First I would like to emphasize that I am a huge fan of the DA & ME games, I have them all including DLCs :-)I'm just playing though the original trilogy again and was ruminating on the last additional to the ME Universe...Andromeda.Shepard's story has ended; it was a roller-coaster of a ride, containing thrills, spills, highs and lows - it built up an intimate and intense bond with a character that was facing a nigh on impossible task of uniting the disparate Galaxy inhabitants, forging alliances, friendships and mutual support - dependent on your game-play, you could also find love along the way. It was time Shepard had some R&R after that epic journey.I was really hoping for a similar experience with MEA; new character, fresh start in a new Galaxy etc - so many possibilities to explore, did it deliver?In my opinion - not in the least for the below reasons:Graphics weren't great - but hey, I could live with thatThe crew you recruit didn't have the depth of the Normandy, some of them I even found deeply unlikeable. I'm sure the crew dynamic would have matured over time if it had been given a chanceAnother round of really poor romance options for a female character - I was hoping this would have been improved from the previous games; just let the player decide who they want to romance, cut out the * limitations...this is the C21st not C19th/20th. Be more inclusiveToo many loose ends that Bioware being the cheapskates couldn't be bothered to address via DLCs - oh we'll publish some half baked book to explain the missing ark...Having paid out a reasonable amount of money for a game that promised so much and delivered so little I feel very let down and hollow - it looks to all intents and purposes that a well known developer didn't make the money they wanted, cut their losses and ran for the hills - screw the loyal players who have supported them over the years and paid their bills.I hope that whatever comes along for the next installment of DA addresses the shoddy treatment of us gamers but I don't hold out much optimism.

I agree with you, they drop the ball on this one, I've been playing the Mass Effect trilogy since the beginning and I fine that it is a far better game even though theses games have some hiccups in them, now that I've started playing MEA again for the fourth or fifth time I fine that there's no emotional feel for it and there's way too many loose ends. Even though it's 634 yrs later nobody thought about Earth or wonder if Shepard and his crew survived the battle, If the people of these gaming companies continue to go in that direction they could loose a lot of fans.

To my mind the issue is two fold.... 1) Bioware tried to do too much. They introduced, developed and wanted a good bond with MANY places and people, which just isn't possible in the story setting they have created. Double the cutscenes or more and maybe, but then you would be playing more character game and less FPS. They SHOULD have just limited the number of characters and scope of the development of the game to a tighter and more limited menu of people especially and places possibly. 2) They fell into the trap of number one for the same reason people really blast MEA.....people are comparing and expecting all the development seen in the 3 GAME SERIES in a single game. If people remembered what ME1 was like, especially the writers, and only compared apples to apples, then the characters and places compare better. ME1 still had a better story and characters but again, I think this was because the writers fell into the trap along with players. They should have just introduced the area, a more limited group of characters, hinted at a broader scope and left it there. Honestly....I would have loved to be able to play the arrival of the Nexus to Andromeda and let THAT be the start instead of handling it in books. Can you imagine if they treated it a bit like DA series, and you got to play someone like Sloane, and get to make all the choices about the uprising, being kicked off and having to settle Kadara.... Then game 2 was the Ryder saga, and thus you have an interesting continuation to the saga..... Let Ryder twin be the third game...trilogy complete.

@Fred_vdp; Yeah, EA's forcing of Frostbite for all AAA games makes a ton of sense for a lot of reasons, starting with; "They already own it" and; ease of porting things to all three major platforms.But... DICE originally built Frostbite to be an FPS engine, not an RPG one. It has lots of potential but right now (DA:I, ME:A) we, devs and players both, are having to deal with the growing pains.

ME:A did suffer from a lack of support but it was actually EA, not Bioware that caused the problems. I suggest digging up the article on it's production on Kotaku for insight.I think everyone will agree the story and characters were lacking, but the RPG system, combat and open world made this game a lot of fun for me.

I honestly can understand the shortcomings, and I have seen them, but when I went into the game I had my thoughts, but cleared them out to remain neutral on the overall concept of the story. I’ve come to learn if you sit down and play it, and DO NOT compare it to the ME Trilogy, you can find more joy in playing it. But if you decide to compare it to the ME Trilogy, you will always feel let down. Maybe try playing as it was meant to be played, as a stand-alone not related to the original trilogy and maybe, just maybe, you might find some joy in playing it. You can read some of my blog posts about this game over here: www.thewarravenblog.wordpress.com

daguillon2000

7 years ago

Just Some Feedback/Venting on MEA

First I would like to emphasize that I am a huge fan of the DA & ME games, I have them all including DLCs :-)

I'm just playing though the original trilogy again and was ruminating on the last additional to the ME Universe...Andromeda.

