TaintedSquirrel
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2013
- Messages
- 12,707
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I replay through ME1/ME2 every couple years or so because the story/characters are that good. I skip ME3 because I really felt it was a downgrade in a number of ways, and it's mostly not needed as it's just the ending.
I'll never play through Andromeda again.
..............
What is so wrong with ME:A? On PC performance could be better, but I'm playing at 4k with everything maxed just a bit scaled down resolution (90%) and its running mostly at 60 fps.
I haven't encountered any bugs. Face animations could be better but it doesn't bother me that much.
I don't know how ME:A plays on PS4, but Horizon is a PS4 exclusive, so it's easier to optimize and test.
The bullshit character models and art style have me shocked that someone actually signed off on this game at Bioware. How the hell could anyone look at this and think it looks good???? The people look absolutely hideous!!! What the hell. I am so sad that I paid money for this bullshit.
Deadline-itis. It was huge here.
Being in a rush and deadline-itis was definitely a factor in some of the early negative reviews that did this game a disservice and at least some of the outlets are "walking back" and essentially admitting what a bunch of us know now: You can't rush something like this and it definitely gets better as you go further into things.
This game is huge. To try and rush something like this for some deadline was never going to work. This isn't a COD game that can you spam through in a few hours, take a couple of jaunts on MP, and then write up the easy cruise control review because we all know what we're going to get there.
Yeah it's crap but at least you can customize colors, that's new. But I think the default casual outfits were pretty bad in previous games as well. I had to look for mods for something appealing.I did mean the casual outfits of which there are only really 2 of them as i don't count rolling up sleeves as different... and in that line of thinking there is really only 1.5 casual outfit sleeves short sleeves or leather jacket w/scarf
I didn't know how many unique sets there are I'm stuck with the N7 armor.As for combat armors there is like 10 different sets...
I was secretly hoping that later in the game you'll be able to install guns on them. I'm only 20 hours and 28% into the game.But my main issue is still how useless the tempest and nomad are. NO GUNS ON EITHER ONE and the nomad drives like ass... seriously copy paste the mako in i would be happier or even that shitty hover tank from the 2nd one...
LOL! That sums up everything wrong with this game.
Stupid broken cartoon simulator.
Just finished volus I have all the upgrades in the menu for the nomad no gun... But shields and HP... I smell a cut feature. I hit level 30 and am pretty close to a peebee romance still only about 20% now I need mad milky way research... For those who found the game boring or just don't know the planet I mentioned is technically the 2nd or 3rd planet you do missions on for me it is 3rd.Yeah it's crap but at least you can customize colors, that's new. But I think the default casual outfits were pretty bad in previous games as well. I had to look for mods for something appealing.
I didn't know how many unique sets there are I'm stuck with the N7 armor.
I was secretly hoping that later in the game you'll be able to install guns on them. I'm only 20 hours and 28% into the game.
As I mentioned in the above post there is an upgrade for the nomad that changes its handling. It makes it more similar to the mako but for most that's a downgrade who want simple or easy.
Exactly It sums up everything that's wrong and disregards everything that's good about it.
I was just talking about drawing the wrong conclusions a few pages ago.
I did mean the casual outfits of which there are only really 2 of them as i don't count rolling up sleeves as different... and in that line of thinking there is really only 1.5 casual outfit sleeves short sleeves or leather jacket w/scarf
As for combat armors there is like 10 different sets...
But my main issue is still how useless the tempest and nomad are. NO GUNS ON EITHER ONE and the nomad drives like ass... seriously copy paste the mako in i would be happier or even that shitty hover tank from the 2nd one...
Right, I've seen similar glitches in Witcher 3, fallout 4, and Skyrim. Still enjoyed those games...(well kinda enjoyed skyrim).
The problem is...the list of things that are broken and wrong with this game is many pages long. This was a money grab that was pushed on fans too early. How did ANY of this pass quality control???
4+ years and $40 million and we get this? Seriously? How could anyone at Bioware look at this game in it's current state and say "yeah this is fine....voice acting is great...animations are perfect....lets put it out."
This game is a slap in the face to fans of the series. Even the basic quest system sucks....
