Mass Effect: Andromeda

[M76]

You are speaking to someone that forms his opinions almost entirely in a vacuum when it comes to what I like personally. There is basically no bleed over from the views of others for status purposes.

OK, but that's completely irrelevant. I wasn't suggesting that you base your view of DA2 on other people's opinion. What I was suspecting is that you are one of those people that loved DAO, and was disappointed by DA2 for whatever reason. And I was 100% correct in that assumption as I see.

If the ENTIRE UNIVERSE of humanity hated and despised nexus the jupiter incident, my view would be they all have TERRIBLE taste when it came to that, because my PRIME reference frame of what is the best is my own.

Ah I see the problem now. If someone likes different things than you then you think they have terrible taste. No, the fact of the matter is that they have different taste. Your taste is not above anyone else's.

All that is to qualify my views that I had a deep seeded HATRED of DA2. The combat vastly diminished the power of mages, which was unforgivable. In the original dragon age, mages were GODS, as it should be. Some people complained that rogues and warriors did not feel as powerful and as capable of effecting the world with combinations of effects like mages (things like grease and setting it on fire). My attitude was GOOD. Melee classes need to learn their effing place! All the gamers of the world whose fantasy is to walk around and swing a god damn metal stick and pretend they are some great power FINALLY got put in their place. They were FINALLY set against characters who had the power of creation springing from their fingertips, demigods, and the comparison was of the same order of console players vs pc gamers in the cross platform shooter that was scuttled because the truth came out, that the pc was superior.

So you're basically mad because the game doesn't cater to your playing style? I don't know if you're joking or trolling. But if you mean this completely seriously, then you have some make believe mage god complex.

bg2 was a sprawling epic, kotor I/II a sprawling epic, dragon age a sprawling epic, da2 ???? a boring siloed black hole of nothingness. When the grey wardens were saved near the end of that game I BEGGED them to take me with them by yelling at my screen, I wanted to go on a REAL adventure.

I never played BG2, KotorI,II and DAO were boring. In fact DA:O is probably the most boring elongated game I've ever played. Everything just takes ages in it. DA2 was finally fast paced, and well balanced. I always felt that melee classes in DAO were terribly underpowered. They were only fodder, while the mages did the real fighting. When mages supposed to be fragile and helpless and only there to boost the morale of real warriors. Yes I'm taking the piss out of you now, because you deserve it.

 

[Dan_D]

And there was no way to change the order of main quests in ME3. Although the actual gameplay and map design was the most linear in ME2. It felt very funneled and artificial. ME1 was the most open. Take Virmire for example. You could enter a building via the ground floor or use walk paths. Some buildings which had some mission specific triggers could also be entered from a different direction. I hope ME4 goes back to the slightly more open map design that ME1 had, while maybe opening it up a bit more. But I don't want it to be open world, although I think that is more or less confirmed at this point.

Well, ME:A could have an ME1 type design with it being semi-open world. As long as the mission objectives are clear as they were in ME1. If it plays more like Skyrim or even Dragon Age Inquisition I'm not going to like it.

 

[CrimsonKnight13]

Do you like The Witcher 3 style of questing & exploration? I feel that ME:A would be great that way... but I love exploring a ton. My main complaint with the ME series that there wasn't enough exploration. Whenever I beat any of the MEs, I felt sad that there wasn't enough content.

 

[Flogger23m]

Do you like The Witcher 3 style of questing & exploration? I feel that ME:A would be great that way... but I love exploring a ton. My main complaint with the ME series that there wasn't enough exploration. Whenever I beat any of the MEs, I felt sad that there wasn't enough content.

I think it should stay true to its roots, that being an action shooter RPG hybrid. The RPG aspects really came from the story. dialogue and character elements rather than running around collecting loot. Would I like better planet exploration (like the first game) with better side missions or random events? Yes. But I don't want the main quests to be fetch quests, a pain in the ass to locate, ambiguous and whatnot. I haven't played the Witcher 3 but what I don't want is an open world. I'd like well crafted hub areas with dedicated semi-open main mission maps, like Deus Ex HR and the previous ME games.

 

[Litfod]

I did like the equipment system in ME1 which they then "streamlined" in the sequels. Having more options for customisation is one RPG element I think they should bring back.

 

[pothb]

I liked both but both had flaws... ME just had the problem of over burdening you with crap. The hording type of loot/upgrade system. ME2 had a very limited system and changed some loot into abilities.

