Mass Effect: Andromeda Review
For over a decade, it seemed BioWare could do no wrong. Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect trilogy - it was classic game one after the other. Five years after Mass Effect 3, BioWare is back with Mass Effect: Andromeda. Crucially, this time without Casey Hudson helming the project.
Based on EA's flagship Frostbite 3 engine, Mass Effect: Andromeda (MEA henceforth) looks, sounds and feels fantastic. The graphics aren't quite cutting edge as the latest Battlefield 1, using the latest iteration of Frostbite 3, but this is still one of the best looking games out there. Except those facial animations, of course... The combat feels great, the gunplay as solid as any dedicated shooter game. There's quite a lot of variety with combat too, with a diverse range of powers and effects. Little of it goes beyond standard sci-fi RPG fare though.
Beyond the technical achievements of Frostbite 3, MEA features some stunning world design. Mind you - there's nothing particularly innovative here, but it's all extremely well done. As you'd expect from a galaxy hopping sci-fi tale, there are planets of various kinds, and exploration can be genuinely engaging - if only there was other purpose to it.
MEA is set in a completely different galaxy - Andromeda. It's disappointing, then, that MEA brings very little new to the table following the original Mass Effect trilogy. It's all a retread of the same themes and plot. I suppose we knew that from the earlier previews, but it's a massive opportunity lost. This could have been a completely new galaxy with a completely new lore, style and storylines.
There are some great moments, to be sure, but overall the whole storytelling is safe and by the numbers. It's pretty much every other sci-fi tale. There's very little consequence to your actions, and there are no hard choices. It simply isn't as engaging as The Witcher or Fallout 4. So to the characters are pretty uninteresting, the villains are lame. Some of the enemy design - particularly the Remnants - are fun, but it's not enough to add any freshness to the whole affair.
In the end, Mass Effect: Andromeda is not a bad game. It's just very safe and uninnovative, and offensively so. Beyond the slick presentation, this is a game which is lacking in creativity. Do play it if you're a fan of Mass Effect, but don't expect it to evoke the sense of wonder the original trilogy did.
(Images courtesy of VG247.com)
I'm a big fan of the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, and I think you hit the nail on the head here--it's not a bad game, but it could've been better. The biggest disappointment for me was how little I cared about the characters. Their great characterization is what made me love Bioware in the first place, and unfortunately, the Andromeda gang just fell flat.
Yeah, the characters were pretty dull throughout. All just very formulaic and clichéd.
honestly, I've tried getting into Andromeda - but I just couldn't - even the games introduction mission was waaay to slow for my taste
That's not something I felt, the pacing seems just fine. There are plenty slower games, and that's not always a bad thing.
I've been following the whole final production/rendering controversy closely and its been super interesting to see how the "big box" pressures are affecting Triple-A game development as well. Thanks for the extensive review! Even though it's sad that this time around I won't be playing it...
They are definitely under pressure to deliver on a fixed schedule. It's clear that this game was rushed out the door to hit its release date target. Apart from the facial animations, the presentation is pretty great overall though. It's in other areas where it seems rushed.
Great post. Honestly I think these days there's no excuse for the big studios not to innovate or to at least pepper their stuff with at least a few fresh ideas.
It seems like the big game studios are falling into the same trap as large Hollywood studios. Playing it safe, pandering to the shareholders. There's no innovation or excitement. Instead, that seems to be coming from independent developers like CD Projekt Red.
Good review, I've played it for about 60 hours but haven't been able to get back into it lately to complete. It's nowhere near as bad as people were making out at release. I might try finishing it off next week.
Those people are a victim of sky high expectations and hype. It's definitely not a bad game.
I am not much of a gamer but this one looks awesome.
Sadly, that's the only thing awesome about it.
Great post. I heard a lot about it. To be fair a lot of Bioware's core team left. I've been a big support of Baldur's gate, and we can see that a lot of the core team went to create Pillars of Eternity.
Yes, there's new leadership, like I mentioned. Sure, some of the core team left, but as far as I'm aware, most of the team is still the same. Just the people managing and directing the projects are gone, the biggest loss of course being Casey Hudson. Going by the presentation, there's clearly a lot of talent there, they probably just aren't being pushed to demonstrate their creativity.
I do not really liked the Mass Effect series. I don't know it just creeps me out. BTW that is a good review, Liked it :)