You've got to be kidding... Go and replay Mass Effect 1. The Nomad handles WAY better. And how exactly is a car on different planets with different gravity supposed to handle. It's meant to get over simple obstacles in order to make driving to the destination not such a headache.
That's my biggest complaint. Everybody gives Skyrim and Fallout a pass. People still post the shitty glitches but everybody laughs it off because there is obviously much more there than the occasional glitch. Mass Effect is a HUGE game and like other huge games like Fallout and Skyrim there is bound to be glitches. To dismiss the game because of that and the subpar facial animations is to literally just jump on the fucking "hate on ME:A" train that everybody seems to love to bring up in every conversation since the day it launched. It's quite sad because if you seriously base whether you buy a game on those standard then you'll end up missing out on a bunch of great games.
The problem is...the list of things that are broken and wrong with this game is many pages long. This was a money grab that was pushed on fans too early. How did ANY of this pass quality control???
4+ years and $40 million and we get this? Seriously? How could anyone at Bioware look at this game in it's current state and say "yeah this is fine....voice acting is great...animations are perfect....lets put it out."
This game is a slap in the face to fans of the series. Even the basic quest system sucks....
I'm just here for the multiplayer, and no one else in this thread is talking about it .As an NMS fan reading this thread from the beginning, the holiday 2016 delay was a red flag...
It also seems to come down to the 'what reason do you play this?' - which is acceptable in some games but I'm growing a little tired of it when developers charge big bucks. Like NMS and exploration, if you're here for the story, this game is for you.
If you're here for the overall AAA experience, you may be disappointed.
TLDR: Those that shat on NMS and are playing this, my turn to laugh at you now. Both games have (had - continued NMS patches have mostly alleviated this now) inherently broken aspects which were not game destroying if you played it for the reason it was made.
That said, I would not expect them to address most of these issues. They'll probably do some to keep the whinging down but will just run with the $ as usual...
Another thing I'm growing tired of, the 'game ready' drivers many have harped on about - most of the time nowadays, they are not any more 'ready' or better than AMD drivers on launch.... can we just call them drivers and stop using nshillia marketing bullshit. Was it game ready for your founders edition graphics cards? >_>
Ouch.
Super disappointed to find a review like this. I know different people feel differently about certain things, but even though I haven't even watched any gameplay, I'm pretty sure I'd agree.
=(
I am also playing at 4k, but with no scaling. I may try some because while frames are not bad (45 to 60+), the cutscenes stutter badly and exiting menus stutters badly.
I'm glad you're not getting any bugs. I haven't been so lucky. The characters often do the 360 turn around when entering the conversation cutscene. Sometimes there are more than one of them (I was talking to Drake while his twin kept clipping through us both walking back & forth). Sometimes I start a conversation with a crew member in one room and magically finish it in their designated room (ie;PeeBee in the escape pod). Then when I go to leave, the door is closed... the door that is only closed when there is new story dialogue with that character. When I open it, I telephoto to the outside of it and the new cutscene starts.
The little marker in the menus that denotes something new, won't clear even after you've manually checked every. Single. Item.
If you are attacked out in the world while interacting with something such as a console, and a dialog results, your character will stand there immobilized despite the damage it is taking, and even go on talking after dying. If this happens you will load any earlier save, because the console will be cleared, but you will not get credit for whatever was accomplished.
Two of the Planets landing and taking off cutscene flicker wildly, going blank and/or changing to solid colors.
A few NPC's faces are a completely black because their textures did not load, eyes too.
The clothe on Jaal's armor often freaks out and turns into a flashing blur.
I don't hate this game, it was just pushed to market and is not on par with previous ME's imo. While most the bugs should get patched out of it, the unfocused storytelling, flat characters and stitch work mechanics that just needed more Dev time, will remain. I will still enjoy as much of it as I can, but as a fan of the series, it is difficult not to mourn what could have been.
Yeah it's crap but at least you can customize colors, that's new. But I think the default casual outfits were pretty bad in previous games as well. I had to look for mods for something appealing.
I didn't know how many unique sets there are I'm stuck with the N7 armor.
I was secretly hoping that later in the game you'll be able to install guns on them. I'm only 20 hours and 28% into the game.