Shepard's story has ended; it was a roller-coaster of a ride, containing thrills, spills, highs and lows - it built up an intimate and intense bond with a character that was facing a nigh on impossible task of uniting the disparate Galaxy inhabitants, forging alliances, friendships and mutual support - dependent on your game-play, you could also find love along the way. It was time Shepard had some R&R after that epic journey.

I was really hoping for a similar experience with MEA; new character, fresh start in a new Galaxy etc - so many possibilities to explore, did it deliver?

In my opinion - not in the least for the below reasons:

Graphics weren't great - but hey, I could live with that
The crew you recruit didn't have the depth of the Normandy, some of them I even found deeply unlikeable. I'm sure the crew dynamic would have matured over time if it had been given a chance
Another round of really poor romance options for a female character - I was hoping this would have been improved from the previous games; just let the player decide who they want to romance, cut out the * limitations...this is the C21st not C19th/20th. Be more inclusive
Too many loose ends that Bioware being the cheapskates couldn't be bothered to address via DLCs - oh we'll publish some half baked book to explain the missing ark...

Having paid out a reasonable amount of money for a game that promised so much and delivered so little I feel very let down and hollow - it looks to all intents and purposes that a well known developer didn't make the money they wanted, cut their losses and ran for the hills - screw the loyal players who have supported them over the years and paid their bills.

I hope that whatever comes along for the next installment of DA addresses the shoddy treatment of us gamers but I don't hold out much optimism.

19 Replies

freault
7 years ago
I agree with you, they drop the ball on this one, I've been playing the Mass Effect trilogy since the beginning and I fine that it is a far better game even though theses games have some hiccups in them, now that I've started playing MEA again for the fourth or fifth time I fine that there's no emotional feel for it and there's way too many loose ends. Even though it's 634 yrs later nobody thought about Earth or wonder if Shepard and his crew survived the battle, If the people of these gaming companies continue to go in that direction they could loose a lot of fans.
e3lc0
7 years ago
Dear maurice1959, do you know what a elite military unit from your country's armed forces is doing?
These people who left the milky way are probably just average Joe and Jane who heard on the news that the colony's where being attacked by pirates 600+years ago
fudgietroll
7 years ago
@freault wrote:
I agree with you, they drop the ball on this one, I've been playing the Mass Effect trilogy since the beginning and I fine that it is a far better game even though theses games have some hiccups in them, now that I've started playing MEA again for the fourth or fifth time I fine that there's no emotional feel for it and there's way too many loose ends. Even though it's 634 yrs later nobody thought about Earth or wonder if Shepard and his crew survived the battle, If the people of these gaming companies continue to go in that direction they could loose a lot of fans.
Sorry Maurice, you're off base on this one. People in game do reminisce about the MW. In addition,
Spoiler
we find out that Alec, Jien, and the Benefactor have hidden the Reaper invasion from everyone.
freault
7 years ago
I do get my facts wrong sometimes ah well, I messed up.
AeromusPrime22
7 years ago
ME:A did suffer from a lack of support but it was actually EA, not Bioware that caused the problems. I suggest digging up the article on it's production on Kotaku for insight.
I think everyone will agree the story and characters were lacking, but the RPG system, combat and open world made this game a lot of fun for me.
AeromusPrime22
7 years ago
Two things about that. 1) they all knew it was a one way trip so there wasn't much sense in looking back, 2) the Arks launched before the Reaper's actually invaded. Garson, Ryder and the benefactor moved up the launches because they knew it was coming. So if only a few people aboard the Arks even knew, then the masses won't be wondering about unknown-to-them Reapers or an incarcerated Shepard.
freault
7 years ago
I just thought of something, when I was playing the game this morning, I think The Benefactor is ( Cerberus).If they can bring back Commander Shepard and re-build the Normandy SR-1 into the SR-2 they can build theses Arks with the help of a lot of powerful supporters, mine you I could be wrong.
AeromusPrime22
7 years ago
While there are a number of things that could point to Cerberus/The Illusive Man, there are others that don't. Namely, why help build arks for the other races? You could say it would be an easy way to eliminate a large number of them, but it seems like a lot of resources to put into the plan.
freault
7 years ago
Question, When the Hyperion crashed on Meridian what happened to the Ancient Angaran AI.
e3lc0
7 years ago
On Aya , didn't want that crazy A.I. on my beautiful ship