 

[Nimisys]

With the exception of ammo types being class abilities, I think ME3 mostly got the loot, gear and customization right. More streamlined than ME1, far more flexible than ME2. I still liked the heat mechanic, but I know most people preferred simple ammo instead

 

[Flogger23m]

I did like the equipment system in ME1 which they then "streamlined" in the sequels. Having more options for customisation is one RPG element I think they should bring back.

ME3 hit the proper balance. A lot of different weapons with a different feel and a decent number of mods. ME1 was just lazy design. You had the exact same thing with different colors (if that?) with 5-6 different versions with slight stat boosts. And they all essentially functioned the same. One of the areas ME1 certainly has not aged well in.

 

[DWolvin]

Seconded- ME1 was a trash sorting nightmare. I don't want to look at 15 different pistols to see if one has a 2% better stat. ME3 got that right. That said, I loved the collection of useless stuff like the ship modes and fish...

 

[Damar]

That said, I loved the collection of useless stuff like the ship modes and fish...

Screw those, Space Hamster for the win!!!

Seriously though, little things like that are fun additions, and I hope they keep it up going forward.

 

[Mad Maxx]

I think having an open world exploration kind of game was incompatible with the ME1-3 story line. Can't spend time to seek out new life and new civilizations when the galaxy killing Reapers are on the march. ME:A strikes me as the opportunity to do the open world thing.

 

[Dan_D]

Do you like The Witcher 3 style of questing & exploration? I feel that ME:A would be great that way... but I love exploring a ton. My main complaint with the ME series that there wasn't enough exploration. Whenever I beat any of the MEs, I felt sad that there wasn't enough content.

I've only ever made it two hours into the second Witcher game and one into the first. That's all I could manage before I got bored enough to go and organize my sock drawer for some excitement.

 

[tybert7]

So you're basically mad because the game doesn't cater to your playing style? I don't know if you're joking or trolling. But if you mean this completely seriously, then you have some make believe mage god complex.

A god complex is EXACTLY what I have in games, that is my escapist fantasy. Some people like to step into virtual worlds and twirl around a metal stick and play stab stab like wolverine, some people like to pick up a gun and play bang bang like they can do in the real world, and me? I like to step into these worlds, raise up my hand and fire the energies of creation from my fingertips.



That is definitely more of a god complex than someone firing a gun, the scope of power I seek to wield in games is far greater and more expansive than some mundane little muggle martial powers.

I never played BG2, KotorI,II and DAO were boring. In fact DA:O is probably the most boring elongated game I've ever played. Everything just takes ages in it. DA2 was finally fast paced, and well balanced. I always felt that melee classes in DAO were terribly underpowered. They were only fodder, while the mages did the real fighting. When mages supposed to be fragile and helpless and only there to boost the morale of real warriors. Yes I'm taking the piss out of you now, because you deserve it.

If you thought kotor I/II was boring, there is no hope for you. But fear not, there are plenty of run and gun games to allow you to play and feel like a true "warrior." Here is another true "warrior" standing tall, and this is what I think of such low brow entities.




This is what should happen to all warriors, the original dragon age was the first game that truly put the lesser martial classes in their proper place in the pantheon. Not surprising people despised it who delude themselves into thinking swinging sticks is on the same level as beings of real power, where the power literally radiates out of them.

 

[Flogger23m]

I've only ever made it two hours into the second Witcher game and one into the first. That's all I could manage before I got bored enough to go and organize my sock drawer for some excitement.

Never played the first, but the second is not open world. You get three hub areas and you can't move freely between them, but you can tackle sidequests at will and whatnot. All of the story missions take place in one of the hub areas. I thought the game was okay. Decent story, but odd setting, but the gameplay itself was poor.

 

[grambo]

I would be interested in an ME game built like Witcher 3, but only if CD Projekt Red were designing it . DA:I was fun and had an OK story but the side quests were often painfully boring. W3 is superior.

 

[CrimsonKnight13]

I would be interested in an ME game built like Witcher 3, but only if CD Projekt Red were designing it . DA:I was fun and had an OK story but the side quests were often painfully boring. W3 is superior.

I can definitely agree with this, which is why I'm giddy for Cyberpunk 2077. Bioware needs to put some mind blowing "mass effect" magic into ME:A, otherwise I'll lose interest very quickly if I have to do more than 1 fetch quest.

 

[DWolvin]

I'm hoping Cyber2077 is a real cyber-noir throwback to some anime I watched back in the day, all I remember is that straight mech AI had a tendency to turn into boomers and that the more cyber you had, the closer you ran to the edge of loosing your sanity... But ME:A shouldn't really go down that path, whole new galaxy an all...

