@@renaigh well, that was my main issue. Some jank animations are whatever, but the premise could and should'e delivered on the explorer aspect so much more.
@@renaigh People complaining about the animations were the loudest. But I don't think that's the reason why it failed. ME1 for example has a pretty bad combat, but people still love it. ME2 has better combat, but still not good one, but people still love it. ME3 has pretty good combat, but already many people were disappointed. So all in all I think what many people really love about ME games is the characters+story. And ME:A has abysmal characters and a pretty bad story. So even if it has amazing combat, that's not what ME fans wanted. And what's more ME:A strayed so much from the ME "formula" that it's pretty much a different game. If it wasn't an ME game, I really believe it would've done much better.
I would not say I hated it back then. I was more disappointed with all those wasted potential I saw there. But as the time moved on, I found my inner peace with the game. Maybe I should play it once more. Thank you for the great video
Walking up the controls of the Tempest was always a treat with those giant windows. You walk up the prow and look out and down and it felt like you were just hanging out in space. Just a slightest rush of vertigo as the mind boggles in awe of that enormous view. Say what you will abput the game, and everyone has, but that absolutely beats the pants off of walking up to a hologram map at the back of the ship and as far from a window as it was possible to get.
Dude exactly im replaying rn and im walking around aya and it feels alive idk i understand the animation issues when i saw they put that effort elsewhere
Thank you Adam! I love this game and I am very sad and annoyed that this game probably won’t ever get a sequel. The ending of this game made me tear up with joy the humanity of Ryder and the funny and less serious nature of him and the entire crew. It is a shame to me that this game is not given the credits it deserves.
Even though this game wasn’t as good as the original 3, I still had a lot of fun with it. The exploration aspects, the worlds and especially the combat were all great.
I mean everything you said is true, but esentially none of these things you mention are the reason fans disliked this one. Nobody ever says this game doesn't look mesmersing or that it wasn't ambitious. The problem is always Boring storyline / Poor Quest design. I don't disagree it's just like trying to defend a poor tasting dish with a really incredible plating.
I'm one of the few that liked Andromeda , yes it had a rough launch as they released and unpolished game . However, after 10 patches, the game became a great game in my eyes .
Andromeda could have nice themes to tell stories if they had a chance for a second opus. Kert were not reapers you could negotiate with them. Is life coming out of a machine life ? Angara are not "natural" Is Ryder a person or is he just SAM bearer ? future issues? Politic over survival ? Ryder how ryder will evolve when people feel they don't need him anymore Your crew needed time to grow, your relationship with your sibiling... YES Andromeda had a lot to do better.
I always have a blast playing it , no it’s not as good as me2 or even me3 , but playing as an adept in andromeda and creating biotic explosions is so addictive to me . I’m going to redownload it now lol
great video as always! Been working through the ME games myself lately and have recently finished 2, but will make sure to explore Andromeda once I have finished 3!
Yes even though it may have had some flaws, Mass Effect Andromeda was a beautiful game. It had visual features to make you want to keep playing if not just to give another chance. I still remember a mission that it had where your character was on an asteroid and the light coming from the stars coming from space shined your vehicle, it was breathtaking. Mass Effect Andromeda 5/5 on artistry and design.
I tried andromeda for the first time recently and all I can say is…. It was aggressively mediocre… at best. You can feel the exhaustion of the writers whenever you talk to almost anyone in the game. Like they could barely be bothered to write and act their dialogue. It’s absolutely awful. I don’t think I’ve cared less about characters in any game. Coming from Mass Effect 1-3, which had some of the most compelling characters I’ve ever seen, it was shockingly disappointing.
5! It was my first ME game and got me into space more, then when legendary edition came out I just fell in love even more, but looking back at andromeda will always have a special place in my heart it really just needed more post launch attention and support and dlc expansions, for being the first game in a potential trilogy I think it did well comparing it to ME1
through absolute sheer coincedence today was the day I decided to try and finally play through the mass effect trilogy, had NO idea it was N7 day but that just makes it even better
Thank. You. I love seeing appreciation for Andromeda. it is one of my favorite games, the characters, the combat, the story, the different locations- all of it, I love all of it. and it breaks my heart a little that it’ll probably never get a sequel :(
I cant deny the graphics were good (the characters looked pretty janky sometimes. Especially the humans and asari) and the combat was really cool. But I didn't like Andromeda. The story and writing just didn't hit for me. I couldn't bring myself to care about Ryder or any of the crew. They just felt like checks in boxes and not actual characters. That and a lackluster story with multiple plot holes. I wouldn't call it a bad game. But not every game is for everyone. I also don't like call of duty or the souls games. Objectively good games. I just don't enjoy them.
There are definitely aspects of this game that I really like. I really liked the idea behind the story and regret the lackluster execution. I would have liked to see the story continue. I actually liked the idea of Ryder growing into a hero rather than already being the hero that Sheperd was.
I played this game several months after finishing the trilogy and I FREAKING loved it, lmao. I know, I was like... maybe my brain is broken because I loved a lot of these games people hate on so hard.
Im going to type some unpopular stuff right now: Mass Effect Andromeda is my 2nd favorite Mass Effect game. My personal ranking of favorites is thus: ME1, ME:Andromeda, ME3, ME2. I love them all, but i love them in that order.
I too enjoy Andromeda more than 2. When I think of 2, the plot is unfocused except the beginning, the suicide mission, and the arrival and shadow broker dlcs. 2 doesn't leave much for mystery and wonder, like the other games imo, a precedent ME1 masterfully established. I don't want to type a long essay explaining everything, but my preferences are ME3, ME1, MEA, and ME2. I love playing them all, their characters, and their stories. What had me come around with Andromeda was realizing that this is a civilian operation with an organized militia, not a legitimate war being fought with militaries and special forces. So my expectations for epic set pieces remain with the Trilogy. After accepting that fact, I started to understand and enjoy more of Andromeda's themes. It clearly establishes in the beginning that we are the aliens. Later in the codex, we come to learn that the Kett we fight are just a single relatively small, but formidable sect of a significantly larger galactic empire. The Archon we fight is one of a handful, and he desires to betray his people and start a coup for power. The irony is that the Milky Way's technology is more advanced and deadlier than Andromeda's. Therefore, from the Kett's perspective, they were invaded by an alien force, civilian force or not. I see the potential Andromeda paved the way for, flipping the script on us and exploring what happens when we are in the Reapers' place, invading a galaxy with superior tech against its native galactic nation.
This is my exact same order. ME2 did nothing to further the plot of the trilogy and actively made it difficult for ME3 to have a full and satisfying conclusion. ME2 prioritized the rule of cool over being good. It also changed so much from ME1, art, gameplay, story direction, etc. Mass Effect went from being a deeply thoughtful story to an 80s action movie. Alien to Alien 2.
PURELY gameplay it’s amazing for the time Purely art style it’s absolutely beautiful But the story is absolutely terrible, the characters are dull lifeless, the morality is just boring “lots of judgmental pricks” it’s an absolutely dreadful game to play. I can’t deny when I forget the story and focus on just action and admiring the visuals, I love it. But then I’ll talk to a person, or see how average the character designs were or how awful the writing and voice acting is. It’s terrible. Then once you realize it’s pretty much the same premise as mass effect 1 you’ll notice just how bad this game was
What I mean is you’re a character given a title of importance You meet a nerdy asari A strong old krogan A tired but ambitious turian Fighting against a character who wants to control old misunderstood technology from an alien race long gone. And in every way shape and form is the characters and story worse
@@spacecandygames7575 I wanted to ask how ME1 and MEA are even similar in premise. And now I saw. You are looking at surface level stuff and claim "literally the same fr fr" Pebee is totally a Liara knock off. They are literally the same character. Just sarcasm. Of course. Ignoring the quality of the story for a moment -- I thought it was fine and only became interesting in the beginning and the last 20% of the game... so hey exactly like ME1 I guess -- The plot is pretty different. And the characters too. All similarities are only superficial and you can only really say they are the same if you haven't really played the game. Vetra has different ideals and motivations than Garrus. Same with Drack, Peebee, Cora or Liam. Jaal is pretty much unlike everything we had before in the series. His biggest analogue would probably be Javik because they have a similar arc of growing up in war. But even then they don't really fit as Javik. You can dislike the characters. A ton of people like Jack I find her insufferable. But don't try and act like the game have the same story.
