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[digoutyoursoul]

Glad to hear about the music being excellent. One of the things I loved about the original trilogy. I'd recommend an artist called Stellardrone if you want to listen to some cool space music before launch

Is this real? A nice take on the original

https://youtu.be/LpQkQIAWi4Y

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

It was a stopgap /on purpose/, and the DLC was there to create a strong link after the base game was established. There's nothing wrong with this from a stroy telling perspective.

Again, the /only/ reason 2 feels slightly out of place is because 3 was a mess and ignored too much of what happened in 2, especially Harbinger.

2 feels out of place because they reset the galaxy back to where ME1 started instead of picking up where ME1 ended. ME2's opening was atrocious.

 

[LordOfChaos]

Your description of scanning being fun excites me. It's kind of the Metroid Prime formula, and what I always wanted from halo, not combat encounter to combat encounter, but some in-between where you can slow down and just learn about alien civilizations and explore.

 

[Shengar]

All in all, I can't wait to continue on later today. It was pretty addictive, and as a Mass Effect fan that loved the trilogy and was hoping this would turn out well, I'm so relieved. It's Mass Effect. 100%.

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

 

[Darkstorne]

What a poor analysis of ME2's story.

ME2 was the calm before the storm, it was a necessary breather before the full on eruption of war in 3.

A more personal tale, it was there for you to really invest in the characters and the personal world surrounding each of them, so that when 3 came you were truly invested.

It's not the fault of 2 that 3 failed to make good.

Oh, I got that. What I mean is that I was confused to play a game with a story that can be defined entirely as "wait for the next game for the story". Normally the character buildup AND the story payoff is delivered in a single game, and Mass 1 handled that perfectly. Mass 2 only handled the characters, and that was odd for me. My point being that if you enjoyed Mass 2 more than the other games in the trilogy (like most people did) then the RPS article calling out the story quality and the UI design shouldn't be worrying you - those have always been Bioware's biggest flaws, and most people consider the characters strong enough in their games to make up for those shortcomings.

 

[Zakalwe]

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

Terrible post. Ugh.

 

[Jibbed]

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

Lol, I'm done. Fucking hell.

I could maybe, just maybe entertain this opinion if you told me you'd played 15 minutes of combat at a friends house. Or watched footage of the MP alone.

Go look at reviews of ME2 in particular, then come back and tell us again how it's a poor Gears of Wear copy.

 

[WadiumArcadium]

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

You should play the other two some day.

 

[cackhyena]

It was less so the GB guys and more so GameSpot's Peter Brown, who guested on the episode. He has never played an ME game before and was pretty unimpressed by what he's played of Andromeda.

Ah.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

People need to get over ME1 it was good at the time but it hasn't aged well and has atrocious gameplay, quest designs, inventory, RPG systems,...

2 feels out of place because they reset the galaxy back to where ME1 started instead of picking up where ME1 ended. ME2's opening was atrocious.

ME2s opening was great. Explained why the team broke up neatly, destroyed the old Normandy. Allowed a break from the Alliance Navy,... Also was a nice spectacle.

It was a stopgap /on purpose/, and the DLC was there to create a strong link after the base game was established. There's nothing wrong with this from a stroy telling perspective.

Again, the /only/ reason 2 feels slightly out of place is because 3 was a mess and ignored too much of what happened in 2, especially Harbinger.

What was there to ignore? They didn't give the reapers much of a voice in ME3.
Being a stopgap was the issue for the story in retrospective. I still love ME2 it's the best game easily but I do share the complaints with some of the story.

 

[valkyre]

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

What is poor is your post.

 

[Jawmuncher]

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

This is worst than when people call RE5 and RE6 gears of war.

 

[Exploratory]

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

I don't even know what to say this one. Moving on...

 

[Zen Aku]

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

This post takes all my dislikes.

 

[Zakalwe]

Oh, I got that. What I mean is that I was confused to play a game with a story that can be defined entirely as "wait for the next game for the story". Normally the character buildup AND the story payoff is delivered in a single game, and Mass 1 handled that perfectly. Mass 2 only handled the characters, and that was odd for me. My point being that if you enjoyed Mass 2 more than the other games in the trilogy (like most people did) then the RPS article calling out the story quality and the UI design shouldn't be worrying you - those have always been Bioware's biggest flaws, and most people consider the characters strong enough in their games to make up for those shortcomings.

It can't be defined like that though.

The entire point of 2 is to get you invested. You're not playing it "waiting for 3", you're playing it to prepare yourself properly for 3.

