1. Never read the comments (except when I make them).

2. Batman Vs Superman is a steaming pile of shit of a movie

3. All this animation stuff is bullshit

EA has put very little weight behind Andromeda most consumers don't go to Gaf, reddit or any other forum their oblivious to the PR missteps and certainly won't be aware of death threats or any other nonsense across twitter. Advertising won't sell a turd but it'll turn a hit into a colossal one, its why Uncharted 4 had a bigger ad campaign than the three previous games. EA like every publisher does mock reviews and focus testing they'll know its shortcomings already its why we've seen very little Andromeda footage until a few months before release.

For sure, most consumers aren't part of any of this, hate mobs or otherwise. I'm just talking about the difference between consumer dissatisfaction with a video game and the moral outrage that occasionally pops up on the internet. The worst of the internet is never the majority, doesn't change how destructive it can sometimes be.

@lv4monk: Your post removes all agency from me and others. You ascribe our beliefs to an internet mob. You don't stop to take time to consider that people might actually feel this way for their own reasons.

I have concerns about this game. I mention them now because I see the game now and that happens because the game is coming out now. There's no link in that chain which is "other people don't like it so I'm convinced to dislike it". I'm not taking sides, I'm expressing my opinion.

There's no randomness. The publisher wants the game shown now. The game is shown now. I have problems with it now. I mention it now. It doesn't have to be a conspiracy.

I disagree.

Dude, I think you're wildly misunderstand the behaviors I'm talking about and who those behaviors are coming from. Put down the pitchfork for a second (get it?) and take a look around you. You see those internet fires with harassment campaigns and death threats? Are you commiting them? It might just be your dislike of a game and bullshit behavior from thickheaded rageaholics aren't one and the same.

"For sure, most consumers aren't part of any of this, hate mobs or otherwise. I'm just talking about the difference between consumer dissatisfaction with a video game and the moral outrage that occasionally pops up on the internet. The worst of the internet is never the majority, doesn't change how destructive it can sometimes be." ----- Remember when I said that? Kinda relevant...

But seriously, why was there this assumption that all criticism of this (or any other) game was what concerned me? That I "don't stop to take the time to consider that people might actually feel this way for their own reason"? Why would that be what you took from anything I've said? Knowing why someone is bagging on a game is important to me and differentiating between reasonable and unreasonable criticisms should be important to anyone.

Anyone know how badly or how long they're trashing it on The Bombcast? I tend to listen to every episode but...

I have a feeling it's going to be this way for a while on most if not all of my gaming podcasts (Beastcast included)

@lv4monk: Again you portray me as part of a mob by referencing my pitchfork. You slag this off by saying you once mentioned there might be some people who act outside the mob but then explicitly lump me into one with your pitchfork comments.

I'm not programmed by a mob. There is no pitchfork. These are my actual concerns expressed at a time when the publishers are attempting to get people to talk about the game. Everyone is not against you, I'm just talking about a game, not lynching anyone.

@bill_mcneal: You can either see it as trashing or as concern. I've always heard the latter, since the crew so far all seem disappointed with this unfortunate outcome.

@rahf: @bill_mcneal: There was a good long section, maybe 20 minutes? There was a lot of concern and disappointment not snide trash talk. They aren't taking any glee in bad mouthing it like a lot of the internet is, but they're also saying things are bad and groaning at them without discussing the possibility that other people might enjoy certain aspects. It's why I've come to learn that if Jeff doesn't like something I probably will but it makes it slightly grating to hear talk about a game, positively or negatively. More diversity in viewpoints in general on the website would be good. Hard to achieve with only 2 - 3 people left.

I think you're fuming so heavily you aren't thinking straight. I said you were being an angry ass that wasn't paying attention to what I was saying. I then pointed to the thing I said that contradicted what you were telling me I said. I'll say it again since you seem to be blinded by anger and aren't seeing it. You're criticisms of this game, and in fact most others, isn't what concerns me. What concerns me is irrational, poorly thought out, unreasonable criticisms that have no logical basis. For some reason you then thought "oh, he means me and that's insulting. I'd better lash out at him".

In other words I said angry internet mobs are a problem and for some unidentifiable reason you got angry thinking I called you an angry internet mob. So now you ARE an angry dude that i'm criticising for being needlessly angry and this whole conversation couldn't be any more pointless.