 

[Dan_D]

I can definitely agree with this, which is why I'm giddy for Cyberpunk 2077. Bioware needs to put some mind blowing "mass effect" magic into ME:A, otherwise I'll lose interest very quickly if I have to do more than 1 fetch quest.

I've never been able to get into the Witcher games. Perhaps it's my tendency for polarization of the fantasy genre that's responsible, I don't know. That genre is simply hit or miss with me. If I like something in it, I'm all in. If I don't, I couldn't be less interested. Ordinarily it's the latter. Oblivion, Skyrim, etc. WoW, Witcher, Dragon Age, etc. were all snooze fests for me. They just didn't grab me. I've yet to see anything that's Cyber or Steam Punk that held my interest for more than about 45 seconds. There is something about the incongruent nature of genre mashing the way those do, that just fails to enthrall me.

So I can't say that I'd want to see the Witcher's gameplay emulated in any way shape or form. I found the combat far more complex than I cared for. On the harder difficulties, the combat of the Mass Effect series wasn't ever difficult to master technically, but it did have an element of strategy. What squadmates do you choose? Which ones compliment your Shepard? Which would be best for the enemies I'm facing? The list goes on. So it was a shooter in that regard with something extra but it never felt daunting to me the way the Witcher did. DA, the Witcher etc. often make use of crafting systems which I'm simply not into. I don't want to see one in Mass Effect to tell you the truth. A weapons modification system similar to what we had in ME3 would suit me fine.

As for the "Magic" of Mass Effect, I think people always realize what that actually was. They'll say the story was amazing, or whatever. The story for ME1 wasn't that original when you get down to it. The story for the series was never great. What was great were it's presentation, detailed lore and it's characters. The interactions with those characters made the universe feel more complete despite the linear nature of the games. The series often struck the right blend between being a shooter and being an RPG in a way that few games ever do that have tried. Mass Effect as a whole gave you RPG level story crafting and character interactions with gameplay that never felt like a burden or the technical mess that often comes with the genre.

I'm hoping Cyber2077 is a real cyber-noir throwback to some anime I watched back in the day, all I remember is that straight mech AI had a tendency to turn into boomers and that the more cyber you had, the closer you ran to the edge of loosing your sanity... But ME:A shouldn't really go down that path, whole new galaxy an all...

No, Mass Effect Andromeda shouldn't go down that path at all. I suspect that it will have a more frontier feel in the same vein as the first game. Often times planets felt like they weren't settled, and there were dangers around every corner and that humanity still had a lot to learn. It was completely different on the council worlds or areas settled / occupied for centuries. The Citadel, Ilium, Omega, etc. felt very civilized and totally explored / developed. Outlying worlds like Feros and even Eden Prime still felt like small towns rather than booming metropolises. I suspect that instead of the humans being new comers, it will be the races of the Milky Way that participated in the expedition / exodus to the Andromeda galaxy that are new kids on the block.

 

[Flogger23m]

So I can't say that I'd want to see the Witcher's gameplay emulated in any way shape or form. I found the combat far more complex than I cared for. On the harder difficulties, the combat of the Mass Effect series wasn't ever difficult to master technically, but it did have an element of strategy. What squadmates do you choose? Which ones compliment your Shepard? Which would be best for the enemies I'm facing? The list goes on. So it was a shooter in that regard with something extra but it never felt daunting to me the way the Witcher did. DA, the Witcher etc. often make use of crafting systems which I'm simply not into. I don't want to see one in Mass Effect to tell you the truth. A weapons modification system similar to what we had in ME3 would suit me fine.

Agreed, I was not a fan of Witcher 2's combat. I wouldn't like to see the gameplay of that game emulated in any way. I also think people forget that ME is just as much of a shooter as it is an RPG. A perfect mix of the two.

As for weapons modifications, maybe a bit more can be done with them. The only thing I'd really like to see altered from ME3's weapon design would be differentiation between projectile and laser based weapons. The games tend to use them interchangeably, with in ME2 Shepard referencing putting a bullet it ones head (mainly for diolgue emphasis). In the games there seemed to be a mix, although it never mattered much. Energy based weapons can be extremely accurate with zero recoil but they can be visible much like they were in the rest of the series. Bullet based weapons can instead use suppressors and be suited for silent gameplay. This gives a Dues Ex style approach of stealth or louder gameplay.

