Why I think Mass Effect Andromeda is going to be medicore at best

Rob from Kitsuga.com takes us through why what he has seen so far about Mass Effect Andromeda has him worried about the series future.

[Jollyk]

Having played all three of the original games recently, I semi agree with you. I think it will be good but the reason EA haven't explained much about the other races is that they want you to buy the game. I think visually it looks amazing and the story looks like it is actually building to what the franchise is all about. You explore space but now you're looking for a habitable planet to continue your species existence. The only real thing that annoys me with the game is the three versions you can buy, I mean the normal is pricey enough but the deluxe is nearly £20 more and the ultimate edition is near £90 and the only extra stuff you get with the ultimate is online features, I hated the online aspect of ME3 so for me to purchase that version they need to show me something that will entice me to purchase.

[Roblogfett]

the multiplayer was fun but don't hold characters out as dlc when they are important to the story. But I will play it not pre-ordering it but I will play. Hopefully i wont be let down.

[rivaldoo777]

What!! visually amazing?? Seriously?? I bet this games visual is going to be compared with HZD through out the year!

[FionnaFox]

The lack of information pre-release is what really has me worried. We hardly know anything about the game, beyond that its going to be "diffrent" and that worries me. Im also really worried about the multiplayer, which we havent seen any of beyond a quick preview.

I am excited for that Krogan Biotic tho.... also sleeping with people.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Except when did you know 100% of the story before any Mass Effect release?

[Stogz]

We definitely didnt; but at least before there were a bunch of sites that were going over key changes and gamefly and having info blowouts and we haven't gotten really anything like that, it doesn't strike you as a little odd?

[_-EDMIX-_]

@stog- accept it sounding like your cherry picking what you want to be given as information.

http://www.gameinformer.com...

http://www.gamespot.com/vid...

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

http://m.ign.com/articles/2...

So what I find odd is that you're blatantly ignoring that there's a bunch of sites that have been releasing information about the key changes of Mass Effect Andromeda..

So it is very difficult to say we haven't gotten something when I could post a series of links in literally a few seconds for me to look up the information.

So unless you've actually read every single last article about all the original Mass Effect from every single website that released information and then read all the Articles regarding Mass Effect Andromeda and found a difference between releases I'm not entirely sure how you came to a conclusion that one game was doing something that the other game was not you actually need to have some sort of proper documentation to prove your point regarding this

Something is wrong if I could prove to you that this information actually exist on other sites and you can not disprove that it doesn't.

Get working on an actual proper real argument if you really believe that this game has been showing less information because what you're actually saying is not a subjective concept it is an objective one , you are saying that it is doing something to a lesser degree , well actually start really posting 100% of what was released previously and show me the difference between what is being released right now.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Burn-"you are saying that it is doing something to a lesser degree , well actually start really posting 100% of what was released previously and show me the difference between what is being released right now"

read..

[Jon_Targaryen]

He should change his headline to "I want Mass Effect Andromeda to be medicore at best". Dude we all hated the ending of the original trilogy. If I can get over it; ANYBODY CAN!

[Roblogfett]

NEVER!!! But really hopefully it gives me those same feelings over watching the Normandy explode, but only time will tell.

[Gaming4Life1981]

I didnt hate the original ending of the mass effect trilogy but I did hate that privileged gamers made them change it. As for Andromeda its looks like game of the year and Im glad that they are holding back on spoiling the game to much this time. Mass effect is top notch and after the first trilogy was so good how can anyone have doubts.

I never really cared for the mp on this game and while fun, the sp was all I needed.

[EmperorDalek]

That "Privileged gamers" nonsense was debunked ages ago multiple times. It was a bad ending. And even if you personally didn't mind it, you cannot objectively look at it as anything other than bad. Especially considering the endings of 1&2 were so good..

I do agree though that all that should be left behind, they learned from their mistakes. Many of the Bioware employees had to see psychologists due to the negative reaction, which shows they took it badly.