@ they are the same. If I have a basketball player who shoot 3s and a basketball player that dunks, they still the same compared to a policeman or something. I played the game 3 times. 1st time I hated it. Second time I strongly disliked it but started to have an appreciation for the characters, 3rd time I genuinely couldn’t finish it. I’ve also watched 2 let’s plays of it. It’s not a good game.
I really hope Mass Effect 4 (if it ever comes out) continues the story from Andromeda somehow, even if it requires time travel and galaxy jumping shenanigans. There are some big and interesting mysteries that Andromeda left in the air at the end, clearly it was meant to be a new trilogy. I firmly believe that going back to the Milky Way and bringing Shepard back is going to be a huge mistake, they have to come up with a new galaxy ending threat that will probably ruin the entire story of the reapers retroactively.
I liked andromeda when I played it. It was my first mass effect game. Then I played 1-3 when the legendary edition came out and oh my god I tried playing andromeda after the 3rd one and I couldn’t play it for more than 3 hours even though I really tried
Dam new video this soon love your work keep going you are gonna become a great channel in yt and this is a necessary channel we needed someone to appreciate artists in video game industry
After watching this video, I have to agree with you. I felt like I was too judgmental about all the bugs I saw, so I did not see all the beauty the game gave me. Thank you for making this video. And feel proud that you made at least one person reinstall MEA and give it another chance.
My favorite thing about the Krogans’ design is that, unlike the other species that have two or more front-facing eyes, their eyes are on the sides of their faces, granting them greater peripheral vision than others. This trait more commonly seen in prey animals and emphasizes how Krogans are adapted to a hostile world where they are absolutely NOT at the top of the food chain.
I feel like BioWare could have salvaged the game, but they literally just abandoned it. I loved the overall idea of the story: traveling to a new galaxy on a pioneering mission and finding habitats. Unfortunately the crew felt stale and you couldnt customize really anything with them/ship. The main enemy species seemed kind generic.
The thing is, the crew for andromeda actually shifted away from going crazy with the alien designs to make it easier for people to cosplay them, which I think is a nice consideration, but either way I wish Andromeda got more content or a sequel
Just bought this from the PSN store for $3.99 after watching this video. Was skeptical when it first came out, but am now very curious to see how this game plays out. Thank you for this video and changing my mind!
Personally, I bought the Legendary Edition of the trilogy about one year ago (december, never played the original version) for about 10-12euros, and Andromeda 1 month ago (december too) for 4 or 5 euros. I did several playthroughs of the trilogy, absolutly enjoyed them. I finished Andromeda 2 days ago. I had a good time with it, but the tone is so different sometimes, it feels like a teenage tv serie (the team mates, mainly, but not only). Not really bad in itself, to me at least, but well. I will do at least another playthrough, because it's not that bad indeed (the story is what it is, that's all), but I'm sure that I won't do as much of them than with the trilogy. Tastes and colours... but yes, it could have been so much better too.
After being initially put off by all the hilarious facial glitches and some of the questionable dialogue, I had fun with it. The original trilogy basically became 'Commander Shepard - The Game', and when you took Shepard out of the equation people initially struggled with Andromeda being a Mass Effect title. If you played it for what it was (an entirely separate story set in the Mass Effect universe), it was a good time, despite Ryder being a socially inept dork with zero charisma. Yeah, the Kett were underwhelming as villains after the horrifying Reapers, but the jump jet combat and moddable weapons were great. And say what you like about the Frostbite engine, but it does make for some gorgeous eye candy... even if much of that eye candy is filled with dull fetch quests and pointless collect-a-thons. Bioware are at their best when they focus on fairly linear story-heavy experiences. Vast open worlds teeming with wildly disparate content are not their forte. CD Projekt Red succeeded with Witcher 3 in this regard because they invested massively in a dedicated quest design team who endlessly iterated until the game was polished to a mirror sheen. I doubt EA would be prepared to make that sort of commitment.
I don't really see this as "Courage", it's not much different if the game was set in the past, they simply jumped to another galaxy in order to avoid all the baggage of the original trilogy and there's about as much "Courage" in it as in Dragon Age jumping all over the world to avoid taking your actions into account, granted DA at least is happening on the same continent and you do see some your actions play out over 10 years of the original trilogy. This might've sounded negative, but I don't think it is. It's just not some incredibly bold move IMO. As for sci-fi part, originally Mass Effect had a cool premise with the central plot about the Reapers revolving around Dark Matter, the original idea was that the cycle was created by Reapers to harness organics, because organics and their interactions with the Dark Matter and their use of Biotics were advancing the death of the universe, it was even teased in ME2 when during Tali's recruitment she remarks on sun speeding to the end of it's natural life cycle because of Dark Matter upon which a lot of technology including Mass Relays is built upon.
Thanks, Adam for another high quality, deep and insightful video. And I agree : Andromeda is a great game, especially now that my new hardware can compensate for the highly inefficient Frostbite engine.
Ha, yeah it really bottlenecks in a lot of places. Fps could go from 150 to 30 depending on where i was standing. Thanks for the super and for watching the videos, it means a lot!
You can't play it with Mass Effect 1,2,3 expectations. It's like a off shoot of a series or show. There are references but it has it's own story. The longer you play it you will become more immersed. Give it a chance for the price you can't go wrong.
It should not have been saddled with the Mass Effect prefix because it automatically bore the burden of great expectations by Trilogy lovers. It really is it's own game, and was supposed to be the first in a trilogy we will never see because of the disastrous launch. It was messy and bug ridden, it wasn't Mass Effect, the companions weren't lovable, the dialogue wasn't great, exploration was too much/not enough/boring, it had some good bits but they weren't enough to pull it out, the story/plot/characters/protagonist were boring. These were, and still are, things that are said about Andromeda. And yet, there is a large steadfast crew of folks still playing and enjoying it for what it is. I did not play it until three years ago, so everything was patched by then, and for PC's the modders brought it across the finish line. I enjoy it less than my annual MELE Trilogy plays because it lacks the fullness of trilogy engagement, but I enjoy more for what it is and am always sad that there is no second installment.
@1957DLT I agree, I played 2 months ago, put off by the reviews but then took the chance. I'm an old gamer, 68 years old, so I don't always read a lot into the game, I take it for what it is. Liked the planet graphics, combat
I played Andromeda for the first time quite a few years later; when the game was just about $20 or so. I very much enjoyed this game and I'm disappointed that there likely wont be a follow up to the story.
You highlighted some things I didn't fully appreciate in my playthrough. I felt like the story was weak, and I hated all of the companions, but you are right that they really did environments well, and I feel that the combat was like 80% of the way to being amazing
I think ME:A deserved at least 1 story expansion DLC, a lot of sub-lots remained unanswered and just fell into the void. Also, I think we did not have enough character development for basicaly all crew companions and without any kind of sequel or tie-in to Anderomeda all of what happened in ME:A remains pointless.
Great video... I also appreciated the risks Mass Effect Andromeda took. I viewed it as a game different from the original trilogy that just happened to be in the same Mass Effect universe. Just like there are other games out there that are two different games but happen to share the same universe... one example that comes to mind is Titan Fall and Apex Legends. I too hoped that Andromeda story would had continue and eventually evolved from the Milky Way. Let's see if there are any inklings of Andromeda in the next Mass Effect game. By the way... Happy N7 Day!!
From the analysis of the ME5 teases I've seen, it looks like the Milky Way and Andromeda stories will be somehow woven into one in the next game, if it does ever get made.
Im playing Andromeda atm and have nothing really to complain about. Lets hope they abandon the emphasis on the woke BS in the next iteration and make a solid Bioware style, ME game.
@@Zenda_Nior Did... Did this retard just call fucking *Mass Effect* "woke"? Holy shit, your analysis skills are SEVERELY lacking. Mass Effect is literally the most "woke" game ever made! And it's not subtle about it either!
It wasn't entirely bad. It took mass effect in a new direction in a new galaxy to start fresh from shepards story. It had a lot of potential but it was rushed and not fleshed out enough or polished. It suffered in it's story and facial animations. But it shined in gameplay and overall concept. The lore was interesting too. I do feel the kett were a weak point. They were not that interesting nor was their overall design. But the Jardaan and remnent was way more interesting and if it got a sequel it should focus more on them and just wrap up the kett as they just weren't as interesting. I think half the crew was fine and had decent characters in ur crew. I don't think they live up to the original but some did have potential. Jaal and Drack were the best and had to most potential. I hope we see a sequel but seeing how bioware is today i have little faith they will have learned from their mistakes....
i love you video style and input on games, i never playd androemda, thanks to the meida around its lunch, i am not sure if i will ever play it but its fun to see some part of the game tec or you like coming in Starcitzen. Like scale scale is so important is good syfy. Thanks for you great work like away and happe for the next one!