As I mentioned in the above post there is an upgrade for the nomad that changes its handling. It makes it more similar to the mako but for most that's a downgrade who want simple or easy.
Just finished volus I have all the upgrades in the menu for the nomad no gun... But shields and HP... I smell a cut feature. I hit level 30 and am pretty close to a peebee romance still only about 20% now I need mad milky way research... For those who found the game boring or just don't know the planet I mentioned is technically the 2nd or 3rd planet you do missions on for me it is 3rd.
I am pretty sure much of the real substance of the game was left on the cutting room floor... You can get a 4th outfit if you have the deluxe version you get an extra armor and weapons set too
You've got to be kidding... Go and replay Mass Effect 1. The Nomad handles WAY better. And how exactly is a car on different planets with different gravity supposed to handle. It's meant to get over simple obstacles in order to make driving to the destination not such a headache.
That's my biggest complaint. Everybody gives Skyrim and Fallout a pass. People still post the shitty glitches but everybody laughs it off because there is obviously much more there than the occasional glitch. Mass Effect is a HUGE game and like other huge games like Fallout and Skyrim there is bound to be glitches. To dismiss the game because of that and the subpar facial animations is to literally just jump on the fucking "hate on ME:A" train that everybody seems to love to bring up in every conversation since the day it launched. It's quite sad because if you seriously base whether you buy a game on those standard then you'll end up missing out on a bunch of great games.
The problem is...the list of things that are broken and wrong with this game is many pages long. This was a money grab that was pushed on fans too early. How did ANY of this pass quality control???
4+ years and $40 million and we get this? Seriously? How could anyone at Bioware look at this game in it's current state and say "yeah this is fine....voice acting is great...animations are perfect....lets put it out."
This game is a slap in the face to fans of the series. Even the basic quest system sucks....
Just out of curiosity how much have you played of the game? The animations could use work but to me doesn't distract from what is being said (which is what matters for the story) and the voice acting is actually pretty good. Are you basing this off your experience or what you have read/seen? As a fan of ME 1-3 I am absolutely loving Andromeda so to me it's not a slap in the face, but like Dan mentioned before I can understand if it's too much of a departure away from the formula of the first three for people to embrace it.
I predict that a lot of the fans disappointed with the game now and even those who flat-out refuse to play it, a couple years from now when it goes on sale for $5 will play it and be like "Man, this isn't as bad as everyone said it was."
Every so often someone's tried to drop the "this was better in 07" canard in here and it's just absolute bullshit.
Right on!
I'm glad I'm not the only one that's noticed and gotten a good chuckle out of double standards like these.
I love Bugthesda games, too, but let's get real here. They come out with 2 games per decade on average, if we're lucky, and as of Fallout 4 they're still using the same Stone Age engine that should have been retired a decade ago and I don't care how many new tricks they bleed out of the dead rock and how many new names they give it...it's still the same shitty Gamebryo engine at the end of the day.
You want bad tech? You want crazy bad animations and so on? Fire up Skyrim and Fallout 4. Far less ambitious titles in every sense of the word with more egregious issues.
Imagine the very same Skyrim and very same Fallout 4 with a Bioware logo or especially an EA logo on them and what that would look like.
I get legit criticism about EA and their Evil Empire ways at times. I get that.
I get that Bioware has made a number of disappointing decisions whether it was DA 2 for $60 or the original ending of ME3 that I guess was a life ending cataclysm for some people... get over it. At least they fixed some of that and did it for free. Sure, it took a shitstorm on the Internet but it got the job done. It's over. Let it go!
I've got 40 hours into the game so far and only about 25 percent or so completion and I just have to disagree with you so far as the totality of the game itself goes.
I do think it needed more QC/QA. I won't disagree with that. I do wonder if it was rushed to a deadline.
Someone said earlier being pushed back from Holiday 2016 was a red flag.
I saw it as good news myself because I absolutely didn't want them to rush this. ME games typically tended to come out around this time of year anyways.
They should have pushed it back another fiscal quarter at least to put it over the top. Something this big and ambitious with this many moving parts on a cutting edge engine should not be rushed.
I'm just here for the multiplayer, and no one else in this thread is talking about it .