Again, it's /entirely/ 3's fault that 2 feels a little disconnected.

And that RPS article... check the guy's previous opinions and get back to me if you think you're in-line enough to give his views on ME:A any weight.

ME2s opening was great. Explained why the team broke up neatly, destroyed the old Normandy. Allowed a break from the Alliance Navy,... Also was a nice spectacle.

What was there to ignore? They didn't give the reapers much of a voice in ME3.
Being a stopgap was the issue for the story in retrospective. I still love ME2 it's the best game easily but I do share the complaints with some of the story.

The fact they didn't give the reapers a voice, and Harbinger only appears briefly at the end. They could easily have tied 3 into 2 in a more satisfying way.

Again: ME2 /needed/ to be the story it was for pacing, for us to properly invest in the crew, it is 3's fault that it didn't fit perfectly with 2, not the other way around.

 

[ThEoRy...]

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

Wha? No, the trilogy of Mass Effect games were all in fact very distinctly Mass Effect. Just like Andromeda is also now a Mass Effect game. You don't have to like it, you don't have to agree with it but those are the facts.

 

[SargerusBR]

There's no true Mass Effect game besides the first Mass Effect. They are just poor Gears of War copy with ME skin.

You forgot to put /s at the end of your post buddy.

 

[Zojirushi]

It sounds like he thinks overall that the mechanics are dated and that other people in the office with past series experience are willing to overlook these things, whereas he isn't because he hasn't played the past games. He says the UI and menus are really overwrought and hard to get anything done in an efficient manner.

Sounds like a Mass Effect game to me.

 

[Alienfan]

Those little moments of optional (out of cutscene) dialogue you spoke of is one of the reasons why Mass Effect 3 was the best in the series for me. I loved how different Squad combinations (and relationships) would change the banter. I'm hoping they expand upon this for Andromeda

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Those little moments of optional (out of cutscene) dialogue you spoke of is one of the reasons why Mass Effect 3 was the best in the series for me. I loved how different Squad combinations (and relationships) would change the banter. I'm hoping they expand upon this for Andromeda

Hasn't that been a mainstay of Bioware games for awhile? ME1 had the elevator talk as well. DAO already had that kind of banter.

 

[Alienfan]

Hasn't that been a mainstay of Bioware games for awhile? ME1 had the elevator talk as well. DAO already had that kind of banter.

They did, but to my memory Mass Effect 3 was the first to have squad members talking to each other (as opposed to just Shepard). For instance, in one of the missions I decided to take Tali and Garus with me. Garrus and Tali had over a 1 minute conversation about her relationship with Shepherd. It was a cool moment seeing the three of them talk so naturally with each other, this wouldn't have happened if I didn't bring both of those characters or had chosen to have a relationship with tali. It felt very personal in a way I don't remember previous games doing

 

[TatteredHat]

I've previously been ok with it, but I just can't deal with Bioware's animation and character models anymore. It just looks horrible and completely takes me out of the experience.

 

[Peroroncino]

Shinobi, do you know whether or not it's possible to zoom in using avenger assault rifle without going into scope mode?

 

[cackhyena]

I don't feel like the games I've played from Bioware since ME 2 have had the same magic one way or another. It bums me out.

 

[texhnolyze]

They did, but to my memory Mass Effect 3 was the first to have squad members talking to each other (as opposed to just Shepard). For instance, in one of the missions I decided to take Tali and Garus with me. Garrus and Tali had over a 1 minute conversation about her relationship with Shepherd. It was a cool moment seeing the three of them talk so naturally with each other, this wouldn't have happened if I didn't bring both of those characters or had chosen to have a relationship with tali. It felt very personal in a way I don't remember previous games doing

That kind of banter exists in DA Inquisition, so I can safely assure you that you'll be able to see it in Andromeda as well.

 

[shinobi602]

Shinobi, do you know whether or not it's possible to zoom in using avenger assault rifle without going into scope mode?

Haven't really applied any scopes yet. Spent all last night talking to people on the Nexus and Tempest lol. I'll be sure to try that out.

 

[Sodding_Gamer]

Is this real? A nice take on the original

https://youtu.be/LpQkQIAWi4Y

Oh my goodness that sounds good. Sounds like Deus Ex x Mass Effect.

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

I liked ME2's story. It was Seven Samurai in space.

 

[Peroroncino]

Haven't really applied any scopes yet. Spent all last night talking to people on the Nexus and Tempest lol. I'll be sure to try that out.

Oh, so they're optional? I can simply choose not to apply them to a weapon and have a slight third person zoom?