I don't think Andromeda is the "best" game in the Mass Effect series, though it is the most special to me on a personal level. For one, it was actually the entry that got me into Mass Effect. I seem to remember when it came out, you could download a two-hour free trial from the PlayStation store or something? I was spellbound by the exploratory feel, and was compelled to check out what I'd missed in the earlier entries to the series before playing Andromeda proper in its entirety. The main theme music on the title screen alone is beautifully captivating. The interior design (and windows!) of the Tempest hold my imagination much more than any iteration of the Normandy ever did. The mystery of the Remnant, whilst similar in some regards to that of the Protheans in the main trilogy, felt much more intriguing to me. The Trilogy is probably "better" overall, and I'll probably replay the Trilogy more times as the years go on than I'll replay Andromeda, but I will still always have a deep love for Andromeda. You hit the nail on the head with the statement in the conclusion about "Personally, I prefer to play a game that is ambitious and falls short than a game that is safe and succeeds". That's the kind of mindset I bring in to most big franchise entries these days, whether that's games, TV, movies, comics etc. It's nice to have something safe and nostalgic and fanservice-y on occasion, but I always appreciate seeing something struggle to attempt pushing the boat out than just wallowing in franchise stagnation.
I liked the trope about friendly ship AI supercomputer "talking" to alien technology. This tingles my SciFi senses. Cause this is how likely communication will aliens happen.
It's good to find people that can appreciate the good aspects of the game. It is not a bad game at all. Yes it is flawed, yes it is not as good or as memorable as the trilogy, but if you truly appreciate science fiction you will appreciate this game. I love how this game embraces being in space.
As someone who has been very vocal about how much I hate this game, I’m glad I gave this a watch. Made me appreciate a lot of things I initially wrote-off on my first playthrough. One thing I’ve always loved though is the gorgeous art style
It was a very fun game. One of the only ones that I can remember playing over and over again. It’s funny at times and the combat is a blast. But the story wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. Didn’t ruin the experience for me but I can understand why others don’t like it
I actually liked it. The characters were a bit goofy, but I did enjoy it. I love The Tempest. It's my favorite of all the ships. Two things annoyed me however. One, BioWare stripping the game of developers to work on Anthem, an MMO. Two, abandoning the game and not giving us a DLC for the missing Quarian Ark that they hinted at. And now they are doing the same with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. They're moving on to Mass Effect now, but I actually don't mind them moving on this time.
Andromeda was a 10/10 gameplay and story wise. If there was no internet it would not have got the hate it got. The only game where it hurts me that it failed because it’s one of my fav ever.
Thanks for highlighting all the good, it really was a beautiful game and I’m still sad that we’ll never know what happens next in the story. I’m hoping for at least a new novel in the future if nothing else.
Andromeda was my first ME and I absolutely loved it, but after completing the original trilogy 3 times and then playing Andromeda again I found it to be completely unenjoyable
Did you mean to say Andromeda was unplayable? I first played Andromeda almost immediately after a trilogy run, and the whole time playing Andromeda, I didn't dislike it at all, i just missed my old universe. The cultures, the lore, the enemies like Geth and Collectors, but most of all my beloved Paragon FemShep and the unison aboard my Normandy. I just couldn't shake that feeling the whole time playing Andromeda which eventually led me to stop playing it
Your way of narrating was top notch if not naturally born gift, i'd love to hear what you think about Monster Hunter World, the world building aspect in that game just quality at it finest ❤
I played the first three Mass effects and am balls deep into this one, it's got issues but it still has good parts. I like the backdrop and back story, gives the potential for a whole new start in a new galaxy regardless of what happens in the milky way. I have come across a few sub plot side missions that are broken or very confusing to finish. I do believe I have the main story back on track though. I do want to see where this goes. I am interested enough for story sake.
Very very good Video. I agree with pretty much everything you said, except for one thing: The Vaults. I love Sci-Fi and imaginative Technoligy, but the Vaults were never explained even slightly on how they work. All that Architecture that is very pretty to look at, but I am convinced that even the Developers have no idea how they actually work. So essentualy they just slapped pretty Assets together and called it a Day.
Andromeda killed Mass Effect’s class fantasy and lots of story details trivialize major character and story arcs from the main series. Anyone who has even a modicum of respect for Mordrin and Jack especially are obligated to disavow and Andromeda on those grounds alone.
I just played through it (got it in 2017 but it didn't run well on my PC) I think it was pretty good. It hooked my right from the start, it seemed like the sequel to ME1 we never got. It got kinda old to the end and I actually focused on the most important stuff to wrap things up, but I really liked the cast by the end and their victory fealt great!
I wish they had taken more risks with the actual gameplay loop. If they had really put explorations of an unfamiliar galaxy front and center. Instead you're just right back to shooting generic war alien species within 5 minutes. The most I felt the potential of what the game could have been was in the 1st contact mission with the Angara; it was tense and monumental, even without action combat. That's what was needed. A slower pace, and a grander sense of wonder, as new and different threats are gradually introduced. But no, instead we get pew pew gamer brain.
The biggest, brightest hidden gem I know of is the book Mass Effect: Annihilation. It's a tie in for the cancelled Andromeda DLC about what happened on the missing ark with Turians/Hanar/Volus/Bavarian etc. The writers (Catherynne M. Valente & N.K. Jemison) clearly love the universe and weave in elements of codex lore in a way that made the alien races feel alive and intriguing in ways the games only hint at. I cannot reccomend it enough to anyone who's a fan of the series! It works great as a standalone :) On a personal note, thank you for giving Andromeda some love! Optimistic Sci-Fi is my favorite, and despite the games flaws I really enjoyed the premise and how I felt playing it. (PS The audiobook is read by the VA for Scott Ryder and he does different voices/cadences/accents for every character, he's outstanding!)
Quarians and not turians. Oh and from what I heard andromeda wasnt meant to had dlc. Quarian ark was supposed to bd in a sequel. I hope we get more andromeda in the future
@@kyzit8458 no it was DLC and it was basically done when the studio got shut down. the DLC was gonna come packaged with a bunch of gameplay and animation fixes as well so it basically would have been a second launch for the game but EA wanted to switch focus to anthem and well we all know how that went
One of my biggest issues with the og was the time syncs. Whether it was traveling in absolute empty worlds to find items scattered all over the place, scanning planets which was worse but no one wants to talk about it, or probing planets which was even worse. Andromeda upped the game by having the omnitool scanner and got tons of mileage out of it that didn't feel too overly used. The gameplay was nice but it's too bad we got less RPG tactical elements in regards to the combat. I actually like having to use my squadmates but I understand they want the pacing to feel fast but that basically means your companions are irrelevant to have in the first place. Space Marines 2 shows the combat can be really really good without the stupid high mobility stuff Call of Duty and Titanfall tried to make trendy oddly enough the elevation combat was never in any games campaign except ME;A.
Sad to see now how much andromeda was hated, now that the bar for modern AAA sci fi and games in general has reached a new low when looking at games such as starfield and star wars outlaws, the original trilogy still amazes me on how it raised the bar so high that to this date no other games has even come close to reaching with only andromeda having the potential, we were spoiled and we took andromeda for granted.
Exactly, for years you went to your favorite Chinese restaurant and got some Sichuan chicken. Then this game would be like you go there again order Sichuan chicken again, and you get instead British blood pudding and gravy, it is also over salted. However recent Dragon Age would be just canned dog food with attitude.
I always felt that Andromeda got a lot of hate for the wrong reasons. As you pointed out, Andromeda played with key parts of what was associated with Mass Effect, however, the problem with doing that too much is, you get something that doesn’t feel like Mass Effect. That was one of the biggest issues I had with it, along with the issues in the story and with the characters. Andromeda also seemed, at least to me, that BioWare was trying to avoid ME 3’s ending rather than progress the story and deal with the ending. You didn’t like ME 3’s ending? Well, Andromeda’s got you covered, because it ignores the ending. I liked your analysis of the things Andromeda did right, though.
