Your discussions of Andromeda are what convinced me to buy the game and play it. I enjoyed playing with Sara Ryder so much that I'm starting a runthrough with Scott. You hit on many of the aspects of the game that I enjoyed. Getting to hear the squadmates converse, grow friendships with each other, is easily one of my favorite parts. Plus there's something appealing about the PC being a flawed, untrained character that grows into a respected leader. For this game, that worked well.
Does the commentary change much with Scott? Yea I really enjoyed my playthrough of andromeda, certainly has it's rough patches, but overall it's not a bad game at all
It's funny. Everyone I've met who truely finished this game always acknowledge that it's a fantastic 7-8 of 10 game. It was the rough release and the fact that it was immediately compared to the trilogy. Honestly. For me. Bugs aside, and my favourite romance (*Vetra* all others are irrelevant) being too tame (come on Bioware I want some lesbian Turian action) and not fleshed out as much as others. It is completely superior. The story was fresh and interesting, the link to the originals were so good. The characters were just as interesting in spite of only one game vs three. And holy shit I love the movement in this game. The thruster and the biotic movement is SO satisfying.
I fully finished the game and not only is it a 4, I don't remember any of the characters names. Started ME1 legendary and remebered character names of characters I haven't thought about in years.
I really like that you make the point of Ryder earning his respect from the crew. Most people forget how immature a 22 year old can be. In one week I'll be completing my 4th playthrough of MEA. There are so many nice things I have found this time! I especially enjoyed the music, which for some reason, i didn't pay attention the previous times.
Congrats on playthrough number four! What class/profile/play style is your favorite? Also I agree, the music is fantastic; my only complaint is it is under utilized, we needed more sections where the music is front and center.
@@ExaltedMarch I usually play explorer because it is the new class. But this time I was a pure engineer the whole time. I'm also trying to get the High Performance achievement (rank 6 for all profiles), and I only have rank 6 for the hybrid classes. Using cryo beam and shattering enemies is so much fun!
I was going to say the part about being immature and 22, so won't repeat that. Building on that, I think an Andromeda 2 would be the best course. I'd love to see a Ryder with more experience under his belt. With Shepard, she was already formed. Her personality being molded / her formative years, came before the first game. Ryder, maturing through a series, would be very very interesting. I also hope they build on the good and continue. It's worth it. ME1, while story wise not as flawed, was also still a very flawed game. I think people forget that. I have hopes, dreams and fears for the next mass effect. Will they build on what they have, and continue stories in Andromeda.... or bail and knee jerk reaction as is all to common in the game industry. In this case, that's the way my gut tells me they'll go. Andromeda got a lot of bad PR, so did Anthem, I fear Mass Effect's next outing will play it safe to the detriment of all.
@@FlukasMcDoogle well to be fair, Ryder before they become pathfinder did have some basic training because of your father. but not to the level Shephard was starting in mass effect 1, that's because you were already an experienced soldier by the time the game starts. to become a commander it takes awhile to get up in those ranks. Ryder knew enough how to use a weapon to a degree, but it's almost like a rookie starting out. not only that but since your father was the pathfinder for however long he was when you first start the game, there wasn't much of a reason for you to be on the frontlines, but your dad did send Ryder on some small missions, but not anything that was too dangerous.
Always love hearing your take on Andromeda. It’s so refreshing to hear someone talk about how good it actually was, despite its flaws, and I know I can always count on you for that! Looking forward to your next video 💛
@@ExaltedMarch Kadara was decent, the opposite was Voehl. The damn side missions were incredibly annoying. Speaking of sidemissions. One of the worst issues with MEA is that sometimes you have to stupidly leave the planet just to instantly return to advance the plot of missions and side missions. The insanity of loading screens did damage the immersion imho.
Most of the time, i kind of thought that i play a casual exploration game, very light hearted, for fun game. Doesnt feel like mass effect trilogy. But it has its own charm for me personally.
Andromeda frustrated me. I played it to completion and found it to be a great game bogged down by serious flaws. There are seriously great things here and it would be a crying shame if they abandoned it altogether. I agree and am on board with all that you say. I would be pleased if they made a sequel to MEA as much as I would like to see a game continue in the Milky Way. If I were to add anything to your list of what Andromeda got right, it would be continuing the Galaxy map exploration, the Kett, and the music. The Kett specifically, I thought they were pretty neat concept, though bland at times, that had honest glimmers of thought and inspiration put into their backstory and history in the Andromeda Galaxy.
I really enjoyed listening to team conversations in the Nomad. They were really well developed and you learned a lot about all of them and how they interacted with each other. The huge disappointment was how they interact with you, the player.
Yup I loved the non-combat crew arcs. Everyone looked at me as crazy when I made the case for Economy in Andromeda. So cool I found someone else who noticed.
With the exception of the technical bugs that were mostly resolved with patches, Andromeda’s biggest problem in my mind was the lack of civilization. If I wanted to play a western I would boot up Red Dead Redemption. Mass Effect was amazing because the setting was a futuristic cosmopolitan universe with dozens of races a and cultures and cities to explore. In Andromeda you got a few outposts made from glorified shipping containers and only one new culture to engage. It just felt small and retrograde compared to the original series.
This is a proper criticism of the game. I agree that the lack of civilization was a problem. They tried to explain it away with saying that the war with the kett had eroded away angaran civilization but that still didn’t follow. Techiix and Hjara were tiny even though Techiix was described as being large. We learn that Estraaja is the capital of Voeld and that it’s a big city but then why does the playable area of Voeld not include the big capital city? The real answer is time and budget. MEA wasn’t managed well enough and so stuff was cut out. Even the Taerve Uni settlement ends up being bigger than the anagaran settlements and it was built by the Initiative presumably in weeks. As much as I love Andromeda criticisms like these are accurate and fair.
It would’ve been nice to see some actual settlements and cities. Hopefully if we see Meridian again it will be the new Citadel in its density. If it HAS to be a space western I would’ve preferred if we were on the Nexus team instead of the Hyperion. That way we actually see the birth of the exiles, the krogan leaving, and we would experience First contact with the Kett and Angara.
Sense of exploration also got degraded, because instead of YOU being the first. You notice that all the worlds you're visiting somehow are filled with exiled members of the Initiative and outlaws. So you sense of exploration gets diminished because others got a huge headstart and claimed a lot of stuff.
My gosh this has to be one of the most greatest acknowledgements of MEA accomplishments. I was one of the few who absolutely love MEA and hope for a sequel to improve the game. Thank you very much good sir
@@klarnorbert we don't know that for sure as they said they are working on a new mass effect game and the director of MEA is working on the next mass effect game. It also makes sense to have a sequel has they can't continue after ME3 and any other thing done will be spin off that will not have Shepherd has the main protagonist.
@@klarnorbert what? I just said that they are working on something other than the remaster as you can see that the director of MEA and Casey Hudson are working on that thing and it is more likely that a remaster and a new game are being made. Do you have anything to support why they are not making a new ME?
I've been meaning to thank you Jordan. For some time I was only a fan of Dragon Age and wasn't really planning on playing Mass Effect (not sure why, I like sci-fi as much as fantasy). Then I started to listen to more and more of your podcasts and streams with Caitie, and guess what, over a year ago I finished both the trilogy and Andromeda (completed a few playthroughs by now). You speak with great enthusiasm, it's positively overwhelming and contagious, so thanks to you I've ended up loving DA and ME equally for different reasons. I suppose I just needed that final push or something. Keep it up and take care!
More than anything I’m just glad you got to enjoy this wonderful series of games that I love. Glad I could influence that positively in any way. Thanks for watching and listening!
I liked Andromeda though I've only played through it once, and that was launch week. I think the next new mass effect game, remasters aside, should be a continuation of Ryder's story there is still so much to learn and see there.
@@charbucket1830 Sadly we won't be seeing anymore of ryder. The new mass effect is confirmed to be set in the milky way a few centuries after the defeat of the reapers.
@@achillesrodriguezxx3958 We might tho, we still don't know what the kett is planning so there is potential for them to be included on the new ME. Unless Bioware literally plans ME:A to just run parallel with ME without it colliding thus separating the two story lines
With all the bad sentiment it got...it made me doubt they will continue ryder story. I hope it will though, it has potential and feels like a prolog of something bigger.
I'm glad to hear from someone who isn't just frothing at the mouth saying: "It sucks, but I won't give any reason other than I don't like it." Granted, it had flaws, it deserved some criticism, but so do many other games and game developers, like Bethesda for instance. Andromeda didn't deserve HALF the shit it got, but that's just my opinion. Thank you good sir. You've just earned a subscriber, and I'm letting all the homies know about you.
I Agree they sold a lie and we all know it. However the game wasn't as bad as ppl like to talk shit about. Andromeda had alot of amazing things and systems that should be brought to a new mass Effect game.
I'm unpartial, I really liked the game in some aspects. But as John Ryan said. The game was freaking broken. The "early access" copy was more stable than the final version for months. And they still left a ton of bugs unfixed, specially for multiplayer. And unlike the other games. EA just been going on a abandoning the games they promised to fix. But I also agree Andromeda got shit for other stuff that should have never been there. Including the idiocy of the "SJW" attacks. All because this time you got CORA a tomboyish woman instead of a giant tittied and assed copy of Miranda. Other things were the opposite of what Exalted Mach said. They also looked clearly different. For example: While they got a ton of changes and variations for environment, gear customization, etc.. They destroyed what made ME also special. Aka the character creator and species variations. Almost all characters look like copycats with only skin color changes. Salarians, Turians and Asari are completely identical in every aspect, only changing the suit or skin color. Gone were the impressive variation of Salarian and Asari faces.
