Mass Effect 1 Has Distinctively Better Animations Than Andromeda

The bland almost dead facial expressions are a huge step back to what was done better 10 years ago.

[Team_Litt]

Yeesh! The heck?! Who left the team? Something is just not right. I blame EA.

[skydragoonityx]

:'''''(

[naruga]

when a game promotes more its gender-free ingame sexual hook ups than the core game mechanics/visuals or generally essential features to be characterized a good game you understand that smthing is wrong about the game... devs spent somewhere more time (aka in idiotic substanceless social features) and somewhere not (aka animations , mechanics etcetc) ....Ea just being EA

[moegooner88]

"EA just being EA". Never fails to make me chuckle when people selectively decide to say stuff like this on some EA or Ubisoft games but completely disappear when other games get praise or good reviews. In fact, Bioware didn't discuss any romance details until very recently and details were so sparse, but keep fighting the good fight solider.

[annoyedgamer]

I class Ubisoft alongside EA at this point. We aren't giving them a pass either.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Something's definitely wrong here I don't really think it's a specific person that left their team as much as there seems to be something going around regarding their development because I don't really think it makes sense to have this type of animations.

[Nitrowolf2]

I have a feeling its the change over from unreal to frostbite. I mean frostbite is really known for its amazing GFXs but thats really it. Physics, and animations have always been meh.

[Godmars290]

Well, I'm saying it in reference to everything else.

ME1 might have had promise as a sci-fi RPG like Dragon Age as a fantasy RPG, but in regards to the former that ended when the shooter aspect took over. It was all about presentation after that.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@god-I understand but my comment actually has nothing to do with the fact that people left, simply that I don't really think that has anything to do with this strange animation issue they're having.

BioWare has historically not been that good with animations.

Once again just so you fully understand my comment,am I NOT saying that the team did not have members that left which doesn't make any sense for a fact that indeed it happen , my comment it is simply saying I do not believe that is the source of this game's issue simply because BioWare games of notoriously had bad facial animation.

I agree with you that they tried to make it an RPG with the first game and what the second game and third game they leaned towards the shooter aspect which I actually think was a great idea simply because the execution of those two games is far superior than their attempt with the first game.

In the game's defense from what I've seen and read this game is much more of an RPG than any of the mass effect that released the previous generation.

[Perjoss]

From what ive read the game changed hands from 1 team to another halfway through, the first team was making a mess and the 2nd only had a year to clean it up and apparently it wasnt enough time. Sorry I dont remember the team names off the top of my head.

[TheCommentator]

I think you're onto something Nitro.

[Godmars290]

No. With the first story they tried to tell a story. With everything else, they presented product in the form of a story. That's why with ME3, somehow wanting to continue a now francise, they painted themselves into a corner, went off the rails and wound up in Andromeda where they're just trying to sell crap.

[Tumaras]

I don't think it's Frostbite, there are plenty of other Frostbite games with animations that are completely fine (Battlefront, BF 1, FIFA, Need for Speed, etc.). Some of them aren't the absolute best around, but none of them have animations that are anywhere near as bad as Armageddon has. That's just extremely poor dev work. It's bad enough that actually if I were DICE I'd be giving the Bioware devs heck for giving their engine a bad rep with such a badly animated game.

At some point I hope Bioware gives an honest explanation of what lead to those ridiculous problems. They can't release a game in that state. Maybe a leadership/management problem, possibly too tight a budget, maybe too much outsourcing to cheap devs. Whatever the cause they should be embarrassed and taking action to prevent that from happening again.

[meka2611]

Can't agree there nitro, because if you look at Battlefield 1 it has very nice facial animations. I think the development team just had no idea how to use it properly.

[Godmars290]

Who left?

The guys who made the first game. Where you been?

[_-EDMIX-_]

" I don't really think it's a specific person that left "

I'm saying this in reference to the animations, I'm not saying that no one left their team.

Smh.

[Ristul]

I think the vision that Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka (the founders) had for BioWare changed when they retired from the company and sold it to EA. Those guys were amazing, I read an interview about BioWare from way back were they talked a lot about their game design philosophies. They were all about the quality of the game, and would not compromize on that quality to fit a given timeframe or deadline. With EA calling the shots, I imagine that it's a very different situation there now. All you have to do is look at BioWare's recent games, they are not the ones who are leading the industy forward anymore, other developers have surpassed them. CDPR is the prime example of that.

[bnaked]

It's because of the uncanny valley. You can't mix realistic graphics with old and unrealistic (facial-) animations. Problem is, that the graphics are too realistic now, you can see it in Horizon Zero Dawn, too. This uncanny valley effect will get worse, if developers won't use performance capturing for their next games. It would be too costly for open world games or games like Mass Effect Andromeda, but it is what it is... This is a huge problem for the industry.