Tried getting into this game for the third time last week and it sadly just doesn't manage to grab my attention. I did like the combat though, it was the other systems that didn't do it for me.
I still believe this game could've gotten the Cyberpunk 2077 treatment and been redeemed. Andromeda has my favorite gameplay of the series. It's just not a great Mass Effect story that DLC really could've helped with.
it may have launched with some unfortunate bugs but it wasn't bad it just needed some love and attention...and then the studio got axed... oh well it's in the community's hands now >.>
Maybe I'm just socially awkward myself but I beat the game before I learned of the supposedly broken animations. That stuff just never bothered me because I'm not sensitive to stuff like facial animations. I just remember the kick ass combat more than anything else.
The amount of hate this game received is truly unfortunate. It really did seem to get a disproportionate amount of hate. I'll be the first to admit that it's character models weren't the best, and the open-world gameplay was pretty repetitive at times, but in retrospect, neither of those issues were remotely uncommon for the era. I suspect the real reason for the negativity was three-fold. First, the dev cycle was a trainwreck. So much of pre-production was spent on trying to engineer an overly ambitious "No Man's Sky"-esque exploration system with 30+ procedurally generated worlds, that there really wasn't adequate time for the writers and artists to fully flesh out the game. 5years of narrative writing was compressed into less than two. Add to that, EA's directive that they use "Frostbite", which forced artists to switch from 3DS Max to Maya, thereby having to completely recreate all of the assets and character models on an unfamiliar platform within the compressed production period, and it's really no wonder that there were technical and narrative issues. That being said, those issues weren't completely game breaking, nor were they unheard of at the time. Unfortunately, EA just compounded the problem by shifting Bioware over to what they thought would be a cash-cow in Anthem. Had Bioware been given the staff and resources it needed, I think ME4 would likely have ben able to turn things around in much the same way that No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 did, after their disastrous launches. Second, MEA was released during a rather tumultuous and generally negative period for social media and online content, in general. We'd just made it through "gamer-gate" a couple of years earlier, which spawned a wave of edgelord content creators who found they could profit off of the rage-incentivizing social media algorithms. It didn't help that, at least in the U.S., we'd just gone through a rather toxic and divisive national election that really set a negative and antagonistic tone for how people interacted online. Lastly, the long gap between ME3 and MEA and it's inevitable hype bubble, resulted in players building up unrealistic expectations. We see it all the time in gaming and film industries. People get very excited about an IP, and the longer they have to wait for it, the more excited they get. Then, when the content doesn't live up exactly to their expectations, they get disappointed and upset. Pair that with the social media trends, above, and those players go from disappointed to angry. We're seeing the exact same thing with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Veilguard isn't going to win Game of the Year, (and I'm not personally a fan of the character art style, nor the linearity of it), but I do like the story and I'm enjoying the game play. I can accept that my vision isn't what was released, and still find enjoyment in what I have. I guarantee we'll see the exact same same disproportionate negativity when ME5 releases, and if/when the next Elder Scrolls is released. Honestly, the only recent game that seems to have missed that this trend has been Baldur's Gate 3, and I suspect that's in no small part because of it's time spent in early access. Before people could build unrealistic expectations, they were given access to an early build, which really kept fans grounded. I just hope that the negativity bandwagon for Veilguard doesn't end our prospect of getting to actually see ME5 someday.
I was super hopeful that this would make me feel better about the game. Turns out the only thing you can come up with that are good about the game are nothing to do with gameplay lol
Hey Adam, I like that you shine light on the more overlooked and positive sides of Andromeda and I really like your videos. Keep it up :) However, I have to disagree with the statement that andromeda is a good game. It trampled on the core values that made Mass Effect great. From deep and rich characters to 1 dimensional clichés. From a meaningful story that makes you feel like your every decision has profound consequences to the most boring, flat sci fi tropes. Most annoying to me is how every character in this game drops a stupid macho line at every opportunity, destroying every hope of taking any part of the game serious. Yes the game has some good points and ideas, I especially like the armor designs and the combat gameplay, but its a bad game and an even worse entry to its franchise because it is weakest where its predecessors most shon. It reminds me much of star trek piccard with how much it seems to misunderstand its franchise.
Looks like you didnt even watched the video at all. Author didnt talk about story and lore at all. VIdeo about art design, gameplay mechanics and environment. Which outside of Ket and Asari is top tier.
@Altmer353 it's always been like that with the Andromeda haters because they don't know anything most haven't played it much less finished it they are simply parroting what someone in a video or tick tock said that's why that can't actually argue points on game design mechanics ect the video they are parroting doesn't know so they don't know either they just repeat the same things over and over.
@@Altmer353 something i hated about Andromeda’s combat was the inability to properly control your squadmate’s abilities. It ruined the tactical gameplay from the original trilogy and diminished much of the potential affinity player’s could’ve developed with the characters through gameplay.
@@Altmer353It seems to me you did not read my comment or misunderstood what I wanted to say. I did watch the video and I agree with the author that andromeda has good points and shows potential in certain areas. I even stated that. But I dont agree with the statement that andromeda is a good game overall. Just because it has some good points they dont outway the gigantic problems and flaws this game has, which makes it a bad game in my opinion. Especially because lore, characters and story are the points the game is weakest in, and at the same time its exactly those points that the franchise always was best in and made it what it was. So even if andromeda wouldnt be a bad game, which it is in my opinion, it would still be a bad entry to the franchise.
I understand it launched in a bad state, models are pretty bad, but I really enjoyed it on my playthrough. Enough so that I got it on PC, to see if not being locked at 30 fps makes me less irritated with it.
There was definitely a LOT wrong with Andromeda, and it shouldn’t have been released the way it was. But overall, I did end up enjoying the game! I’m glad to see that there are others that aren’t just blindly hating on the game 😄
i think the game got more hate then it deserved but i would never pussy foot around its flaws. If this game had 1 more year to cook in the over it would have been a spectacular game. The Kett could have been a seriously formiddable enemy but their narrative did not feet their aesthetic, they fucked up with the uncanny valley, the eyes are too cute like a puppy dog or cat eyes which sucks you in and makes it hard to take them seriously, its crazy the direction they went in seeing that concept art though, they could have made some insanely scary enemies. I was just thinking how i remember fighting husks from the first game and how there was an element of horror to it like zombies in a way, mean while the kett are basically human dogs with exo skeletons.
Andromeda could've been so good and had so much wasted potential with the story.
There were a lot of wasted opportunities with that.
Very true, so much potential
most of the problems people had with it was the animations, I don't remember much discussion about the story positive/negative
@@renaigh well, that was my main issue. Some jank animations are whatever, but the premise could and should'e delivered on the explorer aspect so much more.
@@renaigh People complaining about the animations were the loudest.
But I don't think that's the reason why it failed.
ME1 for example has a pretty bad combat, but people still love it.
ME2 has better combat, but still not good one, but people still love it.
ME3 has pretty good combat, but already many people were disappointed.
So all in all I think what many people really love about ME games is the characters+story.
And ME:A has abysmal characters and a pretty bad story. So even if it has amazing combat, that's not what ME fans wanted.
And what's more ME:A strayed so much from the ME "formula" that it's pretty much a different game.
If it wasn't an ME game, I really believe it would've done much better.
A part was a lack of respect with crew towards Ryder
I would not say I hated it back then. I was more disappointed with all those wasted potential I saw there. But as the time moved on, I found my inner peace with the game. Maybe I should play it once more. Thank you for the great video
Walking up the controls of the Tempest was always a treat with those giant windows. You walk up the prow and look out and down and it felt like you were just hanging out in space. Just a slightest rush of vertigo as the mind boggles in awe of that enormous view.
Say what you will abput the game, and everyone has, but that absolutely beats the pants off of walking up to a hologram map at the back of the ship and as far from a window as it was possible to get.
Dude exactly im replaying rn and im walking around aya and it feels alive idk i understand the animation issues when i saw they put that effort elsewhere
@@Hypersense-gv2veIf I'm not mistaken the facial animations were outsourced to another studio.
I absolutely adored this game.
For me - what this game gets right it hits a hone run, but sadly what it gets wrong it strikes out miserably
Thank you Adam! I love this game and I am very sad and annoyed that this game probably won’t ever get a sequel. The ending of this game made me tear up with joy the humanity of Ryder and the funny and less serious nature of him and the entire crew. It is a shame to me that this game is not given the credits it deserves.
