Mass Effect BioWare Montreal's Mass Effect: Andromeda - where element zero meets trisomy 21

[soulburner]

So... umm... is there any way to stop the audio volume decreasing each time those fucking companions open their mouths? They keep talking all the time during gunfights and when set to the full dynamic range setting, it's annoying as hell - when they shut up for a few seconds, the audio sounds great, gunfights are dynamic, loud and stuff. Nobody seems to care about this aspect of this game but it's the only reason I can't finish the intro planet.

 

[J1M]

So... umm... is there any way to stop the audio volume decreasing each time those fucking companions open their mouths? They keep talking all the time during gunfights and when set to the full dynamic range setting, it's annoying as hell - when they shut up for a few seconds, the audio sounds great, gunfights are dynamic, loud and stuff. Nobody seems to care about this aspect of this game but it's the only reason I can't finish the intro planet.

It's probably a variable in one of the .ini files.

 

[biffthestiff]

I only played the original ME trilogy, not Andromeda.

People talk a lot about how we went from an RPG in ME1 into a linear corridor cover shooter in 2 and especially 3, but for me the most jarring change was the balance. ME2 came out around the time the industry started going nuts with DLCs. In 2/3, if you installed the DLCs, they just put all these crazy OP items in your inventory or you'd come upon them just like that. And you had no way to know if you just a great weapon because shit was gonna get harder now, or if this was an OP DLC weapon that would trivialize the rest of the mission(s), which was balanced around the main game's items. I realized this around the 4th or 5th mission and spent like an hour researching to make a list of DLC weapons and just avoided them altogether.

You didn't have a choice of "install the mission DLCs but don't give me their OP weapons just like that".

I still find it weird how no reviews mentioned this, that the DLC were integrated into the games in a way that totally removed the challenge of the main game. There's something odd about people paying extra money to ruin the main game they spent the most money on. (Not me, I downloaded the deluxe torrent, but I empathize with the consumer at large)

Anyway, is Andromeda like this, or is it better designed?

 

[Atlantico]

Anyway, is Andromeda like this, or is it better designed?

Andromeda "deluxe" edition has some cosmetic DLC items, some weapon and armor blueprints which are unique, but not OP. In fact, I've never even considered crafting them, since there's better items in the game. Much better, in fact.

It's just digital garbage used to sell the deluxe edition to completionists (I bought the deluxe edition for the soundtrack, which is excellent!)

 

[Parabalus]

You didn't have a choice of "install the mission DLCs but don't give me their OP weapons just like that".

Apparently this was done in the remaster, you have to find/buy them like the rest.

 

[Ryzer]

Why is this game at 78% appreciation rate on Steam? Do all people have trisomy 21?

 

[Butter]

Why is this game at 78% appreciation rate on Steam? Do all people have trisomy 21?

You have to buy the game to review it on Steam. That filtered out most people with the correct number of chromosomes.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Why is this game at 78% appreciation rate on Steam? Do all people have trisomy 21?

7/10 isn't too far off from a decent score for it. It was just offensively mediocre.
Better game than Outerworlds which has a much higher score.

 

[Atlantico]

7/10 isn't too far off from a decent score for it. It was just offensively mediocre.

I'd give it a solid 7/10 and felt it captured the essence of Mass Effect like no other game since the original.

It was a valiant and well executed effort to make a good Mass Effect reboot, going back to its high-concept RPG roots and the game designer hit it right out of the park.

He was the perfect candidate and so rarely is the perfect candidate hired in this age of danger-hairs and diversity hires.

 

[Tyranicon]

Better game than Outerworlds which has a much higher score.

It's the difference between a pile of shit and another pile of shit that someone has sprayed deodorant on.

 

[Falksi]

It starts out pretty spot on for the first few hours, it's just when it actually comes to doing the exploring & legwork that it nosedives into shitsville.

I'd rate it 5/10. Bang average.

 

[Padzi]

Derpomeda is -1 /10.

 

[Wulfric Pinewood]

Im back to Andromeda after weeellll after about ~5 years, thanks for the cloud saves. Can't wait for new ME game, but i will be more on the Starfield side for sure. Still have original trilogy part 3 halfway to finish.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

Shooting. Good.

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

It starts out pretty spot on for the first few hours, it's just when it actually comes to doing the exploring & legwork that it nosedives into shitsville.

I'd rate it 5/10. Bang average.

Shit this was a while ago now but no it didn't start off well. I'd say it's one of the worst points in the game.

The story is an absolute wreck, shoving the most boring, forced drama down your throat. Cringe dialogue was so unbearable I had to put the game down within 2 hours.

 

[Falksi]

It starts out pretty spot on for the first few hours, it's just when it actually comes to doing the exploring & legwork that it nosedives into shitsville.

I'd rate it 5/10. Bang average.

Shit this was a while ago now but no it didn't start off well. I'd say it's one of the worst points in the game.

The story is an absolute wreck, shoving the most boring, forced drama down your throat. Cringe dialogue was so unbearable I had to put the game down within 2 hours.

That is well for Bioware now.

 

[SpaceWizardz]

Shit this was a while ago now but no it didn't start off well. I'd say it's one of the worst points in the game.