That is the way I did it, too, and it seems like it's working out well. The biggest hurdle to Silver and higher now is still incompetent team mates...I'll say I'm enjoying it, using the ME3 box unlock patterns "The best strategy was to buy the basic packs until you max your common / uncommon weapons, and then move up a box until your rares were maxes, and so on." No idea if that still is the best way to do it, but that's my plan for now...
The only thing I don't like is that my weapons feel so weak right now- on silver I can put a whole clip into an enemy, which takes too long when you are running and gunning...
BioWare has the usual issues they always do but they got more right than wrong in my opinion.
My one high level team is still failing Silver for some reason, even though it usually has a 78-92% chance of succeeding based on trait synergies, while the team I just recruited completed a silver its first time out at level 1 with an 18% chance of success and gained the Heroic trait because of it. It's getting really frustrating at this point. I don't know if I should be investing mission points into strike team upgrades or saving them for equipment purchases...Heh- the phone app just notified me that both of my Apex teams just completed gold missions. It's officially sad, my two teams are better than I am.
We already been trough this. The nomad handles more easily, therefore it's more accessible for the masses who are no experts in vehicle dynamics. But for me the getting from a to b in the vehicle is not a chore I want to have fun doing it. And I enjoyed driving the mako way more than the nomad. The nomad completely defies physics at every turn it drives over or trough everything like it's nothing, but it won't drive up on a slope that it would be realistic for it to drive up on. It has a dumbed down fake physics that acts based on a few basic variables The upgrade makes it behave more like the mako, but without the extreme grip problem that had. The supposed all wheel drive mode with the nomad is a blasphemy for all that like driving games and who know anything about the subject. It does nothing but lifts the arbitrarily enforced limit on how steep a hill you can get on, while reducing the top speed to half of original, while changing nothing in handling and behaviour of the vehicle. That's not how all wheel drive works.You've got to be kidding... Go and replay Mass Effect 1. The Nomad handles WAY better. And how exactly is a car on different planets with different gravity supposed to handle. It's meant to get over simple obstacles in order to make driving to the destination not such a headache.
I wouldn't call the reviewers professional who only bash the game.I wouldn't hinge my opinion on any one review. It seems to me that most people who aren't professional reviewers seem to enjoy the game so far.
There was never an outfit that I could say "Damn that looks good" Not even the bonus outfit from Kasumi looked particularly good.I'll agree that there isn't much to choose from on the casual outfit front. In fairness, ME2 probably gave you the most default options for this. I wouldn't say all of them were bad in previous games but this was never a strong point for Shepard's wardrobe.
You can still mix n match armor, you can have different chest and arms, legs and helmet.There are a lot of armors in this game compared to earlier games. Only ME3 comes close to having this many. What does suck is that we lost some customization capability from ME3 to Andromeda. In ME3 we could select and change the chest, belt, legs, arms, helmet and shoulders on some armors. We could even change the color of the lighting on them. We can't do the shoulders here or change the lights though we have far more control over the armor color scheme than we've ever had. With regard to the number of armors, I don't think its the number that's lacking but how these armor sets are presented. Armor like the Pathfinder and Initiative armor comes in three distinct variants based on level. If you didn't specifically look for that in the crafting menu or equip it in the field when prompted then you'd never catch that. The level I, II, and V versions are very different. Basically they add more pouches, armor plates, lights and an antenna to the helmet. This changes the look of the armor dramatically despite having the same name. The Spearpoint Armor, Pathfinder, Kett, Remnant Heritage Armor, and Angaran sets all do this too.
You can't disagree with subjective preference. I understand that you like it more. I hate it. I could easily predict the Mako, and make it do what I wanted after driving it for 2 seconds. It behaved like I expect a vehicle to behave that adheres to the laws of basic physics. It behaves weirdly because they gave it huge amounts of grip, but I can make it sing if I want to.I disagree. I think it handles better than the Mako and I've got a lot of time in ME1. Not as much as I have in subsequent games, but 5 full completionist play throughs isn't nothing. The Nomad is in most respects better once upgraded fully. As for the guns issue, you have to keep in mind that the Andromeda Initiative is a civilian and not a military venture. The weapons descriptions are very specific that some of the military weapons were obtained illegally, or their blue prints were. The Ark ships, the Nomad and the Tempest being unarmed is somewhat expected. Now, had these been built in Texas, they'd have had guns on them. I think this also came down to the developer not wanting to put enemies on the ground you have to shoot with the Nomad that are hard to handle on foot and not provide you easy targets for the nomad that you could take on foot. That's just a guess on my part.