ME5 and Andromeda will be connected in ways yet unknown!
Its mid so ofc it's not gonna get a sequel
Even though this game wasn’t as good as the original 3, I still had a lot of fun with it. The exploration aspects, the worlds and especially the combat were all great.
I mean everything you said is true, but esentially none of these things you mention are the reason fans disliked this one. Nobody ever says this game doesn't look mesmersing or that it wasn't ambitious. The problem is always Boring storyline / Poor Quest design.
I don't disagree it's just like trying to defend a poor tasting dish with a really incredible plating.
That hits the nail on the head!
Great video, well thought out and executed. You make strong cases throughout.
I'm one of the few that liked Andromeda , yes it had a rough launch as they released and unpolished game . However, after 10 patches, the game became a great game in my eyes .
Andromeda could have nice themes to tell stories if they had a chance for a second opus.
Kert were not reapers you could negotiate with them.
Is life coming out of a machine life ? Angara are not "natural"
Is Ryder a person or is he just SAM bearer ? future issues?
Politic over survival ?
Ryder how ryder will evolve when people feel they don't need him anymore
Your crew needed time to grow, your relationship with your sibiling...
YES Andromeda had a lot to do better.
Same.
I always have a blast playing it , no it’s not as good as me2 or even me3 , but playing as an adept in andromeda and creating biotic explosions is so addictive to me . I’m going to redownload it now lol
great video as always! Been working through the ME games myself lately and have recently finished 2, but will make sure to explore Andromeda once I have finished 3!
Yes even though it may have had some flaws, Mass Effect Andromeda was a beautiful game. It had visual features to make you want to keep playing if not just to give another chance. I still remember a mission that it had where your character was on an asteroid and the light coming from the stars coming from space shined your vehicle, it was breathtaking. Mass Effect Andromeda 5/5 on artistry and design.
I tried andromeda for the first time recently and all I can say is…. It was aggressively mediocre… at best. You can feel the exhaustion of the writers whenever you talk to almost anyone in the game. Like they could barely be bothered to write and act their dialogue. It’s absolutely awful. I don’t think I’ve cared less about characters in any game. Coming from Mass Effect 1-3, which had some of the most compelling characters I’ve ever seen, it was shockingly disappointing.
Nah i love andromeda
There's three of us?!
Indeed
4 now
5! It was my first ME game and got me into space more, then when legendary edition came out I just fell in love even more, but looking back at andromeda will always have a special place in my heart it really just needed more post launch attention and support and dlc expansions, for being the first game in a potential trilogy I think it did well comparing it to ME1
I loved it
through absolute sheer coincedence today was the day I decided to try and finally play through the mass effect trilogy, had NO idea it was N7 day but that just makes it even better
Thank. You. I love seeing appreciation for Andromeda. it is one of my favorite games, the characters, the combat, the story, the different locations- all of it, I love all of it. and it breaks my heart a little that it’ll probably never get a sequel :(
Bioware has confirmed that the next mass effect game will be a sequel to both ME3 and andromeda. So there's still hope 🙏
I cant deny the graphics were good (the characters looked pretty janky sometimes. Especially the humans and asari) and the combat was really cool. But I didn't like Andromeda. The story and writing just didn't hit for me. I couldn't bring myself to care about Ryder or any of the crew. They just felt like checks in boxes and not actual characters. That and a lackluster story with multiple plot holes.
I wouldn't call it a bad game. But not every game is for everyone. I also don't like call of duty or the souls games. Objectively good games. I just don't enjoy them.
There are definitely aspects of this game that I really like. I really liked the idea behind the story and regret the lackluster execution. I would have liked to see the story continue. I actually liked the idea of Ryder growing into a hero rather than already being the hero that Sheperd was.
I played this game several months after finishing the trilogy and I FREAKING loved it, lmao. I know, I was like... maybe my brain is broken because I loved a lot of these games people hate on so hard.
Im going to type some unpopular stuff right now:
Mass Effect Andromeda is my 2nd favorite Mass Effect game.
My personal ranking of favorites is thus: ME1, ME:Andromeda, ME3, ME2. I love them all, but i love them in that order.
I too enjoy Andromeda more than 2. When I think of 2, the plot is unfocused except the beginning, the suicide mission, and the arrival and shadow broker dlcs. 2 doesn't leave much for mystery and wonder, like the other games imo, a precedent ME1 masterfully established.
I don't want to type a long essay explaining everything, but my preferences are ME3, ME1, MEA, and ME2. I love playing them all, their characters, and their stories. What had me come around with Andromeda was realizing that this is a civilian operation with an organized militia, not a legitimate war being fought with militaries and special forces. So my expectations for epic set pieces remain with the Trilogy.
After accepting that fact, I started to understand and enjoy more of Andromeda's themes. It clearly establishes in the beginning that we are the aliens. Later in the codex, we come to learn that the Kett we fight are just a single relatively small, but formidable sect of a significantly larger galactic empire. The Archon we fight is one of a handful, and he desires to betray his people and start a coup for power.
The irony is that the Milky Way's technology is more advanced and deadlier than Andromeda's. Therefore, from the Kett's perspective, they were invaded by an alien force, civilian force or not. I see the potential Andromeda paved the way for, flipping the script on us and exploring what happens when we are in the Reapers' place, invading a galaxy with superior tech against its native galactic nation.
This is my exact same order. ME2 did nothing to further the plot of the trilogy and actively made it difficult for ME3 to have a full and satisfying conclusion. ME2 prioritized the rule of cool over being good. It also changed so much from ME1, art, gameplay, story direction, etc. Mass Effect went from being a deeply thoughtful story to an 80s action movie. Alien to Alien 2.
PURELY gameplay it’s amazing for the time
Purely art style it’s absolutely beautiful
But the story is absolutely terrible, the characters are dull lifeless, the morality is just boring “lots of judgmental pricks” it’s an absolutely dreadful game to play. I can’t deny when I forget the story and focus on just action and admiring the visuals, I love it. But then I’ll talk to a person, or see how average the character designs were or how awful the writing and voice acting is. It’s terrible.
Then once you realize it’s pretty much the same premise as mass effect 1 you’ll notice just how bad this game was
What I mean is you’re a character given a title of importance
You meet a nerdy asari
A strong old krogan
A tired but ambitious turian
Fighting against a character who wants to control old misunderstood technology from an alien race long gone.
And in every way shape and form is the characters and story worse
People like you will never enjoy any game you’ve spent too much time on the internet
@@youngmelo3717 what made you say fhst
@@spacecandygames7575 I wanted to ask how ME1 and MEA are even similar in premise. And now I saw. You are looking at surface level stuff and claim "literally the same fr fr"
Pebee is totally a Liara knock off. They are literally the same character. Just sarcasm. Of course.
Ignoring the quality of the story for a moment -- I thought it was fine and only became interesting in the beginning and the last 20% of the game... so hey exactly like ME1 I guess -- The plot is pretty different. And the characters too.
All similarities are only superficial and you can only really say they are the same if you haven't really played the game.
Vetra has different ideals and motivations than Garrus. Same with Drack, Peebee, Cora or Liam. Jaal is pretty much unlike everything we had before in the series. His biggest analogue would probably be Javik because they have a similar arc of growing up in war. But even then they don't really fit as Javik.
You can dislike the characters. A ton of people like Jack I find her insufferable. But don't try and act like the game have the same story.
@ they are the same. If I have a basketball player who shoot 3s and a basketball player that dunks, they still the same compared to a policeman or something.
I played the game 3 times. 1st time I hated it. Second time I strongly disliked it but started to have an appreciation for the characters, 3rd time I genuinely couldn’t finish it. I’ve also watched 2 let’s plays of it. It’s not a good game.
I really hope Mass Effect 4 (if it ever comes out) continues the story from Andromeda somehow, even if it requires time travel and galaxy jumping shenanigans. There are some big and interesting mysteries that Andromeda left in the air at the end, clearly it was meant to be a new trilogy.
I firmly believe that going back to the Milky Way and bringing Shepard back is going to be a huge mistake, they have to come up with a new galaxy ending threat that will probably ruin the entire story of the reapers retroactively.
Love Your Work bro Keep Going ❤
“Hate” is too strong a word. I played it to 99% completion. The writing was awful, but the gameplay was fine.
