@alistercat: Indeed. Or, alternately, you might specifically seek out critics with viewpoints you know differ from your own, because getting some insight into how a given game/book/movie/whatever looks from an angle you haven't considered can be really compelling. It's like, the RPS piece doesn't really have any bearing on whether or not I'm likely to enjoy Andromeda, but that doesn't mean it can't be at least academically interesting.

Same goes for, say, Austin's thoughts on Far Cry 2. I've spent some time with that game, and I know that, for all its interesting systematic interactions and potential for dynamic storytelling, it's just not something I have much fun playing. That doesn't mean Austin's examinations of why he finds it so compelling are inherently uninteresting to me.

@alistercat: That's exactly how it is for me. I really only go on Giant Bomb and yet I'm a big RPG fan. With some of the guys them not liking it gets me interested for sure ha. I just know how it goes by now.

No, that calls into question why he hated it and you didnt. Did you like the game despite the things he didnt like or because of them? Are those the same things he doesnt find to his liking in Andromeda aswell?

If he where to say "Andromeda sucks" and give no more information then perhaps you should take in consideration that he would say the same about other games you love but when he so clearly describes what he doesnt like i fail to se what makes it irrelevant.

@lawgamer: I saw that last night and cringed throughout. They were just savage.

I agree with getting different opinions, i rarely ever take a single review at heart. Even then i usually wait until user reviews by people since often stuff like load times or late game issues are embargoed on early reviews *cough* mgs4 *cough*. But when a review is filled with so much over the top language i feel it's just trying to be entertainment rather than fair criticism.

Anyway, just got my month of EA access, going to try out Furi and the new Mirrors edge before the trial gets released. Feel like renting 30 games for 5 bucks aint bad, just gotta remember to cancel next month lol.

The Witcher 3 has fantastic a narrative but distinctly average gameplay none of the GB staff finished the Witcher 3 the year it came out, nothing in the RPS piece is wrong but all these flaws have been present throughout the Mass Effect series.

good luck ;)

Yeesh. Some of the streams I watched had me walking away with serious reservations about MEA.

Some of the faces, and particularly all the male Ryder presets in the CC, looked absolutely ghastly to me. This is weird because DAI looked mostly fine, and that game straddled console generations. I'm hoping there are some robust slider options, because at the moment, I'm really doubting the possibility that I'll be able to make even a decent-looking black dude.

Auto cover has never been ideal to me, and it looks a little messy and imprecise in MEA. I prefer the hard certainty of "sticky" cover, even if that somewhat reduces my mobility. I've seen it done well, to be fair, most recently in the new Tomb Raider games, but those games are a lot more scrambly so it fits in a way it might not for ME.

A lot of the combat encounters looked kinda plodding and staid, with enemies taking more bullets to put down than I expected. Maybe things will pop more when you have more whiz-bang powers to throw around. You're mostly just shooting dudes with vanilla guns early on, so there's room for things to improve.

The dramatic presentation was flat in a couple of pivotal scenes. A lot of times where I thought "There should be some music here" or "The camera is lingering way too long here." This isn't new for Bioware games, but I wish they'd tighten this stuff up some.

@thepanzini: What's interesting though is John Walker really really liked the other Mass Effect games. So either his opinions on things have changed (always possible) or those issues are even worse in this game than in previous entries.

I just think it's a shame that you're the fucking chosen one again. Why do you always have to be the chosen one? Why can't you just be some guy in space with a ship and a crew?

@arabes: Yeah that's odd maybe Andromeda is that bad or is the straw that broke the camels back. Story is my only concern I can handle the jank the Bioware chosen one trope and impending doom butr not really is becoming tiresome, which is a shame because finding a new home is easily a very strong narrative hook especially one to soft reboot a franchise with.

@arabes: Remember this trailer? I was really hoping this game would be a sci-fi western, where you play as a rogue N7 agent out for their own interest. Obviously, this wasn't the direction Bioware took and there's always next time, I guess? Plus, the game is not out and who knows, it could turn out to be the best Mass Effect yet. The game looks all right from what I've seen.

On topic, I'm glad there'll be a live stream today. I'm hoping Jeff will be in the driving seat; we've been on the same page regarding the series so far.