[UltraNova]

Performance cap is too costly and time consuming. Unity, Unreal etch should jump on it and create motion capture animation and facial movement libraries that would be added to their engines for a fee.

This would dramatically increasd quality in games that wouldnt otherwise bother.

As for big time devs like Bioware there's no excuse putting games out with sub par animations.

[ServerBOT]

I think pretty much the original team are gone from Bioware these days.

[badz149]

don't worry too much about it. Link didn't say a word in BoTW and he is expressionless as he is speechless - barrage of 10/10 incoming for ME Andromeda!

[3-4-5]

* I usually don't make a deal out of stuff like that...it never really bothers me, but I am really looking forward to the new Mass Effect so it is a bit disappointing.

Even the trailer they showed seemed a bit "ehhhh".

I want the magic of Mass Effect 1 back.

That was the best in the series by far IMO, and they should have never strayed away from the type of game it was.

[QUIMICOMORTAL]

I guess thats what happens when you remove the femenine side from the "female" things they created.

[chrisx]

I noticed this but been trying to keep optimistic, but damn I had hopes for this game

[_-EDMIX-_]

That's if you're only hopes for simply looking at it

this clearly an issue regarding their animation and how they games presented but overall I'm not relying 100% on this in regards to my purchase.

[Gwiz]

That's a wise decision,it plays rather smooth (i7 4710 MQ/980M)..

It's definitely adjusting to Mass Effect from the past.

[bunt-custardly]

Totally agree with the video Ashley looks way more animated/realistic compared to the blank stare, dead eye ME: Andromeda character. Something has gone horribly wrong at Bioware.

[_-EDMIX-_]

If I was BioWare I would just say there Androids

Fixed lol

[bunt-custardly]

Or nanomachines.

[Bhuahahaha]

or advise players that they should not toggle helmet visual off ahahahahaha

[Kreisen]

Its kinda like 2004 all over again with characters just standing there while only their mouth moves slightly as they speak.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Lol you mean revolutionary? 😂😂😂

I remember when I was younger that was such a big deal! I mean when you think about it clearly it was pretty significant.

[Epicor]

I think the biggest reason for this blank stare is that their eyelids don't move at all. Andromeda's characters' eyes are the same size all the time, no squinting of the eyes whatsoever. It's like they forgot to take this one component into account totally when making the animation.

[Meltic]

Must be a bug or something, or they was blind making the animation

[ravinash]

Botox.

[IceKoldKilla]

Is that a new feature or Season Pass pre-order exclusive that requires micro-transactions?

[Good-Smurf]

Botox Effect:Androidmeda

[quent]

Where has the real Bioware gone ?

Is what's crossing my mind

[game4funz]

Likely gone at about the same time the LGBT group came in.

[Goldby]

What the fuck does one have to do with the other?

This is EA not LGBT's problem.

It wasn't the LGBT that secretly p[lanned to sabatoge all EA games over the past 4 years, it was EA making stupid decisions and tryign to get the most for the least amount of work.

[TeamIcoFan]

Hey, fuck you pal, don't blame people like me for bioware being lazy.

[2pacalypsenow]

That's what happens when the "Everyone gets a Trophy" mentality kicks in.

[Highlife]

Spend more time on gameplay and animations then stupid lgbt crap.

[kamilkazi]

Seriously, most ugly female characters ever in any game, far worse than Skyrim's. This is ridiculous, all male characters look like the models they are based on. While the female faces look nothing like their models, this is unacceptable. Miranda from Mass Effect 2 looked like a dead ringer for her model, wtf!
http://fraghero.com/mass-ef...

[game4funz]

@TeamIco
People like you?? So you agree that youre one of the people forcing your view on others??

Go away.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Seriously buddy get out of here

that is so disrespectful and irrelevant it's not even funny, what's wrong with this game has everything to do with the development team not any specific demographic.

[Allsystemgamer]

Look at all the people here taking this personally. He wasn't talking about YOU.

He was talking about the dev team who felt it was more important to "include" those characters. As a result none of it felt natural or had a point. That's what he was talking about.

But you played right into the LGBT always taking things personally and being perpetually offended stereotype.

And before you pull the whole shut up card. I'm bisexual. I'm in that demographic.

[TWB]

@Goldby
I think he did a somewhat poor job at explaining and describing what he meant.

I believe he's talking about the "more than two genders", "everybody is beautiful", "check your priviledge" type people who have started working on Bioware. Different youtube content creators have documented some of the ridiculous things that this type of people have said at Bioware. Like the lead writer (at least couple of years ago) saying that virtual rape (done by the hackers) in GTAOnline is just as severe and damaging as real rape. Paraphrasing here, but something along those lines.

