Andromeda: Not As Bad As I Remembered

For me it was THIRD playthrough that really hit all the spots ME1 did and more, so much that one can see from my signature
I did enjoy first and second but third opened up. I think the same happened with ME1, but cant say the same about ME2 and 3...

I'd say I almost enjoyed my second PT of the game more than the first, despite the fact that I already knew the story, that the redundancy in dialogue options became more apparent and that I forced myself to play a Ryder personality I didn't really like that much.

The reason the second playthrough worked better was because I knew how to do things efficiently and how some quests were "meant" to be approached. During the first playthrough I wasted a lot of time driving back and forth because I did not (could not) know to which points I might eventually have to return or how some of the quests actually were supposed to work. This is actually a pretty harsh critique towards the gameplay designers of ME:A because the fact that a lot of the stuff that could have worked well did not during the first PT just because there was no intuitive flow of information to the player a pretty bad oversight on their part.

However, I generally agree, ME:A is actually a decent game, especially after the patches and with some mods. By and large it didn't deserve as much hate as it got back in the day. Some of the writing is still shit but there are good parts in there as well and the gameplay is actually pretty good and a natural evolution of the ME formula I think.

I think this is pretty symptomatic of any open world game to be honest. I felt the same way about Death Stranding and DA:I, for instance. There's just so much stuff coming at you the first time you play the game, that it's next to impossible to do it all 'right'. The second time around you know what's coming and you know which ways you want to go and can go.

Nevre say never we have no idea where Bioware will go next with ME. Especia;lly as the next game isn't out yet.

I thin kit depends on how you viwe it though because to me it looks like based on when we see Jaal's home that Angara prefer ewha tcan be bes tdescribed as close quarters living. Almost like huddlin garoungd a bonfier kind of thing with family.

That's true, I guess. But I've played a lot of open world games, most of them more than once and in Andromeda this whole feeling of "ah, that's how they wanted me to do it and than it actually is fun and not a chore" hit me much more often than in any other game I can remember. Might just be my stupid way of doing things though.

I took those to be ruins as there didn’t seem to be any activity.

Mass Effect: Nepotism

I mean, it works with the story (mostly) but it kind of kills a lot of the "self-made" cliche 

I've actually played this game more than ME2 now. What a world we live in.

THIS.  I agree.  If you play the game as a casual, non-serious guy/gal, then it makes sense.  This article presents the best defense of Andromeda, and simultaneously exposes the reasons why Andromeda failed.  If you treat Bioware's poor writing and unimaginative storyline as attempts at humor, then this game isn't so bad; if you treat it as how Bioware intended (an epic space opera with a serious themes and deep characters), you will be sorely disappointed. 

"Mass Effect: Andromeda is a teenage comedy in space. And it rocks.

You play as Ryder, a young man or woman forced into the role of Pathfinder (basically, the expedition's designated scout, leader and everything-doer) after the death of your father. Your character's basic inadequacy is a recurring theme in the beginning of the story. Nobody respects or expects much of you, even as they're desperate for you to solve all their problems for them. Any attempts your character makes at drama or sincerity come off as the words of a dumb kid trying to be taken seriously."

Similarly, your own decisions don't carry as much weight as they did in previous games. wherein your story choices could lead to the deaths of important characters, not to mention billions of offscreen innocents. By comparison, Ryder's stakes are fairly low, being the first game in the series where none of your companions can permanently die. There's an inherent silliness to all of it, especially in the way that every side character seems so stupid and inept, similar to bumbling adults in high school movies...But somehow it works, transforming the story into a light-hearted adventure where, however hilariously Ryder or anybody else messes up, nothing can ever go too wrong. It's nice, sometimes, to know that the Scooby Gang will always get the bad guy in the end.

www.popdust.com/in-defense-mass-effect-andromeda-2645490134.html

That’s one of the few parts I didn’t like. I mean they did it fine, but I am not a fan of a predefined character and much prefer your backstory being more open.