Mass Effect: Andromeda

[Cyan]

While I still don't agree with the criticism of the ending in ME3 (the patch only added explanations and didn't change the fundamental ideas, which I've liked) I still think that the second game is the best overall.
ME3 added a few really good things in the inventory and weapon modding, but the main story was driven by closure, whereas ME2 was more about expanding the game's universe. And the entire thing just came together so well.

In the second game I didn't want the main story to end. I was loving it so much. Had I to choose a favourite ME game, it's a difficult choice, and probably a draw. I'd choose ME1 because of the Reapers, the first conversation with them was so majestic.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

instant chilling effects and how do you say it.. chicken skin?

Goosebumps is the word you were looking for.

 

[legendCNCD]

In the second game I didn't want the main story to end. I was loving it so much. Had I to choose a favourite ME game, it's a difficult choice, and probably a draw. I'd choose ME1 because of the Reapers, the first conversation with them was so majestic.

For me its ME1. Why? Its the overall mood, lighting is much smoother and somehow dark without going to the bland extreme of ME2 blackness, there is not so much of a hurry yet, going out to unexplored planets by DRIVING, and then the locations are much bigger. Also did I mention the lighting? Normandy SR-1 vs. SR-2 revisions, they're too lit! Maybe third one is a bit less so but still.

I think I'm gonna play the ninth time through before Andromeda comes out.

 

[Rodéric]

ME1 for story telling, ME2 for gameplay.


(Reminds me that nightmare of inventory in ME1, a real shame.)
(ME2 story was just crap, especially if you took the "sole survivor" background in ME1, it made NO sense whatsoever to work with Cerberus. At least the secondary characters were interesting and their special missions rather good.)

 

[Deleted member 13524]

ME1 for story telling, ME2 for gameplay.

Mass Effect 3 for ending.


I'm kidding, I'm kidding!

 

[Sigfried1977]

I thought ME3 played significantly better than part2. They're both shooters, but handling-wise, ME3 was a much, much tighter affair. It was also far more varied in its combat scenarios, and a lot more challenging thanks to its aggressive A.I. I also didn't like how ME2 was structured. It was basically just a bunch of unrelated mini storylines with no ties to the bigger picture (and through no fault of its own, the ME2 story got further devalued because ME3 barely acknowledged that game's existence). I thought ME3 was a kick-ass game. Arguably didn't really come to the most satisfying conclusion (I blame Bioware's love for cataclysmic events), but it also wasn't any worse than the fight against that Iron Maiden cover art in ME2.

 

[AlNom]

ME1: Story & exploration
ME2: side quests & suicide mission
ME3: gameplay mechanics and seeing what happens to various characters since the first game.

 

[AlNom]

I also didn't like how ME2 was structured. It was basically just a bunch of unrelated mini storylines with no ties to the bigger picture

The entire game was essentially the setup for the suicide mission, which I thought was well done in its own right (aside from terminator baby). That was just my lasting impression, plus the Tali & Legion missions were nice.

Certainly, it's disappointing how disjointed the story development was behind the scenes at Bioware over the course of the trilogy. It just became a mess since they didn't really plan it all out that well, and the story writers changed hands etc.

At best, we have the familiarity of characters over the three games, which ultimately is why I didn't really care that much about how ME3 ended, although they should have delayed to get it all sorted out (Harbinger, the weird Reaper explanation etc).

It was all about what happened with the crew & the people we met. Citadel might as well have been the ending for me.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

N7 day video from last week. Not too much there, but a nice video anyway.

 

[AlNom]

Wonder how the "mass effect" will actually come into play in the new galaxy. Even if they figured out how to build mass relays, they'd still need to travel around to place them, and they can only go so fast using FTL anyway.


....unless there are mysterious space catapults in Andromeda as well.

 

[DJ12]

Just finished the trilogy. Needs serious work as a franchise if you ask me. Better to ditch it entirely and get bioware back on star wars duty.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

IMO, after the clusterfuck that was Dragon Age: Inquisition in terms of story and writing, I'd rather have Bioware away from anything Star Wars or any other valuable franchises.
At least not while David Gaider gets to blatantly use Bioware's games to feed his social justice activism.

 

[Prophecy2k]

Dragon Age: Inquisition's story and writing was indeed horrendous. Doesn't gove me mch faith in Bioware asa dev that they'll be able to get back to the magic they had in ME1.

Hopefully though, all the writers on ME:A have played the Witcher 3, and being inspired by its story telling and narrative they're able to put something good together now that the bar has been raised much higher.