I dont know if thats the reason for these issues, but thats one way of looking at this situation.

[Goldby]

@TWB

But that isn't LGBT.

He is frankly and obviously putting the blame on a bad game on a demographic that he doesn't agree with.
and instead of actually THINKING. he just groups all the bad thngs in life on demographics he doesn't agree with, let it be LGBT or SJW.

LGBT had absolutely nothing to do with the game, it had nothing to do with the animations, it had nothing to do with the story, it has nothign to do with the characters. it is all Bioware and EA.

Last of us dealt with LGBT the best way, not making a deal about it, building it into the story in a respectful manner, to the point there were people asking about bill, if he was gay.

EA plasters it on every fucking billbboard and add online that you can love where ever you want in the game, fuck as many alien species as you can. That isn't how you deal with this. you focus on what the game is, a space opera. you focus on the features that impact the game, combat, settings.

it is all on the developers, animator and writers of EA/Bioware. not a group focused on safety and awareness of LGBT. afterall, it wasn't the LGBT who wrote the story or coding, it was EA/Bioware.

Game4funz is wrong and angry at the wrong people.
Game4funz needs to learn who to actually put his anger towards.

HINT ITS EA!

[game4funz]

@goldby
Goldby is naive and knows very little about the world.
LGBT groups have a lot to do with many current gaming problems.

To deny such an obvious fact, since we've seen its effects in gaming mutliple times, is quite childish.

The only one angry is Goldby who decided to go on a rant and accuse me of being angry. There is no anger.
@TWB explains it very well. Go get some of that.

Apart from that, your comment makes no sense
"it is all on the developers, animator and writers of EA/Bioware. not a group focused on safety and awareness of LGBT. afterall, it wasn't the LGBT who wrote the story or coding, it was EA/Bioware."

There are members of the type of LGBT that @TWB alluded to that now work at Bioware/EA.
Its precisely those people im talking about. So not sure what you were trying to point out.

Most gays and lesbians dont force thier views on others so I am most definitely not talking about them.
Just about the small loud and vocal minority who say they represent the LGBT community when no one voted them in to represent them. They point out problems where none exist and make up problems as they go.

The reviews are out now. And the new dialogue system reinforces what I've said. Can't be offensive anymore.

[Goldby]

@games4funz

you seem to under the notion that because someone who may be LGBT or believe in their cause (which is equality) is equal to all of LGBT.

i'm a part of that group, yet i'm not forcing peolpe to add LGBT situation or relationships into gaming. i will speak up when people are using LGBT or SJW as an excuse what ever that reason may be (most cases tend to be lack of knowledge/beliefs)

but again at the end of the day, that person who may or may not be LGBT did the writing for Mass Effect, but Mass effect wasn't created because of that person. it was EA/Bioware that hired that person based on the beliefs that they the company wanted to align with. so once again, this is on EA, not LGBT.

Blaming LGBT for this is like blaming Muslims for The terrorist attacks throughout the world.
one isn't the direct result of the other, it may have an effect but it isn't because of one that the other exists.

at the end fo the day, those employees are doign their jobs, and EA signed off and ok'd everything in the game, this is EA's issue as a company, not the employees problem.

if iot wasn't up to what ever standard EA set in place, it wouldn't have been approved, so instead of blaming one group of people, why not ask why EA was ok releasing a sub par game after hyping it up so much?

[Goldby]

@Game4funz

"game4funz3d ago (Edited 3d ago )
@TeamIco
People like you?? So you agree that youre one of the people forcing your view on others??

Go away."

you may not think you are angry, but there is definitely some hostility and aggression in that post.

he's not forcing anything, just like no one is. i could go the route that you are focing use to live in the Hetero sexual world, but i'm not going to cuz its a waste of time trying to explain that over forums and needs to be discussions happening in person.

at the end of the day, it wasn't LGBT that pushed this, it wasn't LGBT's fault that the women don't look as good as the male characters. it isn't LGBTs fault that the dialogue is cringe worthy at times.

Thats all on EA. if that isn't the case, then can we blame the french for the horrible coding for Assassin's Creed Unity.

or can we blame females for having to play as aloy in Horizon. or should we blame gingers for that?
see how stupid that shit sounds

[game4funz]

@goldby

Only bothered to read some of your reply.

Yes there is hostility. I dont like nazis or communists.
Everything else is in your head.

[annoyedgamer]

Replaced by SJWs. You had to ask? I sang this song months ago but nobody listened, so I sat back and let y'all see if for yourselves.

[FunAndGun]

you're always singing that song....like a broken record.

[_-EDMIX-_]

What does one have to do with the other? Do you even have proof that any specific demographic had something to do with this game's bizarre animations?

