it's a notch below Mass Effect 2: I'll play it, I'll finish it, then I'll never go back.    … 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

All reviews »
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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