Mass Effect: Andromeda
 

Anyone else getting this?

Pre-ordered months ago and now only days to go.

Just seen some of the early review scores and slightly concerned now though....

Skipping this one. Was really annoyed by Dragon Age 3, so I am going to wait until they have a critical success before trying again.

Got it delifering tomorrow. Will wait a quarter for bug fixes.

Also i loved DA:I

Me too, I also greatly enjoyed DA: 2. DA:3 was unplayable from the start for me. Just hated everything about it from the start.

I=3

Origins isnmy all time fav game though.

I never got on with Dragon Age 3. The combat seemed too repetitive and didn't like the storytelling style. Shame, as on paper it was right up my street.

Gonna wait for bug fixes and probably a sale. I loved the ME trilogy save for the debacle that was an ending to 3. The reviews are pretty "meh" so far but I wasn't that excited for it to begin with. Ill get to it eventually, but Ill probably play new game+ Witcher 3 and maybe Horizon: Zero Dawn before I get around to this. That makes me a sad Drebin.

I'm excited tomorrow. Yes, the reviews are fair. But, everyone has a dud every now and then. Bioware is not immune to this.

Don't judge the book by it's cover, as they say.

The main issue highlighted in the review I read was technical issues and most of the game play and story was complemented, albeit to a lesser degree compared to previous games.

Hopefully most of the issues can be patched out.

Not out here until Thursday so a couple more days for them to achieve it too.

Its not even made by the same studio. They just took a developer of Sims add on packs and gave it to them.

Bioware already had its duds in Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition.

I liked Inquisition :/

wasnt a fan of DA: I (but I did see it through). I know i'm in the minority though of those who really enjoyed DA2.

A former employee of Bioware Montreal has spoken out about some of what the hell happened

https://www.glassdoor.ca/Reviews/Emp...VW11370424.htm

In summary:

• "Lost over 13 leads (game design, art, audio, prog, senior core leads, etc) in 5 years at Bioware Montreal on Mass Effect. Edmonton lost only 3. It is clear that Edmonton has the bigger part of the stick when it comes to purge Leads and Producers who are not aligned with their leadership style."
• "Putting people on performance improvement program (PIP Program) is the new tactics to get rid of people. Once again more than 10 people in Montreal got slammed with this bureaucratic uppercut to let go people that are not bending to Edmonton leadership styles in the last revision cycle. This approach is used by the Montreal Leadership to purge the mess from the lack of vision cause by upper management in the last 4 years (throwing people under the bus to protect bad core management)"
• "Renaming crunch to Finaling mode. Which means company pays for your lunch but you have only 30 minutes to eat and then getting back on the keyboard. Was lasting for over 2 months and was a real catastrophy."
• "Retaliation and harassment is sadly a reality. If you talk and ask questions you will be tag as a trouble maker and end up in a bad position."
• "HR won't help you out. They will deny the current harassment from Monreal management by ignoring and not documenting the facts. In other words if you leave don't talk. Just let it go..."
• "Many benifits got cut due to too much time extension to get the game done."

But that doesn't explain something quite bizarre. This comparison of leaked gameplay from one year ago compared to the final scene: https://my.mixtape.moe/yugchn.mp4

https://gifyu.com/images/mea.gif

Downgrades can happen throughout development to make it fit, but why so drastic and why did it happen here? We know Frostbite can handle it even when downported to consoles. The only theory I have is that they just turned all the graphics down to hit the performance target instead of actually optimising, because the game is pretty patchy with the performance as it is anyway. I just hope we get the full story sometime.

Fucking hell that is quite a difference.

I'd assume its a mix of the chaos going on at Bioware and them pulling an Ubisoft (and others) with bullshot marketing to generate huge buzz for the game. They are just paying the same price as everyone else doing this technique once the real screens and footage starts to become available.

It wasn't actually used for marketing. It was leaked.

Like, some of the changes in that comparison are straight up fucking weird. Why is the Krogan now wanting to go to clown school?

No spoiler here or anything. But, it takes way too long until you get the keys to the ship and go nuts.

Unlike the first 3 where you had a quick first mission and you're on your way.

Enjoying it so far. It's having its moments with some skipping/framerate issues. Nothing to scare you away of course.

Bioware does that. SWTOR takes like two Planets before you get your ship. Also it's your first play through. It'll probably be nothing if you go through it again.

Doing the prologue to see what I think...so far i am pleased. Though the first 3hrs of game usual get the most time spent on them in development so its hard to say

With that graphics comparison, the only logic I can see for why they did it is because maybe they were prioritizing draw distance. With the heavier and more detailed atmospheric effects and lighting in the older video, you can't see any of the mountainside in the background other than like 1 small unfocused moment. You can see much farther in the final build.

But we all know that's not what really happened :/

Still installing. Boo.

I now understand why this game is catching some flak.

Fun as hell and can keep you hooked for hours. But damn, does it have its issues.

Have been enjoying so far. Only seem to have encountered two glitches, neither of which were a big deal. One involved just reverting to a last save and the other taking some time to kill an enemy stuck in a wall. Nothing that didn't happen with games like Skyrim or Fallout for example.