Very well said. I admit I was disappointed after my first playthrough and I'd be lying if I said it was my favorite ME game, but I still enjoy playing it. Kadara is all around wonderful, there's some fun silly moments, and I still go to Havarl just to walk around. Ryder's growth could've been implemented better, but I actually liked that first meeting. It fit well with how I played my Ryder. I also kinda like the chip on Cora's shoulder in the beginning and wish I could've had more of a rivalry phase with her.
That comparison to the trilogy will always be there. Those are incredible games to live up to. I just think there's a lack of focus on what MEA did well on its own. Also good point on Cora, wish there was also more on that point.
My best friend has always loved Andromeda and said that it was really underrated. I played it only briefly when it came out and nowhere near enough to give it a fair shot, but I have to say I remember generally really enjoying what I played, especially the new conversation wheel. I think doing away with "paragon, neutral, and renegade" in favor of "casual, professional, logical, and emotional" was a welcome shift in this entry, and considering what you said about Ryder, another positive way to separate Ryder from Shepard and make them more distinct. I'm roughly halfway through my playthrough of Legendary Edition, and I'd already determined that after credits roll on ME3, I'm going to give Andromeda a fair shake and push through to the end, especially in anticipation of the incoming fifth game. After watching this video, I'm looking forward to it even more. After hearing 4 years of almost nothing but people trashing the game, it's really nice to see someone saying they love the game and pointing out solid reasons why. Thank you :)
I just finished my first play-through of Andromeda and honestly I enjoyed it. There was definitely some repetitive filler, bad dialogue, & anticlimactic moments. But there were also some thrilling moments and great character development. Really bummed to hear there won’t be a sequel. Felt like the story was really going somewhere.
I'm glad someone put this out there, I always felt the exploration and the mobility in combat were excellent in this game. The story could use a lot of work but you are right many of the sidequests were done very well. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, it's been hard to go back to ME1,2, and 3 without jump jets. I do hope they get rid of the profiles and changing up classes as I noticed I have less interest in going back to play MEA because trying out a different class can be done in one playthrough.
The combat in this game was beyond perfect. Biotic Pull an enemy way up in the air, then Biotic Charge them into orbit, trigger the Extended Hover & snipe a couple of plebs, then Charge back down.
I really like what you said here. I bought Andromeda on day 1 but still haven't finished it after it's flaws. I couldn't forgive what MEA got wrong, but I also wouldn't flatly condemn it 100%. It got several things very right and they were great. I have tentative plans to either start over, or try to finish the run I started years ago.
I think a story like Andromeda was something worthy of a series 10 games in. There's so much more story to be had in the Milky Way. I'd like to see a smaller-scale story that didn't involve Lovecraftian death machines (awesome band name) and played off the wrinkles left by ME3. Effects of the genophage cure. Potential for Turian/Human conflict given humanity's role in defeating the reapers. Backlash over the Asari hording a prothean beacon for 1000s of years. Possible re-emergence of the rachni. Batarian relief.
While I understand your point about all the dialogue, so much of it is just plain eye-rolling. There’s a part on Habitat 7 where Liam says that he thought he pissed that enemy off because he shot it in the face.
I actually passed over this game until recently. The announcements of a new Mass Effect game in the works made me want to revisit the series, but the announcement of a legendary edition of the trilogy made me want to wait until it was out to play with updated graphics. So I decided to give Mass Effect Andromeda a try. And I have to say that I am not disappointed. All the bad publicity it got was not deserved.
My big gripe with MEA is the Kett just aren’t interesting as adversaries. I was actually hoping they’d see the Milky Way species as invaders which could open up Kett factionalism and real diplomatic gameplay. As it is, they feel like a mishmash of the Collectors and Protheans. By the endgame I was grinding and didn’t care about why I was slaughtering truckloads of Kett.
Regarding your last point, I think the issue was that Ryder's growth as a leader didn't show up until near the end of the game, after many hours and many side missions later, at which point I think a lot of players just kinda rushed towards the end so never got a lot of time with this developed Ryder. Perhaps this issue many have been less evident had Bioware not abandoned the game post launch, we might have gotten DLC content with a more confident, competent leader, so opinions may have shifted but alas, we never got the Quarian Arc DLC.
Your content is really interresting, an in deph analysis of Bioware and Spiders games like I never seen before. Funny point, is that I always said that Spiders is the spiritual successor of the Kotor era Bioware games and you said it and I find it really interresting that you identified better than me why those games (Technomancer, Greedfall, Mars War Logs) are so Kotor-like. Good work guy ;)
Maaan, I've just finished it and was totally mind-blown by how satisfying and good it was. Even shed a tear at the little nod to Mako landing at the end. 😄 The fact that the game was a bit slow and lackluster at first made it even better. And the fact that Ryder was such an awful and juvenile character at first, makes them so much more likable by the end. I've finished almost the whole entirety of the game's quests. They were sometimes boring, but more often the stories were intriguing and satisfying. You speak my mind on every part of the game. Really sad that it got such a bad rap, because it may make the devs decide to leave behind so many of its advantages over the past trilogy. It's biggest problem was the trilogy before that and people being unprepared for a new story. I've personally viewed Shep as an absurd and comical character in how heroic and strong they were. Ryder may be slightly ridiculous as well, but they feel so much more real. The biggest downside of the game, in my opinion, was the pacing and slight patchiness of the story and, for a big fan, small and fortunately rare lore-breaking details. Thank you for the video! It deserves so much more attention and views.
I agree with Yea Yong (sorry if I spelled his name wrong) that its biggest problem is its tone. It's too lighthearted and goofy to immerse me in the story's conflict. The Kett also feel like a nuisance more than a genuine existential threat, and that's a major problem.
There was a recent vid by Seamus Young that talked about six story pillars ME1 set up that the other games neglected. - Having agency as a member of an elite group - Having a unique fast stealth ship that can go where others can't - Having unique knowledge, the Beacon, the Cipher - The idea of unactivated Mass Relays and unexplored space - The Reapers as a ticking clock driving everything - A companion with unique archaeological knowledge to use as a quest hook giver Interestingly, MEA feels like it tries to bring those all back. Spectres/the Pathfinder, Normandy/Tempest, the Cipher/SAM, unexplored space/all of Andromeda, the Reapers/the Remnant, Liara/Peebee. They were going somewhere with this, it seemed. Perhaps planning to open up the Andromeda galaxy in a later game?
Andromeda had its problems at launch, but it didn’t deserve to be abandoned so quickly. They should’ve at least done the quarian dlc before they gave up. The combat and movement were fun and I thought the mix and match class system were great.
I just finished playing the game twice now and I understand the issues the fans had with the game being something different from the original trilogy but I fell in love with the Angarans and the potential of Andromeda. BioWare has never failed to pull me in with their supporting characters and the fun dialogue between them and after playing it through a few times I can really see the way they set up for a potential sequel with the Ryder siblings together with a chance to cure their mother and a possibility of finding more arks as well as so much more that BioWare has sprinkled in. The Pathfinder kind of did for me what she did for the Milky Way people she has me hoping for more and wanting to get answers I really hope that BioWare takes the time to enhance this new galaxy they created and the characters they have established to build what could potentially be a new and improved protagonist trailblazing a path to a new trilogy that can be just as in depth and well received as its predecessor. I apologize for ranting I just really enjoyed the game and missed many nights of sleep to play it with no regrets and more hopes for the future of the series:)
Amdromeda is a game that had all the right pieces to be truly great, but was put together badly, like a assembling a big Lego or Mechano set without instructions. (The combat was the best in the Mass Effect franchise _by far,_ though... despite being slightly tarnished by not being able to tell your squadmates which powers to use and/or on which enemies.)
This game really could have been great with some more content- more arks, races, fauna, powers. You're right about the linear missions. I have a back up save before each one because they're so good- also so I can respec and try them different ways. Liam's, Drax's and the finale really stood out for me.
Great video. I'd disagree on the core part of mass effect being exploration. Even in the first game exploration was not the running theme. The narrative made clear it was a hunt to find saren and stop him. You weren't exploring for the sake of it. One of my disliked design choices i believe bioware made developing andromeda, was making exploration the most prominent aspect of their game. The crews talking to each other more was great but I rarely got to hear an entire conversation as sam would constantly be blurting out nonesense. Combat? eh I could take it or leave it, I had more fun in 3.I really wasnt a fan of auto cover messing up my shots,or the removal of the power wheel and setting combo's with squadmates. Most combat in andromeda was in an open plain/desert/ice field with very little interactivity, so the actually good levels of the main quest was too few and far between them. I personally would like more of a return to form in terms of gameplay to something closer to 3.
Just picked up Andromeda on Xbox Game Pass and having heard you sing the praises of this game on Split the Veil, and besides my brother you're one of the few people who genuinely does defend the game, I had to check your channel for the reasons why before I played. Great content!
The remnant Sweeper AR is dangerous if you alter the fire mode to full auto and craft it with kinetic coils and other augments and upgrades to boost its damage and it does more damage than a mattock with full auto and it goes by overheating rather than thermal clips. Thing is if you save up your loot from remnant sources you can make more money selling it on Kadara.
I connected with Scott Ryder the most because he was overwhelmed with the burden of leadership in a frontier. Where experience was neede, Ryder no choice but to rise up to the challenge or be shaped by impossible odds.