People are complaining we don't know much about the game yet...But isn't that good? I hate it when trailers show all the good parts, I'm glad they're holding stuff back. Know one knows if a game's good or not until it's out... so lets just wait.

[Anzil]

I agree I loved the ending I just wish there was a final boss to really feel like I accomplished something overall but me being as nerdy about scifi as it gets, It was amazing. Lol at buddy below saying your wrong for liking the ending..... must be a liberal haha

[XenoBoone382]

100% agree. I had zero qualms with the original ending & I love the fact that Andromeda hasn't show all of it's cards but has shown just enough to hook us.

[LAWSON72]

I am not over it the last bit of the that game was a joke and I will always try to ignore its existence. I could accept all the underwhelming results your decisions had, but that ending was nonsense.

[Adrian_v01]

He should change his profession. The article is barely readable and it's hard to understand his sentences when he apparently decided to toss grammar and punctuation into the trash bin.

The ME3 ending was what it was. Mid trilogy there was a change of the writer who seemingly had a different idea for the overall story, so the messy ending was to be expected. Doesn't mean that Andromeda will be messy, even if the same writer stays (don't know who's the writer for this one), but if he's given the chance to tell his story from start to finish it might be good. Though I'm already seeing choices questionable to the plot, e.g. why would they have sent Krogans to Andromeda with the other races, if at the time the Arc was built the common consensus was to erase the Krogan species?

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Well the directors cut ending was an improvement. Seems like everyone forgot about it.

[2pacalypsenow]

Mass Effect lost all it's luster after the 2nd one imo

[Phill-Spencer]

I agree. bought the trilogy when it released on ps3. While the first one was amazing to me, i thought the second was okay and didn't even finish the turd one. ^^

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Third was my favorite or at least tied with the second.

[tyasia0]

Andromeda doesn't look anything like what I enjoyed about the first 2 (3) games

I have no intention of pre-ordering. I'll wait and see how it turns out.

I want an RPG with shooter elements not a shooter with RPG elements.

[sullynathan]

The funny about that is that shooters with rpg elements work better than rpgs with shooter elements. Take Mass Effect 2 and compare it with mass effect 1. Or even the original Deus Ex, strip it off the useless rpg mechanics and it would have been better for it.

[tyasia0]

Uh... well COD comes out each year so no worries for you there eh?

[sullynathan]

what does COD have to do with my comment?

[zidane1341]

Deus ex was great, as was the first mass effect. 2 was watered down and crap compared to 2. Go back to call of duty like the other dude said. Deus ex was phenomenal BECAUSE of the RPG elements, smarty pants.

[sullynathan]

Deus Ex would have been better if it removed some of its useless skills that were there just because it wanted to have rpg mechanics. Deux Ex is great for its level design and amount of choices it gave the player. Again, The original deus ex had weapon mods in the game and certain useless skills like swimming that no one used and other skills that the weapon mods did far better.

Typical stupid N4G users that can't use their brains. They default to "go back to COD" when they don't have an argument.

[Adrian_v01]

They do have an argument though. If your don't like RPG elements in shooters then play shooters and don't complain about RPG shooters. Your argument is illogical.

Also your point about Deus Ex is stupid, those skills were optional. If you didn't like them then you didn't have to get them, but stop forcing your opinion that they shouldn't even be there on others who enjoyed them.

[Gatsu]

I agree with you.

[sullynathan]

@Adrian are you stupid? How is me making a comment, forcing my opinion?

Optional or not, it's called bloat. Why have useless skills in your game for the sake of having it? A great rpg would know better.

@Gatsu yeah thanks

[sullynathan]

Again, you mistake having useful skills with the most powerful ones.

There's a different from making wrong choices in a game and the developers putting useless abilities in the game. Useless abilities obviously show that the devs didn't plan it through. Giving the player choice to go a path in the game that would eventually lead them to failure is different.

You're an idiot if you think N4G members hitting the disagree button actually means anything.

