I did. Its not perfect, it could use a good bit of polishing, but... its reminiscent of the fun of ME2 enough to justify my purchase. Could it be better? Absolutely and Bioware has fallen far from the KOTOR/Jade Empire days.
Shit, just look at Horizon Zero Dawn (really feels like that title needs a colon) - brand new IP that did things completely differently to the company's previous success and people ate it right the fuck up. Lord knows if ME:A was a new IP (even if it was the same game just without the Mass Effect elements) I'd be way more keen for it, but as it stands it keeps getting pushed back in my purchase-queue for other games because... well, Mass Effect 3 did a good enough job of finishing things, I don't really get all warm and fuzzy for a game that's going 'OH BY THE WAY THIS WAS ALSO HAPPENING'.bastardofmelbourne said:Well, it's hard, but it's also their job. And they're a reputable company with a long history releasing the fourth installment of a major franchise. I would expect them to get this shit right. Other studios do, after all. Witcher 3 and DX:MD had much better facial animation. Hell, even Fallout 4 was better.Gethsemani said:Yes, Bioware dropped the ball on the animations, but let's not pretend as if their job is easy.
It may be because their budget got strangled, but we won't know that until later on when the developers start talking about it. Honestly, I feel like Andromeda ought to have been an original IP. They should've just gone full space Western with a new setting, ideally one where revolvers make sense from a technological perspective. It's the same feeling I get from God of War 4. It's like, this thing is so different from its predecessor, so why bother connecting them? People are more likely to get hyped over a new IP from a reputable developer (c.f. Destiny) than they are for a fourth dose of the same old shit.
You need to get some glasses, buddy.Generalissimo said:No.
the graphics and animations are a bad joke
The combat looks samey
Voice acting is wooden
Story fails to intrigue
It's just plain awful looking
wow, that sure showed me.BabyfartsMcgeezaks said:You need to get some glasses, buddy.Generalissimo said:No.
the graphics and animations are a bad joke
The combat looks samey
Voice acting is wooden
Story fails to intrigue
It's just plain awful looking
Yep I sure was trying :^)Generalissimo said:wow, that sure showed me.BabyfartsMcgeezaks said:You need to get some glasses, buddy.Generalissimo said:No.
the graphics and animations are a bad joke
The combat looks samey
Voice acting is wooden
Story fails to intrigue
It's just plain awful looking
It really doesn't though. They took the absolute worst looking character in the entire game in the worst lighting situation in the entire game and compared it to the absolute best case scenario in the first game, while it isn't favorable because there is a decade gap, it's still substantially better in the new one.Samtemdo8 said:Yet the older one somehow still looks better....Captain Marvelous said:Nope. I haven't even played the first three games, despite the fact that I own them. Controller support really goes a long way.
Also, this doesn't leave a good impression.![]()
Crowbcat made his video:mavkiel said:The game is a mixed bag
Pros --
A couple interesting companions.
Beautiful environments to explore.
Combat is actually fun, and easy to die in if you don't pay attention.
Lots of quests to do, that actually feel like they have some impact on the world around you. Save a guy on a mission? He might later turn up at a base and thank you. Further in, even more people might mention that action. -- Its a far cry from Mass effects 3, fetch quests or Dragon Age Inquisitions mmo style quests.
Companion interaction -- They always seem to have something to say with one another.
Cons -
Right out of the gate, its hard bordering on impossible to create a good looking character. I actually started turning on options to leave my helmet on whenever possible.
The ugly stick also extends to most npcs. They will give you flat dead eye stares that would creep anyone out.
Some of the writing occasionally gets either sappy, or sound like they outsourced the script to China. Really, would a western writer ever type something like, "my face is tired"? Doubtless folks here have already seen the memes.
Must I show you the intro in Mass Effect 2 with the Illusive Man and Miranda Lawson, a game 7 years ago and still looks increadbile today?meowchef said:It really doesn't though. They took the absolute worst looking character in the entire game in the worst lighting situation in the entire game and compared it to the absolute best case scenario in the first game, while it isn't favorable because there is a decade gap, it's still substantially better in the new one.Samtemdo8 said:Yet the older one somehow still looks better....Captain Marvelous said:Nope. I haven't even played the first three games, despite the fact that I own them. Controller support really goes a long way.
Also, this doesn't leave a good impression.![]()
Not only is that scene in almost complete darkness intentionally to hide as much of the negativity as possible, the mouth sync issues with the dialogue that you CAN see is objectively worse than Andromeda. Miranda's teeth are exposed 100% of the time she's speaking.BloatedGuppy said:So, due to some very public (and not entirely unfair) mishaps like Addison's face/dialogue, ME:A is now pulling a reverse Dragon Age Inquisition. Which is to say, instead of being a soggy/shitty game inexplicably winning GOTY prizes, it's actually a very good game getting pilloried.
The scope of the game is absolutely enormous. The planets are huge. They're stuffed with a lot of open-world-plague hotspots and mini-quests, but at least a cursory effort was made this time to make them palatable, and thanks to the game's setting and theme you can be farting around on a planet for 20 hours surveying shit and helping settlers and it does NOT create ludonarrative dissonance because that is literally your job. This is the same kind of sleight of hand Witcher 3 manager, where bonking harpies and clearing out nests was directly in Geralt's bailiwick.
There are some definite incidences of wonk animations and lighting (lighting in particular is a real bugbear here) and some extremely pedestrian writing in places, but not to any truly dramatic degree outside of a small handful of high profile instances. It's extremely evident that the game needed the same 6-12 months of pre-launch hand polishing Witcher 3 got to clean up a lot of the dialogue sequences and properly shade some of the characters and they just never got it, due to an already protracted development time. Likely caused because...as previously mentioned...the game is HUGE.
The combat is extremely solid. Won't shame any true action titles but it's kinetic and fun and has a good "game feel". Adding a Y axis to Mass Effect's simple cover based mechanics is the refresher jolt it needed. The characters are largely charming and a step up from Inquisition's drab bunch. The story likely ranks amongst Bioware's worst, but it's not horrendous by any means.
There's some UI peculiarities that are annoying, and some baffling design decisions. The crafting/loot mechanics are not particularly invigorating. The Codex is dull and there are lots of little bugs. But from a pure value perspective the game is solid. Had it been $20 less expensive, I'd be calling it an excellent deal, in large part because the solid horde-mode multiplayer gives it good legs.
Honestly guys, this is a game that is going to be viewed quite fondly when looked back at. It's better than the reviews indicate. Do I think a high 70's score is appropriate for what it was when it launched? Yeah, but only if these scoring systems were used properly. I also think DA:I deserved something in the 50's. This is a better game than DA:I and DA2 (and ME3 pre-DLC), and in terms of theme and content much more closely resembles ME1 than either of its sequels. It's not a bad game. If you like this KIND of game, you could do a lot worse. It's got enough warts and issues that if you go looking for trouble you're going to find it. But if you can turn off the part of your brain that rebels at occasional jank...and if you've ever played a Bethesda game you should be WELL versed in doing that...you'll find a lot to like.