As a staunch Andromeda detractor, I surprisingly agree with most of your points (though, honestly I could really take or leave vehicle segments entirely) up until your commentary on Ryder. Subjectivity on their personality aside, the main problem with them is that they rip the role playing aspect out of your hands. Mainly in the first two Mass Effect games, Shepard would not open their mouth until you told them what to say. While the two extremes of the character amounts to being a Space Saint or an Intergalactic Dickhead, there was enough room for nuance that you, they player, could mold your Shepard to fit what kind of character you wanted them to be. Ryder on the other hand feels far too on rails. Despite having anywhere between two & four responses to questions with different tones, they all really amount to Ryder being the same character. A snarky, immature, brat. A common defense I hear is that "well, they're young and inexperienced" but that shouldn't be an obstacle. Everyone knows a young person/young people and they don't all have a uniformed mold that they fit in. Especially given the circumstance the character is thrown in, players could have made Ryder's personality as snarky & immature as they are in the main game, but maybe they could have also made their Ryder a more solemn & serious character or perhaps angry & arrogant or hopeful & cheery or any number of traits that would drastically affect the Nexus' perception of their new, inexperienced leader while drastically effecting the way they desire to work with you. I get they wanted to try something new compared to the Paragon/Renegade system, but when all roads basically lead Ryder to the same place, I feel they utterly failed to make a protagonist that can stand proudly alongside Shepard as a Role Playing Game protagonist, experienced or not.
You bring up some fair points for future installments. My biggest issues with MEA were the empty worlds, lack of races, and juvenile dialogue. Good video.
To talk about Ryder and the contrast with Shepard. The issue I have ISN'T that Ryder is young and untested, my issue is this is not MY character. Ryder is BioWare's character and they decide how we play as them. To show what I mean, in ME1 and Dragon Age: Inquisition you can have a number conversations with Ashley and a number of other characters in DAI where the subject of Religion is approached and you are given a couple of options. Said options being, admit you are likewise Religious, not be religious but remain polite, be uncertain what you feel on the subject or be an ass to the Religious person. This is a DEEPLY person question that doesn't have a right or wrong answer but the name gives you the option to answer as you see fit. MEA DOESN'T do this, when Suvi asks you if you're religious or not you're only given two options, be religious or insult the Religious person by saying their is no god. This is one of the few times the Ryder's can be a jerk and it's a point that MOST people Won't want to be a jerk but you HAVE to pick one of two extremes which comes off like the writers forcing a subject that they they drop being being rude to Suvi will not come back up when we talk to her later. The reason Shepard was written as they were was to give players the option to play the PC a they saw fit which is how BioWare had handled ALL their other PC's and ALL are loved by fans for this reason. Making the Ryder siblings people who are untrained isn't a bad thing but the arc is not one we have any say in. To look at another BioWare protagonist The Inquisitor from DAI, you are often asked how you are feeling about events and are someone who finds themselves leading a disorganized army after the DA equivalent of the Pope was killed and YOU are the one many are blaming for this situation. You must prove you are innocent and either manipulate those around you or work to convince that working together is the only option to turn this rabble into an army that will shake the Earth as it marches. Or in The Old Republic as the Sith Warrior or Sith Inquisitor, you arrive with nothing, you start out as the lowest of lows, a slave or a pawn in someone else's game and slowly climb the ranks until you gain the respect of those above you for all the good and bad that entails. Those you meet at first see you as less then nothing and believe you will die and be just another foot note in their great story but through skill and determination only you emerge triumphant and thus proving you are more then what those above you believed you were. Ryder is leading because of SAM, they are not given a chance to prove themselves and you have no real say in the events that transpire. You cannot be play as a Renegade, a Paragon or a Snarky little Shit. You're Dialogue Options are either be a nice person but not to nice or make a joke. To close this out, look at the scene in MEA between Ryder and Drack where Drack covers his backstory and how he came to be a father. In this moment you have very little input and no real chance to add to this scene. Drack is talking about being a father and you lost your father, yet you don't add anything to this moment. In DAI when talking to Dorian about his father it is a chance to bond with him and to decide if you help to mend his relationship with his estranged father or have him walk away from a man you may see as toxic. You don't make this choice because the fate of a alien race or the galaxy depends on it but because Dorian is your friend and he needs someone to help him through this. When it came time to help Drack and his daughter in their subplot it felt like I was just doing it because I had nothing else to do and even when you make a choice, you still don't really decide because this relationship and how it plays out will remain unchanged as the story goes on. I agree that Ryder doesn't have to be Shepard but Revan, The Inquisitor, The Warden and Hawke aren't Shepard and neither are any of the PCs in TOR but they are all loved by fans because they are shaped by us. Ryder is a character we have little to no control over and it's annoying.
I personally wish they had made the Tempest look different. It just ended up reminding me of the Normandy. It's kinda like if they had tried to make Ryder into Shepard 2.0...it just made me wish the Normandy was there. In the navy, ship classes are fairly distinctive. The Tempest isn't a Normandy class ship, but aside from some minor changes, it's overall shape is very similar
I've only played ME:A 1.5 times. I'll admit that the story shortcomings(the frickin kett) and lack of features I wanted to see, like real in depth colony management and building (not just plant a beacon and a full colony appears) and the ability to make decisions like whether or not to convert the arks to quarian style dreadnoughts. Still, gameplay wise I thoroughly enjoyed the game(though a few things like not being able to control squadmate powers did bug me). I also loved the freedom to explore the world in a way unlike any other mass effect. I've been meaning to get back to it for a while, it's just been hard finding the time. One day though....
I got lucky and experienced almost no issues in my play through. I couldn’t get why so many people were so angry. I’m still so sad this game didn’t even get a sequel. I wanted my Aquarian Ark dlc.
I just bought andromeda for my One X for 7$, I have always wanted to play mass effect and decided to start with andromeda since I figured the hate the game got were from established fans. So i came in with no high hopes and have fallen in love with everything this game offers.
One complaint about exploration in Andromeda, there was too much civilization. There was always a abandoned settlement, or a location where bandits were held up. I enjoyed the creatures though
I'll give you credit for a well done video. You made very valid points. Especially about the combat and protagonist. You almost had me buying the game.
Really thorough analysis of an overly criticized game. I'm currently playing ME Legendary Edition but after watching your video I feel eager to actually try playing Andromeda again. I've always been a fan of the original trilogy but I could never finish Andromeda for some reason. I did not hate it, but the pacing tired me out. Excellent editing as well! The music fits the mood of what you're saying and your voice is really chill and calm (I don't know why but it reminds me of Kaidan's voice!)
The pacing issue is a real problem in MEA. I recommend the following: don't do the settlements unless you want to do them post campaign, don't do anything from the additional tasks section, get off Voeld as soon as possible, doing only the main quest portion and *maybe* the main Kett offensive side quest so you can defeat their base and then go into the ancient underground structure in the middle of the map. Quite frankly I would also say to leave Elaaden until post campaign also, if you want to do it. Elaaden and most of Voeld just all smash together with Kadara and from a pacing and stakes standpoint it makes no sense. Kadara is the better of the three in my opinion. If you're really liking playing, you can always do the rest of Voeld and Elaaden as post-game content anyway. We can all just pretend it's like the DLC we never got lol.
@@ExaltedMarch The real issue I have is that I'm a completionist, so I try doing every single little thing I come across and read every little tidbit of information (we're here for the the lore, aren't we?). So I'll definitely follow your advice and try doing something like that for my next run. Once I actually experience the ending I'll tackle the rest of the game at my own pace. Thanks for taking the time to reply :)
A damn fine video. I played the trilogy for the first time in 2018 and when I moved on to MEA I had zero expectations based on the rep the game had. To my surprise I enjoyed almost every aspect of the game. My only real gripes with the game is the plot and main villain, the lack of squad commands and (this is where I disagree with Exalted March) I felt that there was no real point to play anything besides Soldier with pure focus on weapons since playing any other profile and trying to balance powers and weapons felt weak in comparison.
A lot of people ask me if Andromeda is a guilty pleasure, but I find no guilt in admitting its faults but still enjoying the gameplay itself. The Nomad is well balanced and a nice way to get around, the environments are stunning and the combat is just the best possible outcome from Mass Effect. The tech and biotic powers actually feel unique and the class system is great. Just wish the whole precursor-forerunner-promethean business wasn't here too. Too many games have ancient tech-savvy races that mysteriously disappear as the crutches now.
Party banter was the best, was quite surprised the original trilogy didn't have that since that is one feature in the Dragon Age series that I enjoy. I just hated the dialogue choices this was the same case with DA Inquisition. Wish they modeled Ryder's from DA2's Hawke since I can see the parallels.
If we ignore story this was best GAME in the series, gameplay worked like a charm and systems were good(crafting, augments, abilities etc). I just need to mention that dynamic cover game uses is still best cover system i have ever seen in a game, every single TPS should shamelessly copy that cover system because its just that good.
Crediting the customisation in Andromda is fair enough, but after playing through again after the legendary edition really brought home the lack of squad mate customisation. No weapon, armor, or appearance customisation at all. This was a huge missed opportunity, and I'm baffled, even all these years later, why it wasn't included.
You're a very good public speaker. I enjoyed listening to how you feel about mass effect and agree with a lot of what you said. Also I find it refreshing to hear what other people think about Andromeda.
What do you think about the potential for leading a new council or even being a new councilman in Andromeda? Also the potential for a war style game of possible 4 different factions?