But I don't come on here spreading hate

that is so childish and disrespectful

[annoyedgamer]

ummm... https://heatst.com/culture-...

He still works there, goes to show what the management is like.

[Pintheshadows]

They all left over the last decade or so Quent. Not kidding. There is hardly any of the old Bioware talent around anymore, and it really shows.

The second Drew Karpyshyn left it was all downhill from there.

[Chaosdreams]

It's disheartening when there's a comparison from 10 years ago. And it got worse...

[Pintheshadows]

The thing is, 10 years ago Bioware had some of the best talent in the entire industry behind them. That is no longer the case so I am not entirely surprised by this. All of the people responsible for the likes of KOTOR, Jade Empire, DAO, Mass Effect 1 and 2, are all gone now.

[bluefox755]

All the characters just look so lifeless. Perhaps when they hired the animators they should have focused on qualifications rather than bolstering a diversity quota.

[Chaosdreams]

I keep hearing about the diversity quota. Is there an article on that? I'm just curious.

[2pacalypsenow]

http://www.pushsquare.com/n...

[Pandamobile]

It's pretty bullshit to assume that Mass Effect suffered because of "diversity quotas".

The reality is that Mass Effect: Andromeda was made by an inexperienced team (the studio was literally made for ME:A) so I assume there's been some growth and production scheduling pains to go along with it.

[Chaosdreams]

@2pacalypsenow

Thanks.

@Pandamobile

I agree, I'm not fond of people using it as the reason for the poor animation quality. It's probably the combination of a different engine + a different team. Who comprises of that team shouldn't matter (in the sense of ethnicity, sexual orientation, so forth).

I cringe a little because it's as if people are insinuating they'd be okay with this, if it was all white males who created this level of..."quality."

[SirBradders]

Racist to not let competent white people have a job to fill a quota if you ask me.

You don't ever hear about other eilthnic people besides white being stopped from a job because there is too many.

You can be white but from Russia, Europe or America that's still diversity right there.

[CaptainObvious878]

@Pandamobile

Read the link.

"It can't all be white males (in managerial roles)", Moore continues."

When the CEO can so easily be sexist and racist with no regard is it any wonder ME:A is what what it is?

Are you really going to tell me quotas aren't BS?

A person's race or reproductive organs shouldn't be discuss at all when considering who to hire. That conversation shouldn't even be a flicker of thought. It should be based on merit.

It's pathetic that even needs to be said.

[mastiffchild]

Indeed. Discrimination is discrimination. You cannot fix bigotry with bigotry and the argument that you cannot be racist or sexist to white males.assumes that the world has ever been run by and for EVERY white male. It ignores class politics and allows those actually abusing their power to hide behind a fudged issue while the notion of a meritocracy is kicked to death by things like positive discrimination and quotas.

Personally, Id be offended to get a job based on my ethnicity or sexuality. Or lack of one, truth be told. Doesn't help that Mr Heir is always sounding off as it makes Bioware seem much more this way out than they really are at a guess. To me he seems like hes after the attention and fails to even grasp his side of the discussion.

[Spurg]

I used to playing RPG with bland faces looking at me....its not something that will bother my experience

[Pintheshadows]

What about RPG's featuring sex dolls? Which is what all of the 'female' humans look like.

And why are they all wearing bright pink lip gloss, and enough blush to make you think that Homer Simpson's makeup shotgun goes into production in the far future.

[Der_Kommandant]

I'm not buying this, it makes me sad. Anyway Bioware is a shadow of its former self at best.

[Silly Mammo]

This game is quickly sliding down my list of games to purchase. I'm still hopeful, but its not looking good right now.

[ziggurcat]

bioware has always been awful when it comes to animation.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I mean I over all agree but this one just takes the cake.

[mastiffchild]

They still used to improve a bit from game to game though and this is not improvement. My guess is a poor and inexperienced team and a changed focus tilted a bit more toward MP. Tough to make MP a significant selling point for a Mass Effect game but EA.wanna sell map packs and skins, no doubt. Makes it harderfor any young team.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@mast-I'm not sure that's it either simply because the team that works on the multiplayer portion is completely separate from the team that actually works in the single player.

When you look at the credit still actually show you the entire multiplayer teams they're actually separate.

This sounds like the team has had a difficult time transitioning over to the frostbite engine I don't think it has anything to do with an "inexperienced" team especially if you're considering this is one of the biggest Publishers in the world I think they clearly had significant technical issues.

[2pacalypsenow]

Wow....

[Antifan]

I think they purposely made the characters ugly to please the SJWs and feminazis

[FunAndGun]

That's like saying they make the butts phat and boobies humongous to please "guys" who fap to digital pixels.....oh wait.