I liked andromeda when I played it. It was my first mass effect game. Then I played 1-3 when the legendary edition came out and oh my god I tried playing andromeda after the 3rd one and I couldn’t play it for more than 3 hours even though I really tried
Dam new video this soon love your work keep going you are gonna become a great channel in yt and this is a necessary channel we needed someone to appreciate artists in video game industry
That's very kind of you, thank you!
After watching this video, I have to agree with you. I felt like I was too judgmental about all the bugs I saw, so I did not see all the beauty the game gave me. Thank you for making this video. And feel proud that you made at least one person reinstall MEA and give it another chance.
You make such an amazing point on how distinctive the aliens look. They actually fit how they are in lore.
My favorite thing about the Krogans’ design is that, unlike the other species that have two or more front-facing eyes, their eyes are on the sides of their faces, granting them greater peripheral vision than others. This trait more commonly seen in prey animals and emphasizes how Krogans are adapted to a hostile world where they are absolutely NOT at the top of the food chain.
Christ bless you, I'm playing my first run now and this actually got me excited to play more so thank you
I feel like BioWare could have salvaged the game, but they literally just abandoned it. I loved the overall idea of the story: traveling to a new galaxy on a pioneering mission and finding habitats. Unfortunately the crew felt stale and you couldnt customize really anything with them/ship. The main enemy species seemed kind generic.
The thing is, the crew for andromeda actually shifted away from going crazy with the alien designs to make it easier for people to cosplay them, which I think is a nice consideration, but either way I wish Andromeda got more content or a sequel
Just bought this from the PSN store for $3.99 after watching this video. Was skeptical when it first came out, but am now very curious to see how this game plays out.
Thank you for this video and changing my mind!
Personally, I bought the Legendary Edition of the trilogy about one year ago (december, never played the original version) for about 10-12euros, and Andromeda 1 month ago (december too) for 4 or 5 euros. I did several playthroughs of the trilogy, absolutly enjoyed them. I finished Andromeda 2 days ago. I had a good time with it, but the tone is so different sometimes, it feels like a teenage tv serie (the team mates, mainly, but not only). Not really bad in itself, to me at least, but well. I will do at least another playthrough, because it's not that bad indeed (the story is what it is, that's all), but I'm sure that I won't do as much of them than with the trilogy. Tastes and colours... but yes, it could have been so much better too.
After being initially put off by all the hilarious facial glitches and some of the questionable dialogue, I had fun with it. The original trilogy basically became 'Commander Shepard - The Game', and when you took Shepard out of the equation people initially struggled with Andromeda being a Mass Effect title. If you played it for what it was (an entirely separate story set in the Mass Effect universe), it was a good time, despite Ryder being a socially inept dork with zero charisma. Yeah, the Kett were underwhelming as villains after the horrifying Reapers, but the jump jet combat and moddable weapons were great. And say what you like about the Frostbite engine, but it does make for some gorgeous eye candy... even if much of that eye candy is filled with dull fetch quests and pointless collect-a-thons.
Bioware are at their best when they focus on fairly linear story-heavy experiences. Vast open worlds teeming with wildly disparate content are not their forte. CD Projekt Red succeeded with Witcher 3 in this regard because they invested massively in a dedicated quest design team who endlessly iterated until the game was polished to a mirror sheen. I doubt EA would be prepared to make that sort of commitment.
Just started playing this game. I'm enjoying it. It is too bad it got hammered so bad but that is the age we live in now. "Anthem" .....
I don't really see this as "Courage", it's not much different if the game was set in the past, they simply jumped to another galaxy in order to avoid all the baggage of the original trilogy and there's about as much "Courage" in it as in Dragon Age jumping all over the world to avoid taking your actions into account, granted DA at least is happening on the same continent and you do see some your actions play out over 10 years of the original trilogy. This might've sounded negative, but I don't think it is. It's just not some incredibly bold move IMO.
As for sci-fi part, originally Mass Effect had a cool premise with the central plot about the Reapers revolving around Dark Matter, the original idea was that the cycle was created by Reapers to harness organics, because organics and their interactions with the Dark Matter and their use of Biotics were advancing the death of the universe, it was even teased in ME2 when during Tali's recruitment she remarks on sun speeding to the end of it's natural life cycle because of Dark Matter upon which a lot of technology including Mass Relays is built upon.
I enjoyed Andromeda, however it should not have been a "Mass Effect" title, it should have been it's own thing.
Exactly.
No the world of mass effect was perfect for this
Thanks, Adam for another high quality, deep and insightful video.
And I agree : Andromeda is a great game, especially now that my new hardware can compensate for the highly inefficient Frostbite engine.
Ha, yeah it really bottlenecks in a lot of places. Fps could go from 150 to 30 depending on where i was standing. Thanks for the super and for watching the videos, it means a lot!
@ Good to hear those wildly fluctuating framerates are not just me 😌
You can't play it with Mass Effect 1,2,3 expectations. It's like a off shoot of a series or show. There are references but it has it's own story. The longer you play it you will become more immersed. Give it a chance for the price you can't go wrong.
It should not have been saddled with the Mass Effect prefix because it automatically bore the burden of great expectations by Trilogy lovers. It really is it's own game, and was supposed to be the first in a trilogy we will never see because of the disastrous launch. It was messy and bug ridden, it wasn't Mass Effect, the companions weren't lovable, the dialogue wasn't great, exploration was too much/not enough/boring, it had some good bits but they weren't enough to pull it out, the story/plot/characters/protagonist were boring. These were, and still are, things that are said about Andromeda. And yet, there is a large steadfast crew of folks still playing and enjoying it for what it is.
I did not play it until three years ago, so everything was patched by then, and for PC's the modders brought it across the finish line. I enjoy it less than my annual MELE Trilogy plays because it lacks the fullness of trilogy engagement, but I enjoy more for what it is and am always sad that there is no second installment.
Nah the longer you play more you will realize how cliche the story is. How it played it's card too soon. How the reveal can be seen from a mile away
@1957DLT I agree, I played 2 months ago, put off by the reviews but then took the chance. I'm an old gamer, 68 years old, so I don't always read a lot into the game, I take it for what it is. Liked the planet graphics, combat
@RedHornSSS true, old gamer, take it for what it is, but I hear ya
I played Andromeda for the first time quite a few years later; when the game was just about $20 or so. I very much enjoyed this game and I'm disappointed that there likely wont be a follow up to the story.
I think we should do a mass effect andromeda remaster petition.
Im so glad that there are people who don’t just jump on the bandwagon of hate. Loved it.
You highlighted some things I didn't fully appreciate in my playthrough. I felt like the story was weak, and I hated all of the companions, but you are right that they really did environments well, and I feel that the combat was like 80% of the way to being amazing
I love the gratitude you have for this game. Sometimes i feel like im the I nly one who appreciates it. The combat alone is perfect for me.
I think ME:A deserved at least 1 story expansion DLC, a lot of sub-lots remained unanswered and just fell into the void.
Also, I think we did not have enough character development for basicaly all crew companions and without any kind of sequel or tie-in to Anderomeda all of what happened in ME:A remains pointless.
I love it. It wasn’t perfect. Neither is the trilogy. I play it once a year usually. Gonna do another playthrough now
You convinced me to to buy it, thanks 🫡
Great video... I also appreciated the risks Mass Effect Andromeda took. I viewed it as a game different from the original trilogy that just happened to be in the same Mass Effect universe. Just like there are other games out there that are two different games but happen to share the same universe... one example that comes to mind is Titan Fall and Apex Legends. I too hoped that Andromeda story would had continue and eventually evolved from the Milky Way. Let's see if there are any inklings of Andromeda in the next Mass Effect game. By the way... Happy N7 Day!!
Happy N7 Day to you as well!
From the analysis of the ME5 teases I've seen, it looks like the Milky Way and Andromeda stories will be somehow woven into one in the next game, if it does ever get made.
Im playing Andromeda atm and have nothing really to complain about. Lets hope they abandon the emphasis on the woke BS in the next iteration and make a solid Bioware style, ME game.
@@Zenda_Nior
Did... Did this retard just call fucking *Mass Effect* "woke"? Holy shit, your analysis skills are SEVERELY lacking. Mass Effect is literally the most "woke" game ever made! And it's not subtle about it either!
