So.... I got Andromeda Early... [NO SPOILERS]

I live in Toronto, where it's very easy to get games early. 

Retail versions of the game started shipping to stores last Wednesday, so I got my copy on Friday (on Xbox One). 

I've played about 9 hours of the game so far, and thought i'd give my initial impressions (NO SPOILERS). 


1st - This is a very welcoming game for newer players to the franchise. From the very get-go, it's clear that this is a clean, exclusive experience separate from the original trilogies. 

2nd - The combat feels very different. Can't really compare it to ME3 at all. Takes a little while to get used to, but it feels so much more fluid and responsive than it ever has in the franchise. Wasn't too big on the idea of any sort of jetpack / jumping / mobility, but it's very engaging, fun, and useful. 

3rd - Facial Animations; they aren't great. But I found myself becoming used to them. My worry was that the facial stuff would ruin the immersion and the experience, but it's something that you overlook as early as the first few hours of the game. You are reminded of it every now and again during some cutscenes, where one character's eyes seem to always be doing some weird things, but beyond that, it's fine. 

4th - Performance is OK. Am playing the Xbox One retail disc version of the game. There's no Day One patch yet, though for early release games this isn't too unusual - launch patches normally go live about a week before the game's launch date, or when any sort of servers go live (if there's any patch, it will get pushed through at some point in the next 48 hours given EA Access starts on Wednesday). I've experienced one MAJOR frame rate drop, and one full game crash, as well as a couple of minor bugs (related to inventory and weapons), but nothing gamebreaking so far. 

5th - Really like the revamped conversation wheels. Really makes you feel like you are having to think through your conversations. The interrupt features have seen a really nice re-work too. 

6th - The overall tone of the game seems much lighter and fun-spirited than I remember the original trilogy being. 

7th - The early portions of the game's main story are really nicely paced. It dips you into things very well, without overwhelming you or boring you with too much exposition


Happy to answer any non-spoilery related questions anyone may have.