I watched some of the GameSpot stream and I dunno even as a person that really enjoyed Inquisition and really loves everything sci-fi the gameplay they showed off wasn't super appealing. I guess I'm ready for some proper single player campaigns for a while? Although thats not exactly true either because if they made a compelling open world game I'd jump right in, it's just nothing about Andromeda seems that compelling thus far. Run around, gun down some guys, enable some beacons.. ehh. At least Inquisition had the different abilities and spells that made the combat pretty interesting where running around the world and getting into fights was pretty fun. Andromeda even with it's bigger focus on abilities looks a little lackluster.

I'll probably subscribe to Access just to try it. I also think that it's important to read as many different views as you can, whether you agree with the author or not. That RPS writer and I apparently have inverse views regarding the ends of ME3 and Witcher 3, but I'll still read his stuff even if he is a known contrarian to my own tastes.

But seriously, how do you not like the ending to Witcher 3? Gameplay aside, all 3 are emotionally satisfying in their own right.

Well the overall story in W3 is junk and i dont really hold that ending over ME3 but the character stuff at the end is quite alright and it kinda is in ME3 aswell.

I believe Jeff has specifically said one of the ideas behind this site is that it's personality focused so you can get to know the personality's likes/dislikes and how they line up with your own.

Jeff and I tend to agree on shooters.

Vinny and I tend to agree on RPGs

etc.

For me, if Brad and/or Vinny are enjoying ME:A, I know it's worth my time. If Brad, Vinny, and Jeff all enjoy ME:A, I know it'll rock.

@rethla: As much as I enjoy Witcher, the story certainly was uneven at times.

And I really couldn't pick out a single moment of that story that I thought was a real low point.

@thepanzini:Exactly, helping to build a settlement on anew planet, making deals with local species, finding resources, fending off attacks, all of that would have made for a compelling story without resorting to idea that your failure means doom for everyone.

@militantfreudian: A scifi western where you play a rogue N7 agent would have been fucking rad!

Well, we had two good games folks. The RPS writer might be questionable but everything he says lines up with what I have seen from the streams. It just seems lifeless compared to the other games.

@efesell: On my first time through I really started to wonder if we were ever going to find Dandelion.

The RPS article is startling but there is plenty of positive previews too. In fact, someone else played a big chunk of the game from RPS and it was much more positive. I think Kotaku has a good article up as well? I don't follow RPS and everyone is eintitked to their opinion but this is a game I will just have to judge for myself.

Saw Gamespot's first 45 minute video and left it a bit more interested. It's odd to notice the similarities to Inquisition down the that metallic sound effect when lightning strikes (I played a rogue so I heard that sound a ton while going stabby stabby).

Yeah, I dunno, the dark matter fog thing and aliens have me a bit interested in the story, as well as the whole "brand new world" angle. Didn't know they were doing family stuff in this, so that's kinda weird. Not necessarily bad--I made it work in Fallout 4--just didn't expect them to go for that kind of story.

I kinda feel what others are saying here with not being into the open-world and crafting thing a la Inquisition. I think it'll be the sort of game where I'll just have to really play it my way, rather than play everything there is to play. What I want out of this thing at this point is exciting combat and dialogue choices, and it seems like it's fine on that front. I didn't expect to enjoy gathering and crafting in Inquisition though and ended up kinda enjoying it, so who knows. In any case I'm fine with ignoring that stuff.

Also, that new Mako doesn't look nearly as fun as the old Mako.

Is there actually anyone that enjoyed the old Mako?

Driving around on a flat grey planet with a few useless collectibles on the map to slowly move towards and possibly the worst handling in gaminghistory?

Even though i hold ME1 as the best in series that part of the game is not something i rememember fondly.

IGN is currently streaming the Multiplayer.

@rethla Yes. I enjoyed the Mako.

Hmph!

You're crazy! Far Cry 2 is a million times better than Mass Effect Andromeda! :-p

@theht: Interesting, i always thought someone was making a joke when bringing up the Mako, kinda like Roach from Witcher.

Im both a big driving and rpg fan and i cant think of a single good thing to say about the mako exept for possibly the concept itself might have some potential if well executed. Lets hope it is in Andromeda.

