What is the cause of people's worry? (if you are)

Something else: My worry is the writing, I can live with everything else as long as the writing is good, Sadly I think Bioware's writing has gone downhill the last 10 years.

Someone explain to me why everyone hates this guy.

My main concerns are the story as a whole and the characters. Some of the people from the writing staff have to re-gain my trust, or change my mind based upon previous efforts.

Well, they kinda did, in parts... well, at least the writers have changed so much on this project that I wouldn't be surprised the quality of writing will be very hit and miss in places ...strange, personal opinions and patchy writing cred in some of those newer hires not withstanding.

No all of the above option?
While all of the issues listed in poll is a potential concern to some degree, my main issue is so far nothing shown has been really amazing. IGN video was a snoozefest. Damn shame, Mass Effect 1 had quite some 80s space opera moments, sometimes cheesy but it worked for me.

I'm not really worried about anything at this stage.  I'm anticipating a good game, but I'm not the sort that gets super excited about such things either (so I just didn't answer the poll).

I picked quests/side quests. I really, really hope its not merely DA:I in space. Because thats a complete non starter for me. Im hoping they have looked too Mass Effect 2(the pinnicle of the series imo) and more recently the Witcher 3 to see how to do side content right. Also the story and characters are my other two big ones. I mean without those two things it might as well not be a Mass Effect game at that point. Without a good story and characters there's nothing to engage with, nothing to immerse you in the world, and at that point you have to ask yourself whats the point of all this?.


But more specifically my worries are thus:


1. I just hope Bioware aren't gonna follow the Ubisoft template(like many open-world games nowadays. Its become the defacto standard). But going everything ive seen and read over the last 2+ years right up to now it seems they have. So im expecting shalllow, streamlined, filler fetch quests up the whazoo. Also i bet things like mmo style, checklist-y, icon-fest, automated gameplay mechanics where you collect shedloads of widgets and explore large, lifeless maps full of lacklustre encounters and locations which all play the same, just like DA Inquisition. The actual story will, like DAI be 5% of the total. Expect loads of spaces caves with 3 rooms and a load of space goblins over and over again. I hope they understand what Mass Effect was about and don't loose that essence. Don't strip it away(like in ME3).

2. Multiplayer overshadowing singleplayer. Now im not a fan of Multiplayer, i don't like the current trend of every traditionly singleplayer game including it. Despite what they say i think it does lead to a diluting of & of a taking away of resources that could otherwise been put to the singleplayer. I just don't want MP to ruin my SP.

3. Lack of interesting lore and the ditching of what we knew & loved for something that is not as interesting.

4. Bigger is better, Quantity over quality. It sounds like to me they're going for biggness again. I just hope in going for this huge scope they don't loose the sight of the detail, richness & intricacies. That we don't end up with a game that's as wide as an ocean but as deep as a puddle.

5. Poorly implemented exploration and the idea that the Mako and simply driving around on a barren rock is "exploration". There's much more to exploration than just that. I hope they don't skimp on the cultral exploration too.

6. Auto-dialogue and further dumbing down of the conversation options.

7. Mac Walters(whose a top, good character writer but nothing more) being the creative director and Halo 4's lead writer heading up ME:A(i belive he's not working at Bioware any longer though). Still right now the writing from what ive heard sounds like something out of a Cartoon Network show. If only Drew Karpyshyn and the likes of Chris L'Etoile were involved. Or even better yet if only the guys at Obsidian wrote the script, but alas one can only dream.

8. After Dragon Age: Inquisition I have a concern about Bioware losing its focus somewhat by going overboard with the exploration, and not having the time or resources to create meaningful content for all the explorable maps they will have created. Sometimes less is more, and I hope with ME:A that the team has the story content determine the size of the game universe, rather than the game universe itself being the main priority.

9. I hope that the exploration is not poorly implemented + the idea that the Mako and simply driving around on a barren rock with long windy paths is "exploration"... I hope the ME:A team bring more to the table than that. There's much more to exploration than just that imo. Again make it more like Mass Effect 2.

10. That they have taken the Rockstar/Bethesda/Just Cause open world way on this. It'd be most unfortunate and a wrong move to have a game which is again as wide as an ocean but as deep as a puddle. Style over substance etc. Bigger is (not) better, Quantity over quality: To me it sounds like to me they're going for biggness with this next installment. I just hope in going for this unprecedented breadth & scope they don't loose the sight of the focus, cohesion, smaller detail, richness & intricacies.

11. Black n white choices with a lack of nuance/shade of grey & consequences.

Totally not worried! The only thing that could bring me down is if they didn't get any of the old cast to voice any of the misc. characters! I'd love me some cameos in this game. Especially after Mark voiced the entire Hanar and Vorcha race!

True, he's a hack writer and sub-par project lead... he and Casey Hudson basically ruined the original story line of ME and turned it into the generic, machine-will-destroy-creator BS we got in the end.

I don't hate him. I just think he's over promoted and has many failings as a writer. How he landed his current gig is beyond me considering his track record.
Yes, he was at least partly responsible for the ME3 endings but it's the fact he still thinks they're fine that bothers me and he is perfectly capable of repeating the same mess in ME:A. If he had shown any sign that he had, perhaps, made a controversial decision I wouldn't be too bothered. But he hasn't and certainly gives the impression that he is an artist and will not be questioned. 
If you're not willing to learn from past experience you are doomed to repeat it.
This is regardless of whether you liked the endings or not. Anyone would have to admit that they pissed off a significant number of people and a repeat of that would not be conducive to a successful game. I have seen no evidence he has taken any of that on board so the chance of another cock up remains possible. More than likely we'll just get him tweaking an already written script so his influence will hopefully be minimal.

And Cerberus. No excuse for what they turned into in ME3.

I hate this expression so much... "a new generation of fans". You mean the moronic children with the attention span of a guppy, that make up your focus groups. The kids who don't know any better because you never challenge them with anything you produce? Then SAY that and spare us your marketing babble...

...not you personally mmoblitz, I mean people in the industry using these platitudes in general.

Things like facial animations and the look of different characters.