No, Mass Effect Andromeda shouldn't go down that path at all. I suspect that it will have a more frontier feel in the same vein as the first game. Often times planets felt like they weren't settled, and there were dangers around every corner and that humanity still had a lot to learn. It was completely different on the council worlds or areas settled / occupied for centuries. The Citadel, Ilium, Omega, etc. felt very civilized and totally explored / developed. Outlying worlds like Feros and even Eden Prime still felt like small towns rather than booming metropolises. I suspect that instead of the humans being new comers, it will be the races of the Milky Way that participated in the expedition / exodus to the Andromeda galaxy that are new kids on the block.

I to would like to see that variety. Both new colony worlds as well as built up planets/stations. Mad Max: Mass Effect won't appeal to me.

 

[Dan_D]

Agreed, I was not a fan of Witcher 2's combat. I wouldn't like to see the gameplay of that game emulated in any way. I also think people forget that ME is just as much of a shooter as it is an RPG. A perfect mix of the two.

As for weapons modifications, maybe a bit more can be done with them. The only thing I'd really like to see altered from ME3's weapon design would be differentiation between projectile and laser based weapons. The games tend to use them interchangeably, with in ME2 Shepard referencing putting a bullet it ones head (mainly for diolgue emphasis). In the games there seemed to be a mix, although it never mattered much. Energy based weapons can be extremely accurate with zero recoil but they can be visible much like they were in the rest of the series. Bullet based weapons can instead use suppressors and be suited for silent gameplay. This gives a Dues Ex style approach of stealth or louder gameplay.



I to would like to see that variety. Both new colony worlds as well as built up planets/stations. Mad Max: Mass Effect won't appeal to me.

Aside from Javik's particle rifle, there are no energy weapons in Mass Effect. The codex entries on the subject are very clear about this point. Even the Geth Pulse Rifle is a ballistic weapon. The bullets in all these cases are small shards of metal propelled by mass effect fields instead of chemical propellants. The Thanix Cannon the Normandy uses is an adaptation of Reaper weapons technology which is again, a mass effect driven kinetic weapon. The "laser" effect is a visual that's similar to the effect shown on rail guns in the movie Eraser. This is in my opinion more about visual effect than science, but to clarify, there aren't particle or energy weapons in Mass Effect aside from the particle rifle.

I do agree that laser weapons, or energy weapons of some kind can have a place in the game, but they need to feel more distinct from the mass effect driven weapons we are used to seeing.

 

[Solitude]

Supposed to be some big reveal at EA Play. Maybe a trailer????

 

[polonyc2]

Mass Effect: Andromeda Behind-the-Scenes trailer (E3)...



looks pretty sweet!...if it's even half as good as the original trilogy then it should be another classic

 

[pothb]

Wait isn't N7 Shepard's logo? Is this new mc a Shepard fanboy? Cuz he's dead, right?

 

[zamardii12]

Mass Effect: Andromeda Behind-the-Scenes trailer (E3)...



looks pretty sweet!...if it's even half as good as the original trilogy then it should be another classic

Fuuuuuck. Go much hype! I can't wait!

 

[zamardii12]

Wait isn't N7 Shepard's logo? Is this new mc a Shepard fanboy? Cuz he's dead, right?

Short answer: No.

N7 is a vocational code in the Systems Alliance military. The "N" designates special forces and the "7" refers to the highest level of proficiency. It applies to Alliance personnel who have graduated from the Interplanetary Combatives Training (ICT) program.

 

[Megalith]

>no gameplay footage
>not a single new species teased
>stronk womyn suggested to be protagonist

It's over.

 

[polonyc2]

>no gameplay footage
>not a single new species teased

did you even watch the video????...or did you only watch the first 5 seconds and turn it off???

 

[Flogger23m]

I do hope it turns out good, but it seems more like a generic extension of the IP. Go here, explore an abundance of meaningless places, like every other not so well done open world game. Trailer doesn't show much, but given that is essentially all they eluded to makes me a bit worried. Suppose we'll have to wait until more trailers come out because this didn't show much, but I can't help but feel they're just following the trends and hitting off a bunch of "must haves" for a generic SP game in 2016.

 

[Motley]

I remember playing the Mass Effect 3. I was only a few hours in, and I was stuck on this really difficult level. I kept dying, couldn't figure it out. So I shelved it.

I hope they don't do this in this game. I hate games with really hard parts with no way of changing diffuclty levels. I ran into that with Batman Arkam knigh, the helicopter boss fight, was stupid hard.

 

[RazorWind]

Wait isn't N7 Shepard's logo? Is this new mc a Shepard fanboy? Cuz he's dead, right?

N7 is the name of the elite (human) Alliance military unit that Shepard was a member of. There were, ostensibly, other N7 members, although none ever appears in any of the games.

