Mass Effect: Andromeda
JuliusBorisov
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in Off-Topic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG8V9dRqSsw"This game is very much a new adventure, taking place far away from and long after the events of the original trilogy. You will play a human, male or female, though that's actually not the character you saw in the trailer (more on that later). You'll be exploring an all-new galaxy, Andromeda, and piloting the new and improved Mako you saw. And through it all, you will have a new team of adventurers to work with, learn from, fight alongside of, and fall in love with."
"... we are still many months away from the game's release date in holiday 2016"
http://blog.bioware.com/2015/06/15/introducing-mass-effect-andromeda/
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BTW, later Trent has given an insight into the BG name choosing:
*cough*Dragon Age: Inquisition*cough*
I do love this theme, though.
But then I've never said that I was a good player, so smoke em if you got em and found that section easier than I did.
That said - LOVED the whole Mass Effect trilogy, favorite series since BG. The first game is a wonderful introduction to a new SF universe, and plays well as an exploration game as the plot is gradually revealed. The reveal is well done, as they drop just enough hints that while you may be surprised at the big reveal, you also kind of suspected all along.
ME2 was a big let down after ME1. I'm not an action RPG/shooter player, and really liked the way they in-plot eliminated the ammo issue in ME1. ME2 thrusts an ammo management mechanic in my face, and takes away most of the stats-management/XP side of an RPG. Soldiers, the 'default' class were also heavily downgraded. But you know what? When I come back to replay now, darned if ME2 isn't actually the best /game/ in the series. It plays extremely well, the stripped down RPG experience retains just enough to be meaningful, the mini-games are better than endless frogger or Simon, and the difficulty options actually mean something. I was incredibly happy to beat the game on Insanity, felt like a real achievement, but drop to at least Hardcore if I want to actually enjoy playing! Main downside now is that it pitched the atmosphere too dark (for a paragon Shepherd) and I did not really feel that the game opened up anything new in terms of story over the first game - which was all about the exploring the story and the game world. Don't skimp on reading the lore in the Codex entries!
ME3 was an interesting conclusion to the series, actual conclusion at the end of the game aside. It is probably the best mix of RPG stats-gaming and shooter, but it lacks the final difficulty level. "Insanity" plays mostly like something between Veteran and Hardcore of earlier games, so I usually end up difficulty to the max, which just feels silly, especially at the few points where I do get stuck. So gameplay-wise, a lot of fun. Story-wise, most disappointing as while the game is all about the invasion of the big bad promised in the first game, you actually spend most of the game fighting the bait-and-switch human foes who are actually easier to make a game about. Especially annoying at the end where a previously realistic-feel universe has manga-style foes that you must beat several times over, who can just stand in the middle of combat immune to physics and recharge their heath/shields/abilities - which is something I find frustrating in any game, but especially in one so rooted in selling the live-it experience of the ME series.
Less said about the ending the better, the "fix it" DLC actually managed to screw it up even worse, where all it really needed was some up-front info before the last mission that you are absolutely going to sacrifice yourself at the end, rather than playing the idealistic hero who will conquer all through your supposed goodbye speeches - I mean, seriously, by this time they have sold a 'died, but got better' two or three times on you, no way are you going down at the end if it is just a straight up fight, and there is plenty of material to sell you as a catalyst who must make the ultimate sacrifice to save all civilization - a fitting end for a hero. But no, they double-down on the stupid, which brings me to...
Andromeda! That seems the perfect approach to a sequel series. Let's get out of the Milky Way with its known history and plot, and explore again, a whole new galaxy, with a whole new plot device to learn about and conquer. Hopefully they an avoid some of the howlers closing out the story like last time - although my hopes are not high with EA, this is our chance to collectively dream that this time, for once, they will not screw with something precious...
(Oh yes, Mako Fan no 3, 2 more to find)
Are they going to have 3 (4 with the refusal option) different starting points in world and technology as your single action changed how organic and artificial life relate to one another? Or are they gonna cop out and have everything generic claiming since it is in a different galaxy, choices made in the previous game have no bearing.
From a story-telling perspective, it would be best to go with the "Reapers destroyed, galaxy left to fend for itself" ending as canon. The others throw up plot problems for where sequels can go.
Just to chip in: I quite liked the Mako in ME1. Didn't like the ME2 hovertank.
The Mako itself was excellent, could climb 70 degree angles, jump places with booster rockets, had a giant cannon and allowed you to run over Geth by the dozen.
I'm curious to see what it'll be like. They wrote themselves into a corner with ME3, with its massively different, galaxy changing endings, so moving over to another galaxy is probably for the best. Question remains, if we're removing the Quarians, Turians, Krogan, etc, plus I assume all the Prothean stuff...how Mass Effecty will it really be?
Why not Turain or Quarian or anything that's not human?
I'm sure the game will be great, as long as the mako sections are nothing like any of the vehicle sections in any of the previous mass effect games or if they do suck that hard then at the very least I hope they are short and sparsely spread out.
But Andromeda really?
Now all I can think of is Hercules in space fighting Nietzscheans who can't pronounce Nietzsche. They all call him neetze. That show was so so so dumb, can't believe I watched like 3 or 4 seasons of it.
Because that couldn't possibly confuse anyone...
The player is from an ark ship, launched prior to ME3. Thus it wouldn't be directly affected by the outcome, and it could simply be reflected in messages, once communication with the Milky Way is re established.
That would also allow thousands of years to have passed (depending on the speed of intergalactic travel in the ME universe) and still have familiar looking gear in use.
So my guess has to be that we uncover some grand lost mass relay linking the galaxies, and end up exploring whatever happened to the Andromeda galaxy and their version of a reaper cycle, with a deeper plot about ancient races setting multiple reaper cycles up in different galaxies...