MASS EFFECT ANDROMEDA: The Life and Death of BioWare Montreal (UPDATE: Part IV, Final Part Up)

I don't want to watch another video because it will screw up my "recommended" on YouTube.  Can you give a bullet-point synopsis?

Not trying to be an asshat here, but why? What's the point? All of this has been discussed and rehashed to death.

Unless this is just more of the same phenomenon that YongYea abuses to get views and ad revenue...

Nah, I think I'll pass. I've seen plenty of ME:A/BW Montreal sucks posts to last a lifetime. I'm good.

It is exactly that. I do not care what other people think, and I want my DLC. I do not have a relationship any more complex with BioWare than paying to play their games. I like Andromeda. Arguments over the matters of taste are futile. I am only being honest instead of trying to express the same via a quibble over a technicality.

Call the irony meter company. I hear they have a great replacement policy as irony meters seem to continuously break these days.

As someone who enjoyed and appreciated MEA, I would like to congratulate OP for the two videos he did. It shows a great amount of work and dedication you put in piecing all the sources and materials you found to create it. I would just like to say first and foremost that I appreciated the dedication you put to this video and clearly the love you have for this franchise which is the same as mine.

Provided the hypothesis that were made are correct and surely I have no point in doubting there aren't, this would made me appreciate the game even more because even hindered by internal difficulties, issues and development problems they still managed to create a enjoyable experience for me. It also makes me revalue Mac Walters who basically saved the game from the lack of vision and focus. In the end I pity poor Montreal, the game was too big and ambitious for them so the entire project went out of control. A clear, focused and experienced leadership is fundamental in each successful project and this was something ME:A got very late in development. It's probably for the best that the franchise returned back in the more experienced Edmonton's hands, it will take time maybe even a very long time but I hope the most experienced team will succeed in saving the franchise from this situation. There is still so much potential in Andromeda to be used.

The fact that Montreal was absorbed and does not exist anymore as a BW studio is indeed a signal that things were not going well between the company studios pity Flynn had to take most of the blame. I'm sure he did a lot to make the game succeed. I wish him and all the other devs in Montreal that managed to bring this game to its completion, well.

Thanks OP great videos.

Heh, thanks for the kind words. I also found myself re-evaluating Mac Walters upon learning everything regarding the development of Andromeda. I never thought he was "bad" but I do feel he was one of the chief individuals responsible for the ending of Mass Effect 3. Still, his talent is clear as he basically saved Andromeda from its development hell. I do think that a general lack of experience is what led to the averageness of Andromeda. The BioWare that made Mass Effect 1 was not some inexperienced bunch, it was the same creative leads that developed Knights of the Old Republic, a massively successful console RPG. Additionally, many of these same individuals had worked on previous critically acclaimed BioWare titles all the way back to Baldur's Gate. Montreal just didn't have that same experience and talent and it shows in the final product. I think if the game weren't named MASS EFFECT and branded without the BioWare name folks would be more forgiving. I still think it'd be reviewed the same there simply would be just less hate. It was a decent attempt by a first time studio.

As I said, my next video will finally look into all the issues with Andromeda, especially compared to past BioWare titles and similar AAA RPG's on the market. It's going to be a doozy.

Ugh, ok, it's not really about my "recommended" list.  I'm just lazy and don't want to sit through a video.  Reading bullet points is faster and more efficient.  If I liked the points, maybe I would go watch the video, but I don't care to spend 15 minutes waiting to be like "Nope!  Not my thing."

I watched some of the video, it reminded me too much of the likes of Smudboy what ive seen however.

That is not a good comparison to me, as Smudboy was one of several who went down the "I am always right" route. I need to revisit it more but the first impression did leave me feeling less inclined to continue.


Just as an aside, I have seen other videos go over the issues of Andromeda before, mostly through the depth of the game itself and it's technical and structural flaws vs the focus on the studio. In that respect I would say your work is different, but there have been discussions on it before by the likes of Sole Porpise and Noah Gervais. I would check them out, even though I disagree with some of their own points. 

I'm sorry you feel that way, malice is not the intent behind these videos. I like to think I'm providing fair and honest critique of the studio and the game. I was very careful when writing the video to try and not use any insulting or inciting words nor say something like, "these developers suck." I merely tried to give an objective critique of everything covered in the videos. I certainly take no pleasure in "kicking people in the groin," I follow many of the developers on Twitter and think they are all great individuals seeking to make great games. That just didn't end up happening.

Yeah I'm sick of it. I'm tired of being told to hate something that I enjoy. Also while I had hoped for dlc and a sequel at this stage I'll just wait for official announcement. I know it's unlikely but the most I can hope for is when they pick up ME again they don't reboot or start over.

I virtually never watch videos like this, prefer to read as you can skim through much faster without sound. I will query though, did Montreal create ME3 multiplayer? I'm never quite sure about that but if they did it should be discussed as it was a much more significant project than Omega.