If you test it more I'd appreciate some heads up, I'll keep following the thread.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

They did, but to my memory Mass Effect 3 was the first to have squad members talking to each other (as opposed to just Shepard). For instance, in one of the missions I decided to take Tali and Garus with me. Garrus and Tali had over a 1 minute conversation about her relationship with Shepherd. It was a cool moment seeing the three of them talk so naturally with each other, this wouldn't have happened if I didn't bring both of those characters or had chosen to have a relationship with tali. It felt very personal in a way I don't remember previous games doing

Ah yeah in the past banter was mostly stock based on location/mission etc. Still a big reason I fell in love with so many of their characters.

Morrigan + Sten, Sera + Iron Bull were so great.

 

[Zakalwe]

I don't feel like the games I've played from Bioware since ME 2 have had the same magic one way or another. It bums me out.

Same. i've not loved a Bioware game since 2. I'm really hoping this has at least some of that magic.

 

[Lord of Castamere]

Ah yeah in the past banter was mostly stock based on location/mission etc. Still a big reason I fell in love with so many of their characters.

Morrigan + Sten, Sera + Iron Bull were so great.

Yep. DA I had great party banter. It almost redeemed some of the mindless filler.

 

[Nokterian]

Is this real? A nice take on the original

https://youtu.be/LpQkQIAWi4Y

wew lads, i love this.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Yep. DA I had great party banter. It almost redeemed some of the mindless filler.

True. I enjoyed just running around doing shit because of it and liking the combat. Even though the regions were mostly pointless and empty.

 

[branny]

Speaking for myself, I got bored to death in TW3 after several hours. I keep trying to get into it, but I always lose interest. (I also dislike Xenoblade Chronicles. I pushed myself through 70-something hours just waiting for me to brainwash myself into liking it, and that never happened. I couldn't even be bothered to finish it despite knowing I was near the end. I bought the n3DS version hoping to have a change of heart and nope.)

DA:I eventually wore on me, but I ended up seeing the whole thing through regardless. Whether it was the combat or just wanting to know what happened, I at least felt some sort of investment. It was still a far, far cry from DA:O, though.

I'm upset that ME:A will likely be another DA:I for me, but, after watching the first hour yesterday, I'm less worried about the structure/busywork/whatever and just more concerned with the writing. I'd be able to push through crap with some sort of payoff, especially if I'm enjoying the combat, but I feel like a lot of the characters (at least early on) are irritating or totally unprofessional. It was like watching a bunch of Nathan Drakes traipse around on a new planet in some shitty teen drama. The info dump exposition and Ryder worship also seemed pretty heavyhanded considering how organically ME1 introduced players to everything back in the day and how hard Shepard had to work for his approval at first. (Ugh, an NPC has to tell you what your own father's lucky rock means to him? Really…?)

This can't be the new Mass Effect. Hopefully it just gets off to a rough start.

People need to get over ME1 it was good at the time but it hasn't aged well and has atrocious gameplay, quest designs, inventory, RPG systems,...

Playing ME1 as an Adept with Carnage on Insanity is still very fun for me, lol. The pacing of the game also doesn't feel like a drag, so it's the only one in the series I actually have fun revisiting. The fact that it even has some semblance of RPG systems is more than can be said for ME2 and ME3, as rough as it may be in comparison.

 

[shinobi602]

Oh, so they're optional? I can simply choose not to apply them to a weapon and have a slight third person zoom?

If you test it more I'd appreciate some heads up, I'll keep following the thread.

Oh sure, you don't *have* to apply scopes to your weapons...the zoom works just the same as the trilogy or Gears or any other TPS.

 

[Lakitu]

Shinobi, how is the Nexus compared to the original Citadel?

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Playing ME1 as an Adept with Carnage on Insanity is still very fun for me, lol. The pacing of the game also doesn't feel like a drag, so it's the only one in the series I actually have fun revisiting. The fact that it even has some semblance of RPG systems is more than can be said for ME2 and ME3, anyway, as rough as it may be in comparison.

ME3 had the deepest RPG system of the triöog though. ME1 had some gating based on electronics for hacking and some skills were dependent on others. It was superficial, ME2 was a half step in the right direction and ME3 refined that.

 

[shinobi602]

Shinobi, how is the Nexus compared to the original Citadel?

Since I'm still early days I've only been in one area so far. That area's not huge but there's been PLENTY of people to chat up and quests to follow up on. Visuals are pretty too, I like the look.