This might sound weird, but I don't know if I'd like being on the council as much. It's an interesting idea, but personally I've always liked the tug of war between being a person of importance dealing with the council (or the Initiative leadership). It makes you feel important but still at odds with the powers that be.
@@josephmoore5422 Probably the Hawke treatment - it set the precedent. I'm fine either way, I don't think an Andromeda sequel *needs* Ryder because I think it's OK to skip a few hundred years ahead, but if we got a direct sequel that would be fine too.
My only real issue with Andromeda was the faces not even necessarily the animations, for example, aside from PB every Asari looks the same, and it really took me out of the game every time I saw a random Asari and she looked like the previous 10 Asari I've spoken to. But even with that said, the positives in my opinion far outweigh the negatives and I pretty much agree with everything you said in this video. One can hope Bioware takes the good of Andromeda and runs with it instead of looking at the reception it got and scrapping everything they did.
I feel like so many people fundamentally don't understand Shepard's appeal. It's an RPG; Shepard is only static if you play them as static. You can CREATE the arc for Shepard by having them evolve across games by making choices in ME3 that they wouldn't in ME1 because something in the interim got through to them. Shepard can go from a naive idealist to a ruthless bitch and vice versa. Asking the player to enter a scenario in which their disposition and narrative function is undermined by circumstance is terrible RPG design. RPG protagonists should be charismatic and capable of freely affecting change depending on how the player wishes to express themselves through the character. Ryder is the game's character: young, inexperienced, precocious, and self-conscious. Contrast with Shepard in ME1, who is part of a _race_ that is all of those things to the other species, but the difference is, Shepard is capable of challenging that perception at every turn, be it by showing honor and integrity or brute force and intimidation. Shepard represented a microcosm of a greater theme, and that theme was malleable dependent on the player's actions. Simply having Ryder have a predetermined arc does not make them superior to Shepard, nor does it give credence to the idea that Andromeda's protagonist had to be a retreat of Shepard's role either.
I 100% agree. I know there were flaws but after playing the trilogy twice since the LE launched. Andromeda just doubled down on a lot of what people missed from the first game, added in significantly better better combat and gave us a character who had to earn the respect of everyone around them instead of just having it or being a war hero right at the start.
i didn't play this game when it first came out, not that i didn't wanna try it, i just didn't have a chance to get it. that said i heard about the negatives regarding Andromeda, but when i finally got around to getting it in 2018, i liked it. but i liked it for what it is, and not what people were hoping it lived up to be. i already knew going in, that it was going to be a different experience with a whole new protagonist. as much as i loved the trilogy, i do feel like some people wear blindfolders. they were good games don't get me wrong, but there were certain aspects i wish could've been improved. now characters wise Andromeda is hit and miss, i liked a few, but the trilogy definitely has the edge in that regard. other than that i like both the trilogy and Andromeda, and i agree there are things they can take from this game and expand it more. the gameplay was one of the highlights, however i don't want the game to deviate too much from it's rpg roots. too much realism in gameplay can sometimes hurt the fantasy part of it, adding some realism is ok, like taking cover and things like that, but i didn't like Mass Effect 3's gameplay for that reason. too much action, i think they got it right with Mass Effect 2. it was just right, Andromeda improved on it.
I agree with you I know some had some negative remarks to say about it. and others had nothing good to about game but once I started my first game I really loved it sure it had somethings wrong
Played Andromeda for the first time in about a year. I gotta say, it’s actually fun. Really fun. Yeah, it still sucks as a Mass Effect game, but as a game, it’s fun as hell. I don’t know how, but you convinced me into liking Andromeda.
This.. Andromeda game, is great actually... although, of course, with its own flaws, I still enjoying this game very much, its a fun game and i enjoyed exploring the galaxy
I have played through MEA and enjoyed it thoroughly. As female Ryder, I planned to romance one of the crews, but I botched a romance option and ended up with a reporter instead. Not complaining but still it was funny that way 😂 I really like MEA's combat because I wasn't too confident going in and I was surprised and happy that a shooting noob like me can even shoot well in this game 😂 But when I tried playing NG+ as male Ryder, I felt too OP for the combat that I kinda lost interest 😅 after watching this, I feel like playing it again XD
I loved the amount of Dialogue and how much emphasis was put into Characters in Andromeda. Most people that talk about the "boring and poor writing" usually are the type of people that don't even bother immersing themselves in the game. They want it all handed to them on a platter. I liked how most of the dialogue in the game wasn't even attached to missions or main parts of the game.
I really hope that since the devs have stated somewhere a year ago that they'll either be using a new engine for their games or building off of the frostbite engine version of anthem.
You’re right about many of the things Andromeda got right. And I was in agreement right up to where you got into the story itself and Ryder’s character arc. Everything you had to say from that point on grated on my nerves and comes across as some misguided conclusion that Andromeda’s story should be lifted up as the future of what Mass Effect should be. No. No. A thousand times, no. I am not a kid and I don’t want to play one in a Mass Effect game. If that was a good thing for you, that’s fine. But please don’t conclude that this is something good that should be a part of Mass Effect’s future.
Honestly Andromeda is really underrated imo. Yea the story is mediocre, but the gameplay and views are so much better than original trilogy and I really liked the new crew. Some of my friends actually liked Andromeda over original trilogy just because how much better and more fun the gameplay is. I loved both MEA and the original trilogy for different reasons. Original for the story Andromeda for gameplay and exploration
Elora is on Kadara at the windfarm she speaks of attacking the Nexus when you go to ho47c you find out that she is planning to build bombs to attack the Initiative. If you go back to the wind farm to confront her were you found her earlier she will be gone. The man she was talking with will say that she got a call and left in a hurry.
One thing I instantly gave this game credit for was the alien squadmates were amazing, I only wish they didn't waste the krogan on this one. Because I'm sure this is the last time we hear of him
I liked the game alot. My only real complaints were the lack of side mission diversity, let's face it there's alot of filler thats pretty boreing, and a weak main antagonist. But I liked the open world idea, I liked the more casual crew interactions. I loved the combat, and yes I even like the story in general. The concept and possibilities are greater then the sum of the mistakes when talking about MEA.
I think a lot of ME:A's continuing criticisms largely stem from the fact that there's no sequel. As far as the game itself is concerned, a lot of the graphical bugs were fixed in patches. I played the game after these patches were added and I didn't find anything wrong with the game's appearance. Many of the bugs or strange facial animations aren't too dissimilar to ones I found in the trilogy. Concerning the storyline, I heard a lot of people complaining about the choices the game gives you. They don't feel all that big and problematic. But that's not the game's fault. It's just that there's no continuation. Some of the choices in ME 1 didn't feel all that important until ME 3. ME:A was clearly made to have a continuation, but it doesn't, so we're just left with an unfinished product. We can't enjoy improvements to the sequel like we could with ME 2, and we can't learn more about that decision to drill for oil on Eos (I think it was Eos) because there's nothing else. I'm not saying ME:A is a perfect game, but I enjoyed it. I know others who did, too. We often talk about Mass Effect as a whole, all three games as one. Mass Effect as an entire trilogy is an amazing experience, but each game has clunky aspects that some people didn't like. Some things were fixed in the later games, while some were made even worse. I felt ME 1 had too many weapon and armour choices, but that ME 2 had far too few. If ME:A was continued as it should have been, we might have looked back on some of those clunky first game problems and laughed because the rest of the series was worthwhile.
Your discussions of Andromeda are what convinced me to buy the game and play it. I enjoyed playing with Sara Ryder so much that I'm starting a runthrough with Scott. You hit on many of the aspects of the game that I enjoyed. Getting to hear the squadmates converse, grow friendships with each other, is easily one of my favorite parts. Plus there's something appealing about the PC being a flawed, untrained character that grows into a respected leader. For this game, that worked well.
Really glad Alicia Ryder inspired folks to try Andromeda! =)
Does the commentary change much with Scott?
Yea I really enjoyed my playthrough of andromeda, certainly has it's rough patches, but overall it's not a bad game at all
It's funny. Everyone I've met who truely finished this game always acknowledge that it's a fantastic 7-8 of 10 game. It was the rough release and the fact that it was immediately compared to the trilogy.
Honestly. For me. Bugs aside, and my favourite romance (*Vetra* all others are irrelevant) being too tame (come on Bioware I want some lesbian Turian action) and not fleshed out as much as others. It is completely superior. The story was fresh and interesting, the link to the originals were so good. The characters were just as interesting in spite of only one game vs three.
And holy shit I love the movement in this game. The thruster and the biotic movement is SO satisfying.
I've fully 100% finished the game and it's still a 4 or 5 out of 10
I fully finished the game and not only is it a 4, I don't remember any of the characters names. Started ME1 legendary and remebered character names of characters I haven't thought about in years.
I really like that you make the point of Ryder earning his respect from the crew. Most people forget how immature a 22 year old can be.
In one week I'll be completing my 4th playthrough of MEA. There are so many nice things I have found this time! I especially enjoyed the music, which for some reason, i didn't pay attention the previous times.
Congrats on playthrough number four! What class/profile/play style is your favorite?
Also I agree, the music is fantastic; my only complaint is it is under utilized, we needed more sections where the music is front and center.
@@ExaltedMarch I usually play explorer because it is the new class. But this time I was a pure engineer the whole time. I'm also trying to get the High Performance achievement (rank 6 for all profiles), and I only have rank 6 for the hybrid classes. Using cryo beam and shattering enemies is so much fun!
@@Patabot I just also finished pure engineer! Really fun change up, and you're totally right about cryo beam. Biotics has been my go to in the past.