 

[Sigfried1977]

DA:I was a pretty awful game across the board. Wondering whether it was supposed to be an MMORPG at some point. The insane amount of mindless busywork coupled with countless abstract bar graphs you could fill certainly made it seem that way. Most pointless open worlds ever found in a game, too.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

I actually liked Inquisition and all it's aspect. I think the main story line was maybe better than Witcher 3's. Witcher has better storytelling overall, but the main quest wasn't really that special. To be honest I don't really understand many of the criticism DA:I gets. Many of the points I see mentioned by Sigfried were avoidable if the player so chose. Reminds me to get the Trespasser DLC.

Andromeda is looking very interesting to me, can't wait to hear more about it.

 

[Sigfried1977]

How was traipsing around those pointless open worlds avoidable. It was necessary to unlock further stops in the main quest. And if all I really did was accumulate the bare minimum of power points needed to unlock my next objective, I've essentially ignored 75% of the game. That's hardly praise-worthy. DA regressed from a game of massive, highly variable and beautifully interlocking main quests peppered with neatly slotted-in and carefully curated side stories to a game where you pick up a quest, follow the marker, press X, return to the quest giver, press x again to get xp, and then repeat the whole ordeal countless times. No choices involved, no strategies needed, nothing. The whole abomination seems like it came from a team Ubisoft of all publishers had to kick out for being too uninspired and formulaic.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

I thought you were talking about harvesting of minerals etc. that seems to be an issue many have with the game. Imo the worlds were well made and the objectives in them were decent enough. They did progress the main story and I personally enjoyed upgrading the character, closing the rifts and hunting down all the dragons and what not. The main quest and the characters weren't exceptional, but easily good enough imo.

 

[Prophecy2k]

I thought you were talking about harvesting of minerals etc. that seems to be an issue many have with the game. Imo the worlds were well made and the objectives in them were decent enough. They did progress the main story and I personally enjoyed upgrading the character, closing the rifts and hunting down all the dragons and what not. The main quest and the characters weren't exceptional, but easily good enough imo.

I found the entire game to be essentially a re-skinned Mass Effect 2. It was as if they just took the exact same formulaic template and pasted fantasy tropes and worthless romance options over the whole thing. The side quests added next to nothing to the overall story, equally the overarching main plot didn't do much to pull you into the world, history and lore the way Origins did. It was essentially much too character focussed, i.e. bashing you over the head with the same YOU ARE THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE, MESSAIAH, FANTASY JESUS, in exactly the same way that Mass Effect was. It got to the point by the end of the game that it just became comical and silly.

The major gameplay mechanics were dull, as were the shallow gameplay systems layered on top.

Don't get me wrong, it was a very polished game, with some nice graphics and some memorable moments. But overall I felt the game was nowhere near deserving of all the 90+ ratings it got. I would have given it a 75 rating at best.

I know opinions and all that, but I can't understand how anyone can say that DA:I compares favourably to the Witcher 3 with a straight face. Playing the Witcher 3 was like playing a top tier WRPG IMHO. Whilst playing through DA:I was like playing "babies first WRPG" for me, it was too simple, too dull and severly lacking in meaningful sidecontent.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Not to mention the obligatory Free-to-play-esque waiting times before your agents did something to unlock new maps or quests.
What the hell made them think that would be a good idea?


Inquisition was probably the first ever RPG I stopped playing halfway out of cheer boredom and frustration for both the story and the gameplay.
I genuinely tried to play the game hoping for the fun and immersion to kick in, but the constant shoehorning of LGBTQ issues in my medieval fantasy game was really the last straw.

YOU ARE THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE, MESSAIAH, FANTASY JESUS

"Fantasy Jesus" should totally be a thing for criticizing single-player RPGs.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

I know opinions and all that, but I can't understand how anyone can say that DA:I compares favourably to the Witcher 3 with a straight face. Playing the Witcher 3 was like playing a top tier WRPG IMHO. Whilst playing through DA:I was like playing "babies first WRPG" for me, it was too simple, too dull and severly lacking in meaningful sidecontent.

I only compared them with regards to the quality of the main plot, which I didn't found to be anything special in Witcher 3 and even mentioned that on overall the storytelling was better in Witcher.

BTW. I loved Mass Effect 2, so re-skinning it works just fine for me. I think basically I disagree with every point of your criticism, even the Messaih part get's downplayed heavily once the memories of the events come back. I actually didn't have any problem with it in the first place and tried to convince everyone that I am the chosen one for realz.

No problem whatsoever with the gameplay mechanics. Only slight problem I had was with collecting stuff The animations made that last too long... and well ok the tactical camera didn't work very well...

I'd give it 90 no problem. Witcher 3 maybe 94.