Paraphrasing from Shamus Young's huge blog retrospective on the series, but having a vehicle in ME1 lets the game connect different areas cohesively - you get to travel from Zhu's Hope to the lab spaces on Feros, or from the colony to the research peak on Noveria. In ME2 or 3, big leaps like that are handled by loading screens, or cutscenes (think the in-the-vehicle portions of Tuchanka in ME3). So they're a bit more fragmented. That, really, is the upshot of having a vehicle in Mass Effect.

I honestly don't have a problem with the Mako. It was annoying driving up nearly vertical cliffs, and I put the blame on that on the level design, not the Mako handling. Sure, they could have toned the shocks down a bit, but driving it isn't, like, offensive.

Probably not helping its chances coming off the back of Horizon: Zero Dawn, one heck of a great game... flaws and all. Not to mention Zelda. Have to wonder if EA will regret that.

Still, I'll wait to hear what folks have to say. I'll admit everything I've seen of Andromeda as left me a little flat so far except some of the combat. I feel the previous games did such a better job of developing the setting/story/characters in trailers etc.

The EA Access is up.

Watching the GB stream and so far I'm fine with it and still excited to play the game. Just about every big western rpg that's come out that the GB staff rags on or has no interest in I have dug almost universally (DA 2 and 3, ME 1 and 3, Witcher 2 and 3, the new Shadowrun games, etc).

This isn't to say that their views are wrong or that the game is without criticism but it just seems like it isn't for them. It's like if I did a stream of the new Zelda game and ragged on the rain, climbing, swimming, weapon degradation, Framerate (!), and voice acting incessantly...like literally every sentence.

That being said, even though I've never shared most of the crew's gaming views I have and continue to be a big fan of them and their content.

@zurv said:

The EA Access is up.

Yeah just went and got Access. Like @oursin_360 I figure it's pretty easy to get your monies worth for one month of this. Also if I decide to grab the BF 1 DLC it's cheaper. I have put off buying any games to wait for Andromeda and since I'm getting it for $47 on Amazon an extra 5 plus some other games is a good deal. It makes sure I don't buy a new game in the mean time, which has been tempting.

Downloading it now. Probably won't be able to play until tomorrow (jealous of your download speeds man damn).

What region are you guys in? Not up for me.

edit: ok wasn't showing up in EA access had to go to the store page for some reason. 43 gigs, will probably finish in a few hours lol.

Me too, man. It was fun.

I think the animations in this game look identical to mass effect in 2007. Good gravy.

Yeah I wish they'd get off of that, but people railed on them for doing it in Dragon Age 2 so it's probably here to stay.

@artisanbreads: I'm getting the PS4 version but really am considering paying a couple bucks to mess with it early on pc.... I just keep telling myself it's not worth it to start the game over later but EA access does have some other stuff to mess with as well.

Watching the GB stream and coming off of Horizons: Zero Dawn, the lighting and shading in this game doesn't look great and I think it enhances the "mannequin-like" look. I don't think you can blame that on the engine either, since I've seen other games using Frostbite look pretty and awesome.

It just looks muddled and doesn't have that high contrast of light and shadow that was in the first 3 Mass Effect games. It's not a deal breaker by itself, but it's another bad detail I noticed that forces me to reconsider paying full price at launch.

Shooting seems fine, but Bioware should drop the pretense of this being an RPG if it hasn't already. I think the overall game might be better for it.

just played trough the first "mission". This is a weird one. Despite being on a new engine, it still feels and moves like the old games. The animation is super wonky at times. Also i thought Dragon Age: Inquisition looked actually better then this. Voice acting and delivery seems off at times too. And the faces are super fucked up, the way Addison moves and talks makes me thinks she's some kind of android. Also the performance could be better.

I really like the combat so far though, it's super snappy and the jump jet/boost adds alot of mobility. I don't really like the scanning at the moment, i just hate that trend in rpg's these days. The story seems cool so far, definitely a lot of mystery.

Kind of a mixed bag at the moment.

It has character progression, loot, and you know, the ability to role play through choice and dialogue. Why isn't it an RPG? Because it has action based combat? If that's why, there are hardly any games that would be classified as RPGs anymore. The days of RPGs not having responsive, real time action combat as a rule are gone.