It wasn't entirely bad. It took mass effect in a new direction in a new galaxy to start fresh from shepards story. It had a lot of potential but it was rushed and not fleshed out enough or polished. It suffered in it's story and facial animations. But it shined in gameplay and overall concept. The lore was interesting too. I do feel the kett were a weak point. They were not that interesting nor was their overall design. But the Jardaan and remnent was way more interesting and if it got a sequel it should focus more on them and just wrap up the kett as they just weren't as interesting. I think half the crew was fine and had decent characters in ur crew. I don't think they live up to the original but some did have potential. Jaal and Drack were the best and had to most potential. I hope we see a sequel but seeing how bioware is today i have little faith they will have learned from their mistakes....
i love you video style and input on games, i never playd androemda, thanks to the meida around its lunch,
i am not sure if i will ever play it but its fun to see some part of the game tec or you like coming in Starcitzen. Like scale scale is so important is good syfy.
Thanks for you great work like away and happe for the next one!
I don't think Andromeda is the "best" game in the Mass Effect series, though it is the most special to me on a personal level. For one, it was actually the entry that got me into Mass Effect. I seem to remember when it came out, you could download a two-hour free trial from the PlayStation store or something? I was spellbound by the exploratory feel, and was compelled to check out what I'd missed in the earlier entries to the series before playing Andromeda proper in its entirety.
The main theme music on the title screen alone is beautifully captivating. The interior design (and windows!) of the Tempest hold my imagination much more than any iteration of the Normandy ever did. The mystery of the Remnant, whilst similar in some regards to that of the Protheans in the main trilogy, felt much more intriguing to me.
The Trilogy is probably "better" overall, and I'll probably replay the Trilogy more times as the years go on than I'll replay Andromeda, but I will still always have a deep love for Andromeda.
You hit the nail on the head with the statement in the conclusion about "Personally, I prefer to play a game that is ambitious and falls short than a game that is safe and succeeds". That's the kind of mindset I bring in to most big franchise entries these days, whether that's games, TV, movies, comics etc. It's nice to have something safe and nostalgic and fanservice-y on occasion, but I always appreciate seeing something struggle to attempt pushing the boat out than just wallowing in franchise stagnation.
Great video
I liked the trope about friendly ship AI supercomputer "talking" to alien technology. This tingles my SciFi senses. Cause this is how likely communication will aliens happen.
It's good to find people that can appreciate the good aspects of the game. It is not a bad game at all. Yes it is flawed, yes it is not as good or as memorable as the trilogy, but if you truly appreciate science fiction you will appreciate this game. I love how this game embraces being in space.
Never played ME at all until Andromeda. I thought it was a good game but had it's glitches. Overall, had me hooked but it just felt unfinished.
Okay is not hated by everybody I enjoyed it in a couple of other people enjoyed it it's only hated by people that never played Mass Effect before
I was so disappointed that they didn't continue with another game, I enjoyed combat the most here and was down with the story themes.
@@christopherchilton-smith6482 Worse, they had the dlc and sequels canceled to move resources over to Anthem.
turned ryder into a cloaking one shot one kill clap god on insanity, word.
As someone who has been very vocal about how much I hate this game, I’m glad I gave this a watch. Made me appreciate a lot of things I initially wrote-off on my first playthrough. One thing I’ve always loved though is the gorgeous art style
Andromeda was actually my intro to the Mass Effect universe and made me want to go back and play ME 1-3.. I love this game
It was a very fun game. One of the only ones that I can remember playing over and over again. It’s funny at times and the combat is a blast. But the story wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. Didn’t ruin the experience for me but I can understand why others don’t like it
I actually liked it. The characters were a bit goofy, but I did enjoy it. I love The Tempest. It's my favorite of all the ships.
Two things annoyed me however. One, BioWare stripping the game of developers to work on Anthem, an MMO. Two, abandoning the game and not giving us a DLC for the missing Quarian Ark that they hinted at. And now they are doing the same with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. They're moving on to Mass Effect now, but I actually don't mind them moving on this time.
Andromeda was a 10/10 gameplay and story wise. If there was no internet it would not have got the hate it got. The only game where it hurts me that it failed because it’s one of my fav ever.
Thanks for highlighting all the good, it really was a beautiful game and I’m still sad that we’ll never know what happens next in the story. I’m hoping for at least a new novel in the future if nothing else.
Andromeda was my first ME and I absolutely loved it, but after completing the original trilogy 3 times and then playing Andromeda again I found it to be completely unenjoyable
Did you mean to say Andromeda was unplayable? I first played Andromeda almost immediately after a trilogy run, and the whole time playing Andromeda, I didn't dislike it at all, i just missed my old universe. The cultures, the lore, the enemies like Geth and Collectors, but most of all my beloved Paragon FemShep and the unison aboard my Normandy. I just couldn't shake that feeling the whole time playing Andromeda which eventually led me to stop playing it
Your way of narrating was top notch if not naturally born gift, i'd love to hear what you think about Monster Hunter World, the world building aspect in that game just quality at it finest ❤
I played the first three Mass effects and am balls deep into this one, it's got issues but it still has good parts. I like the backdrop and back story, gives the potential for a whole new start in a new galaxy regardless of what happens in the milky way. I have come across a few sub plot side missions that are broken or very confusing to finish. I do believe I have the main story back on track though. I do want to see where this goes. I am interested enough for story sake.
That's an insightful alternative opinion. Thanks!
In my opinion, this game was my favorite one in the franchise
Very very good Video. I agree with pretty much everything you said, except for one thing: The Vaults. I love Sci-Fi and imaginative Technoligy, but the Vaults were never explained even slightly on how they work. All that Architecture that is very pretty to look at, but I am convinced that even the Developers have no idea how they actually work. So essentualy they just slapped pretty Assets together and called it a Day.
Andromeda killed Mass Effect’s class fantasy and lots of story details trivialize major character and story arcs from the main series.
Anyone who has even a modicum of respect for Mordrin and Jack especially are obligated to disavow and Andromeda on those grounds alone.
for what purpose? is not like they are going to go back and make it better anyway
I just played through it (got it in 2017 but it didn't run well on my PC)
I think it was pretty good. It hooked my right from the start, it seemed like the sequel to ME1 we never got.
It got kinda old to the end and I actually focused on the most important stuff to wrap things up, but I really liked the cast by the end and their victory fealt great!
I wish they had taken more risks with the actual gameplay loop. If they had really put explorations of an unfamiliar galaxy front and center. Instead you're just right back to shooting generic war alien species within 5 minutes. The most I felt the potential of what the game could have been was in the 1st contact mission with the Angara; it was tense and monumental, even without action combat. That's what was needed. A slower pace, and a grander sense of wonder, as new and different threats are gradually introduced.
But no, instead we get pew pew gamer brain.
The biggest, brightest hidden gem I know of is the book Mass Effect: Annihilation. It's a tie in for the cancelled Andromeda DLC about what happened on the missing ark with Turians/Hanar/Volus/Bavarian etc. The writers (Catherynne M. Valente & N.K. Jemison) clearly love the universe and weave in elements of codex lore in a way that made the alien races feel alive and intriguing in ways the games only hint at. I cannot reccomend it enough to anyone who's a fan of the series! It works great as a standalone :)
On a personal note, thank you for giving Andromeda some love! Optimistic Sci-Fi is my favorite, and despite the games flaws I really enjoyed the premise and how I felt playing it.
(PS The audiobook is read by the VA for Scott Ryder and he does different voices/cadences/accents for every character, he's outstanding!)
Quarians and not turians. Oh and from what I heard andromeda wasnt meant to had dlc. Quarian ark was supposed to bd in a sequel. I hope we get more andromeda in the future
@@kyzit8458 no it was DLC and it was basically done when the studio got shut down. the DLC was gonna come packaged with a bunch of gameplay and animation fixes as well so it basically would have been a second launch for the game but EA wanted to switch focus to anthem and well we all know how that went
Now i want to go celebrate Oktoberfest on the Bavarian Ark 😂😂
@@exilestudios9546 watch kala Elizabeth's "mass effect andromeda what happened to dlc" video
One of my biggest issues with the og was the time syncs. Whether it was traveling in absolute empty worlds to find items scattered all over the place, scanning planets which was worse but no one wants to talk about it, or probing planets which was even worse. Andromeda upped the game by having the omnitool scanner and got tons of mileage out of it that didn't feel too overly used. The gameplay was nice but it's too bad we got less RPG tactical elements in regards to the combat. I actually like having to use my squadmates but I understand they want the pacing to feel fast but that basically means your companions are irrelevant to have in the first place. Space Marines 2 shows the combat can be really really good without the stupid high mobility stuff Call of Duty and Titanfall tried to make trendy oddly enough the elevation combat was never in any games campaign except ME;A.