[Rachel_Alucard]

Doesn't matter who they please if the game is shit nobody is buying it. Although, the feminazis and SJWs weren't gonna buy it anyway as they just use video games as a medium to push their politics, beliefs, and propoganda and don't support it beyond that.

[annoyedgamer]

Going from one extreme to another solves nothing. And last I checked those games have big muscled men with their shirts off for the ladies to do the exact same thing.

All the characters in this game look like they wake up each morning with a different gender.

[2pacalypsenow]

Sex sells, get over it.

[FunAndGun]

Oh, I'm not on it 2pac. like you said sex sells...gay or straight. It's just that you guys cry so much when it's the gay version.

And then you cry again and call pandering. When pandering goes both ways, just like my original comment pointed out. I don't mind the sex at all, I just mind when you guys make it a hypocritical double standard.

[Tapani]

@FunAndGun

I bet you'd have sex with a robot if it looked like this heroine. Just add voice and a bit of temptation and you are done, man!

On topic: Not going to buy this, was interested initially, but it doesn't seem like the Witcher 3 in space I hoped for. Bioware is only Bioware by name. Mass Effect 1 was ok, then it became an action series. The discussions are empty and meaningless in this game to me, way too superficial and straighforward.

Gotto wait for Cyberpunk then! Watched my big brother and his friends playing the original non-video game RPG in the early 90s. Was a bit too hardcore for me then, but the world reminded me of Bloodnet and Shadowrun. Andromeda is prettier than them old games, but won't have the same depth and atmosphere.

If EA makes a decent NHL 18 for PS4 Pro, it might be the first one of their games I buy in 15yrs. SSX 3 was the last one.

[CaptainObvious878]

@FunAndGun

You really need to take a closer look if you think they're the same.

One side are guys that like the female form. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. They won't demand it, but if a game has it it's likely to sell more.

Have you ever seen a large portion of gamers cry "omg! this game doesn't have decent tits in it! I demand decent tits!" or "This game's protagonist is female. No buy!"

Or course you haven't.

But have you ever seen this from a vocal minority where some of them don't even have any intention of buying the game, even if their childish demands are met?

"OMG! This game has beautiful, scantily clad women in it! That's sexist! And there isn't a bisexual, disabled, hermaphrodite woman of colour from Tanzania! I demand this game have more diversity and be more inclusive by getting rid of all the straight white men!"

Of course you have.

So please don't confuse an easy going gamer that likes women to a parasite like that.

[Highlife]

Well said captain

[Pintheshadows]

I think they made the characters ugly because they are bad at character modelling and animation. You can tell this is a lot of inexperienced people coming together to make a game.

[MorpheusX]

@Antifan

Bingo!

Its Business, its politics, and its indoctrination techiniques with the emotionless characters.

Believe it or not but Big Business would love for people to be MORE OBEDIENT, to be like robots that do what there told.

Games are used to indoctrinate people , morons and cowards can't see or believe this. whatever, its still true, call it what you want.

[Goldby]

what exactly are they indoctrinating us into?

is it excessive violence? its is instant gratification from others creating a sense of self worthlessness?

[Ashlen]

Give it a rest... everyone looks normal. There are characters that span a wide variety of attractiveness. As if that should even matter.

[Maxor]

This facial animation failure is simply unacceptable for a studio like Bioware.

[gamer7804]

really not as impressed this time around, it will be probably be a decent game but falling well short of the previous mass effect games.

I hope they patch this to make it better, might as well wait for the scorpio version and see how the game has shaped up by then.

[JackBNimble]

I don't think higher resolution is going to fix anything in this game, in fact I think looking at such terrible animations in higher resolution would make it seem much worse.
I doubt any amount of patching is going to fix this game by the time Scorpio is released.

[gamer7804]

Of course higher res and effects won't help the animations, i'm just saying if i'm going to wait for patches/fixes and dlc might as well get it on scorpio.

[Summons75]

Can we stop being surprised that Bioware games are trash now? 4th game to come out that is disappointing and you people are still surprised. I'm not shocked at all by all this negative reception.

[Nitrowolf2]

Its not that people are surprised whether the game is bad or not, they are surprised by the fact that despite having better technology to work with, somehow, they made a game that looks worse than a game from ten years ago on consoles that are far weaker.

[Summons75]

But again, we are talking about Bioware. A developer who has proven time and time again they don't care about their fans or the quality of their work. This shouldn't be a surprise.

[MorpheusX]

@Nitrowolf2

People are afraid to see the agenda that's going on in this Business called video games.

This games bland looking characters, the games emotionless characters etc are not just some accident. Big Business doesn't have millions upon millions of dollars by accident, theres an agenda, a calculated action to what they do.