No one was talking about min max either. Take the first dark souls for example. You have the skill resistance that your can level up yet it's completely useless because you have enough buff's and armor to raise your resistance. That's why the shitty skill was removed from the game in dark souls 2 & 3. Tell me how something that useless added replayability?

That's what I'm talking about when the original deus ex had skills in the game that were useless eden weapon upgrades took care of it and did it better.

[PlayableGamez-]

Even if you get the game, it's pretty obvious you are going to go into game to hate it and not try and enjoy it.

[EmperorDalek]

What the hell even is an RPG with "Shooter elements"? It's combat is shooting based, the RPG stuff goes around that. Along with the upgradeable abilities of course. Mass Effect 3 had some pretty decent RPG elements, despite what people say. The only difference between ME3 and ME1 is that the original had tons of unnecessary armor and weapons. Or useless upgrades.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agree to the original Mass Effect blessed hard for at least trying to attempt to something was just completely awful in regards to trying to be an RPG.

The item management was just terrible I gave up trying to play that game as an RPG pretty early on is simply played the main story straight forward.

Even though I wanted to play Mass Effect doesn't RPG I respect that Mass Effect 2 and 3 went with an execution that worked for the team and I actually prefer what they did with those two games.

The execution was far better with Mass Effect 2 and 3 and they successfully did what they sought out to do with those two games in comparison to the first one where it's feels like you're playing a game by the developer that is very confused.

[sullynathan]

That's because stupid kids on N4G don't really know what they want. What they want is a shooter with light rpg elements/ action game with light rpg mechanics that's why they praise games like Mass Effect 2 and the witcher series. In reality ,they don't realize that tacking on lots of rpg mechanics to a non-rpg game usually ends up very poorly a'la Mass Effect 1.

[_-EDMIX-_]

??

Accepted Mass Effect 2 and 3 we're pretty much Shooters with Light Elements of RPG.

Even the first Mass Effect made a brave attempt at trying to merge the two and in my opinion they failed it is clear that they had an idea for a specific concept but that they was not well executed and they had to change what they were doing with Mass Effect 2 and 3.

I understand that you want an RPG with shooter elements but technically speaking you might have continued or want that with the original Three because I could not ever say they were RPGs with shooter elements more like the other way around.

I don't really consider going from one chapter to the other "leveling up", because technically speaking by the ending of the game you already have the same things that everybody else is pretty much going to have by the time they're at the last boss.

Ironically believe Mass Effect 2 and 3 6s has more to do with them working with the mechanics that made sense. It made more sense for the team to focus on a linear shooter type experience with light RPG options than to try to make this huge open world side Westfield RPG and it is very clear they were unable to do that with the first game and decided to go down a more linear path with the next 2.

Nothing is wrong with that the Mass Effect 2 and 3 games or really good based on what the team was trying to execute.

I want Mass Effect Andromeda to be the concept that the team has been working to attempt since the very first game, but I'm not going to sit here and pretend as if Mass Effect 2 in 3 or even 1 or even solid RPGs.

I never played any of the three Mass Effect games with the idea of leveling up specific characters.....

I could only "level up" those characters to the limits of the actual chapters of the game itself.

ie I could not just randomly go off the beaten path to a random planet and do a side quest and level up

They tried that the best they could with the first game in it just did not work out likely because of the technical limitations of the 360 using the DVD format a second time vs obtaining a larger format

Because of that you are more so left with a pretty linear experience that did not really give you much chances to level up at your own pace, I beat all the Mass Effect games around 21 hours....

I understand you want Andromeda to be more so of an RPG but you have to consider it the last three games were barely even that in the first place.

If they're able to pull that off with this game I'll be very happy to hear that.

I definitely want a bunch of planets as optional side quest and I want to be able to put 80 hours in the game crafting my character to my liking.