Why are you implying I think everyone's against me when I literally said most people aren't responsible for doing what I'm criticizing? Unreasonable and illogical hate being flung at companies and their products fuels the vocal minority that do actual harm. THAT is what I'm criticizing.

@alistercat: But this is also what I appreciate about their viewpoints. It is an opinion and nothing more. From our history with the guys, we can often construe how that opinion relates to us as individuals. I feel like they wave concerns away quite often with an, "I didn't like it, but others might." At some point they have to speak plainly and blatantly about how they feel, and we have to decide how much weight it carries.

And, you know what, guys? There's no real need to shout the reasons why person X is completely irrelevant. I bet you can find a whole alphabet of people whose likes and dislikes line up perfectly with yours. To beat your chest and tell everyone how wrong they are isn't really conducive to anything worthwhile, is it?

Good post here. Especially the last part. If people don't think them blindly rushing to justify their criticism even if it lines up with some of the things the so called "angry mob" are saying doesn't make this more of a problem they need to give their head a shake. Regardless if you think this game is good or not, regardless if your criticisms are similar to the angry mob or not. We all have to say "no this angry mob is garbage." They don't deserve to be aligned with any of us who are trying to have legitimate conversations about a game. Because all they do is destructive things, that is why they are called the angry mob.

Of course the angry mob may not go away, but if we ignore them and their opinions it severely limits the influence and damage an angry mob. That is why I find it's paramount to make sure when giving an opinion of something, give it in full. Make sure you can't be confused for an angry mob, especially in situations like this one where you already have said angry mob attacking individuals and harassing them on the internet. Sure, I'm not saying criticizing this game makes you part of the angry mob, but that doesn't mean we have to completely ignore that the angry mob does exist, and we should be careful to not associate ourselves with it in any way imo.

Criticism ceases to be criticism when it turns into harassment. I.E. when someone makes fun of the facial animations in ME:A, they can do so and are likely having fun doing it. When statements get turned into threats people make to developers about the facial animations. That's harassment.

There is such a thing as unreasonable hate; that happens when you attack a creator's character. When one criticizes a creator's work, it's not unreasonable hate.

It's not rocket science. Yes, it sucks when someone is working for years on a project only for their work to be criticized, but it's not the consumer's responsibility to enjoy it. I get that games are hard, expensive, and time consuming to make, but art doesn't have to exist in a vacuum and connections aren't always made between the consumer and the art. And that's what this is about...the relationship between the consumer and the art, not the relationship between the consumer and the developer. That happens when these shitty threats to individual developers occur, or in the rare case, when a dev decides to attack a critic's character.

I mean, go ahead and get angry at the criticism if you want. I'll be honest and say it's kinda sad that we can't accept differences in what we get connected to or what we don't get connected to when it comes to art. I'll reserve my anger at the threats.

There's definitely an important distinction between attacking the creator's character and attacking the thing they created. I also still think a creator's work can be unreasonably attacked with hate, hate that in turn can justify more dangerous groups doing the horrible shit they do on the internet.

The problems with Mass Effect Andromeda are problems that have existed in every Bioware game since Dragon Age 2. I'm not sure why a large percentage of the community and the press have suddenly turned on Bioware. The mainstream press are saying things that ex-Bioware fans have been saying for years. So why the sudden change? Has it just become fashionable to shit on Bioware for reasons beyond our understanding?

I haven't played the game but from the reviews I've read and the gameplay I've seen the issue is those "old problems" aren't bolstered by good writing and interesting characters like they were previously. You're right, Bioware games have had shaky animation for ages but when the animation, voice acting and plot aren't up to snuff the roof really starts to cave in. I don't buy that theres been a sudden change it's just that this game is quite different than Mass Effect 3.

@clearleaf: the issues are worse in a lot of ways. There isn't good writing or interesting characters which Chas always been the main attraction of ME. Also, Mass Effect 3 came out 5 years ago and we should expect improvements. It's why Fallout 4 wasn't well received.

You say you aren't calling me part of a mob but you reference my pitchfork.

You're only kidding yourself if you think that the communication problems are on my end.

Maybe you need to step back, shake off some anger and take a look at what you're actually saying instead of assuming others simply can't figure out how to pick up what you are saying.

I'm not sure who you are raging at when you say the problem is the internet sometimes all picks on the same things at once and then you say that you didn't mean to include everyone. You seem to be being overly selective in your defense, but not in your accusations. But fine if you don't mean me, then you don't mean me. But perhaps you can choose your words more carefully to someone you are saying is not in a mob instead of telling them to quiet down while using an obvious mob mention.

