Post by pearcy on Mar 28, 2017 4:17:23 GMT
MEA2 - The Milky Way galaxy responds and in the 600+ years it has been, the races know how to build Mass Relays and under their guidance we try to turn the Nexus into a Mass Relay that connects between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. Allowing instantaneous, intergalactic travel. Our purpose is to find the key components we need in Andromeda to build the relay.
We build the relay...but there's a twist. It appears that another nefarious race (or the Reapers) have tricked us and have 'disguised' themselves as Milky Way races in order to get to Andromeda to wipe out the last of us. The second game ends with them coming through the relay instead and immediately attacking us.
MEA3 - A cat-and-mouse story that takes place between both the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. We are the mouse and we use our skills in establishing settlements to 'reclaim' areas of the Milky Way galaxy from our enemies. Instead of a massive war, we don't have anywhere near the numbers or technological advancement to stand a chance so we have to defeat them via other means. I thought maybe we could (somehow) draw all of the enemy to Andromeda and when they come through we destroy the relay and trap them in Andromeda. It means some characters would have to sacrifice themselves to pull this off.
Thus it ends with us back in the Milky Way and rebuilding our civilisation. Possibly preparing in the 600 years it will take the enemy to get back to the Milky Way (if you want to keep the franchise running). Then it might be a fair fight.
Even if we forget other factors, everyone who came to Andromeda wanted to leave the Milky Way behind, and EVERYONE they EVER KNEW is dead or would be by the time they got back. What would be the point? Why would they want that? Look at how many AI members were unhappy about how things were run back in the Milky Way. Who in hell would EVER want to give those Council assholes control over the new frontier and all its resources by making a relay? No. NO. Even Jarun Tann wouldn't want to share power. The whole point of traveling 600 years was to get AWAY from the Milky Way and its problems. Even those who loved it wouldn't want to go back to find everything changed and no trace of their family or friends anywhere.
And if some knew about the Reapers, or even just heard the whispers, all the more reason to discourage anyone from trying to return.
On top of that, this game is Mass Effect, ANDROMEDA. Not Milky Way, ANDROMEDA. There's a huge cornucopia of stuff yet to explore, strictly in Andromeda--all we've seen is the Heleus Cluster, after all. Otherwise, they'd have to retitle this spinoff series entirely, but even that would be far more interesting. Who would want to play Mass Effect: Retread when they could see another new and exciting cluster in Andromeda?
If we're going to speculate wildly just for pure enjoyment's sake, let's please stick to things that can possibly happen without ruining player choice and the theme of the title. (Not sticking to themes was the whole reason ME3's ending was awful in the first place.) That means creative ideas that make sense.
No offense, and I do get a ME1 feel from MEA for sure, but there are much more interesting places to go with the series than back to charted territory and the same old stuff. We don't want the series to stagnate.
However, the reason why the original trilogy was so popular is because the threat was more real. Milky Way (and by extention, Earth) is our real, actual home so a threat to that is always going to be more impactful than a threat to 'New Earth' in Andromeda. I think it was a good idea to take the series to Andromeda but I don't think we should stay there and distance it further from the Milky Way.
Let's say we spend another 3 games in Andromeda, I don't think you could realistically raise the stakes unless you KNOW that these guys in Andromeda are the last of the Milky Way species. It will always feel like a 'side-story' to the original trilogy unless they make that connection between them stronger. The ending of ME3 is definitely a hurdle to overcome (just goes to show how bad that ending is that it fucks up everything from there as well) and I don't have an answer that would satisfy most people. My answer is that no matter the choice, every satient, space-fairing species is extinct (which is gonna make a lot of people angry but it avoids the ME3 ending).
What about my ideas that didn't make sense? There would definitely be choices to make, the lore of the series is upheld, it differs from most science-fiction stories and raises the stakes even higher (an intergalactic struggle is not something not often explored in science-fiction). I, for one would like to go back to the Milky Way 600 years later and see how utterly devoid of life and how every planet would be in ruins (or nature taking it back). Could be very impactful if done right (as in, towards the end of MEA3).