[Kreisen]

ME1 was an rpg with shooter elements becouse no matter how you played it majority of your time would not be spend shooting things, it would be chatting to npcs, exploring, managing your inventory, reading etc. The original vision for Mass Effect was very, very clear from the start. What changed is around the time they started brainstorming ideas for the sequal COD4 came out and blew everything away sales wise. So the games after turned into corridor shooters.
I said it before and ill say it again, if ME simply built on what the original established it could potentially be as big as even Elder Scrolls (the Star Wars of gaming maybe? ok maybe thats going too far lol), instead the franchise is in the gutter.

[sullynathan]

This was a very short article with little reasoning behind it.

[OB1Biker]

That short stream of consciousness sounds a bit medicore at best, click bait at worst.
;)
Seriously no need to worry. Wait and see. It will be awesome, or maybe not. Can t really say before playing it, can we?

[bluefox755]

I agree, after Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition, which seemed to focus more on virtue signalling than compelling gameplay and narrative, I don't have very high hopes for this.

[shammgod]

I agree with the article. Good thing there are literally 5-6 games releasing beginning with Nioh today that will keep me busy for a while.

[Meltic]

Very worried, they haven't showed us much yet. Either is the Marketing guys really really bad or they are hiding something that they dont want us to see.

[tdogchristy90]

They are hiding that it's the same thing as the original trilogy. Just a "next-gen" coat of paint. I think that's what will make this mediocre, is that it's lacking that originally from the originals, the IP is no longer "new" and "fresh".

[Meltic]

No i Think this game will do just fine. It's the marketing guys that sucks. I loved all of the games so far and this new mass effect have a new story, so it should feel new and fresh.

[OB1Biker]

Yea they are not very good at promoting it IMO
I do like what they are going for in the story as a setting.
Lots of potential and no doubt it will keep me engaged for a long time. Hopefully the story is well put together

Edit.
On a side note people use 'mediocre' (or try to) too often to define their own disappointment vs their expectation, and 'at best' doesn't really make sense either.
That poor quality opinion piece shouldn't have been approved. Surely someone can write up something better to submit.

[showtimefolks]

Combat looks very weak. Story and universe I don't know about but so far combat looks weak

[starchild]

It looks better than the combat in the first three games, and those were all extremely well received.

[showtimefolks]

I am not saying it's actually weak. I just noticed that from some of the videos and I hope it's not weak

[ifrit_caress]

Let's just be wary not to get so hyped.

[S-Word]

Because the developers are SJWs.

[Segata]

I think so as well. Bioware is a stripped company. ME3 was trash. The last Dragon Age is VERY mediocre at best and in other areas...awful. Bioware is a shell of a company. Right now they are surviving on a past reputation that is eroding. The best writers left the company some time ago.

[TheColbertinator]

Wow you just made me realize that. The writers from KOTOR,Baldurs Gate,Mass Effect 1,Dragon Age Origins and Jade Empire are mostly gone.

[dkp23]

Damn those games were awesome. Bioware games recently have not been stellar

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Bioware hit it stride with Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age II. Everything since has gotten better and better, imo .. Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition being there best.

[Stogz]

There really seems to be much less info about this game than any previous entry, which is why I was sure it'd get delayed. It's definitely strange that they're holding so much back but I'm still excited for it and hope it's as fun as the previous ones.

[LAWSON72]

I have been ignoring news, though seems scarce anyway, It will be nice to go in some what blind and thanks to Switch and Horizon coming out right before its launch I will not really be too anxious to play it.

Hard to focus on this games release when the next few months (and last month) are insane, I got to finish up ToBerseria and then play Horizon, Zelda, MEA, Persona, Yooka Laylee, and hopefully Prey if it delivers. This is shaping up to be an insane year, there were tons of games I did not even mention simply because these are just my day one buys.

[jer1122]

I'm just going to say something crazy. I love to Mass Effect 3 and honestly I didn't have a problem with the ending. I love 2 as well obviously it's probably the better game but it did feel like a filler Mission and three did feel to me like the continuation of a story. I just didn't have a problem with the ending. I know a lot of people are upset that your choice in the end didn't matter. Its like tell tale games as the example the ending there similar but the way you get there is different that's going to how I always looked at a Mass Effect game it's kind of hard to program 7 million endings.