Still pretty early on though, just left Eos. So will see how it goes.

gThis game is soo fuckin

5yrs five FUCKING YEARS
THESE MENUS

Playing drunk probably makes it harder.

STD plays game listening to Star Trek music. You should too.

I don't drink the typos are all the result of deep rage while playing this game.

Seems fair.

https://abload.de/img/c8h9a88uwaaytsz.jpg-ecy3y.jpeg

They're owning it by the sounds of things. Hope the news is good.

Sounds like it was released before it was ready. Fucking capitalism.

They had 5 years. At a certain point, they had to shit or get off the pot and EA wanted back some of that 10's of millions of dollars they invested before the end of the financial year.

If it didn't have the Mass Effect name, I bet it would have been cancelled. As it did, EA knew they could recoup some cost based on name value alone.

Interested to see what that means.

5 years? Still had deadlines to meet. Pretty much a given that the reason for all the ME3 issues were deadlines that forced them to cut a bunch of stuff. Why do you think we never went back to or heard about Omega or dark energy?

I get pushing a game out in this age where you can patch things up as you go along. Delay it, and you get death threats.

I miss the days where Blizzard would delay a Diablo or a Warcraft and everyone was like "sucks but I know this means they're gonna put out a better product" and they did.

Had my first real issues trying to play multi-player today. Was annoying.

However most of the issues with the game seem to have been overhyped. Not a polished game, but neither was Mass Effect 1 when that originally came out.

Although I do get that by the time you're on your fourth game you shouldn't be repeating the mistakes of the first!

This is this particular studios first full AAA game.

While it shows its still excellent

Playing it makes me feel like an addiction. It's so badly written that it's funny, combats OK, exploration feels like a bit of a chore like scanning planets does. I'd have trouble putting it in my top 10 games of the year so far, but that's not helped by the fact that this is a fucking ridiculous year.

I should really just buy Horizon and see how they fix this. Feels bad to be plodding away when I know I likely could be playing something better.

I sat it down because I know fixes are coming

"Guys, hold off on buying Horizon. We'll fix things by....uhhhhh....Tuesday!"

The quests involving driving around the planet looking for things to blow up or scan are absolutely ludicrous.

Random spawn points and a ton of ground to cover and keep you on the planet far longer than you should be. Should be way past Eos & Voeld, but can't get away because I want to put these certain side missions behind me.

Yes, how terrible that people profit from making games you love. Also how dare anyone make informed purchases by waiting a few weeks.

Why exactly do you need overpriced toys on launch day?

Krogan Sign Language @ 1:12. Laughed real hard at this for way longer than I should have probably :shifty:

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Tried to hold off on playing this. COULDNT. So good.

Send it to me when you're done?

we're talking at least 2 play throughs tho...

So, what's the big announcement? Longer gay sex scenes?

Rotfl....a statement came out about an hour ago....

They actually said there will be "improvements to male romance options for Scott Ryder."

Gotta get my copy before the PS store crashes.

Better stop playing before these fixes, Destor. You're going to want the chance to get shit on your dick.

And yeah, I see there are lots of "legit" fixes they described, but just wow....glad I passed on this.

The game will be finished and complete at about the same time as No Man's Sky.

I always play as a lady, usualy a bicurious one

Why? It's fun af.

The RPG elements amd crafting are imo the best of the series, though with no level cap end game will be BROKEN lol

I'm finding the multiplayer pretty solid. Seems to want you to use cover but surround you with enemies at all angles.

Just changed classes to focus more on weapons than biotics. Most of the biotic powers seemed useless against the more solid enemies which just made me their bitch.

Fought my first high dragon. Disappointed that the high maneuverability aloows you to best them at nearly any level (lvl20 at the time) but still really fun.

Well, I don't know about that second part, but hell yeah FemShep FTW!

I had some trouble with the Eos one. The others after that have been easy.

Downloaded the APEX app for my phone only to discover I need an EA account. Promptly deleted it, I'll just send 'em all out in-game.

Voice actors are usually better as female both for the protagonist and the love intrests
Did know the app existed. I have an EA account in order to get my DA load outs onto the PS4. Downloaded it good app, will let me collect resources at work and such. Ifs free so I dunno why you wouldnt get one...

I know it's free. It's just one more membership/something I gotta sign up for I'm never going to use.

Now if you were able to long in via your PSN/Xbox account, I'd be sold.

Well i guess lol. Just seems like a small hassle.

You need an app?? What for?

Let's you send the strike teams out while you're afk

You dont need it though, the resources gained from strike teams are miniscule so *need* is a stretch

Enjoying this game so far, impressed that there is so much to do on Voeld, although a fair bit of it is a touch repetitive.

You know its science fiction when the codex for Angara claim they have a state ran capitalist society

Isn't that just socialism?

By definition capitalism cant be controlled by the state...so yeah. Its socialism lol

Peebee is the younger blonde from Step By Step.

Are those the Architects? I just ran away every time. Their area attacks are bullshit.