The Media is designed to give false impressions that lead people away from the truth there staring at , keep consumers from seeing how they all work together Sony, MS , Nintendo, Valve, The Publishing Firms, The Marketing Firms, The Games Journalist etc you name it, its all 1 Big Conglomerate.

Just like in other forms of media like Tel-a-vision, Movies (Hollywood), the main point is to convey a message, to indoctrinate the way you think and feel.

Video games is the same, not different. Its not even difficult to see @ this point, theres no excuse not to see it, its right in your face everyday, these examples.

EA is 1 of the top Indoctrination Media outlets in the World.

[Goldby]

@Morpheus.

and let me guess, theres a giant ice wall around our flat earth and all the plans flying over head are releasing flouride to help me us obediant.

i really hope if you live in the states, you dont have access to firearms with talks liek that

[Pintheshadows]

What ever happened to that multiplayer game they made? Did that die? It was fighting demons or something.

[MorpheusX]

@Summons75

I agree. Its the Media, they get people to believe all over again everytime.

Its EA , its Big Business, and Bioware is just a name now.

[Relientk77]

This game is gonna be an embarrassment

The reviews wont be good...

[--bienio--]

I believe it's going to be 7/10 still all right but You know It's bioware... shame.

[Ashunderfire86]

The way how this game make mistakes like having an Asari shoot an object with a gun backwards in her hand, and the constant A.i glitches I can't see this game getting a 7! This is beyond awful! How the hell can Mass Effect 1 character animations look better than this?

[Blu3_Berry]

There must've been some serious development issues going on behind the game that we do not know of.

[CaptainObvious878]

"It can't all be white males", Moore continues.

That's what the CEO of EA said recently in an interview. That's all you need to know right there.

[Goldby]

wait so polar bears cant be all white males....

im happy he brought the world some piece and quite by explaining that.

you cant use one line from an interview that ends with he continues and not give us the context it is in.

For all we know he was talkign about the polar bears, or albino kitty cats

[rohsik]

Mass effect 1 was made by original BioWare Edmonton while Andromeda is made by BioWare Montreal. BioWare Edmonton is working on new IP so Mass effect series was handed to BioWare Montreal which used to be EA Montreal.

[OhMyGandhi]

One thing I noticed in this video is that motion of the head is almost non-existant in Andromedia. They aren't using their necks, and they aren't really shifting their weight. In Mass Effect 1, Ashley looks to be cocking her head to the side, or using general lateral movement, and when she is standing and shifting, it looks so much more natural. In andromedia, it's not just the stilted facial animations, it's the entire head and neck, it's far too stiff. Wow.

[Pintheshadows]

They also turn in such an unnatural to face someone else if they are going to talk to them because they are incapable of using their necks. I was going to say it is almost comical but scratch that. It is definitely comical. A real joke. I found myself laughing at it whilst watching someone play it earlier. It is a 'janky' mess. Subpar in almost every area. And the combat is honestly nothing special. You can just jump around a bit now (fun for a few minutes). The idiotic AI though just makes it look so lame. They don't do anything. And when they do they'll run somewhere and then just stand out in the open.

[BlakHavoc]

Those lack of expressions on their faces is going to make me not care about what's going on in the quests. We all know we're playing games, but there's nothing more immersion breaking then when games make that painfully obvious. I truly hope every other aspect of this game kicks azz, cause those character models are hideous and the facial expressions are just off.

[Derceto]

Yep. Covered this in another topic, but BioWare is just name now. It doesn't just magically create great games because it has BioWare slapped on it.

BioWare is dead, and what carries on today, it merely its animated carcass.

[00]

It was very clear all the talented people at Bioware already left before Andromeda even started. now EA stuffed them with their interns and and talent-less gender study activist.

[Eulderink]

lolol wow this is shocking it indeed looks better xD, only the mouth seems to move haha.

[Gamist2dot0]

It's like EA used the same old tech from their milked sports games for the character and facial animations.
Also, it looks like the characters want to dance when they're walking, or somehow reminds me of a guerrilla.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

It's clear to me that a certain segment of the GC wants this game to fail. I'm not sure why

[2pacalypsenow]

Because of the lazy half assed animations they are using. Are gamers supposed to just ignore it and blindly purchase it?

[Pintheshadows]

Apparently we are supposed to accept any old crap and just buy it regardless. I take issue with that because I expect a game to earn my money. And with the quality titles that have come out so far this year, this mess simply isn't good enough. And I refuse to suck the D of Bioware just because I love some of their past games. And when I say past, the last good game they made imo was ME2. And a lot of that was down to memorable characters.

