why Andromeda was not capable of inspiring..

Yes.

Need to check context of the posts. A lot of posts mentioning the OT squadmates are either complaints about the direction the franchise has gone in, or begging for the franchise to go back to the MW. (Yours, for instance.) I don't see why someone who liked the ME:A squadmates would make a similar post.

What's actually wrong with going to a kid's story, though.? Are the power-fantasy elements of ME that important?

Hey, you're the one who said this was a problem. I'm asking you why it was a problem, and you're telling me that you don't know?

Maybe we can get someone to post who personally experienced a problem.

Suuuure it was. Unless you play as fem Shep.

Relax...you're not in danger of changing anybody's opinion.

But what was the actual problem with Ryder being young? Can you articulate it? You've had years to think about this.

Ryder isn't supposed to be Shepard.

He's supposed to be what the audience needs him to be, to sell the game. If the plan is to turn him into Shepard again, we already have Shepard.

As I recall, prior to the release of the game, there were a number of people here on this site (not me) syaing how nice it would be if the NPC's didn't constantly idolize the PC and tell him/her how great they were.  Seems to me, they got what they asked for in that regard.  What they didn't get were the rude and lippy comebacks that Renegade Shepard gave, which were the basis of the power fantasies, not the combat.  They want to be able to talk like a total A$$ and still imagine they're doing something good.  Ryder talks more like an average person just doing their job and his quips are good natured rather than asinine.  However, I don't see that as a difficult thing for Bioware to change going into a next ME:A game even if they keep  Ryder as the protag.  It may require a change of VA's..

I don't disagree... I'm just saying that "talking like an arse and feeling like doing something good" was the basis of their power fantasy, not the combat itself.  I agree, the dialogue in ME:A could have been much edgier (or at least edgier options could have been made available) and that would have been an improvement.  However, ME:A2 could easily make that improvement.  It's a relatively easy thing to change with Ryder since he/she is growing up and being exposed to things that would change a person and make them more jaded and cynical.  It's a logical change for them to make.