It appears that at least some members of the N7 unit were sent with whatever contingent of humans to Andromeda.

 

[Nimisys]

I remember playing the Mass Effect 3. I was only a few hours in, and I was stuck on this really difficult level. I kept dying, couldn't figure it out. So I shelved it.

I hope they don't do this in this game. I hate games with really hard parts with no way of changing diffuclty levels. I ran into that with Batman Arkam knigh, the helicopter boss fight, was stupid hard.

Really? You could lower the difficulty at any time or raise it. At the lowest difficulty level it almost played it self, not quite as much as LA Noire, but damn close

 

[Tup3x]

Few images from the trailer/teaser:

 

[polonyc2]

the fact that Andromeda is using the Frostbite engine makes me giddy

 

[DWolvin]

I don't want to admit how excited I am for this... I have only preordered one game in the last decade, but this is really tempting me (Love the whole series, amazing despite the flaws).

 

[Ebernanut]

Those faces look a little weird(especially the asari) but everything else looks really nice.

We may never get KOTOR 3 but other than the ending of ME3 Mass Effect has been a pretty good replacement.

 

[Dan_D]

Those faces look a little weird(especially the asari) but everything else looks really nice.

We may never get KOTOR 3 but other than the ending of ME3 Mass Effect has been a pretty good replacement.

While BioWare as a division of EA has made some huge mistakes, they are generally good about reacting to criticism and making positive changes. Dragon Age III is proof of that. There is proof of it within the series itself as it dropped unfavorable elements in subsequent games. ME3 was a huge clusterfuck. There is no doubt about that, but there are lots of reasons for it. The development time was extremely short for it compared to the previous two games. The plot was leaked, so BioWare felt that had to make some changes to it. Right there the story suffered greatly from those changes. It left major developments in the plot as minor threads that ultimately didn't amount to much of anything. The dark energy and Rachni plot lines are great examples of this. BioWare also backed themselves into a huge corner by having so many squad mates in ME2 that all had the potential to die and not appear in ME3. We know that BioWare had asked for more time on at least two occasions. The development of the game was granted one extension, but not the later one that was asked for. At least that's what I remember anyway.

BioWare has since made more games since then that use their decision making models and they've got a lot of lessons learned from the original ME series. I think they made the right choice going forward with a totally new setting and characters. This way they don't have to carry anything but the most basic stuff forward. The fact that a Reaper invasion was either incoming or already in progress is all that they need to carry forward from the previous series.

This game has had a long development cycle and given how rabid fans are about the franchise, I can't see BioWare/EA making the same mistakes it did with ME3. I am hopeful that we'll get a good game this time.

 

[Nimisys]

Those faces look a little weird(especially the asari) but everything else looks really nice.

its the lighting map in use, it makes them look too glossy. been bugging me as well. been replaying ME1, looking forward to this greatly. really enjoyed the gameplay of ME3, would love to see it applied in a more open environment.

also Bwahahahahaha all you Mako Haters.

 

[Dan_D]

its the lighting map in use, it makes them look too glossy. been bugging me as well. been replaying ME1, looking forward to this greatly. really enjoyed the gameplay of ME3, would love to see it applied in a more open environment.

also Bwahahahahaha all you Mako Haters.

The Mako was entertaining for a period of time. The unfortunate reality was that Mako exploration was used in the first game as a way to inflate the game's play time with something mundane. There were times I genuinely enjoyed it, but being a completionist, searching for minerals and driving around for hidden bases, structures and Asari writings etc. got old real fast. Some of the terrain was intentionally maddening in how it was put together. I'm fine with the Mako's return depending on how it gets handled.

 

[polonyc2]

the problem with the Mako in ME1 was that most of the planets you explored were lifeless and had the same generic layout...they needed to either make the planets more diverse and full of life or cut back on the number of explorable planets...it felt like No Man's Sky

 

[Armenius]

the problem with the Mako in ME1 was that most of the planets you explored were lifeless and had the same generic layout...they needed to either make the planets more diverse and full of life or cut back on the number of explorable planets

The thing I liked about Mako exploration in the first game was staring at the sky and seeing the different horizons created by the different solar systems. The one taking place on the moon of a gas giant that had a blue giant star was the most incredible: looking one way and seeing the planet then looking the other and seeing the star absolutely dwarf everything else. If I wasn't wearing environmental armor I would have died from the DoT because of how long I was just staring.

The above is not my best use of the English language, so please excuse it. It's hard putting those feelings into words.