I was going to say the part about being immature and 22, so won't repeat that. Building on that, I think an Andromeda 2 would be the best course. I'd love to see a Ryder with more experience under his belt. With Shepard, she was already formed. Her personality being molded / her formative years, came before the first game. Ryder, maturing through a series, would be very very interesting. I also hope they build on the good and continue. It's worth it. ME1, while story wise not as flawed, was also still a very flawed game. I think people forget that.
I have hopes, dreams and fears for the next mass effect. Will they build on what they have, and continue stories in Andromeda.... or bail and knee jerk reaction as is all to common in the game industry. In this case, that's the way my gut tells me they'll go. Andromeda got a lot of bad PR, so did Anthem, I fear Mass Effect's next outing will play it safe to the detriment of all.
@@FlukasMcDoogle well to be fair, Ryder before they become pathfinder did have some basic training because of your father. but not to the level Shephard was starting in mass effect 1, that's because you were already an experienced soldier by the time the game starts. to become a commander it takes awhile to get up in those ranks. Ryder knew enough how to use a weapon to a degree, but it's almost like a rookie starting out. not only that but since your father was the pathfinder for however long he was when you first start the game, there wasn't much of a reason for you to be on the frontlines, but your dad did send Ryder on some small missions, but not anything that was too dangerous.
Always love hearing your take on Andromeda. It’s so refreshing to hear someone talk about how good it actually was, despite its flaws, and I know I can always count on you for that! Looking forward to your next video 💛
I enjoyed Andromeda quite a bit. Especially Kadara, running around that planet was a lot of fun.
It took me a while to realize how well designed it is, but it's probably my favorite planet.
Yessss, Kadara and Elaaden are my favourite
@@ExaltedMarch Kadara was decent, the opposite was Voehl. The damn side missions were incredibly annoying.
Speaking of sidemissions. One of the worst issues with MEA is that sometimes you have to stupidly leave the planet just to instantly return to advance the plot of missions and side missions.
The insanity of loading screens did damage the immersion imho.
Most of the time, i kind of thought that i play a casual exploration game, very light hearted, for fun game. Doesnt feel like mass effect trilogy. But it has its own charm for me personally.
Andromeda frustrated me. I played it to completion and found it to be a great game bogged down by serious flaws. There are seriously great things here and it would be a crying shame if they abandoned it altogether. I agree and am on board with all that you say. I would be pleased if they made a sequel to MEA as much as I would like to see a game continue in the Milky Way.
If I were to add anything to your list of what Andromeda got right, it would be continuing the Galaxy map exploration, the Kett, and the music. The Kett specifically, I thought they were pretty neat concept, though bland at times, that had honest glimmers of thought and inspiration put into their backstory and history in the Andromeda Galaxy.
The ending statements you had about what the next protagonist of ME should be like, were beautifully worded.
Stunning. He did a superb job
I really enjoyed listening to team conversations in the Nomad. They were really well developed and you learned a lot about all of them and how they interacted with each other. The huge disappointment was how they interact with you, the player.
I always thought that Andromeda had potential to be something great and I was genuinely disappointed when EA pretty much killed any hope for DLC.
Yup I loved the non-combat crew arcs. Everyone looked at me as crazy when I made the case for Economy in Andromeda. So cool I found someone else who noticed.
With the exception of the technical bugs that were mostly resolved with patches, Andromeda’s biggest problem in my mind was the lack of civilization. If I wanted to play a western I would boot up Red Dead Redemption. Mass Effect was amazing because the setting was a futuristic cosmopolitan universe with dozens of races a and cultures and cities to explore. In Andromeda you got a few outposts made from glorified shipping containers and only one new culture to engage. It just felt small and retrograde compared to the original series.
This is a proper criticism of the game. I agree that the lack of civilization was a problem. They tried to explain it away with saying that the war with the kett had eroded away angaran civilization but that still didn’t follow. Techiix and Hjara were tiny even though Techiix was described as being large. We learn that Estraaja is the capital of Voeld and that it’s a big city but then why does the playable area of Voeld not include the big capital city? The real answer is time and budget. MEA wasn’t managed well enough and so stuff was cut out. Even the Taerve Uni settlement ends up being bigger than the anagaran settlements and it was built by the Initiative presumably in weeks.
As much as I love Andromeda criticisms like these are accurate and fair.
Germanicus I agree I think this is why I never liked it. It was a boring space western.
@@TheLoganWinn Well, you don't explore the entire Andromeda Galaxy, you explore only one cluster on outskirts of the galaxy.
It would’ve been nice to see some actual settlements and cities. Hopefully if we see Meridian again it will be the new Citadel in its density. If it HAS to be a space western I would’ve preferred if we were on the Nexus team instead of the Hyperion. That way we actually see the birth of the exiles, the krogan leaving, and we would experience First contact with the Kett and Angara.
Sense of exploration also got degraded, because instead of YOU being the first. You notice that all the worlds you're visiting somehow are filled with exiled members of the Initiative and outlaws. So you sense of exploration gets diminished because others got a huge headstart and claimed a lot of stuff.
My gosh this has to be one of the most greatest acknowledgements of MEA accomplishments.
I was one of the few who absolutely love MEA and hope for a sequel to improve the game.
Thank you very much good sir
There will be no sequel, but they're remastering the original trilogy - just got announced.
@@klarnorbert we don't know that for sure as they said they are working on a new mass effect game and the director of MEA is working on the next mass effect game.
It also makes sense to have a sequel has they can't continue after ME3 and any other thing done will be spin off that will not have Shepherd has the main protagonist.
@@Knight1029 Yeah, they're doing the remaster. But not a new game.
@@klarnorbert what?
I just said that they are working on something other than the remaster as you can see that the director of MEA and Casey Hudson are working on that thing and it is more likely that a remaster and a new game are being made.
Do you have anything to support why they are not making a new ME?
@@Knight1029 Why are you liking your own comments wtf? Btw Casey no longer director, he's just a general manager.
I've been meaning to thank you Jordan. For some time I was only a fan of Dragon Age and wasn't really planning on playing Mass Effect (not sure why, I like sci-fi as much as fantasy). Then I started to listen to more and more of your podcasts and streams with Caitie, and guess what, over a year ago I finished both the trilogy and Andromeda (completed a few playthroughs by now). You speak with great enthusiasm, it's positively overwhelming and contagious, so thanks to you I've ended up loving DA and ME equally for different reasons. I suppose I just needed that final push or something. Keep it up and take care!
More than anything I’m just glad you got to enjoy this wonderful series of games that I love. Glad I could influence that positively in any way. Thanks for watching and listening!
I liked Andromeda though I've only played through it once, and that was launch week. I think the next new mass effect game, remasters aside, should be a continuation of Ryder's story there is still so much to learn and see there.
@@charbucket1830 Sadly we won't be seeing anymore of ryder. The new mass effect is confirmed to be set in the milky way a few centuries after the defeat of the reapers.
@@achillesrodriguezxx3958 We might tho, we still don't know what the kett is planning so there is potential for them to be included on the new ME. Unless Bioware literally plans ME:A to just run parallel with ME without it colliding thus separating the two story lines
@@achillesrodriguezxx3958 Not true, it seems to be a sequel for both ME trilogy and Andromeda. About Milky way just speculations.
With all the bad sentiment it got...it made me doubt they will continue ryder story. I hope it will though, it has potential and feels like a prolog of something bigger.
I'm glad to hear from someone who isn't just frothing at the mouth saying: "It sucks, but I won't give any reason other than I don't like it." Granted, it had flaws, it deserved some criticism, but so do many other games and game developers, like Bethesda for instance. Andromeda didn't deserve HALF the shit it got, but that's just my opinion.
Thank you good sir. You've just earned a subscriber, and I'm letting all the homies know about you.
dude it was broken and they still sold it "just frothing at the mouth" they ripped people off!! the shade they get is well deserved
I Agree they sold a lie and we all know it. However the game wasn't as bad as ppl like to talk shit about. Andromeda had alot of amazing things and systems that should be brought to a new mass Effect game.
I'm unpartial, I really liked the game in some aspects. But as John Ryan said. The game was freaking broken. The "early access" copy was more stable than the final version for months. And they still left a ton of bugs unfixed, specially for multiplayer.
And unlike the other games. EA just been going on a abandoning the games they promised to fix.
But I also agree Andromeda got shit for other stuff that should have never been there. Including the idiocy of the "SJW" attacks. All because this time you got CORA a tomboyish woman instead of a giant tittied and assed copy of Miranda.
Other things were the opposite of what Exalted Mach said. They also looked clearly different.
For example: While they got a ton of changes and variations for environment, gear customization, etc.. They destroyed what made ME also special. Aka the character creator and species variations.
Almost all characters look like copycats with only skin color changes. Salarians, Turians and Asari are completely identical in every aspect, only changing the suit or skin color. Gone were the impressive variation of Salarian and Asari faces.
Valid points.
@@johnryan9647 wrong. And now gon another comment section and spread your bulls**t
Very well said. I admit I was disappointed after my first playthrough and I'd be lying if I said it was my favorite ME game, but I still enjoy playing it. Kadara is all around wonderful, there's some fun silly moments, and I still go to Havarl just to walk around.
Ryder's growth could've been implemented better, but I actually liked that first meeting. It fit well with how I played my Ryder. I also kinda like the chip on Cora's shoulder in the beginning and wish I could've had more of a rivalry phase with her.
That comparison to the trilogy will always be there. Those are incredible games to live up to. I just think there's a lack of focus on what MEA did well on its own. Also good point on Cora, wish there was also more on that point.
