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[Lunafreya Nox Fleuret]

Cool impressions. The game seems to be looking good after this but I still hate the character design with a passion. It is just super terrible. I'll still be picking it up but yeah it irks me.

 

[Nilaul]

can't start until I wrap up my journey in Hyrule.

Your journey in Hyrule will never end.

 

[Heckler456]

That's not what I'm saying.
I'm just saying that it weirdly avoids the issues shown recently and still today (facial animations, systems, bugs, etc) and looks (again, just looks) like it wants to avoid the topic.

More power to anyone enjoying games, but it's better to talk about everything as previously thought, like in a good preview rather than read like PR.

That's not what this thread is about. This thread is about Shinobi's opinion, not whatever (you imagine to be) the general consensus is.

 

[AWizardDidIt]

That's not what I'm saying.
I'm just saying that it weirdly avoids the issues shown recently and still today (facial animations, systems, bugs, etc) and looks (again, just looks) like it wants to avoid the topic.

More power to anyone enjoying games, but it's better to talk about everything as previously thought, like in a good preview rather than read like PR.

A "good preview" talks about the things that stood out and were important *to them*. Shinobi did mention some things he was iffy about so his post, while glowing, cant' be accused of being universally positive. The "issues" as you refer to them are mainly with animation and I'm going to bet that bothers some people a lot less than others. So maybe the animation issues just weren't so severe that he thought they greatly impacted his enjoyment. That's a valid opinion too. Also the game doesn't come off as very buggy to me, or at least watching a few streams today I haven't seen anything jump out at me.

 

[Man Called Aerodynamics]

Jesus people. Shinobi is a huge Mass Effect fan and he's already in the tank for Andromeda, so obviously his comments need to be read from that perspective, and with the appropriate sized grain of salt, if that's not the same place that you're coming from.

That doesn't make him a shill or a liar. But I guess that's where we are-- it's impossible for anyone to just genuinely like this game, so there must be something sinister going on.

 

[Squire]

Heh, it's fun to me, but YMMV. It's not the most amazing thing but I liked scanning something, getting a little biography on the side with detailed info and having Ryder and crew talk about whatever it was instead of *scan* *+20XP*, the end. I like narration in my RPGs.

Oh, this is fucking cool.

 

[Grisby]

Check the Gamespot video. That's base PS4.

Have to check it out when I get back. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[EatChildren]

There's a pretty clear divide between someone who leans towards a natural "fan bias" due to emotional investment in a series or game, and someone who is literally paid or manipulated into sharing positive thoughts in an effort to sway potential customers. Shinobi obviously falls into the former category, regardless of any connection he has to staff at BioWare.

And having a fan bias does not preclude someone from rational thoughts worth sharing. The opinions are still honest even if they're built on bedrock of positive expectations. It's not like Mass Effect fans, or BioWare for that matter, exist in some precious, exclusive ecosystem of fan bias that no other game/franchise/developer is equally subjected to. I thought Uncharted 4 was a painfully dull, horribly paced, narratively disjointed slog of boredom that I couldn't even finish, and shouldn't have been surprised over how dull Uncharted 3 was as well. Yet this does not undermine "Naughty Dog fans" who have a established excitement and general interest in the type of games Naughty Dog makes.

Shinobi obviously likes BioWare games. He loved the entire trilogy. He liked Inquisition. Owning these traits does not make him a shill, nor does having an interest in Andromeda and benefitting from early access. He's not even alone here; journos have copies of the exact same game build to review now. I would be playing too (or someone else from my website) if we'd received code this early. Thousands more will be playing in ~48 hours once it unlocks in Origin access.

 

[lumzi23]

I don't even need them all right there with me, I just need to know they're contributing somehow. That could be sniper classes taking high points nearby to assist in combat, tech classes providing intel and surveillance from the ship to my omnitool, stealth classes scouting ahead to provide info etc. They don't all need to be right there by my side, but I HATE this "okay I'll vanish from sight and do nothing now because vidya games" mentality that Bioware squad mates have, especially after how well Mass 2's suicide mission used everyone, and then Mass 3 integrated none of that, even in its own final mission where, again, most of your team do bugger all while you choose a mere two to help fight the Reapers.

I like your ideas. They are different from what I thought you meant.

I would prefer that they are handled differently from ME2's suicide mission though as I am not as fond of it as most people.

 

[ironcreed]

Yeah, footage is floating around everywhere and more is to come. If you can't take positive impressions from someone just because they are a BioWare fan, then go watch some gameplay, wait for reviews and form your own opinion. No need to call him a shill for EA and such.

 

[Eolz]

Uhh, I stand by the performance 100%. I was playing on my Pro and it was stable the majority of the time with some slight slowdown during certain effects on the ground. Not sure what's unrealistic about that.

I noted glitches that I saw, and the one with Liam *was* funny. Doesn't mean I don't wish it didn't happen. It stood out during the conversation. And I don't know why liking the rest means I said they're perfect...I liked those aspects. Animations haven't bothered me. I noted that some are robotic, and in my opinion they didn't detract much from the fun I was having. I was trying to describe *my* experience from what I played so far. I'm not going to look at someone else's stream or footage and suddenly factor that into what I played. Why should I?

I'm also a fan of The Witcher's combat when so many here despise it, a fan of The Order despite its flaws when so many here despise it, etc. I can go on. Has nothing to do with avoiding anything. I'll mention things I didn't like or care for and focus a lot on things I did like. That's just how I view games, and I'm like that with every game I play. Every single one.

Thanks for the more detailed explanation!

I really don't see why people say I said "unrealistic" somewhere, but it's alright lol. No idea on the perf on regular PS4 or PC? Since you seem to have contacts, wondering about those platforms.

As said previously and later in this post, I didn't want to mean that "you shouldn't enjoy it" or however you perceived it (sorry, english is not my first language), I thought it was more like a mini preview. Noted for your next impressions, thought they would more balanced (not in terms of opinion, but in terms of details/focus).

A lot more understandable now, especially for some parts.

That's not what this thread is about. This thread is about Shinobi's opinion, not whatever (you imagine to be) the general consensus is.

Well yes, that's what I said?

A "good preview" talks about the things that stood out to them and were important *to them*. Shinobi did mention some things he was iffy about so his post, while glowing, cant' be accused of being universally positive.

The "issues" as you refer to them are mainly with animation and I'm going to bet that bothers some people a lot less than others. So maybe the animation issues just weren't so severe that he thought they greatly impacted his enjoyment. That's a valid opinion too. Also the game doesn't come off as very buggy to me, or at least watching a few streams today I haven't seen anything jump out at me.

Sorry, I guess I was used to impressions threads being like mini previews here.
Again, I didn't want it to seem like I was jumping on him or criticizing the fact that he was enjoying it, just seemed like an incomplete preview, which again, I now understand why it isn't the case.

edit: would be nice if people wouldn't put words in the mouth of those asking some questions about some less pretty aspects of the game though. Nobody on the past two pages (didn't see the previous ones) called him a shill. Saying it reads weirdly is more about walking a close line between glowing impressions and something else.

 

[funkystudent]

Very curious what people think of this game 2 weeks after release once thing settle down.


The 4th game after a completed trilogy is hard. Extra hard when its another development team. This looks a whole lot like "another one of those" ya know? Nothing about it excites. Even though ME3 was damn near 5 years ago this feels like a tossed off game built on the bones of the previous games at the tail end of a generation like Gears of War Judgment.


But I bet it reivews well. Bioware games always review well.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

How did you get a early copy? What are you exactly Shinobi? Don't take this the wrong way but are you some marketer or work in the actual industry?

 

[BronsonLee]

edit: would be nice if people wouldn't put words in the mouth of those asking some questions about some less pretty aspects of the game though. Nobody on the past two pages (didn't see the previous ones) called him a shill. Saying it reads weirdly is more about walking a close line between glowing impressions and something else.

'Hey don't get mad at me, I'm just asking questions!'

How did you get a early copy? What are you exactly Shinobi? Don't take this the wrong way but are you some marketer or work in the actual industry?

He's Newman

 

[Coxy100]

How did you get a early copy? What are you exactly Shinobi? Don't take this the wrong way but are you some marketer or work in the actual industry?

I've always wondered this too. The guy gets good info - how?

 

[Eolz]

'Hey don't get mad at me, I'm just asking questions!'

"hey look at my strawman"
I'm just saying I never said "it's unrealistic to think that", "he's a shill", "stop enjoying things", etc, and nor did others.

edit: I completely understand why some people could have taken the wrong way, again, not my first language, and can have been a bit blunt.

 

[AWizardDidIt]

Sorry, I guess I was used to impressions threads being like mini previews here.
Again, I didn't want it to seem like I was jumping on him or criticizing the fact that he was enjoying it, just seemed like an incomplete preview, which again, I now understand why it isn't the case.

It's cool

I think this thread is pretty useful for people who do consider themselves big fans of the series and are already bought in to a degree. Whether someone like Shinobi liked it or not matters a lot to me and some others here who know his preferences and share them to some degree. It's definitely not a one size fits all preview though that's for sure!

 

[Ozium]

RPS disagrees
"The first few hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda are… well they aren’t good"

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/14/mass-effect-andromeda-review-opening-hours/

 

[Eolz]

@AWizardDidIt : Thanks for the understanding

RPS disagrees
"The first few hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda are... well they aren't good"

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/14/mass-effect-andromeda-review-opening-hours/

Shouldn't we make a preview thread at this point though? As others pointed out, this is more of a personal impressions thread.

 

[Jarmel]

@AWizardDidIt : Thanks for the understanding

Shouldn't we make a preview thread at this point though? As others pointed out, this is more of a personal impressions thread.

Probably.

 

[xam3l]

@AWizardDidIt : Thanks for the understanding



Shouldn't we make a preview thread at this point though? As others pointed out, this is more of a personal impressions thread.

Its funny cuz that link shows some very personal opinions Toxic even. From that One hour of gameplay by Gamespot, I had the opposite impression of that preview.

 

[R&R]

RPS disagrees
"The first few hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda are… well they aren’t good"

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/14/mass-effect-andromeda-review-opening-hours/

Wow...that RPS write-up was brutal.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

RPS disagrees
"The first few hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda are… well they aren’t good"

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/14/mass-effect-andromeda-review-opening-hours/

 

[J_Viper]

I was a lurker at the time, and I mean nothing personal by this to OP, but I remember this dude trying to hype up The Order 1886 before release too, and well.....

If I'm mistaken, and it wasn't him, I apologize

RPS disagrees
"The first few hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda are… well they aren’t good"

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/14/mass-effect-andromeda-review-opening-hours/

Uh oh

 

[shinobi602]

I'd like to see some screenshots.

A few I took (output at 1080p because I've been having issues with 4K screenshots lately for some reason). Not sure what the cause is. Wanted to take more but I was too busy just taking everything in lol.

 

[texhnolyze]

Kotaku and Eurogamer gave positive impressions as well.

 

[Lakitu]

Is the Nexus big Shinobi with quests and all? Like ME 1's citadel.

Thanks for the screens!

 

[pahamrick]

Its funny cuz that link shows some very personal opinions Toxic even. From that One hour of gameplay by Gamespot, I had the opposite impression of that preview.

Opinions are weird things. I really enjoyed Dragon Age Inquisition, between the PS4 and PC version I've got over 300 hours played. I mention that, and some people act like there's something wrong with me because of it.

 

[Rhoc]

Thanks for your impressions OP. Already have it preordered but this assures it.

 

[nynt9]

RPS disagrees
"The first few hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda are… well they aren’t good"

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/14/mass-effect-andromeda-review-opening-hours/

"What else have I experienced? EVERYTHING! The game throws #content at you in fistfuls, not pausing to tell you why or how you should care. You can craft absolutely bloody everything (which does afford the rather important ability to name your own equipment), from a madcap confusion of ludicrous curved lists that don’t scroll properly, where every action requires seventeen different clicks that confirm that you want to confirm that you want to craft the thing you don’t know if you need."

"Side quests feel like something from a 2004 Korean MMO. Just complete nothingness, running from map icon to map icon, scanning objects with your scanner when told to, and then AI companion SAM letting you know that, yup, the source of the defects has been found/animal has been captured/toddler reunited with rabid tiger, despite your actually doing nothing relevant to the tissue-thin narrative."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=Jbd-LTfc5Ho

Sounds like Bioware alright.

 

[inky]

How did you get that copy bruh?

He "works" for them. Look at that thread history.

 

[DOWN]

RPS disagrees
"The first few hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda are… well they aren’t good"

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/14/mass-effect-andromeda-review-opening-hours/

"What else have I experienced? EVERYTHING! The game throws #content at you in fistfuls, not pausing to tell you why or how you should care. You can craft absolutely bloody everything (which does afford the rather important ability to name your own equipment), from a madcap confusion of ludicrous curved lists that don’t scroll properly, where every action requires seventeen different clicks that confirm that you want to confirm that you want to craft the thing you don’t know if you need."

"Side quests feel like something from a 2004 Korean MMO. Just complete nothingness, running from map icon to map icon, scanning objects with your scanner when told to, and then AI companion SAM letting you know that, yup, the source of the defects has been found/animal has been captured/toddler reunited with rabid tiger, despite your actually doing nothing relevant to the tissue-thin narrative."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=Jbd-LTfc5Ho

Sounds like Bioware alright.

Except his hot take on INSIDE, one of the most critically acclaimed games of the generation on GAF (and voted one of last year's top 10 on GAF) and elsewhere:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/07/07/inside-review-pc/

He described INSIDE as "an empty, procedural, albeit often beautiful platform game with not a single original idea in its belt" and called the ending "utterly dreadful."

Yeah I don't gel with this dude's views at all lol

 

[codhand]

"What else have I experienced? EVERYTHING! The game throws #content at you in fistfuls, not pausing to tell you why or how you should care. You can craft absolutely bloody everything (which does afford the rather important ability to name your own equipment), from a madcap confusion of ludicrous curved lists that don't scroll properly, where every action requires seventeen different clicks that confirm that you want to confirm that you want to craft the thing you don't know if you need."

"Side quests feel like something from a 2004 Korean MMO. Just complete nothingness, running from map icon to map icon, scanning objects with your scanner when told to, and then AI companion SAM letting you know that, yup, the source of the defects has been found/animal has been captured/toddler reunited with rabid tiger, despite your actually doing nothing relevant to the tissue-thin narrative."

some of the most dreadful writing. I cannot emphasise enough how poor it's been.

The first few hours of Andromeda are a gruesome trudge through the most trite bilge of the previous three games, smeared out in a setting that's horribly familiar, burdened with some outstandingly awful writing, buried beneath a UI that appears to have been designed to infuriate in every possible way.

 

[xam3l]

Opinions are weird things. I really enjoyed Dragon Age Inquisition, between the PS4 and PC version I've got over 300 hours played. I mention that, and some people act like there's something wrong with me because of it.

Lol I'm team #DAISucks. I fucking hated DAI. I played almost 100%. But I dont think its a bad game, nor as bad as I feel it was. Theres nothing wrong with you mate. xD

That preview however... Theres something wrong with that guy. "I hate it for the sake of hate".

 

[STILLethal]

Except his hot take on INSIDE, one of the most critically acclaimed games of the generation on GAF (and voted one of last year's top 10 on GAF) and elsewhere:

The ending of Inside was great, wish ai inew hensaid that before reading through that article

 

[zeroeffect]

RPS disagrees
"The first few hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda are… well they aren’t good"

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/14/mass-effect-andromeda-review-opening-hours/

After reading that it sounds way too much like problems DAI had. Not encouraging at all. Uh oh. Did I make mistake on this one?

 

[digoutyoursoul]

He "works" for them. Look at that thread history.

If that was the case wouldn't he have been clamped down on for technically shilling?

 

[andythinkpad]

I need to know if the ending is fucked first before I commit my money.

 

[nynt9]

Except his hot take on INSIDE, one of the most critically acclaimed games of the generation on GAF (and voted one of last year's top 10 on GAF) and elsewhere:

Wow, I hadn't seen this review! I agree with it though, so I should be safe with following him on MEA.

Honestly, John Walker often has opinions that the GAF regular might not agree with, but both his piece on Inside and MEA seem well articulated and detailed. He's not just shitposting. And there's merit to that, even if you may disagree with the conclusion.

Someone even calls him a contrarian in the comments of that Inside post and he calls them out, then they can't really back it up.

 

[RedlineRonin]

"What else have I experienced? EVERYTHING! The game throws #content at you in fistfuls, not pausing to tell you why or how you should care. You can craft absolutely bloody everything (which does afford the rather important ability to name your own equipment), from a madcap confusion of ludicrous curved lists that don’t scroll properly, where every action requires seventeen different clicks that confirm that you want to confirm that you want to craft the thing you don’t know if you need."

"Side quests feel like something from a 2004 Korean MMO. Just complete nothingness, running from map icon to map icon, scanning objects with your scanner when told to, and then AI companion SAM letting you know that, yup, the source of the defects has been found/animal has been captured/toddler reunited with rabid tiger, despite your actually doing nothing relevant to the tissue-thin narrative."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=Jbd-LTfc5Ho

Sounds like Bioware alright.

Can people actually stomach reading stuff written like this in such hyperbole?

He could be right on every single point here, but goddamn is it hard to take seriously stuff written with that kind of language. It's like reading stuff on gaf where things have to be to either end of an extreme; the best ever or the worst ever.

Suppose it gets clicks though.

 

[inky]

If that was the case wouldn't he have been clamped down on for technically shilling?

I'm using Trump-quotation marks there. I guess it's not shilling if they get you to do it for free.

 

[shinobi602]

I'm using Trump-quotation marks there. I guess it's not shilling if they get you to do it for free.

Don't forget I also work for CDPR, Guerrilla, Naughty Dog, Playdead, and Arkane on the side too. Their games be getting glowing praise from me.

 

[Lime]

That RPS preview :/

Humanity travels to a new galaxy for the first time, there's so much hope, so much potential, but oh noes, everything's horrid, and there's a reptilian-looking alien race on a dusty sand planet that shoots you with ray guns on first sight. Really?! A different galaxy and the diversion from the norm is so slight that between the generic bone-headed (literally) lizards and their pew-pew antics are, er, floating rocks?

This was my exact fears. A whole new galaxy and reboot of the universe, but it's the most generic and tired concepts of all time.

You are bombarded with conversation by nearly your entire crew early on, and they're so freaking stereotypical. The exposition hangs off the dialogue like eighty ton weights, drowning any hope of emotional connection. Characters painfully tell you what their personalities are, rather than, say, having one. (”I tend to live the way I work: kinda ”feel it, do it." Not a lot of close ties, no real sense of purpose." – Actual dialogue someone wrote on purpose.)

This is very concerning if Bioware's writing is even worse.

It feels so BioWare Paint By Numbers. Before the term has even been explained to you, you're granted that awe-inspiring title of ”Pathfinder". People stop and mutter reverently when they realise it's you, far before you even know it's you. To get to grips with the title you need to dig through the game's Codex, which is a crappy way of explaining one of its core concepts, let alone helpful in making the ridiculously early appointment anything close to meaningful. It feels so flippant, like a programmed sigh of, ”Bollocks to it, the player has to become The Special One, no point dragging it out." Within an hour of starting you're so titled.

Bioware's ego stroking is not surprising and I did expect they'd do it again and again. Disappointing that they never evolve their Jesus design philosophy, but expected.

”I'm tracking a huge mineral deposit," says someone on your crew, so you trace the ”anomaly", fly to it in the laboriously slow animation, scan it, and then click to pick up, say, ”+147 Iron". Enough to make a gun.

It's mindblowing how dreadful the planet scanning system is. That you have to watch the camera zoom in to wherever you were, then crawl across the solar system to wherever you clicked (in an animation that reveals nothing, offers nothing) and then every single time zoom in too far into that planet, hold for two seconds, then pull back out again to where it'll eventually show the UI. I can only assume that in testing BioWare had a way to skip this, because otherwise anyone playing the game ahead of launch would surely have questioned the wisdom of making this completely unrewarding experience so unbelievably boring to wade through.

I wonder if they did playtests on this game system, it sounds pretty bothersome and tedious.

Side quests feel like something from a 2004 Korean MMO. Just complete nothingness, running from map icon to map icon, scanning objects with your scanner when told to, and then AI companion SAM letting you know that, yup, the source of the defects has been found/animal has been captured/toddler reunited with rabid tiger, despite your actually doing nothing relevant to the tissue-thin narrative.

*sigh*

 

[RedlineRonin]

Don't forget I also work for CDPR, Guerrilla, Naughty Dog, Playdead, and Arkane on the side too. Their games be getting glowing praise from me.

Bro, can you slide my resume under a door? Would really be doing me a solid. Any door.

Any of those places, really.

 

[NoPiece]

Scanning is actually fun and feels worthwhile to me because I enjoy learning more about the world. I scanned weird plants, little containters or pieces of tech, alien structures and Ryder and Liam would comment on each, giving narration and backstory that I felt was rewarding.

John Walker from RPS:

It’s mindblowing how dreadful the planet scanning system is. That you have to watch the camera zoom in to wherever you were, then crawl across the solar system to wherever you clicked (in an animation that reveals nothing, offers nothing) and then every single time zoom in too far into that planet, hold for two seconds, then pull back out again to where it’ll eventually show the UI. I can only assume that in testing BioWare had a way to skip this, because otherwise anyone playing the game ahead of launch would surely have questioned the wisdom of making this completely unrewarding experience so unbelievably boring to wade through.

Pretty funny how radically different the opinions are here. Scanning planets in ME2 was the worst part of the game, so I hope Shinobi is right, but it sounds like there are some legit UI issues with it.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

I'm using Trump-quotation marks there. I guess it's not shilling if they get you to do it for free.

Then why should he be trusted

they tell you how great something is, given their own threads to express that, I mean this guy isn't even media but seems to put a lot of stuff out there. It's nothing personal, I don't know the man or who he is, im just genuinely curious as I love this franchise too and this game being a hit would mean something to me, I don't want to see people led down the wrong path for a few bucks is what I'm saying.

 

[shinobi602]

John Walker from RPS:


Pretty funny how radically different the opinions are here. Scanning planets in ME2 was the worst part of the game, so I hope Shinobi is right, but it sounds like there are some legit UI issues with it.

He's talking about scanning on the galaxy map. I haven't gotten to the map yet.

 

[Lister]

Can people actually stomach reading stuff written like this in such hyperbole?

He could be right on every single point here, but goddamn is it hard to take seriously stuff written with that kind of language. It's like reading stuff on gaf where things have to be to either end of an extreme; the best ever or the worst ever.

Suppose it gets clicks though.

He finishes the article explaining he wrote this as he played. His thought as he went through the game, and mentiones how bad opinions/feelings at the beginnign cna become tempered as the game opens up and improves. He's not writing it off yet, but he didn't didn't like what he saw. Not sure why you're calling it hyperbole, unless you played the game?

I mean, did you read the examples of dialogue he mentions? Unless he's lying and hes made them up, then the writing is BAD. There ain't no hyperbole to what I'm reading there. That's what you call sound evidence backing up your point.

 

[J_Viper]

That RPS preview is negatively hyperbolic enough to be a post on /v.

It's like the exact opposite of the OP.

 

[Renekton]

Sounds good!

Now to find a 1080Ti...