[bamillington]

i expect something very similar

[Artemidorus]

Enjoyed the trilogy but I am going to wait for reviews.

[kindkinesis]

i think it is gonna be a decent or a great game but i feel the hardcore original me fans are not gonna be that happy cuz nostalgia is hard to argue against

[NecoTehSergal]

The only thing Bioware has fucked up in my mind, is Dragon Age. ME1,2,3 were great all in their own feats and accomplishments, while being similar and familiar, yet not always the same - but not deviating so far away as DA1 did with 2 and the like.

So, being as much money and time is being given to Bioware to make this game, as we should all remember? Mass Effect Andromeda was made fun of so much for them 'hyping' a game that hadn't even shown so much as a trailer before. They've been working on it for a long time, we can hope most of that is in refining and making it great so it won't fail expectations - since the game isn't being rushed we could give the benefit of the doubt rather than spontaneously playing devil's advocate, in my opinion.

It will be good or great unless evidence shows otherwise. The only thing I hate about Bioware and Mass Effect isn't even game-related, it's that they have a guy named MANVEER HEIR - who is a racist fucking cunt, who lets everyone know he hates White people - and yet he's never fired for his outrageous, racist statements. He's a KEY developer for Bioware and he's given a free pass and frankly? I really don't want to support or buy Mass Effect or anything Bioware until he's fired as he should've been years ago. If it was a white guy making racist statements to Islamic, Muslim or Black people? He'd be fired and be refused work for fucking LIFE.

[Mason666]

Medicore? What is this? Like one step below hardcore? Maybe you meant Mediocre...

[deafdani]

Medicore journalist.

[QUIMICOMORTAL]

I feel the same

[dkp23]

Its odd they have released limited details if the game and not much marketing.

[deafdani]

Accuses a game that's not been released yet of being mediocre.

Can't spell mediocre right.

Lmao.

[windblowsagain]

Tried the mass effect games, and could only play for awhile. Story seems ok and certain aspects of the gameplay are decent. But action and animation is so stiff and boring.

Hopefully for new people wanting to play the new one, they've made it more exciting.

[SaveFerris]

Have to wait and see.

[CrimsonWing69]

Why I don't care what you think.

[dolfa]

yes it looks like another money grab with all what was shown its going to be another disastrous inquisition at best Rip mass effect

[dolfa]

KROGAN COCK

[Mithan]

This is article is stupid.
Mass Effect 1 had virtually NO information before it came out, just a cool video and a giant "hand" that came out of the screen, picking people's interests. People's worries are unfounded.

The game is about discovery, going into the unknown, etc, it is part of the reason for playing the game in the first place.

You are worried they are not doing what? Spoiling all the secrets for the game in order to make websites happy?
I am very happy no information is forthcoming, hope that continues.

If anybody is worried about quality concerns, be intelligent and wait a few days for reviewers and gamers to sound in on the game. After about 4 years, 4 more days wont kill anybody and if it does, that is called Darwanism.

[alfcrippinjr]

some how i dont think it going to beat the older series that was amazing to play and the story was good
looking at the game play of the new one its looks just like a ps3 version of the game

[iamlegend9999]

In my opinion, the series probably can never live up to the original trilogy. The reapers were main reason for the success of the franchise, they were probably the best antagonist a game can give.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

I've played plenty of mediocre games that eventually grew on me, from people like Ubisoft, EA, etc, so I won't write this off completely until I've experienced it myself.

[_-EDMIX-_]

smh, still holding out hope

[3-4-5]

* The trailer didn't excite me but I was really excited until then..,.well I still am...can't wait to play it, but I"ve lowered my expectations a bit.

I think it will be a solid addition to the Mass Effect Franchise.