The only bummer for me is that there's no music on the Nexus, it's ambient sounds. Bioware said that was a conscious design decision but I'm not a fan of that. I love some immersive music to set the mood for me. Still, it's not a *huge* deal to me, just a little disappointing.

 

[Coxy100]

Since I'm still early days I've only been in one area so far. That area's not huge but there's been PLENTY of people to chat up and quests to follow up on. Visuals are pretty too, I like the look.

The only bummer for me is that there's no music, it's ambient sounds. Bioware said that was a conscious design decision but I'm not a fan of that. I love some immersive music to set the mood for me. Still, it's not a *huge* deal to me, just a little disappointing.

I hear you - and agree.

Love your impressions - can't wait to play

 

[Lime]

The only bummer for me is that there's no music, it's ambient sounds. Bioware said that was a conscious design decision but I'm not a fan of that. I love some immersive music to set the mood for me. Still, it's not a *huge* deal to me, just a little disappointing.

but why? This doesn't make any sense. :/

 

[Darkstorne]

The entire point of 2 is to get you invested. You're not playing it "waiting for 3", you're playing it to prepare yourself properly for 3.

Again, it's /entirely/ 3's fault that 2 feels a little disconnected.

It's not "waiting" it's "preparing"? That must be a pretty fine line between the two... I am definitely not okay with playing an RPG with a story that is essentially one big glorified side quest with no connection to the main plot (bar the connection that was made within the very same game just to force a connection), and saying "It's okay though because I got to know my squad mates a little bit better." It also didn't take Mass 3 to make me feel that Mass 2 felt disconnected from the overarching plot. It managed that all on its own.

And I really should stress that I'm not saying anyone is wrong for liking Mass 2. I'm saying that despite not having a story it's still regarded as the most popular entry in the trilogy, so the RPS article bashing Andromeda's plot shouldn't be bothering Mass Effect fans. Bioware have NEVER been good at plot (bar some plot twist moments like KOTOR and Mass 1), only at characters.

The only bummer for me is that there's no music, it's ambient sounds. Bioware said that was a conscious design decision but I'm not a fan of that. I love some immersive music to set the mood for me. Still, it's not a *huge* deal to me, just a little disappointing.

Weird that this was one of the biggest complaints regarding Inquisition and they haven't learned from it.

 

[fastmower]

Since I'm still early days I've only been in one area so far. That area's not huge but there's been PLENTY of people to chat up and quests to follow up on. Visuals are pretty too, I like the look.

The only bummer for me is that there's no music, it's ambient sounds. Bioware said that was a conscious design decision but I'm not a fan of that. I love some immersive music to set the mood for me. Still, it's not a *huge* deal to me, just a little disappointing.

More and more developers are not using ambient music - it's really making me sad.

 

[razzmahtazz]

Oh god, that UI. Really not looking forward to having to deal with Bioware's horrible UI design for another 50+ hour game.

Maybe a UI mod? Are there any for Dragon Age: Inquisition?

Any designer working for me that came at me with something like this is looking to get shipped out to a basic UI design workshop, the poor soul

I'm with you on this but can you cite an example of good UI for a game that has similar features like DAI?

I want to compare the two and get a list of basic rules on how to do it. Like that Kotaku article that listed common game ui problems.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Thanks for the impressions. I'm getting this game for sure, but I'm only mildly excited. I liked DAI but it had a ton of problems, and I've lost a significant amount of faith in Bioware over the years. A Bioware release used to be a big deal for me, hopefully this will push me more in that direction again.

 

[shinobi602]

but why? This doesn't make any sense. :/

No idea...

All in all while it's disappointing to me, I've come to terms with it lol. Lots of great music everywhere else at least.

 

[willskate4free]

Great impression... now you just made it way harder to hold off until I'm done with Horizon and Breath of the Wild... and Ghost Recon.... sigh... damn you great games for coming all out at once

 

[MrFrankFontaine]

No idea...

All in all while it's disappointing to me, I've come to terms with it lol. Lots of great music everywhere else at least.

Yeah the music was iconic for me in the original trilogy. Really loved how it made you feel like you were in a space opera. That is a disappointment.

 

[DemWalls]

The only bummer for me is that there's no music on the Nexus, it's ambient sounds. Bioware said that was a conscious design decision but I'm not a fan of that. I love some immersive music to set the mood for me. Still, it's not a *huge* deal to me, just a little disappointing.

Just like Inquisition, then. Really wonder what kind of "design decision" is that.

 

[shinobi602]

Just like Inquisition, then. Really wonder what kind of "design decision" is that.

Well, there's more music out in the worlds, but none on the Nexus, which is the Citadel-like hub.