My best friend has always loved Andromeda and said that it was really underrated. I played it only briefly when it came out and nowhere near enough to give it a fair shot, but I have to say I remember generally really enjoying what I played, especially the new conversation wheel. I think doing away with "paragon, neutral, and renegade" in favor of "casual, professional, logical, and emotional" was a welcome shift in this entry, and considering what you said about Ryder, another positive way to separate Ryder from Shepard and make them more distinct.
I'm roughly halfway through my playthrough of Legendary Edition, and I'd already determined that after credits roll on ME3, I'm going to give Andromeda a fair shake and push through to the end, especially in anticipation of the incoming fifth game. After watching this video, I'm looking forward to it even more. After hearing 4 years of almost nothing but people trashing the game, it's really nice to see someone saying they love the game and pointing out solid reasons why.
Thank you :)
I just finished my first play-through of Andromeda and honestly I enjoyed it. There was definitely some repetitive filler, bad dialogue, & anticlimactic moments. But there were also some thrilling moments and great character development. Really bummed to hear there won’t be a sequel. Felt like the story was really going somewhere.
Awesome video Jordan! Very well written and told! I too look forward to the future of Mass Effect!
Ah, Jack! Thank you so much man. Glad you dug it!
@@ExaltedMarchHeck yeah! Love your content and commentary man!
Oh hey Jackdaw! Long time subscriber!
I loved andromeda!! Like you said it had issues but I really enjoyed it and hope they continue the Ryder story.
I'm glad someone put this out there, I always felt the exploration and the mobility in combat were excellent in this game. The story could use a lot of work but you are right many of the sidequests were done very well. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, it's been hard to go back to ME1,2, and 3 without jump jets. I do hope they get rid of the profiles and changing up classes as I noticed I have less interest in going back to play MEA because trying out a different class can be done in one playthrough.
The combat in this game was beyond perfect.
Biotic Pull an enemy way up in the air, then Biotic Charge them into orbit, trigger the Extended Hover & snipe a couple of plebs, then Charge back down.
3:15 Like the PTSD Asari at Huerta Hospital or the Marine who wants to be patched up and sent back out but needs surgery, etc.
I really like what you said here. I bought Andromeda on day 1 but still haven't finished it after it's flaws. I couldn't forgive what MEA got wrong, but I also wouldn't flatly condemn it 100%. It got several things very right and they were great. I have tentative plans to either start over, or try to finish the run I started years ago.
If you’re on PC I highly recommend trying out some mods and doing another run.
I think a story like Andromeda was something worthy of a series 10 games in. There's so much more story to be had in the Milky Way. I'd like to see a smaller-scale story that didn't involve Lovecraftian death machines (awesome band name) and played off the wrinkles left by ME3. Effects of the genophage cure. Potential for Turian/Human conflict given humanity's role in defeating the reapers. Backlash over the Asari hording a prothean beacon for 1000s of years. Possible re-emergence of the rachni. Batarian relief.
While I understand your point about all the dialogue, so much of it is just plain eye-rolling. There’s a part on Habitat 7 where Liam says that he thought he pissed that enemy off because he shot it in the face.
MEA is a bit less serious and more humourous compared to the trilogy. I can imagine if you don't like that, the story can feel like that yes.
Now I’m feeling sad about how ME:A and DA2 before it were left unfinished
I actually passed over this game until recently. The announcements of a new Mass Effect game in the works made me want to revisit the series, but the announcement of a legendary edition of the trilogy made me want to wait until it was out to play with updated graphics. So I decided to give Mass Effect Andromeda a try. And I have to say that I am not disappointed. All the bad publicity it got was not deserved.
My big gripe with MEA is the Kett just aren’t interesting as adversaries. I was actually hoping they’d see the Milky Way species as invaders which could open up Kett factionalism and real diplomatic gameplay. As it is, they feel like a mishmash of the Collectors and Protheans. By the endgame I was grinding and didn’t care about why I was slaughtering truckloads of Kett.
Regarding your last point, I think the issue was that Ryder's growth as a leader didn't show up until near the end of the game, after many hours and many side missions later, at which point I think a lot of players just kinda rushed towards the end so never got a lot of time with this developed Ryder.
Perhaps this issue many have been less evident had Bioware not abandoned the game post launch, we might have gotten DLC content with a more confident, competent leader, so opinions may have shifted but alas, we never got the Quarian Arc DLC.
Your content is really interresting, an in deph analysis of Bioware and Spiders games like I never seen before. Funny point, is that I always said that Spiders is the spiritual successor of the Kotor era Bioware games and you said it and I find it really interresting that you identified better than me why those games (Technomancer, Greedfall, Mars War Logs) are so Kotor-like.
Good work guy ;)
Thank you so much. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the Spiders catalogue like I have. If we’re lucky we’ll keep getting more KoTOR spiritual successors.
Maaan, I've just finished it and was totally mind-blown by how satisfying and good it was. Even shed a tear at the little nod to Mako landing at the end. 😄 The fact that the game was a bit slow and lackluster at first made it even better. And the fact that Ryder was such an awful and juvenile character at first, makes them so much more likable by the end. I've finished almost the whole entirety of the game's quests. They were sometimes boring, but more often the stories were intriguing and satisfying. You speak my mind on every part of the game. Really sad that it got such a bad rap, because it may make the devs decide to leave behind so many of its advantages over the past trilogy. It's biggest problem was the trilogy before that and people being unprepared for a new story. I've personally viewed Shep as an absurd and comical character in how heroic and strong they were. Ryder may be slightly ridiculous as well, but they feel so much more real. The biggest downside of the game, in my opinion, was the pacing and slight patchiness of the story and, for a big fan, small and fortunately rare lore-breaking details.
Thank you for the video! It deserves so much more attention and views.
I wish to see a MEA 2.0 like they did with Anthem
Abandoned and trashed? Because that just happened with Anthem. They canceled all the plans now :(
I agree with Yea Yong (sorry if I spelled his name wrong) that its biggest problem is its tone. It's too lighthearted and goofy to immerse me in the story's conflict. The Kett also feel like a nuisance more than a genuine existential threat, and that's a major problem.
Thanks I shared this on the mass effect Facebook group.
There was a recent vid by Seamus Young that talked about six story pillars ME1 set up that the other games neglected.
- Having agency as a member of an elite group
- Having a unique fast stealth ship that can go where others can't
- Having unique knowledge, the Beacon, the Cipher
- The idea of unactivated Mass Relays and unexplored space
- The Reapers as a ticking clock driving everything
- A companion with unique archaeological knowledge to use as a quest hook giver
Interestingly, MEA feels like it tries to bring those all back. Spectres/the Pathfinder, Normandy/Tempest, the Cipher/SAM, unexplored space/all of Andromeda, the Reapers/the Remnant, Liara/Peebee.
They were going somewhere with this, it seemed. Perhaps planning to open up the Andromeda galaxy in a later game?
Andromeda had its problems at launch, but it didn’t deserve to be abandoned so quickly. They should’ve at least done the quarian dlc before they gave up. The combat and movement were fun and I thought the mix and match class system were great.
This video actually makes me want to play Andromeda again. Great Video
I just finished playing the game twice now and I understand the issues the fans had with the game being something different from the original trilogy but I fell in love with the Angarans and the potential of Andromeda. BioWare has never failed to pull me in with their supporting characters and the fun dialogue between them and after playing it through a few times I can really see the way they set up for a potential sequel with the Ryder siblings together with a chance to cure their mother and a possibility of finding more arks as well as so much more that BioWare has sprinkled in. The Pathfinder kind of did for me what she did for the Milky Way people she has me hoping for more and wanting to get answers I really hope that BioWare takes the time to enhance this new galaxy they created and the characters they have established to build what could potentially be a new and improved protagonist trailblazing a path to a new trilogy that can be just as in depth and well received as its predecessor. I apologize for ranting I just really enjoyed the game and missed many nights of sleep to play it with no regrets and more hopes for the future of the series:)
No need to apologize. There are many of us out there who feel the same way. :)
Mass Effect Andromeda was a great game and I really wish they’d make a sequel.
Amdromeda is a game that had all the right pieces to be truly great, but was put together badly, like a assembling a big Lego or Mechano set without instructions.
(The combat was the best in the Mass Effect franchise _by far,_ though... despite being slightly tarnished by not being able to tell your squadmates which powers to use and/or on which enemies.)
This game really could have been great with some more content- more arks, races, fauna, powers.
You're right about the linear missions. I have a back up save before each one because they're so good- also so I can respec and try them different ways. Liam's, Drax's and the finale really stood out for me.
Great video. I'd disagree on the core part of mass effect being exploration. Even in the first game exploration was not the running theme. The narrative made clear it was a hunt to find saren and stop him. You weren't exploring for the sake of it. One of my disliked design choices i believe bioware made developing andromeda, was making exploration the most prominent aspect of their game.
The crews talking to each other more was great but I rarely got to hear an entire conversation as sam would constantly be blurting out nonesense.
Combat? eh I could take it or leave it, I had more fun in 3.I really wasnt a fan of auto cover messing up my shots,or the removal of the power wheel and setting combo's with squadmates.
Most combat in andromeda was in an open plain/desert/ice field with very little interactivity, so the actually good levels of the main quest was too few and far between them.
I personally would like more of a return to form in terms of gameplay to something closer to 3.
Great video!
If anyone is picking up this game for the first time use research to unlock mods first- otherwise they wont drop in random loot.