Every game since then has been serviceable. I miss the days of Jade Empire. Now that is a true Bioware game. You can feel the passion and craft. The love for the medium. Andromeda screams committees and inexperienced developers being told what to do with little support.

The fact is, with Nioh, Nier, Torment, and HZD, I don't have time for a shoddily made, uninspired, generic space shooter. I was hoping for so much more than this. I should have guessed it would be this way when for months they just said things like 'our new game looks great' without actually showing it.

[CaptainObvious878]

Are we suppose to just ignore the glaring issues because EA took into consideration the genitalia of a person in the hiring process?

[Ashlen]

Well unfortunately I feel like i contributed to this a bit. But having actually played it now. This complaint seems totally off base and just focusing on the bad when that VAST majority seems to be quite good.

[MorpheusX]

@Ashlen

Feminism is a creation of political forces that have no real love for your cause, your a tool, a tool to be disposed of ,once your mission has been accomplished.

Your contribution is that of a PAWN, your not FREE, you have the freedom to think thoughts your programed to think, say things your indoctrinated to say, your contribution is contributing to your own demise, the demise of your soul.

Your influence? The liberty of fools.

[MasterCornholio]

We are paying 60$ for these games. To ask that much for a game the quality has to be better especially after paying the same price for high quality titles like Uncharted 4 for example.

Do you see how bad the animations are in this game?

[DevilishSix]

I had a bad feeling about this game. Once Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, who cofounded Bioware left along with key people from the ME trilogy once ME3 was complete, i figured Bioware wouldn't be the same and here we are. The Bioware we loved during last generation is gone. Bioware exists and continues on reputation and name only, what made Bioware special is no longer there. It's sad.

[opinionated]

I read a preview that said you can definitely see the influence in your dialogue decisions. I haven't played it yet but a possibility could be that they are using the facial expressions to portray their affinity. For example, their brow would lifeless in a neutral state like those examples at the beginning of the game. Later on they might have a lower brow and sneer if they disapprove of your scumbag actions.

I don't really have a problem with it, mass effect was always pretty awful in that regard. Especially for custom characters, the defaults were the only acceptable option for me lol. It's too bad Andromedas defaults look like shrek in the face. I will have to go custom this game.

[SojournUK]

Called it a couple days ago, please say the assets are patchable.
http://n4g.com/news/2031017...

[Pintheshadows]

Westwood. Criterion. Bioware. How many more studios will EA kill. The fact that they are making Bioware make action games now should say it all. RIP Bioware. You used to be something special. Remember Jade Empire. God, that was an excellent game. I wouldn't want this Bioware anywhere near a sequel.

And I have now witnessed the opening of this game for myself (only played about 30 minutes mind you) being played on a 980ti. One thing that is immediately noticeable. When you aim down a scope textures and objects in the environment will disappear and reappear when you come out of the scope again. This includes textures on the MAIN CHARACTER. It is a mess. The sound design is flat as well with the music not fitting scenes and being all around uninspiring. Gutting to be saying that about a 'Mass Effect' game.

[Ristul]

Jade Empire was awesome, I can't imagine current BioWare create anything that uniqe again, also - EA would probably say it's to niche.

[windblowsagain]

That's why I sold BF1.

E.A just made Dice change what BF is all about and felt boring like battlefront.

Graphically stunning but dead inside.

[Ristul]

It's the EA Effect.

[XXanderXX]

Damn , massive Burn

[tigertron]

Frostbite is great for Battlefield but not for Mass Effect. They should have stuck with Unreal Engine.

[The_Sage]

Ugh... I'm a bit nervous about this game. Damn it.

[bumbleforce]

First off. It's not that bad. Could be much worse. People are having a good time so far with the game. Now that being said bioware you took 5 years to make this 5 years. Faces should be better.

[Pintheshadows]

Mass Effect 1 has something this game doesn't have. It's distinctive in general. Nothing feels like that first game.

Also, I only just noticed this, but the blinking is dreadful as well.

[yellowrupee]

This is going to sound weird, but I always liked ME1 because of that blue aura around everything. I also like the grain effect more in ME1 than the others.

[leemo19]

This is just plain awful indeed. Would of thought being the 4th installment and on new hardware the facial expressions would improved guess not. Someone on Bioware clearly wasn't giving their 110%.

[BIGBOSS08]

Lol.. wtf is wrong with this game? No wonder they didn't show the game often. They knew people would pick up on these issues.

[InTheZoneAC]

the more I read the less I want to play this...I can see 7's across the board with a few 5's and 6's sprinkled in. The troll reviews will be 9/10 and above and 4/10 or lower, bookmark this!

