My thoughts on the game; Possibly with rose tinted glasses.

MEA is complained about because it has just kinda steamrolled into being a meme, which blows major cock because its a hell of a game. It feels way too natural on an intuitive level regarding the quest system and menus to me for it to get the hate it is getting. I actually really like how the journal especially is compartmentalized into different sections - it makes navigating quests really easy. Too bad most people don't see it that way, which is a damn shame. Like people are genuinely getting lost in how many menus there are in this game, which shows that the general public is borderline illiterate. I didn't find it overwhelming at all. I found it neat that I get to poke around so many menus which shows the depth this game has to offer. IDK it could just be me that I am an ultra nerd/geek, but I love spending time just looking in the different menus contemplating what I want to do next. Its fun for me to poke around in the inventory and journal and plan my next objective whether that be crafting, quests or dialog.



I really like that this game has a ton of tiny rewards that keep coming in, like cryopod rewards that come in on a timely basis. I love the cryopods perks and the feeling of accomplishment when you finally after so long get to unfreeze a new group of people or finally are able to make a settlement or getting to explore an entirely new planet that is completely different than the last. Obviously, the reuse of creatures is noted as a somewhat negative thing and I would really like there to be a good reason for chests and ammo/power/health boxes, but its a system that works well in the game considering the way combat is played, which is pretty damn stellar if you ask me.



My biggest gripe with the game is prolly pretty superficial to a lot of people, but I just think it sucks that I have infinite loading screens so damn often. It's a real buzz kill to boot up the game only to have to exit out of it and then re-enter the game and pick the next newest save just to see if it loads, and sometimes it doesn't and you have to do the whole process over again. But overall, I like this game a lot better than I thought I would. I have DAI pretty high on the list of games I like and this game tops even that. I also love DAO, but I was indifferent to happy with the way BW games have progressed. BW I want to play you damn game, let me!



The best thing about MEA to me though is prolly the combat. I am playing on Insanity and yes, there have been times where I rage quite... but when I was finally able to be that part of the game I was stuck on for like an hour, it is an absolute joy to know I finally came out victorious. I should mention that I haven't really played many shooters on PC before, so this was a whole new experience trying to learn how to aim with a mouse on top of all these other things I have to keep track of in combat. It is challenging and enjoyable and I can tell I have made some real progress with getting better at actually doing combat. I know this because my first go at the game I decided to play as Sara and there were some parts I thought I would never get past, but then the second time around with Scott, it was way way easier. And that's what I love about games like this kind of fast paced combat that I don't have much experience with: that I can tangibly tell that I am getting better at the game. Part of this is knowing how to invest your Skill Points as well, which just adds a whole other level to this game. Its like every encounter is different and requires little tweaks in strategy that can make the difference between dying and victory. It can simply be finding a different cover spot, or investing in a new Skill to make the difference and I really like that. Its progressive, not streamlined, and its intuitive, not completely the same, and combat flows really really well. Combat is the crown jewel in this already brilliant game.