Yeah the Architechs are the High Dragons. Just offed my second one.

Any of you guys hear that horn jingle from The Dark Knight series when you get into skirmishes.

I'm on Elaadeen and it's the first I'm hearing it, but I keep waiting for Batman to come in and kick some ass everytime I hear it.

To give them the benefit of the doubt, you could have a highly regulated market economy?

State ran would imply the state owns the means of production... it *could* be crony capitalism as you suggest but i dont believe so from playing the game. The state seems married with everything they do, their whole society is centered around all for one one for all, greater good, the needs ofnthe many outweigh the needs of the few etc. Common utopia depictions of socialism.

Its thinly veiled at best

If you go back to the original trilogy, while from an economic point of view it could be seen as being a very positive view of a socialist universe, the way Government is portrayed (self interested, self serving, inept) wouldn't exactly be how someone advocating big state politics would be pushing. Particularly as there seems to be little democratic element and a military structure which seems indistinguishable from the executive branch of Government.

I suppose you could view it as pushing a more anarchistic line that no government can represent the best interests of communities and only by working together can they reach mutually beneficial aims (certainly would fit in with the narrative) but suspect it might be a story telling device rather than a stance on political theory.

The Alliance =/= angarans though. The Alliance was not too disimliar to the UN. Able to set regulations but they could be ignored by systems if they were willing to bare the consequences. Each system functioned differently though. The Turians were totalitarians for example. The angarans though are unicorns. Their brand of society doesnt exist and contradicts itself.

I suppose that may be purposeful though. They are from another galaxy and so are intended to be nothing experienced by the Milky Way including it's political and socio-economic structures.

They never said it had to make sense.

I suppose im not explaining it right.

These concepts are antithetical. They can not be reconciled as they are in direct oposition to one another. For one to be true the other becomes false.

"I am heading north."

"I am heading south, I'll go with you."

I got what you were saying. What I am saying is they wanted to illustrate the difference between Angaran society and Milky Way society by making them able to achieve something that by our current understanding seems impossible.

Also, I suspect we have debated this a great deal more than the writers have. And I suspect I have more political qualification than they did as well.

I think they misunderstand what makes one for what makes the other and believe these two opposing concepts can be unfied when they cant. Sounds like a Bernie Sanders supporter was responsible for writing angaran lore.

Game spoiler about this

ANYWAYS


What build is everyone using?


Was using LVL 4 adept. Other than passives I had built up Lance, Singularity and Backlash. Finially started putting points into Pistol/AR/combat HP passive skill tree and switch over to LVL 3 Vanguard.

I really got a mish mash things going on with what I'm doing with my points. But I'm more-or-less running an Infiltrator. That's what I started with, and most of the skills I put my points into upgrade that particular class. So, tech stuff mostly.

Then again, I'm a completionist, so I'll throw a point here and there to skills I'll never use so after the game I can just put them on and get the trophies.

Gone Vanguard like I did in previous games, using singularity, shockwave and nova. Biotics pretty week against armoured or shielded enemies though so have to rely on a sniper rifle alongside an assault rifle.

Should probably invest in some different skills but just sticking to what I am used to.

On multiplayer currently using a Salarian Engineer, who is bollocks but has a good robot VI which does a lot of the work for me.

I beat one of the Architects. Bow down to the king Rollins!

Beat the main story last night. Played these songs in celebration...


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Mass Effect continues to be the best Star Trek games of all time.

Finished last night. Clocked in at about 99 hours. 100% complete.(99% actually, glitch preventing full completion)

I'm up for another one. With some significant changes here and there.

DLC will probably advance story a bit.

I can only think of maybe a couple parts of the story that were left open or still had a mystery to it.

But for the most part, it wrapped up nicely.

Did you listen to the distress/warning call when taking the victory lap? Felt like a dlc money grab advertisment.

Still have about 10hrs left but the dlc could be the other arks arrivin... Quarian/Volus/Elchor/Drell/Hanar/Bartarian are still inbound. Should be along in "2 years or so" from early game dialogue.

Unless of course that is super late game in which case leave me in the dark plz

Felt super cheated after curing the Genophage that the game was in between 2 and 3 and not cured.

Could be a random Beetlejuice reference.

Okay. Got the pain in the ass trophies taken care of.

Now I just have to play a bit of multiplayer for the tutorial & medic trophies, create my last APEX team, and I can put this on the back burner for a bit until I'm ready for my Insanity run..................and get that stupid Remnant VI trophy.

Missed half trophies on the first run for some reason. Went through a second time with Male Shep.

Completed at 98%

Would have been 100% but a few tasks bugged on me

90hrs

So, what are your thoughts?

I really enjoyed the game. Really. Bugs werent too bad for me though my father had a pretty negitive experience on that end. I would play a game that delivered that experience with a bit more polish in a heart beat.

Story was excellent. Game play was the best in the series. Thought the loyalty missions were some of the best quests from Bioware period. Lots ofnlore things im very interested in seeing play out going forward.

It was far from perfect but i got my $60 and then some out of it. 8/10