[Ashlen]

Well I have now played the test and I have to say this really isn't true. At least it hasn't been my experience on PC. I was a big detractor of the game. But the dialogue I have heard and the facial animations seem quite good. The controls in game seem very responsive(on pc at 60 fps). While I probably prefer the more straightforward level design of the prior games the first area at least isn't a DA:i square zone, it's quite vertical with side paths and buildings and things to explore

So far it seems pretty good, though the first bit could very well be a very scripted experience for the demo players.

But be wary of people who just focus on the bad stuff.

[EmperorDalek]

So would you say this is article is nitpicking? I really hope that's the case.

[Ashlen]

It seems to me that they found a few buggy conversations and showed those when the other 99% of the conversations are fine. I have only played a few hours but I haven't seen anything like this.

I am playing on PC.

[EmperorDalek]

That's good to hear, thanks.

[jc48573]

wonder if the engine had anything to do with it.

[Servbot41]

When you hire people based on their race and/or gender instead of talent or skill.

[Auron]

Bargain bin

[Da12RespectA]

I hope this game is good i payed $90 for it

[ZeekQuattro]

I'll wait for a price drop. Bioware put little effort into the game it seems so why should I reward them by paying full price? EA and Bioware dropped the ball on this one but seeing how 3 turned out I shouldn't of been shocked by this. ME 3 went from a game that was supposed to have up to 12 endings and every choice mattered to a 4 endings game after a later patch and choices meant jack shit in the end. ME Andromeda is off to a rocky start.

[RowSand]

The characters conversation are in real time gameplay graphics, not a acctuall cutscene which are far more realistic facial animation. The game will ship like this, i know that because my friends aunts husbands nephew works at ea

[fluxmulder]

Lol this is like Bethesda-level animation. Shame.

[Decastis]

Wrong time to put the unpaid interns to do all the work!

[toyzombie]

I hope the game doesn't tank just because off face animations

[Vantol]

It should tank, so other studios do not dare to release such garbage.

[JokerBoy422]

They spent more time making sure people who gender identify as dolphins would feel welcome than they did making sure the game actually worked. I hope this game is in the bargain bin next month. Maybe itll teach developers what is important and what isnt.

[BrianOBlivion]

Much ado about nothing.

[sid_pathan]

Just animation thing... !

[feraldrgn]

Wow, the eyes look so dead compared to the 1st game.

[aaronaton]

Just buy the Deluxe version, it comes with the 'Rose tinted glasses'.

[gazgriff2k12]

id like to know what the hell gone wrong have they sacked all there artist

[DrumBeat]

They do seem expressionless. The girl who picks up the gun in retaliation to the girl with cornrows is smiling very oddly, as if her expression didn't change from her previous engagement. She didn't look threatened or severe in any way. In fact, she looked like a happy kid in a candy store. You're holding a gun to an enemy and you're angry? Right?

[CrystalFantasy]

Inexcusable

[Dirtnapstor]

Maybe, just maybe everyone in this narrative happens to be an android? That would explain the robotic animations. Hopefully its just a matter of code error or some bug that's bypassing instruction creating this issue.

[feedthereaper]

Two things wrong with it. The eyes are not realistic of normal eyes and as such feels wrong straight from the start. There is a reason they say the eyes are the windows of the soul and in ME:A there is no window to any soul, the cupboard is bare!
And the second is that in real life, nobody stands and stares at you almost unblinking and rarely moving their eyes as they speak, it feels awkward and uncomfortable when people do that so it just doesn't really happen. People talk to other people with looking at them about 40% of the time, and the other 60% looking side to side, at other stimulation as they speak, backgrounds, the floor, their hands as they gesticulate, all causing head movements, flicks, etc. When you compare 2007 to now you can see the head is moving around, body language is telling as much as the words. There is none of that in the ME:A version and its seriously off-putting. If a stranger was talking to me in the way they were talking on ME:A, I would feel uncomfortable and try to avoid some of the eye contact with them. This is the behaviour we expect from an robot and is exactly the behaviour that makes us feel awkward around humanoid robots designed to look lifelike.

For a game that seems to rely heavily on cut scenes and face to face storytelling, it is a shame that they have not nailed it properly. The skin effects and graphics are brilliant but if you can't get the body language and eyes to feel realism then you need to scrap the idea of that style of gameplay.

[Surt]

They didn't want female ryder to be pretty as model that her look is inspired from. Fucking idiots.

[Reefskye]

You cant compare ME1 and ME:A their engines are nothing a like, given the fact that the unreal engine was the most commonly used engine back when ME1 game out compared to the frostbite engine that's only used in house because its forced by EA, that "10 years technological gap" means nothing because they haven't used frostbite for 10 years, People love to comment on technology they know nothing about.

Only developer who can fully use frostbite is DICE as they created the engine and all though Bioware had help from dice it was not developed by them.