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#Gaming

7/7/2017 7:23:46 AM
25

Let's talk about Mass Effect Andromeda

So before we begin I would like to say that I realize the difference between liking something and it being good. Also Mass Effect is one of my favorite game series, if not my favorite, I haven't spent as much time on any game as I have the Mass Effect games. I've played through the first two games over ten times each, played through the​ third three or four times, and I've just finished my third run-through of Andromeda. So with that out of the way. It's been almost four months since Mass Effect Andromeda has been released and boy what a release it was, it received pretty negative reviews from both the community and the reviewers. It wasn't nearly as loud as the Mass Effect 3 ending debacle (or maybe it was, to be fair I haven't been keeping up with game news in a long time) either way Mass Effect Andromeda has been blasted hard for having bad facial animations, plenty of glitches, poor writing, etc. It's probably the worst received Mass Effect game to date and that's saying something. Still with all that Mass Effect Andromeda is my favorite Mass Effect game. Now that doesn't mean it's the best Mass Effect game, that honor goes to the original ME with ME2 being a close second. I just enjoyed ME:A more than any of the others, it really brought back the magic and the wonder I experienced playing through the first Mass Effect game. After ME the next two games became much more cinematic and much more action packed. It became the clash of the unstoppable force of Commander Shepard vs. The unstoppable force of the Reapers. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing it just wasn't what attracted me to the game. Honestly I almost didn't get Mass Effect 2 because of that change and I love Mass Effect 2 but I just didn't get the same feeling as I did from Mass Effect that got me addicted to the game. [spoiler]Literally addicted too, there are times I have "Mass Effect Cravings" and I spend a weekend or two plowing through all the the games back to back[/spoiler] The eerie feeling of the unknown, the sensation of being a small person exploring a large universe while bonding with a diverse cast of characters...That's what made Mass Effect so entrancing to me. And while the next two games kept and expanded upon the cast of characters they simultaneously watered down the sense of exploration and the feeling of being small. Mass Effect Andromeda brought this feeling back to me and that no amount of glitches or poor facial animations could ruin for me. I love Mass Effect Andromeda and it makes me sad that we won't being seeing any meaningful expansions to it's story. I see a lot of potential in Mass Effect Andromeda, potential that if EA gave it the right amount of time and resources could make it one of the best games ever. Unfortunately the corporate side of Bioware and EA (As well as some fans) don't see that potential. Choosing instead to commit everything, at the expense of Mass Effect, to Anthem in what will probably be a futile attempt to kill Destiny. Hopefully over time people will see that Mass Effect Andromeda isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be. And hopefully EA and Bioware will come back and pick things up where they were left off. I hope all of that happens sooner rather than later too. Mass Effect Andromeda may not be the most polished game, but it is still a good game. It's a game that I recommend to any fan of the series as well as any fan of RPGs. This was a small rant about Mass Effect that I just needed to let out. I hope that it gave you some new perspective on the game or at the very least you found it entertaining.

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  • There is a difference between a game with technical problems....and a BAD GAME. Lets not kid ourselves. Mass Effect: Andromeda had a lot of problems during development, was rushed out the door before it was really ready...and its animations had a lot of bugs and the faces were poorly modeled. But that doesn't make it a bad game. The core game was actually one of the better open-world, TPS games I've ever played. The shooting and movement were crisp. The story and missions well-designed. Especially if you took the time to do the side missions and loyalty missions and didnt' just rush through the campaign. Bottom line? Expectations are powerful. The vast majority of ME fans wanted Mass Effect 4....and Bioware gave them a game that wasn't what they had had 5 years to hype themselves up into a frenzy about. Bioware basically snuck the game onto the market sight unseen (knowing that they had a lot of problems during development)...and because there wasn't any management of community expectatiions....they got crucified. over the animation problems.... ...as a Trojan Horse for the community being given a game that they weren't expecting. In the end, it wasn't fair to the game itself. It is a VERY good game, beset by minor technical problems. But these things often aren't fair...and fans often aren't reasonable when it comes to game series where there is this much emotion invested in. (Its why I believe we will NEVER see a Half-Life 3. No real game could ever live up to what player expectations are at this point). Imo, had ME: A been released as its own game and new IP....it would have likely been much better received. I think it would have been treated like Watch_dogs . A flawed game....but one with a lot of potential and solid core. But the problem is that is was given to the Mass Effect Community...and thrown to the wolves of 5 years of community self-hype with no means to defend itself. ...and the technical problem it had on release just made matters that much worse.

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