@alistercat: Hey thanks, and that certainly doesn't sound as long or as bad as I thought it would. And yes, perhaps I was a bit...harsh when I typed that. I don't mean to insult the duders and don't mind a dissenting opinion. It's just that they can go a little overboard sometimes (as can most people).

I stopped reading when you used the term "SJW" without a hint of irony. No thank you.

I'm a few hours into the game. It seems fine. The writing and the faces are not top tier, but Mass Effect has never had top tier writing or faces, and I say that as a fan of the series. It's a good series, sometimes even a great one, but it's always had shortcomings.

I heard the outrage about the animations before ME:A came out. But it didn't look as bad as people were making it out to be and it seemed like more "anti-SJW" outrage: fanboys attacked a female animator, people saying the story was doomed because the developers worried too much about having a diverse cast, blah blah blah blah..... So I bought the game.

Well, I'm only about 8 hours in and so far I agree that the animations and some of the voice acting lines are really bad. The character models are alright (though I hate the short, stubby legs on human models). The irony of all this hate is that I probably would have taken the criticism more seriously and waited to buy the game on sale if it hadn't been so emotionally-charged. The hate was so intense, it drowned out legitimate concerns fans like myself would have when looking to buy this game.

i don't know about your "this game should be a 9. something logic". human faces are bad there mmo's out there with better human faces. Dialog is pretty horrendous , story is kinda meh so far, gameplay is fun, and the new MAKO is a nice extra, Ryder is kind of a blank slate most of your buddy's seem forgettable. I think i would gave this a 7.4 outta ten it's ok but forgettable, in a year were we had some amazing games already.

Duuuuuuuude, you aren't paying the slightest bit of attention. How many times can I point to the thing that contradicts what you're saying before you even so much as acknowledge it? I honestly can't believe you're being so thickheaded about this...

THE PITCHFORK WASN'T A REFERENCE TO YOU UNTIL YOU PICKED IT UP AND DECIDED TO BE A DICK.

"I'm not sure who you are raging at when you say the problem is the internet sometimes all picks on the same things at once and then you say that you didn't mean to include everyone"----EXCEPT THAT'S WRONG AND I DIDN'T SAY THAT. You actually made that part up, you know, where you insist I said everyone is the problem. The thing I literally said the opposite of and have quoted myself in what should have been proof. BUT IT WASN'T BECAUSE YOU AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION PLEASE READ THESE CAPS.

I'm capslock-ing the bits that you got wrong and don't seem to care about.

PS THIS PART RIGHT BELOW HERE.

"For sure, most consumers aren't part of any of this, hate mobs or otherwise. I'm just talking about the difference between consumer dissatisfaction with a video game and the moral outrage that occasionally pops up on the internet. The worst of the internet is never the majority, doesn't change how destructive it can sometimes be."

THAT WAS ME SAYING THAT.

end capslock.

and my sanity.

oh, PPSS "You say you aren't calling me part of a mob but you reference my pitchfork."--- I actually said you weren't part of the mob I referenced in my original posts but that you became an angry dude that I compared to an angry mob when you misunderstood who I was originally referencing and got really rude. Probably not important though since I can't imagine you'll acknowledge this in any way before returning to the "Monk thinks all critics of this game are part of an angry mob" shtick. You're in too deep and I've insulted you too many times for you to back down now. If internet hate and harassment wasn't something I worry about and fear on a regular basis I would've abandoned this ridiculous chest thumping many posts ago.

"I still think a creator's work can be unreasonably attacked with hate, hate that in turn can justify more dangerous groups doing the horrible shit they do on the internet."---if anyone takes anything from all of this please take that. Blind and enthusiastic hate can help create an environment where hateful people do hurtful things. Stay critical, not hateful.

This might be the most surprising take I've seen with people suddenly coming out of the wood work saying ''Hey, I like mass effect but let's not kid ourselves, it was never all that great. This one sounds like just another one of those''. Who are you people? Did you get hit in the head in the last 5 years and only remember the ending of 3 and the texture pop in in 1?

https://youtu.be/R_NAoNd4YyY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXLVFnl3WcE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo1tUfTECRo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc46Xo_GsVM

Something is wrong with the video embeding

ME:A has better animation than that. As someone who was really into ME3's multiplayer I fought Phantom's all the time and they didn't look as smooth as that video. Even if they did this game has it beat and Shep definitely didn't move like that. I played the game earlier this year Shep runs like a hunchback that's about to fall down, and the video below isn't a glitch - that's how it always is. The way Shepard moves matters more than some enemy that's largely in multiplayer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye0Rl16elKo

I played 100+ Hours of ME 3 Multiplayer and those Phantoms moved exactly like that. But let's just agree to disagree. You really don't want to settle this with youtube videos. My supply of ME:A "bad animation videos" will be endless in the coming weeks.