Just picked up Andromeda on Xbox Game Pass and having heard you sing the praises of this game on Split the Veil, and besides my brother you're one of the few people who genuinely does defend the game, I had to check your channel for the reasons why before I played. Great content!
Completed it couple of years ago after getting it cheap. Gone back to it recently and got about 6 hours more content so far and loving it
The remnant Sweeper AR is dangerous if you alter the fire mode to full auto and craft it with kinetic coils and other augments and upgrades to boost its damage and it does more damage than a mattock with full auto and it goes by overheating rather than thermal clips. Thing is if you save up your loot from remnant sources you can make more money selling it on Kadara.
I connected with Scott Ryder the most because he was overwhelmed with the burden of leadership in a frontier. Where experience was neede, Ryder no choice but to rise up to the challenge or be shaped by impossible odds.
As a staunch Andromeda detractor, I surprisingly agree with most of your points (though, honestly I could really take or leave vehicle segments entirely) up until your commentary on Ryder. Subjectivity on their personality aside, the main problem with them is that they rip the role playing aspect out of your hands. Mainly in the first two Mass Effect games, Shepard would not open their mouth until you told them what to say. While the two extremes of the character amounts to being a Space Saint or an Intergalactic Dickhead, there was enough room for nuance that you, they player, could mold your Shepard to fit what kind of character you wanted them to be. Ryder on the other hand feels far too on rails. Despite having anywhere between two & four responses to questions with different tones, they all really amount to Ryder being the same character. A snarky, immature, brat. A common defense I hear is that "well, they're young and inexperienced" but that shouldn't be an obstacle. Everyone knows a young person/young people and they don't all have a uniformed mold that they fit in. Especially given the circumstance the character is thrown in, players could have made Ryder's personality as snarky & immature as they are in the main game, but maybe they could have also made their Ryder a more solemn & serious character or perhaps angry & arrogant or hopeful & cheery or any number of traits that would drastically affect the Nexus' perception of their new, inexperienced leader while drastically effecting the way they desire to work with you. I get they wanted to try something new compared to the Paragon/Renegade system, but when all roads basically lead Ryder to the same place, I feel they utterly failed to make a protagonist that can stand proudly alongside Shepard as a Role Playing Game protagonist, experienced or not.
You bring up some fair points for future installments. My biggest issues with MEA were the empty worlds, lack of races, and juvenile dialogue. Good video.
To talk about Ryder and the contrast with Shepard. The issue I have ISN'T that Ryder is young and untested, my issue is this is not MY character. Ryder is BioWare's character and they decide how we play as them. To show what I mean, in ME1 and Dragon Age: Inquisition you can have a number conversations with Ashley and a number of other characters in DAI where the subject of Religion is approached and you are given a couple of options.
Said options being, admit you are likewise Religious, not be religious but remain polite, be uncertain what you feel on the subject or be an ass to the Religious person. This is a DEEPLY person question that doesn't have a right or wrong answer but the name gives you the option to answer as you see fit.
MEA DOESN'T do this, when Suvi asks you if you're religious or not you're only given two options, be religious or insult the Religious person by saying their is no god. This is one of the few times the Ryder's can be a jerk and it's a point that MOST people Won't want to be a jerk but you HAVE to pick one of two extremes which comes off like the writers forcing a subject that they they drop being being rude to Suvi will not come back up when we talk to her later.
The reason Shepard was written as they were was to give players the option to play the PC a they saw fit which is how BioWare had handled ALL their other PC's and ALL are loved by fans for this reason. Making the Ryder siblings people who are untrained isn't a bad thing but the arc is not one we have any say in.
To look at another BioWare protagonist The Inquisitor from DAI, you are often asked how you are feeling about events and are someone who finds themselves leading a disorganized army after the DA equivalent of the Pope was killed and YOU are the one many are blaming for this situation. You must prove you are innocent and either manipulate those around you or work to convince that working together is the only option to turn this rabble into an army that will shake the Earth as it marches.
Or in The Old Republic as the Sith Warrior or Sith Inquisitor, you arrive with nothing, you start out as the lowest of lows, a slave or a pawn in someone else's game and slowly climb the ranks until you gain the respect of those above you for all the good and bad that entails. Those you meet at first see you as less then nothing and believe you will die and be just another foot note in their great story but through skill and determination only you emerge triumphant and thus proving you are more then what those above you believed you were.
Ryder is leading because of SAM, they are not given a chance to prove themselves and you have no real say in the events that transpire. You cannot be play as a Renegade, a Paragon or a Snarky little Shit. You're Dialogue Options are either be a nice person but not to nice or make a joke.
To close this out, look at the scene in MEA between Ryder and Drack where Drack covers his backstory and how he came to be a father. In this moment you have very little input and no real chance to add to this scene. Drack is talking about being a father and you lost your father, yet you don't add anything to this moment.
In DAI when talking to Dorian about his father it is a chance to bond with him and to decide if you help to mend his relationship with his estranged father or have him walk away from a man you may see as toxic. You don't make this choice because the fate of a alien race or the galaxy depends on it but because Dorian is your friend and he needs someone to help him through this.
When it came time to help Drack and his daughter in their subplot it felt like I was just doing it because I had nothing else to do and even when you make a choice, you still don't really decide because this relationship and how it plays out will remain unchanged as the story goes on.
I agree that Ryder doesn't have to be Shepard but Revan, The Inquisitor, The Warden and Hawke aren't Shepard and neither are any of the PCs in TOR but they are all loved by fans because they are shaped by us. Ryder is a character we have little to no control over and it's annoying.
I will miss you mass effect andromeda.... wish they still wouöd make a few sequels of it
I loved the game. And that was basically for all the things you said.
I personally wish they had made the Tempest look different. It just ended up reminding me of the Normandy. It's kinda like if they had tried to make Ryder into Shepard 2.0...it just made me wish the Normandy was there.
In the navy, ship classes are fairly distinctive. The Tempest isn't a Normandy class ship, but aside from some minor changes, it's overall shape is very similar
It's actually my favorite mass effect game
I've only played ME:A 1.5 times. I'll admit that the story shortcomings(the frickin kett) and lack of features I wanted to see, like real in depth colony management and building (not just plant a beacon and a full colony appears) and the ability to make decisions like whether or not to convert the arks to quarian style dreadnoughts.
Still, gameplay wise I thoroughly enjoyed the game(though a few things like not being able to control squadmate powers did bug me). I also loved the freedom to explore the world in a way unlike any other mass effect.
I've been meaning to get back to it for a while, it's just been hard finding the time. One day though....
This actually makes me want to go play Andromeda as soon as I get my first paycheck and finish Dragon Age Inquisition :)
Nice Video, Nice Work.
I got lucky and experienced almost no issues in my play through. I couldn’t get why so many people were so angry. I’m still so sad this game didn’t even get a sequel. I wanted my Aquarian Ark dlc.
I just bought andromeda for my One X for 7$, I have always wanted to play mass effect and decided to start with andromeda since I figured the hate the game got were from established fans. So i came in with no high hopes and have fallen in love with everything this game offers.
One complaint about exploration in Andromeda, there was too much civilization. There was always a abandoned settlement, or a location where bandits were held up. I enjoyed the creatures though
I'll give you credit for a well done video. You made very valid points. Especially about the combat and protagonist. You almost had me buying the game.
The only problem with andromeda is the main story wasn't flushed out enough and there weren't enough main quests
Really thorough analysis of an overly criticized game. I'm currently playing ME Legendary Edition but after watching your video I feel eager to actually try playing Andromeda again. I've always been a fan of the original trilogy but I could never finish Andromeda for some reason. I did not hate it, but the pacing tired me out. Excellent editing as well! The music fits the mood of what you're saying and your voice is really chill and calm (I don't know why but it reminds me of Kaidan's voice!)
The pacing issue is a real problem in MEA. I recommend the following: don't do the settlements unless you want to do them post campaign, don't do anything from the additional tasks section, get off Voeld as soon as possible, doing only the main quest portion and *maybe* the main Kett offensive side quest so you can defeat their base and then go into the ancient underground structure in the middle of the map. Quite frankly I would also say to leave Elaaden until post campaign also, if you want to do it. Elaaden and most of Voeld just all smash together with Kadara and from a pacing and stakes standpoint it makes no sense. Kadara is the better of the three in my opinion. If you're really liking playing, you can always do the rest of Voeld and Elaaden as post-game content anyway. We can all just pretend it's like the DLC we never got lol.
@@ExaltedMarch The real issue I have is that I'm a completionist, so I try doing every single little thing I come across and read every little tidbit of information (we're here for the the lore, aren't we?). So I'll definitely follow your advice and try doing something like that for my next run. Once I actually experience the ending I'll tackle the rest of the game at my own pace. Thanks for taking the time to reply :)
A damn fine video. I played the trilogy for the first time in 2018 and when I moved on to MEA I had zero expectations based on the rep the game had. To my surprise I enjoyed almost every aspect of the game. My only real gripes with the game is the plot and main villain, the lack of squad commands and (this is where I disagree with Exalted March) I felt that there was no real point to play anything besides Soldier with pure focus on weapons since playing any other profile and trying to balance powers and weapons felt weak in comparison.
Well said. The more I play MEA the more I love it. It really is an underrated game that I think got buried due to memes & unnecessary piling on...
A lot of people ask me if Andromeda is a guilty pleasure, but I find no guilt in admitting its faults but still enjoying the gameplay itself. The Nomad is well balanced and a nice way to get around, the environments are stunning and the combat is just the best possible outcome from Mass Effect. The tech and biotic powers actually feel unique and the class system is great.
