Gaming Mass Effect: Andromeda Review

Actually, the Andromeda budget is rather low considering the current game budgets - it had around $40M budget, compared to $100M for BF4 for example...

 

I'll be honest, ME:A was always going to be one for the bargain-bin deal for me. Watching one of my friends play it only reinforced that.

 

cheers mate, might turn out to be my main reason for buying this if it (hopefully) drops to £30 mark on ps4 soon

 

Maybe its because I am coming from Destiny but I am loving the Jump jet movement style in combat. Combine with biotics and I barely use cover at all (always moving).

Some janky animations and dialogue aside I am really enjoying the game.

 

Apparently the weird faces are getting patched today. Would anyone mind posting some before/after pics?

And someone at Polygon is pretty mad. Fun read though.

 

Yup, definitely different worlds (galaxies? ) here.

I don't mind the gaming review sites as I keep in mind all that you've mentioned and generally prefer the optimistic outlook anyways.

I'll read a few independent reviews now and then if I'm on the fence, but I think your cynicism with gaming sites mirrors mine with the "independents"... half the time I just feel like they're too focused on the negative because they want to sell you the whole "what mass media reviews don't want you to know" and further push their "look at me, i'm totally unbiased because i paid for my game" despite that their livelihood also depends on people clicking and viewing their reviews and so they try to make them entertaining/hatetraining.

It's not that I think either is particularly better than the other, but I'd rather have the optimistic outlook and then make my own decisions as to what negatively affects my enjoyment as opposed to assuming that the game will be ruined because of xyz aspects.

Now obviously, I'm sure we've also been around long enough to know what we like ourselves and how it will affect our enjoyment, so for me I'm fairly easy going... bugs and glitches are annoying sure, but reloading a save for me because of a randomly and rare occurring bug isn't a big deal whereas i know for others, people will simply be frustrated as they expect more.

I wish it was like that for me... i've had a few times in ME1 when i've been ragdolled by enemy biotics and clipped into some area I can't then get out of .

I completely agree that these days time is definitely a factor... however at the same time, I also think that completely relying on someone else's opinion to determine if it's "worth" playing is also very... dangerous(?).

For example, I personally rate Andromeda as a 9/10... I know that's a completely subjective and biased view as I love all the aspects that make it Mass Effect and the majority of negative aspects that people find, either don't apply to me (animations etc.), aren't that big of an issue (minor bugs/glitches) or I think are unrepresentative of the actual experience (companions not being as good as the OT).

On a more objective level, I think ME:A is deserving of at least an 8/10 since I know the games *does* have issues, but similar to above, I don't think they're significant enough to detract from enjoyment of the game... ultimately it's the latter that matters and I don't think it's that the game is unfun... just that there are certain aspects that remind people that they're still only playing a game.

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Anyways, now that it's finally the weekend, going to be able to finish up my sidequests and start my NG+, just in time for the new patch that's arrived and I can see what's different

 

ME:A is the most bug ridden "AAA" game i've ever played, to anyone considering buying i'd wait until its on sale.

 

I wonder what combinations people get these bugs. My complete list of bugs i encountered on PC was :
- stuck legs (fixed by pressing the back key for milisecond)
- i fell into one location i couldn't get out, but also wasn't dead - fixed by reloading the last save.
- dialogues with "walls" (bad camera positioning) - doesn't break the game

 

It has bugs, the stories and sub stories have many 'err, what?' moments, game checkpoints are ill thought out, camera positioning can be awful, characters can wonder off during cut scenes meaning their voice is extremely quiet (if audible at all).

I can't stop playing it. I'm having great fun! Just reached level 40 and have custom sniper and assault rifles and an Angaran knife. Fought my second Architect of the game - much easier with my custom weapons!