@bummlmitz: You do realize that animation isn't even in the game, right? That only happens if you're on a keyboard, and constantly hitting the A and D keys to shift your character's full weight instantly into turning left and right. I've tried to do it on a controller, and it doesn't even seem possible. It's not "the new walking animation." It's something that you purposely have to do, to fuck with the game. At that point, you might as well put a paper bag over your head, and then say "Well good going, BioWare! Now I can't even see the screen."

But you are right about the Phantoms.

Animations are worse in andromeda its not even a debate? Only thing I will is that they are more fluid with more frames (could just be the 60fps on pc compared to sub 30 on 360). They probably wouldnt look as bad if humans had better proportions, they all look like their shoulders will pop out their back when walking to me.

I get making fun of the faces, sometimes they get pretty insane.

But trying to make a big deal out of the walk seems kind of shitty, that's all on the player.

That's a glitch and according to the other poster in here it's someone on PC doing it on purpose. What I posted about ME3 is the normal/consistent run in ME3 - not a glitch, so your rebuttal falls flat and sounds like you're looking for bad stuff about the game on Youtube rather than playing the game yourself. I've played the game for hours and hours - I've never seen that and the movement is WAY smoother now than the trilogy.

Yeah it's not even a glitch it's just hey you can make video game characters look really stupid if you hammer on the controls.

If anything it's a result of the games movement actually being very responsive.

Glitch or not, animations - face and body - often look extremely weird. And while Shepard's running animation (in ME3 and only ME3) was comically bad, there was not nearly as much bad and glitchy stuff as I have personally seen in my 5 hours of that Origin trial.

I have no intention of going back to the game , so this "discussion" seems like a waste of time. I don't want to spoil your fun, but I guess I just couldn't let your "ME1-ME3 were worse" comment slide.

I just hit a game breaking bug that looks impassible with my current play through. After the talking scene meeting Jarl the game gets stuck in an endless load. It doesn't freeze, but I've let it go for 10-20 minutes now, and nothing. Tried reloading, got to the same spot, same issue. This is a story moment that isn't bypassable, and I can no longer continue my game, even loading up an earlier save. I'm on a PS4 Pro, for those that care.

I'm beyond upset. I'm not restarting this game because it has been a damn chore to play, and even though I'm not terribly far, I don't have it in me to do all the first planet, and all the Nexus interactions again.

I'm gonna let this load keep going for hours tonight, probably during all UPF, but if it doesn't fix itself, then I'm done, and this game can fuck itself in every conceivable way.

How the fuck did this game get by cert.

Update: Thank fucking god, after about an hour of digging through older saves and getting to the same point, I got past the scene. And at such a crucial story moment too, took all the winds out of the sails of getting my last party member. Now I get to keep playing this game...which might be more a curse then anything else.

I'm a big fan of the Mass Effect series, it's probably my favorite gaming franchise, so I know I never said the original trilogy was bad. I literally said "the body movement animation is a vast improvement over the trilogy", which is true and doesn't make sense with your "couldn't let your "ME1-ME3 were worse" comment slide", since I didn't say that. People always used to make fun of Bioware's body animation - it just wasn't ME3. I've played for over 15 hours and seen some weird human and Asari facial animation, but the body movement has been fine and looks way smoother than past installments. I'm fine criticizing the game, I said someone(s) should possibly be fired over the face mistakes and taking squad control out was completely idiotic, but to say the body movement got worse seems crazy to me.

I'm about 30-40 hours in and it might be my 2nd favorite mass effect despite how horribly unpolished it is and the cringe writing that pops up once every few hours. In a lot of ways it's the most mass effect game.the enemy is lame but other than maybe the first game the series has never had a good central enemy. I love the gameplay, it's fast and on hard it offers a decent challenge. The companions are good, even Liam has a great loyalty mission and he grew on me. Really into the discovery, mystery and exploration that's been missing since the first game.