So I started a new playthrough after taking a break

For me, the biggest problem with the writing in this game lies in the pace. I don't really care about the more lighthearted tone of ME:A in comparison to the trilogy, except for the sometimes extremely cheesy and forced lines, but the pacing is what completely ruined the game for me. This isn't really a writer's issue though because the real culprit here is the Open World. Even though a lot of the side content is optional it still feels forced that you have to clear enough quests on each planet to create a settlement and increase the viability to 100%. This, however, takes way more time than the Main Story and completely detracts from it. Instead of playing the game I felt like doing chores. Doing the same stuff again in a different lifeless environment. Especially the Architects stand out in a negative way here. Just rehashing the same boss-fight on every planet is just so incredibly... meh. I expected better from Bioware to be honest, especially after all the criticism DA:I's Open World had received. Might be because I actively waited 5 years for this game but I just have the feeling that, overall, I set the bar too high. The OT are my favorite games of all time and i'm just a little bit salty that I currently can't place ME:A next to those, even though I would really like to.

So in the end I could just never get immersed in the main story because every mission was followed by a ton of sidequests on every planet. And yes, those are optional, but I'm a perfectionist so I can't help it that I force myself to do them. I do all the sidequests I find in every RPG I play. So far, only Inquisition and Andromeda have made me ragequit because the sheer blandness of said content. It just feels as if the content is of MMO-tier quality. Unnecessary travelling and loading screens, lazy zoom-ins, choices which don't matter and generic enemies and mechanics. Almost none of the sidequests stood out for me. Even the bigger ones like contagion and firestarters. I wouldn't care if Bioware would have significantly toned down the Open World, and instead focussed on quality in sidecontent and pacing. Now, 'exploration' takes up the biggest part of the game but that's what actually makes me stop playing it. Whenever I continue with the Main Story I feel inclined to play again, but that's only a short adrenaline burst in a sea of bland and meaningless filling.

So call me negative, call me a hater or call me a troll. I don't care. I care about this franchise and I simply refuse to join the circlejerk of praising this game into heaven whilst I believe there are still many things on which Bioware dropped the ball with ME:A. Silence would mean that nothing will change in the future. By posting here and starting discussions in a normal, calm and rational way I hope that Bioware actually learns from the feedback people provide so that they can actually do something with it in the future. I don't really care about things like no-saving, the lack of a stash, the buggy animations and not being able to change your appearance. Those things can be patched, and Bioware actually patched almost all of it, so kudos for that.

But that doesn't change the fact that myself and quite a few other posters have problems with other, unpatchable parts of the game. May it be the story, pacing, side-content quality, asari clone army, open world design, characters or something else. That doesn't really matter. What matters is that, even though opinions about these things will always be subjective (opinions being subjective, wow!), it doesn't mean that negative ones are automatically invalidated. (just like the positive ones.) Just defend your opinions with actual arguments instead of personal attacks and keep it calm.

/rant

Agreed. Besides could you imagine Hamlet in space? 😂

So I started a new play through of MEA after taking a break from it for a couple of months. Now I have been pretty critical of it mainly from comparing it to the trilogy. But last night as I was finishing up my first trip to EOS and establishing Prodromos I realized I was having fun damnit. Of course the patch has helped but still the base game is still pretty damn fun. Which leads me to believe that while much of the constructive criticism is valid at the same time this game is a victim of the internet hate mob. The damn meme posters have been wanting to bring this franchise down for years. If this game had been simply called Andromeda with all the ME references taken out (meaning none of the other MW races would be in it and references to the alliance were not in the game etc...) and it was made by a different dev then it would have not been attacked so aggressively. It angers me that there are people that downright have an agenda against this IP.

I have my own taste... which is infinitely better than the herd mentality you possess (and insist that everyone else follow) and the penchant for reducing eveything to various ways to insult people.

BTW:  using the term "objectively" doesn't magically change what is essentially subjective opinion into objective fact.  ME1 also had breaks in consistency and, IMO, not following through with using the Citadel as a mass relay after stating point blank that it was "surprise" a huge mass relay is a clear example of that and also representative of the game not having a clear overarching vision.  The issues with L'Etoile in ME2 are a clear example of writers "trying to put their own spin on the direction of the plot"... and then throwing a hissy fit when "upper management" disagreed with their individual vision.  Now, the public may have liked L'Etoile's take on Legion better... but it was never within his position to usurp the direction the lead writers had for the overall story at that time.

Every medal has two sides. In your case I'm hoping you're not comparing it to Picasso or Hemingway anytime soon.

i agree with both of you because the writing early in game is not good. Trying to make Ryder as a young neophyte may have given problems to the writers . What do you get such a character to tell , to comment, what opinions can he / she have when totally lacking experience ? 

Then there's the Citadel aftertaste that is a bit unnerving. 


As the game moves on i find an increased sense of entitlement, assurance . Replies and comments become stronger ( rescuing the Moshae ,  Dracks loyalty mission  etc ) . Could or should  there be more ? Should they be more in depth?
Of course, but at least Ryder isn't so insipid and " just having fun" .

So people who got to play the first 10 hours of the game were served the poorest writing of the game.
And that didn't help . I blame Bioware for a poor concept of what Ryder is to be early on and it was a mistake to make 10 hours of early gameplay available. 
( i kind of find ridiculous  people who couldn't wait game release  just so they could ... could what exactly? ... right ) .

it's good game substantialy hurt by the constant negativity.
On what Planet (pun intended) a game like Nier automata (i bought it) has better reputation than Andromeda?

Nor did I.. there is still a bunch of tasks in my journal that I won't bother with (almost fetchquests) but my playthrough is 115 hours now, and I haven't played the final mission, yet.

Can't imagine how something like that comes to be. Do you stop for every bait by dropped in Kett or Outlaws?

I had all of that and still only got 60 hours tops.

Did it sound like that? I'm just curious how they manage to get to 100+ hours.