I think they intended, why else would they put health and shields on it? It has no purpose outside of combat.Hardly. It seems pretty clear to me that they never intended for Nomad based combat to be in the game. I also think there is more substance here than people give it credit for.
I wouldn't call the reviewers professional who only bash the game.
They're in it for the clicks / views. Get it out soon, ride the hype train. They're not about being honest or comprehensive.
There was never an outfit that I could say "Damn that looks good" Not even the bonus outfit from Kasumi looked particularly good.
You can still mix n match armor, you can have different chest and arms, legs and helmet.
You can't disagree with subjective preference.
understand that you like it more. I hate it. I could easily predict the Mako, and make it do what I wanted after driving it for 2 seconds.
It behaved like I expect a vehicle to behave that adheres to the laws of basic physics. It behaves weirdly because they gave it huge amounts of grip, but I can make it sing if I want to.
I can't predict what will it do. I mean it can go trough a gap half the width of the damn vehicle.
And it can go trough huge obstacles without as much as feeling a bump. It's completely nuts. And I already explained in my previous post the fake all wheel drive mode.
As for weapons, they even mention it in one of the craftable weapon's description that it could be adopted for larger scale applications. Which to me means on a ship or a vehicle, what else would "larger scale application" means?
Sure the initiative came in peace, but they found an enemy. They could and should outfit their ships and vehicles with weapons. If they have the capacity to manufacture any handgun why couldn't they make a large gun?They built the damn nexus for crying out.
I think they intended, why else would they put health and shields on it? It has no purpose outside of combat.
Actually there is vehicle combat, you can hit enemies with it, but due to the lack of physics most of the time it just drives over them without hurting them. In ME1 if you hit someone with the mako they were dead.
Dan_D there is a choice early in the game you can choose science or military but it sets the note for the way you colonize. Also starting with no guns or very light guns with upgrades later to heavy arms makes sense considering it would be adaptation to the hostile encounters. We come in peace hostile alien race is encountered we retrofit weapons to defend ourselves from the geth assimilators. Yes different Galaxy similar main enemy except the letter are not machine zombies... More like the Borg or species 8472...
Also the deep space explorers is the pre order set not deluxe you can also get a special helmet if you do the initiative orientation. The deluxe version adds a weapon set and the scavenger armor and a hoodie for casual
That's exactly what I mean. Anyone who didn't take the time to finish it before publishing their review I refuse to call a professional.The professional reviewers gave mixed opinions on the game. I don't think any of them took the time to fully complete it. In any case most are saying something like 6/10 or 7/10. It would easily be a point higher if the facial animations didn't cause such an uproar. I didn't include the amateur hour crowd of Youtubers but most of them just boarded the hate train and didn't stop. It is about quick hits and getting views. All the non-reviewers I know who are playing the game enjoy it. A friend of mine who didn't get into the original series at all likes Andromeda. I don't quite know what to make of that but it's interesting to note.
5 poor outfits or 2 poor outfits it's the same to me, the character still ends up wearing an eyesore.Fair enough. We still had far more choice in this area in previous games. I think we had better choices too even if they weren't perfect. In Andromeda I use the jacket outfit. It works well enough but the female version has a stupid scarf on it for some reason. Thankfully, Scott doesn't have that. A female Ryder is therefore worse off in this regard.
You were saying that you liked that you could switch out pieces on the armor in ME3, that's why I said you can do it here as well. Maybe not as many pieces but still.I never said you couldn't. I was just talking about the total number of armor sets in the game.
No, you don't get it, there is no wrong opinion, just different opinions or preferences. I prefer realistic driving, you and many others prefer easy getting around. And I already said that's fine. But calling my preference wrong feels insulting to me.Sure I can. My subjective opinion says your subjective opinion is wrong. That's meaningless as both opinions are subjective.