@sackmanjones: I'm playing on PC so it's a no brainer. If I was you I would stay strong! Usually I have been avoiding these kind of ways they get extra money out of you to pre-order and stuff for the ability to play your game a few days earlier, but I'm getting the game so cheap on Amazon anyways and things carry over so I don't mind. Might play through Mirrors Edge 2 and some other stuff.

@burncoat: The colors have come a way, though. Compare, say, the desert and ruins of Tuchanka with the desert in GB's stream today. Dragon Age went through the same transition when they changed engines, and while DAO Redcliffe is a brown muddy mess DAI Redcliffe is a beautiful, colorful little town.

Agreed. I'm also not sure it could possibly beat ME 2 as being shallow in the RPG department. From everything I have seen it's definitely not more shallow then that game.

I'd like to read more opinions about duders playing ME:A if you went in on that EA Access thing. I'm still on the fence and was underwhelmed from what I saw on that stream earlier.

@artisanbreads: I'm just seeing these terrible animations and cringe inducing writing and wonder if they could just drop them and focus on other areas that matter and are actually good. Have it be less of a vehicle to propel the action forward. One can have action based combat and be an RPG, but I wonder if they can just trim the dialogues and resource collecting that all don't figure into the outcome and pad the gameplay where they are not downright terrible, e.g. companions having armor and weapons options. The game is not out yet so let's see if these loyalty missions lead anywhere near as significant to the one that concluded ME2.

What they showed in the stream just looked janky. Those jittery asteroids and ship models, the looooong zoom in on planets, the really horrendous texture pop-in, the map looking like a mess for a second when they open it, the ai characters jumping over things and kinda getting stuck, the distractingly bad faces where the main guy characters' eyebrows felt like they were consuming his eyes. I wasn't impressed.

@strangestories: I dialed down my anticipation for the game after watching that stream. I'll still play it because I could use a new Space Shotgun game, but I think now, barring some very glowing reviews, I'll hold off until it goes on sale somewhere and hopefully gets a patch or six.

@redhotchilimist: That's not exactly a fair example. Mass Effect 1-3 all had vibrant, colorful environments in addition to the muddy ones, like the night-clubs on the Citadel and Omega, the shopping district in the Wards of the Citadel, the common area on the first Normandy, and the Asari homeworld. Tuchanka lore-wise deserves to have no color, but the lighting still popped when it needed to. Every planet and location had a palette that it stuck to with its own shading and highlights. Cutscenes and camera angles were picked with attention made to the lighting of the rooms and how they framed the characters. Lens-flares were used as great accents to draw attention and focus. This scene between Legion and Tali is one of my favorites because there's so much going on in terms of lighting (Shepard illuminated by the white of the other room, Tali and Legion bathed in red until the problem is resolved, everyone is silhouetted against a lighter background making them stand out), camera location, and so on that I'm given the impression that Legion's room was created for that cutscene alone (probably not, but there's a whole lot going in that room).

I like how much color there is in the first few hours of Andromeda, but color isn't much if the shading isn't there. Flat shading and lighting can make a tie-dye shirt look lifeless. Right now, all the human characters so far look like they have plastic for skin with the way the light hits them. I'm not going to assume there aren't some great looking areas or scenes in the game, but at this point I'm really not expecting them. I really want to play this game and see what they can do with the series now, so I hope my expectations are set a little too high.

@ll_exile_ll: @artisanbreads: yeah I'm getting my ps4 copy simply because it's cheap as hell on amazon and I bought this PS4 pro for something I guess? My pic mewts the mi I I'm spec and some of the recommended but I guess I always saw mass effect as a console RPG just with my experience and that is oddly hard to break. I don't know why, but I'm gonna try to stay strong and just read impressions of the trial, hopefully they are good.

As for your comment on this game being an RPG or not.... I feel like people have been focusing so much on criticisms about facial animation and movement stiffness that they have failed to see all of the RPG glory that has been put back into the game. You have tons of powers, all that require skill points. You have armor sets, you have customizable weapons. You have customizable gear with stat numbers. This game mirrors ME 1 in respect to the amount of "RPG" mechanics in the game. What's even better is the combat looks frantic, fast and fun.

I'm not saying the criticisms are valid and I know some of that stuff does bother some people, but those same people should you know, try and look at the positives too. A novel concept I know....