The story is an absolute wreck, shoving the most boring, forced drama down your throat. Cringe dialogue was so unbearable I had to put the game down within 2 hours.

That initial hour on tutorial planet with the Kett "First Contact" and characters not knowing what the various structures and machinery do is the most the game ever engages with it's space pioneers premise.
I still remember the feeling of utter deflation when I recognized the AI character in your head is there to complete sap any feeling of mystery and exploration out of the game so the writers could quickly reach their comfort zone of awkward parasocial character relationships and recycling plotlines from the original trilogy.

 

[Cyberarmy]

That initial hour on tutorial planet with the Kett "First Contact" and characters not knowing what the various structures and machinery do is the most the game ever engages with it's space pioneers premise.

And that is kinda the best part of the game, that part dies with dady Pathfinder.

 

[Popiel]

What the fuck is this revisionism which I see going on here? No part of this game was ever any fucking good, stop larping. Initial sequence was a cringe inducing fuckfest designed to derail the story into PC becoming the new Pathfinder through a sequence of absolutely mindbogglingly idiotic incompetences on part of the characters, who are, let me remind you, supposed to be professionals engaged in a historic breakthrough of an undertaking (aside from Alec Ryder's children, who are in due to nepotism, lol), not a bunch of stumbling fools (SHARE THE FUCKING HELMET YOU TOOLS).

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

What the fuck is this revisionism which I see going on here? No part of this game was ever any fucking good, stop larping. Initial sequence was a cringe inducing fuckfest designed to derail the story into PC becoming the new Pathfinder through a sequence of absolutely mindbogglingly idiotic incompetences on part of the characters, who are, let me remind you, supposed to be professionals engaged in a historic breakthrough of an undertaking (aside from Alec Ryder's children, who are in due to nepotism, lol), not a bunch of stumbling fools (SHARE THE FUCKING HELMET YOU TOOLS).

They couldn't even do shitty drama properly lol

The scene with Alec Ryder giving his child his helmet is the most retarded part of the game. It's instantly fixed by just adding a pan down to show him mortally injured after giving the helmet. Instead of the leader sacrificing himself for his retarded, unskilled child, it becomes a father's last action was saving his kid , who now has to take over responsibility they're not prepared for.

There's cringe shitty drama for you fixed with literally one simple step.

 

[Hirato]

I remember the environmental design and art being extremely good; the people who worked on that facet did an excellent job.
None of the other teams delivered though...

 

[Atlantico]

What the fuck is this revisionism which I see going on here? No part of this game was ever any fucking good, stop larping. Initial sequence was a cringe inducing fuckfest designed to derail the story into PC becoming the new Pathfinder through a sequence of absolutely mindbogglingly idiotic incompetences on part of the characters, who are, let me remind you, supposed to be professionals engaged in a historic breakthrough of an undertaking (aside from Alec Ryder's children, who are in due to nepotism, lol), not a bunch of stumbling fools (SHARE THE FUCKING HELMET YOU TOOLS).

What is a "professional pathfinder for humanity in another galaxy"? Who the hell knows, effectively they're little more than the vanguard and muscle supposed to stick their neck out first before the rest follows. How do you do that "professionally"?

Anyway, the Ryder children aren't made pathfinders because of nepotism. It's because their father, who was an insufferable Mary Sue btw, linked his children with the ship AI — something absolutely 100% necessary for any vanguard to have. Not because he picked them over others, because they're genetically compatible with this hack he made for the AI he made (see: Mary Sue)

This massive butthurt over a damn good game is now and always has been the hallmark of the NPC. The game you should be whining about is DAI, this is good. DAI is all the shit that MEA is alleged to be but isn't.

 

[cvv]

pathfinder for humanity in another galaxy

What an awesome premise tho. Imagine it in the hands of smart, competent, experienced writers, instead of the bunch of millenial dangerhairs and soyboys that ended up shitting this turd out.

My face is tired.

 

[Atlantico]

pathfinder for humanity in another galaxy

What an awesome premise tho. Imagine it in the hands of smart, competent, experienced writers, instead of the bunch of millenial dangerhairs and soyboys that ended up shitting this turd out.

My face is tired.

I know, it could have been better and should have been better, but it's been impossible to discuss the merits and deficiencies of MEA.

For instance the writing. Sure the writing could have been better, but to take your example; the "my face is tired" lady is actually supposed to be an insufferable and annoying cunt of a character. She's not your friend, she's not your ally, she's not endearing nor is she supposed to be. She's supposed to be an asshole. I think they succeeded with that tbh.

On the other hand, there are other really cringeworthy things that they dropped the ball on, for instance the Mary Sue qualities of Alec Ryder (the dad), the Joss Wheadon-ish dialogue, the world building can be criticized quite a bit, and so on. The "my face is tired" is ironically pretty decent writing for a character short-hand.

Anyway, point is that the criticism of the game is often only found in meme form which is tiresome and is rarely in proportion to the actual quality of the game. I don't replay bad games twice. I have better things to do.

 

[Volourn]

This game is shit. It's 1/10. I barely got onto the first planet before I said fuck this shit. At least with Inquisition I actually completed a handful of planets... err.... areas. That's a 4/10.