Sad to see now how much andromeda was hated, now that the bar for modern AAA sci fi and games in general has reached a new low when looking at games such as starfield and star wars outlaws, the original trilogy still amazes me on how it raised the bar so high that to this date no other games has even come close to reaching with only andromeda having the potential, we were spoiled and we took andromeda for granted.
I had fun lol didn't experience any big bugs
I’ll listen.
I’ve played it twice. The problem I had with the game was it just doesn’t “feel” like a ME game.
Exactly, for years you went to your favorite Chinese restaurant and got some Sichuan chicken. Then this game would be like you go there again order Sichuan chicken again, and you get instead British blood pudding and gravy, it is also over salted. However recent Dragon Age would be just canned dog food with attitude.
I always felt that Andromeda got a lot of hate for the wrong reasons. As you pointed out, Andromeda played with key parts of what was associated with Mass Effect, however, the problem with doing that too much is, you get something that doesn’t feel like Mass Effect. That was one of the biggest issues I had with it, along with the issues in the story and with the characters. Andromeda also seemed, at least to me, that BioWare was trying to avoid ME 3’s ending rather than progress the story and deal with the ending. You didn’t like ME 3’s ending? Well, Andromeda’s got you covered, because it ignores the ending. I liked your analysis of the things Andromeda did right, though.
Tried getting into this game for the third time last week and it sadly just doesn't manage to grab my attention. I did like the combat though, it was the other systems that didn't do it for me.
I still believe this game could've gotten the Cyberpunk 2077 treatment and been redeemed. Andromeda has my favorite gameplay of the series. It's just not a great Mass Effect story that DLC really could've helped with.
new video when?
Hopefully mid January!
Andromeda is actually quite good. People give it too much shit.
it may have launched with some unfortunate bugs but it wasn't bad it just needed some love and attention...and then the studio got axed... oh well it's in the community's hands now >.>
Maybe I'm just socially awkward myself but I beat the game before I learned of the supposedly broken animations.
That stuff just never bothered me because I'm not sensitive to stuff like facial animations.
I just remember the kick ass combat more than anything else.
The shills will shill...
The amount of hate this game received is truly unfortunate. It really did seem to get a disproportionate amount of hate. I'll be the first to admit that it's character models weren't the best, and the open-world gameplay was pretty repetitive at times, but in retrospect, neither of those issues were remotely uncommon for the era. I suspect the real reason for the negativity was three-fold.
First, the dev cycle was a trainwreck. So much of pre-production was spent on trying to engineer an overly ambitious "No Man's Sky"-esque exploration system with 30+ procedurally generated worlds, that there really wasn't adequate time for the writers and artists to fully flesh out the game. 5years of narrative writing was compressed into less than two. Add to that, EA's directive that they use "Frostbite", which forced artists to switch from 3DS Max to Maya, thereby having to completely recreate all of the assets and character models on an unfamiliar platform within the compressed production period, and it's really no wonder that there were technical and narrative issues. That being said, those issues weren't completely game breaking, nor were they unheard of at the time. Unfortunately, EA just compounded the problem by shifting Bioware over to what they thought would be a cash-cow in Anthem. Had Bioware been given the staff and resources it needed, I think ME4 would likely have ben able to turn things around in much the same way that No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 did, after their disastrous launches.
Second, MEA was released during a rather tumultuous and generally negative period for social media and online content, in general. We'd just made it through "gamer-gate" a couple of years earlier, which spawned a wave of edgelord content creators who found they could profit off of the rage-incentivizing social media algorithms. It didn't help that, at least in the U.S., we'd just gone through a rather toxic and divisive national election that really set a negative and antagonistic tone for how people interacted online.
Lastly, the long gap between ME3 and MEA and it's inevitable hype bubble, resulted in players building up unrealistic expectations. We see it all the time in gaming and film industries. People get very excited about an IP, and the longer they have to wait for it, the more excited they get. Then, when the content doesn't live up exactly to their expectations, they get disappointed and upset. Pair that with the social media trends, above, and those players go from disappointed to angry. We're seeing the exact same thing with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Veilguard isn't going to win Game of the Year, (and I'm not personally a fan of the character art style, nor the linearity of it), but I do like the story and I'm enjoying the game play. I can accept that my vision isn't what was released, and still find enjoyment in what I have.
I guarantee we'll see the exact same same disproportionate negativity when ME5 releases, and if/when the next Elder Scrolls is released. Honestly, the only recent game that seems to have missed that this trend has been Baldur's Gate 3, and I suspect that's in no small part because of it's time spent in early access. Before people could build unrealistic expectations, they were given access to an early build, which really kept fans grounded. I just hope that the negativity bandwagon for Veilguard doesn't end our prospect of getting to actually see ME5 someday.
I liked it, my first mass effect game and it was fun.
I was super hopeful that this would make me feel better about the game.
Turns out the only thing you can come up with that are good about the game are nothing to do with gameplay lol
Love MEA. I hope it gets revaluated like Dragon Age 2 has.
Hey Adam, I like that you shine light on the more overlooked and positive sides of Andromeda and I really like your videos. Keep it up :)
However, I have to disagree with the statement that andromeda is a good game. It trampled on the core values that made Mass Effect great. From deep and rich characters to 1 dimensional clichés. From a meaningful story that makes you feel like your every decision has profound consequences to the most boring, flat sci fi tropes. Most annoying to me is how every character in this game drops a stupid macho line at every opportunity, destroying every hope of taking any part of the game serious.
Yes the game has some good points and ideas, I especially like the armor designs and the combat gameplay, but its a bad game and an even worse entry to its franchise because it is weakest where its predecessors most shon. It reminds me much of star trek piccard with how much it seems to misunderstand its franchise.
Looks like you didnt even watched the video at all. Author didnt talk about story and lore at all. VIdeo about art design, gameplay mechanics and environment. Which outside of Ket and Asari is top tier.
@Altmer353 it's always been like that with the Andromeda haters because they don't know anything most haven't played it much less finished it they are simply parroting what someone in a video or tick tock said that's why that can't actually argue points on game design mechanics ect the video they are parroting doesn't know so they don't know either they just repeat the same things over and over.
@@Altmer353 something i hated about Andromeda’s combat was the inability to properly control your squadmate’s abilities. It ruined the tactical gameplay from the original trilogy and diminished much of the potential affinity player’s could’ve developed with the characters through gameplay.
@@Altmer353It seems to me you did not read my comment or misunderstood what I wanted to say. I did watch the video and I agree with the author that andromeda has good points and shows potential in certain areas. I even stated that.
But I dont agree with the statement that andromeda is a good game overall. Just because it has some good points they dont outway the gigantic problems and flaws this game has, which makes it a bad game in my opinion. Especially because lore, characters and story are the points the game is weakest in, and at the same time its exactly those points that the franchise always was best in and made it what it was.
So even if andromeda wouldnt be a bad game, which it is in my opinion, it would still be a bad entry to the franchise.
I wanna try this out soon
I actually liked the game was just angry at the game breaking bugs myself.
I understand it launched in a bad state, models are pretty bad, but I really enjoyed it on my playthrough. Enough so that I got it on PC, to see if not being locked at 30 fps makes me less irritated with it.
There was definitely a LOT wrong with Andromeda, and it shouldn’t have been released the way it was. But overall, I did end up enjoying the game!
I’m glad to see that there are others that aren’t just blindly hating on the game 😄
I would arguing again your position but my face is tired.
I noticed that andromeda was on sale for $5 on ps5 and I had enough points to get the $5 gift on ps stars so I decided to get the game and try it out
i think the game got more hate then it deserved but i would never pussy foot around its flaws. If this game had 1 more year to cook in the over it would have been a spectacular game. The Kett could have been a seriously formiddable enemy but their narrative did not feet their aesthetic, they fucked up with the uncanny valley, the eyes are too cute like a puppy dog or cat eyes which sucks you in and makes it hard to take them seriously, its crazy the direction they went in seeing that concept art though, they could have made some insanely scary enemies. I was just thinking how i remember fighting husks from the first game and how there was an element of horror to it like zombies in a way, mean while the kett are basically human dogs with exo skeletons.
I feel like andromeda was a great game and left a lot open for a sequel or two to solve. I dont think it deserved the hate it got