Just wish the whole precursor-forerunner-promethean business wasn't here too. Too many games have ancient tech-savvy races that mysteriously disappear as the crutches now.
Party banter was the best, was quite surprised the original trilogy didn't have that since that is one feature in the Dragon Age series that I enjoy. I just hated the dialogue choices this was the same case with DA Inquisition. Wish they modeled Ryder's from DA2's Hawke since I can see the parallels.
If we ignore story this was best GAME in the series, gameplay worked like a charm and systems were good(crafting, augments, abilities etc). I just need to mention that dynamic cover game uses is still best cover system i have ever seen in a game, every single TPS should shamelessly copy that cover system because its just that good.
I hope will be first person choice when driving the shuttle in the next mass effect
Best space ,action ,exploration game I jae played it 3 times and never got bored
Crediting the customisation in Andromda is fair enough, but after playing through again after the legendary edition really brought home the lack of squad mate customisation. No weapon, armor, or appearance customisation at all. This was a huge missed opportunity, and I'm baffled, even all these years later, why it wasn't included.
Looks and plays INCREDIBLE on the series X.
Just re-downloaded the game again . I enjoy it very much
You're a very good public speaker. I enjoyed listening to how you feel about mass effect and agree with a lot of what you said. Also I find it refreshing to hear what other people think about Andromeda.
What do you think about the potential for leading a new council or even being a new councilman in Andromeda? Also the potential for a war style game of possible 4 different factions?
This might sound weird, but I don't know if I'd like being on the council as much. It's an interesting idea, but personally I've always liked the tug of war between being a person of importance dealing with the council (or the Initiative leadership). It makes you feel important but still at odds with the powers that be.
@@ExaltedMarch I can appreciate that, not weird at all. So do you think itll be Andromeda 2 next or will Ryder get the Hawke treatment?
@@josephmoore5422 Probably the Hawke treatment - it set the precedent. I'm fine either way, I don't think an Andromeda sequel *needs* Ryder because I think it's OK to skip a few hundred years ahead, but if we got a direct sequel that would be fine too.
My only real issue with Andromeda was the faces not even necessarily the animations, for example, aside from PB every Asari looks the same, and it really took me out of the game every time I saw a random Asari and she looked like the previous 10 Asari I've spoken to.
But even with that said, the positives in my opinion far outweigh the negatives and I pretty much agree with everything you said in this video. One can hope Bioware takes the good of Andromeda and runs with it instead of looking at the reception it got and scrapping everything they did.
I feel like so many people fundamentally don't understand Shepard's appeal. It's an RPG; Shepard is only static if you play them as static. You can CREATE the arc for Shepard by having them evolve across games by making choices in ME3 that they wouldn't in ME1 because something in the interim got through to them. Shepard can go from a naive idealist to a ruthless bitch and vice versa.
Asking the player to enter a scenario in which their disposition and narrative function is undermined by circumstance is terrible RPG design. RPG protagonists should be charismatic and capable of freely affecting change depending on how the player wishes to express themselves through the character. Ryder is the game's character: young, inexperienced, precocious, and self-conscious. Contrast with Shepard in ME1, who is part of a _race_ that is all of those things to the other species, but the difference is, Shepard is capable of challenging that perception at every turn, be it by showing honor and integrity or brute force and intimidation.
Shepard represented a microcosm of a greater theme, and that theme was malleable dependent on the player's actions. Simply having Ryder have a predetermined arc does not make them superior to Shepard, nor does it give credence to the idea that Andromeda's protagonist had to be a retreat of Shepard's role either.
I 100% agree. I know there were flaws but after playing the trilogy twice since the LE launched. Andromeda just doubled down on a lot of what people missed from the first game, added in significantly better better combat and gave us a character who had to earn the respect of everyone around them instead of just having it or being a war hero right at the start.
i didn't play this game when it first came out, not that i didn't wanna try it, i just didn't have a chance to get it. that said i heard about the negatives regarding Andromeda, but when i finally got around to getting it in 2018, i liked it. but i liked it for what it is, and not what people were hoping it lived up to be. i already knew going in, that it was going to be a different experience with a whole new protagonist. as much as i loved the trilogy, i do feel like some people wear blindfolders. they were good games don't get me wrong, but there were certain aspects i wish could've been improved. now characters wise Andromeda is hit and miss, i liked a few, but the trilogy definitely has the edge in that regard. other than that i like both the trilogy and Andromeda, and i agree there are things they can take from this game and expand it more. the gameplay was one of the highlights, however i don't want the game to deviate too much from it's rpg roots. too much realism in gameplay can sometimes hurt the fantasy part of it, adding some realism is ok, like taking cover and things like that, but i didn't like Mass Effect 3's gameplay for that reason. too much action, i think they got it right with Mass Effect 2. it was just right, Andromeda improved on it.
I agree with you I know some had some negative remarks to say about it. and others had nothing good to about game but once I started my first game I really loved it sure it had somethings wrong
this game is so AWESOME!!
Played Andromeda for the first time in about a year. I gotta say, it’s actually fun. Really fun. Yeah, it still sucks as a Mass Effect game, but as a game, it’s fun as hell. I don’t know how, but you convinced me into liking Andromeda.
An extremely well made video! I've never had the pleasure to see any of your content, but if it's even half as good as this video, I'm sold.
This.. Andromeda game, is great actually... although, of course, with its own flaws, I still enjoying this game very much, its a fun game and i enjoyed exploring the galaxy
I have played through MEA and enjoyed it thoroughly. As female Ryder, I planned to romance one of the crews, but I botched a romance option and ended up with a reporter instead. Not complaining but still it was funny that way 😂 I really like MEA's combat because I wasn't too confident going in and I was surprised and happy that a shooting noob like me can even shoot well in this game 😂 But when I tried playing NG+ as male Ryder, I felt too OP for the combat that I kinda lost interest 😅 after watching this, I feel like playing it again XD
I loved the amount of Dialogue and how much emphasis was put into Characters in Andromeda. Most people that talk about the "boring and poor writing" usually are the type of people that don't even bother immersing themselves in the game. They want it all handed to them on a platter. I liked how most of the dialogue in the game wasn't even attached to missions or main parts of the game.
I really hope that since the devs have stated somewhere a year ago that they'll either be using a new engine for their games or building off of the frostbite engine version of anthem.
You’re right about many of the things Andromeda got right. And I was in agreement right up to where you got into the story itself and Ryder’s character arc. Everything you had to say from that point on grated on my nerves and comes across as some misguided conclusion that Andromeda’s story should be lifted up as the future of what Mass Effect should be. No. No. A thousand times, no. I am not a kid and I don’t want to play one in a Mass Effect game. If that was a good thing for you, that’s fine. But please don’t conclude that this is something good that should be a part of Mass Effect’s future.
maybe they can write a semi original story for the next game...
Honestly Andromeda is really underrated imo.
Yea the story is mediocre, but the gameplay and views are so much better than original trilogy and I really liked the new crew. Some of my friends actually liked Andromeda over original trilogy just because how much better and more fun the gameplay is.
I loved both MEA and the original trilogy for different reasons.
Original for the story
Andromeda for gameplay and exploration
For sure the game has lots of fun aspects. I wish they had included even more npc conversations. There was a lot of interactive quests. Awesome game
Elora is on Kadara at the windfarm she speaks of attacking the Nexus when you go to ho47c you find out that she is planning to build bombs to attack the Initiative. If you go back to the wind farm to confront her were you found her earlier she will be gone. The man she was talking with will say that she got a call and left in a hurry.
One thing I instantly gave this game credit for was the alien squadmates were amazing, I only wish they didn't waste the krogan on this one. Because I'm sure this is the last time we hear of him
This game is so Underrated
Well at least I got to have a Krogan as a teammate at least.
Cut out the side quest overload, improve the animations and make the story dialogue less quippy
I liked the game alot. My only real complaints were the lack of side mission diversity, let's face it there's alot of filler thats pretty boreing, and a weak main antagonist. But I liked the open world idea, I liked the more casual crew interactions. I loved the combat, and yes I even like the story in general. The concept and possibilities are greater then the sum of the mistakes when talking about MEA.
I think a lot of ME:A's continuing criticisms largely stem from the fact that there's no sequel. As far as the game itself is concerned, a lot of the graphical bugs were fixed in patches. I played the game after these patches were added and I didn't find anything wrong with the game's appearance. Many of the bugs or strange facial animations aren't too dissimilar to ones I found in the trilogy. Concerning the storyline, I heard a lot of people complaining about the choices the game gives you. They don't feel all that big and problematic. But that's not the game's fault. It's just that there's no continuation. Some of the choices in ME 1 didn't feel all that important until ME 3. ME:A was clearly made to have a continuation, but it doesn't, so we're just left with an unfinished product. We can't enjoy improvements to the sequel like we could with ME 2, and we can't learn more about that decision to drill for oil on Eos (I think it was Eos) because there's nothing else.
I'm not saying ME:A is a perfect game, but I enjoyed it. I know others who did, too. We often talk about Mass Effect as a whole, all three games as one. Mass Effect as an entire trilogy is an amazing experience, but each game has clunky aspects that some people didn't like. Some things were fixed in the later games, while some were made even worse. I felt ME 1 had too many weapon and armour choices, but that ME 2 had far too few. If ME:A was continued as it should have been, we might have looked back on some of those clunky first game problems and laughed because the rest of the series was worthwhile.
Missed your videos!
Thank you so much!