My inability to predict it's behavior comes directly from the fact that it doesn't adhere to common physics. Sure I can predict it now that I learned what to expect, but I shouldn't need to learn how to drive each time I drive a different car. And I've driven plenty and it never was a problem to predict what will they do when I turn the wheel.Your inability to predict how the Nomad will behave doesn't mean there is a problem with how it's configured. The issue may be with you. I don't have this problem.
What the mako does defies conventional vehicles. What the nomad does defies the fabric of space time itself.You can't say the Nomad defies physics and the Mako doesn't. They both perform in ways that a convention vehicle made today simply cannot.
Yes the nomad has too much grip as well, unless you buy the upgrade to downgrade the grip :-D But i don't know what iron duke means.The Nomad does have excessive amounts of grip as does the Mako. The Nomad has more but at least it doesnt' feel as though it's powered by GM's Iron Duke engine.
It seems as if there is no collosion detection just some sort of repelling force from objects that bounces you off them, but if you drive between two of them they cancel each other out allowing you to slip trough. I once went into an underground cave which was clearly only meant for on foot exploration, but the nomad just slipped in like a baby slips out.I'll agree with you here. There are collision detection issues with the Nomad. Normally I find it works the other way around where it hits things it hasn't actually hit. Like it's collision mesh is far larger than the vehicle appears to be.
You misread. I said you can drive over or trough any object without as much as feeling a bump, not driving over bumps. And the hydropneumatic suspension was introduced by citroen in the early fifties if that's what you're referring to. Even if I didn't know about the existence of active suspensions, how does that prove that everything else I know is false?This is where I call your "expertise" in vehicle physics into question. We have the technology to not feel bumps TODAY. We've had it for some time.
I'm 20 hours in, completed EOS and Volus over 100% (It's stupid that the game doesn't count over 100%, as I hit 100% viability long before I stopped accumulating viability points) And I can remember only one instance where they questioned taking weapons, that was before you even met the kett on the first mission. Since then I've taken part in numerous joint military ventures with the Angarans.How far are you in the game? There are several instances where they reference the Initiative as not being invaders. NPC's actually question this given the armor and small arms Ryder and his squad carry.
And if you'd daily drive trough war zones with a formidable army of boneheaded aliens out to get you, then you'd have strapped those badboys on your truck with duct tape after the first tangle with them. It makes zero sense after discovering the hostility of the area they arrived in to not arm themselves. It makes some sense to not arrive guns blazing. But I'm for the better safe than sorry approach. So I'd have arrived kitted out if it was up to me. Just because you have weapons doesn't mean you must use them. Or even intimidate others with them.Similarly, I could strap a couple of Barrett M107's to my truck and drive around with them. While I have the technical ability to do this it isn't necessarily wise. That's not quite the same thing but the point is that there is a difference between something being technically possible and it being a good idea.
No neither is realistic. But I could make sense of the Mako. I cannot make sense what physics the nomad adheres to.I will agree that the Nomad should be better at driving over people and killing them. It is lacking in that area. After thinking about all the above posts and our many comments on this topic I'll say that neither is "realistic." The Mako may be slightly realistic in some respects, but not so much in others.
Those could've been low gravity worlds. Also since you're so fond of citing the lore in Andromeda it's my turn to cite the lore in ME1. It said the Mako has a small mass effect core as well which could allow it to fall slowly, and climb steep mountains easily.The Nomad is different and not always in a good way. I think the difference is minor and it comes down to preference. The Mako drove over shit that it shouldn't have been able to climb given how weak the engine was. It fell too slowly when you drove off a mountain. The wheels would over travel through the body. It did pitch and yaw more properly. That I'll give you. So I can see where you are coming from in part but at the same time I can't agree that the Mako was "better".
TB's is the best review so far and is a good source for people who are on the fence about the game. He covers both the good and bad aspects so hopefully those who are undecided get a better idea of what to expect and those who pre-judged the game can perhaps raise their expectations, too.I thought the WTF from Totalbiscuit was pretty thorough and gave me a much better idea of what to expect when I eventually do pick up ME:A. I think he came at it from a well measured, neutral perspective avoiding most of the general bias and hyperbole a lot of other reviewers and series fans are displaying.
It's two hours long so grab some popcorn: