Mass Effect: Andromeda

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VikingStudios;n8166780 said:
But Skyrim is Elder Scrolls, fans knew what the'll get. Also Skyrim had its own flair which attracted a lot of people. And last but not least, mods.
I didn't like Oblivion but I love Skyrim because of the art style and the atmosphere, snow, ice, vikings, dragons. But without mods it would have become boring pretty fast.
And yes characters and writing is one of the big fails in the game.

Only because it worked for Skyrim, doesn't mean it works for other games. And again mods, and this time I don't mean overhauls or new stuff but just fixes, improvements and better graphics. If there is something that sucks in a Bethesda game (like the UI in Skyrim) you could bet there will be a mod that fixes it. BW unfortunately doesn't want their games being altered by mods. DA:O had some nice graphical improvements and other mods but since DA2 BW removed their mod tools.

They are new fans. Old fans didn't expect game which insult intelligence. Read this article: http://thenocturnalrambler.blogspot.ba/2012/02/skyrim-actually-kinda-sucks.html
And this article didn't mention the worse things.
Also if you wait for mods to improve certain segments, then you shouldn't pay full price for that game, and that game shouldn't have full price. But mods can't fix what is wrong with Skyrim.

Andromeda even in this state is better then Skyrim.
 
Ancient76;n8183070 said:
Also if you wait for mods to improve certain segments, then you shouldn't pay full price for that game, and that game shouldn't have full price. But mods can't fix what is wrong with Skyrim.

That's true and without that art style I wouldn't have touched it. Actually I can't really say why I still play it from time to time.
 
Ancient76;n8183070 said:
Also if you wait for mods to improve certain segments, then you shouldn't pay full price for that game, and that game shouldn't have full price.

I do not really understand this mentality, modding support adds real value to a game, why should it be excluded from the price of the whole package? Someone who buys Skyrim gets access to the base game and everything made by the modding community, if that is worth full price, then there is nothing wrong with paying for it. The modding support itself is something the developers need to spend resources on, and providing it may require making compromises. For example, Bethesda could have switched to a different/better engine, but if that comes at the cost of sacrificing the modding ecosystem built around their existing one, then it is not an easy decision. In the end, from the consumer's point of view, what matters is the overall value they get for their money.
 
sv3672;n8188600 said:
I do not really understand this mentality, modding support adds real value to a game, why should it be excluded from the price of the whole package? Someone who buys Skyrim gets access to the base game and everything made by the modding community, if that is worth full price, then there is nothing wrong with paying for it. The modding support itself is something the developers need to spend resources on, and providing it may require making compromises. For example, Bethesda could have switched to a different/better engine, but if that comes at the cost of sacrificing the modding ecosystem built around their existing one, then it is not an easy decision. In the end, from the consumer's point of view, what matters is the overall value they get for their money.

Modding support should not be excluded. But i don't want a game which rely on mods to fix it. And Skyrim can't be fixed with mods.
Developers should spend resources on creating the best possible game. Modding support is secondary.
Problems with Skyrim are not related to engine. Bethesda treats gamers like they are 5 years old, that's the problem.
 
Ancient76;n8198700 said:
Bethesda treats gamers like they are 5 years old, that's the problem.

I hear ya, mate.

Always wondered why no one sees that. Bethesda games have naive and immature writing and dialogue, and even the world often doesn't makes sense. Maybe the devs at Beth are not the brightest minds, LOL... The problem in the end is that as hard as i try, i just can't get really immersed in their games.


 
Was curious to see if there was any discussion about andromeda going on here...but nope just people shit talking Bethesda ?? Okay that's weird.

While obviously it has it's flaws, I had fun with my playthrough. I hope bioware listens to all of this criticism and puts more work into their animations department and facial animations workflow, since it's kinda a shame that an otherwise good...hell even a great game is being overshadowed by memes

The facial animations are pretty bad though.
 
I only played Skyrim and a bit of Oblivion and Fallout NV. And yes Bethesda has weak characters and bad story writing but they offer a huge and interesting lore. ALso the games have a lot of details and small little stories and background info that makes it interesting.
But I also think they profit from a huge fan base built by their old games and of course hype. Most of the players know that they need mods to make that games playable, and you can do almost everything with mods and that also adds to the value. But mod support was better in oblivion, Skyrim had its flaws, especially removing mods and scripts (clean saves).

BioWare on the other side has great characters and (at least for the DragonAge franchise) a great story but the lore is a bit weak. I read all the DragonAGe books and there are a lot of plot holes/conflicts and the lore is not as vast as in Bethesda universes. But BW also build a huge part of their fan base in the past. If they now fuck up, everyone blames EA. Like EA turned BW into something bad or EA has bad influence on BW. But most people seem not to know (or don't want to accept it) that BW IS EA. One of the BW founders (Greg Zeschuk) was EA vice president till he left a few years ago. SO he had a lot of influence in how BW is positioned within EA.
 
VikingStudios;n8220550 said:
I only played Skyrim and a bit of Oblivion and Fallout NV. And yes Bethesda has weak characters and bad story writing but they offer a huge and interesting lore.
Heresy! Thou shalt not defile the good name of Obsidian by quoting forth one of their glorious games amidst the putrid works of the antichrist that is Bethesda.
 
VikingStudios;n8220550 said:
I only played Skyrim and a bit of Oblivion and Fallout NV. And yes Bethesda has weak characters and bad story writing but they offer a huge and interesting lore. ALso the games have a lot of details and small little stories and background info that makes it interesting.
But I also think they profit from a huge fan base built by their old games and of course hype. Most of the players know that they need mods to make that games playable, and you can do almost everything with mods and that also adds to the value. But mod support was better in oblivion, Skyrim had its flaws, especially removing mods and scripts (clean saves).

BioWare on the other side has great characters and (at least for the DragonAge franchise) a great story but the lore is a bit weak. I read all the DragonAGe books and there are a lot of plot holes/conflicts and the lore is not as vast as in Bethesda universes. But BW also build a huge part of their fan base in the past. If they now fuck up, everyone blames EA. Like EA turned BW into something bad or EA has bad influence on BW. But most people seem not to know (or don't want to accept it) that BW IS EA. One of the BW founders (Greg Zeschuk) was EA vice president till he left a few years ago. SO he had a lot of influence in how BW is positioned within EA.

Fallout NV has bad story and writing!?

That game is made by Obsidian, and it is one of my favorite.
 
So anyway - I have watched around 3 hours of ME:A let's plays now, and GOD ARE THE DIALOGUES AWFUL.
My forehead is turning blue from all the facepalming the writing induces.
 
M4xw0lf;n8222270 said:
Heresy! Thou shalt not defile the good name of Obsidian by quoting forth one of their glorious games amidst the putrid works of the antichrist that is Bethesda.
Ancient76;n8226380 said:
Fallout NV has bad story and writing!?
That game is made by Obsidian, and it is one of my favorite.

Oh I forgot to mention that I really liked NV.

And I can't tell you how glad I am, that I haven't preordered ME:A. I thought about to do so several times.
Again the mighty marketing department of EA did a good job. ME:A sounded really interesting, the hype was big but the actual game seems to suck.
 
After playing for some time I have to say it's not that bad. If someone expected action RPG with linear missions like ME2 and ME3 they will be disappointed, but if you liked DA:I I think you will also like MA:A (tbh it looks like DA:I clone, instead of the magic ball giving you powers there is technical equivalent, and many mechanics used in DA:I has their equivalents in MA:A).

Story develops veeery slowly, but it's more set on exploring new galaxy. There are many very different planets, and it looks like you can't "score" them in one go, you resolve some problems, some things on planet change (also visually) and another problems arise, new parts of the planet are unlocked. I kinda like it. It's nice to see changes caused by your actions.

Writing definitely could be better, some dialogues feel forced, but I've seen worse :) It looks like they have chosen quantity over quality - there is huge number of side quests, but some of them are like:
*knock, knock* "I'm Pathfinder Ryder"
"you are this hero from another galaxy! Please, I need you help, I am locked up in a toilet without toilet paper"
"fear not fair lady! I will save you! I know this amazing store on the other side of the cluster!"
"I am not a lady, and... *sound of the starting space ship* Are you still here ?! WAAAAAIT!!!"
It's best to just skip some quests, there is a lot things to do anyway.

What I really like in MA:A is combat, in some ways it's like return to DA:O or MA1. On higher difficulties you have to think before you attack enemies. Sitting in cover is not an option, because they will try to flank you so it's good to have some place where you can retreat to. I am dying a lot, but it's fun :)
I am still at the beginning of the game, so my opinion can change, but so far I am having fun (despite all the annoying things)
 
gadrael;n8238330 said:
*knock, knock* "I'm Pathfinder Ryder" "you are this hero from another galaxy! Please, I need you help, I am locked up in a toilet without toilet paper" "fear not fair lady! I will save you! I know this amazing store on the other side of the cluster!" "I am not a lady, and... *sound of the starting space ship* Are you still here ?! WAAAAAIT!!!"
:D:D I find this way too funny :smile:
 
gadrael;n8238330 said:
There are many very different planets, and it looks like you can't "score" them in one go, you resolve some problems, some things on planet change (also visually) and another problems arise, new parts of the planet are unlocked. I kinda like it. It's nice to see changes caused by your actions.

This sounds like I have expected it. Doing one planet after another is just outdated and this makes more sense in the given scenario.
 
Okay I'm a little over 20 hours in
on Voeld currently after the main quest to rescue Jaal's mentor.
I've already talked a little bit about the game in Forlorn Hope, but I'll give my overall impressions plus things I like and don't. I'm including spoiler tags for any arguably story stuff.

Overall I like it a lot. It's not on TW3 level, but comparable to DA:I and FO4 - both of which I liked quite a bit. Compared to the other ME games, I largely think they succeeded in their goal of ME1 feel + ME3 gameplay. I need to get further into the story to see where it falls in the pecking order. It's fun. It's interesting. I'm becoming invested in the characters and story.

I very much like the other main characters, and I much prefer the intimacy of the Tempest compared to the Normandy. The "Firefly/Serenity" feel of only having eleven or so people on the ship is nice. It's already starting to feel like a home. Which is good. Each of the characters has there own personality and I largely like them all. I like the overall thrust of the main story thus far.
I really like the focus on exploration and increasing planet viability. Sure the remnant vaults having such a huge effect on planetary atmosphere is unrealistic, but I've already bought into biotics, mass effect fields, faster than light travel and a bunch of other stuff in this series ... so what's one more thing? Making this the focus of the game allows for both a sense of urgency, but also some sense that you can take it at your own pace.
I dislike the lack of subtlety for the new races so far though perhaps this will improve later
Angarans for now are our new space buds and Kett are evil corrupters of torture-ville (kind of like Reapers ... and the blight ... I'm sensing a theme Bioware).
I actually like male Ryder better as a protagonist than I did male Sheppard 20 hours into ME1. His voice acting is great, and though sometimes I feel like he's a bit too lighthearted for the circumstances ... for the most part it works. The combat is awesome. I am really enjoying the blend of RPG systems and combat. It's great that you can mix and match abilities and that there aren't strict classes but rather "profiles."
I'm not sure that I'm 100% behind how they explain you can do that regarding SAM and how he melds with your nervous system. I would prefer you're a biotic who can also be handy with tech and combat. But that's a minor detail honestly
I've gotten used to the UI, but it's not my favorite by a long shot. I dislike the research and crafting system. However there are few games that do crafting well IMO. The strike team missions are okay I guess. I like the concept (you can't do everything and they do some of the side stuff). In practice it's kind of boring IMO. I'm not a big multiplayer guy, so I haven't played any APEX missions personally. I actually liked War-Table missions in DA:I better though I think I'm one of the few people who liked them. Everybody made a stink about the facial animations but I've haven't noticed it but with a few character models (like Addison). Comparable to DAI and FO4 which is fine. It's not a linear game so it's not going to look like Uncharted. It could be better, but it's fine. I like the quests so far. There are lots of them that I'm skipping because I'm role playing a path finder and doing the quests that seem important to planet viability, the main quest and my crew. There are a few that I've done that are fetch quests, but it's not nearly as bad as in DAI. I don't feel like I have to do them, which is the difference I think. So on the quests I've done, I really like the quest design for the most part on the ones I've done. There have also been a few level designs that I really liked. I love the Worlds thus far.
I've been to Habitat 7, the Nexus, Eos, Harval and Voeld. I saw a few reviews that hated on Eos and Harval ... but I liked them both.
They feel distinct and are very interesting. I like that you can see your progress on the worlds as you go through the story. Galaxy Map and planet scanning are just okay ... slightly improved over ME Trilogy based on actually seeing yourself move through the system. It's a nice touch, but still the same simplistic system. That's all for now.

EDIT: Oh and there are two narrative beats I really didn't like.
There should have been a 15 minute little linear introduction to the main character dynamics back in the milkway. I understand the desire to get to the action right away, but we need more investment in the characters early on for the sake of the story (like TW3 tutorial did it giving you some background for Ciri and Yen). When things happen regarding you sister and father, you have little to no emotional attachment other than "that's my family member." Also, first contact with the Angaran should have been much less friendly in my opinion. They've been fighting an Alien invasion for almost a century, when new Aliens show up, their should have been more tension.
Bottom line, there are some things I think could have been better, but it's a lot of fun and a good story thus far. I'll be dumping lots of hours into it.
 
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Guest 3847602

Guest
From what I've seen, this game sorely needs an option to quote Blackadder and say: "Never, ever try to be funny in my presence again". Honestly, the prospect of being harvested by the Reapers in Milky Way looks far less painful compared to listening some of the "jokes" in Andromeda. Plus, the writers were merciless in their resolve not to allow the players enough time to take a break and recover from exposure to their "humor".
Another issue is not being allowed to play as anything other than paragon twat. 4 dialogue choices which are essentially the same.
 
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Yesterday I met MA equivalent of the dragon... (another mechanics cloned from DA:I)
Remnant machine called Architect
It was interesting fight... most of the time I was running like mad chicken trying to escape deadly AOE attacks and adds and not to freeze to death. As you can guess I died many times :D

Btw, one of the biggest flaws of this game for me... there is no quicksave, It's bloody annoying to open menu and manual save every few minutes. Also some areas have disabled save, usually there is autosave before the boss or more important fights, but it's annoying if you die in the middle and have to repeat dozen encounters....

 
ooodrin;n8267900 said:
Another issue is not being allowed to play as anything other than paragon twat. 4 dialogue choices which are essentially the same.
I agree generally that there aren't enough skeptical or dark renegade-ish options for players who like that play style. You can do some pretty hardcore things though. For instance -
I was able to get a genocidal Kett boss to release a bunch of Angarans and then shoot her in the back as soon as she did what I wanted. :surprise:

I wasn't expecting the option to pop up, and was so happy that it did.
 
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Guest 3847602

Guest
Rawls;n8268250 said:
I agree generally that there aren't enough skeptical or dark renegade-ish options for players who like that play style. You can do some pretty hardcore things though. For instance -
I was able to get a genocidal Kett boss to release a bunch of Angarans and then shoot her in the back as soon as she did what I wanted. :surprise:

I wasn't expecting the option to pop up, and was so happy that it did.

Yeah, I've seen that scene, it's a nice touch, but like you said - not enough of such moments. Besides, there is way too many autodialogue which is inevitably railoaroading Ryder towards some variation of paragon. To be fair, it's not like Geralt or Adam Jensen are any less pre-defined, I just like their canonical traits.
Ironically, when the removal of P/R system was first announced I thought it was great idea and hoped for a greater variety of responses and less predictable consequences of my actions compared to the trilogy. Ha ha ha :(
 
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