Placing Andromeda vs All Other BioWARE Games You Played

So our list in regards to Mass Effect is the same except for MEA.  I enjoyed the OT but it was difficult to replay ME2 and ME3.  MEA reminded me of a modernized, different version of ME1 but thats just my opinion.  You seem to really dislike MEA as much as I really disliked ME3 as a standalone game.  I have my gripes with the lack of music in places, some poor writing choices, some choices in not making the open worlds diverse enough, not having dynamic NPCs, and poor conclusions or no conclusions to what could have been epic quests.  But overall, there were so many good elements (after patches) IMO once you get the pacing down since it doesn;t hold your hand.  

Why do you not like the game?  Maybe It'll help me understand its flaws better.  All I typically get from people is that its boring, kiddy writing, dont like open world without citing examples or give proper criticisms.  And I guess, What other games do you enjoy outside of Bioware?  

Hey mate, I actually was super excited before Andromeda was released and played the beta before launch. I was on here actually, defending the game before and after it launched, because I loved the series so much. I was so focused on that I brushed off all the problems that I knew were there just because I wanted it to be good.

But as I gradually got through the game the problems become more clear and it started to wear my enthusiasm down.  You have likely heard all the known problems a thousand times on here but surprisingly I could let the animations slide at first, as it did not bother me that much to be honest. The biggest killer for me was the open world I think, I have never liked them at all. For example Skryim, Fallout series etc I tend to just get really bored with them and I think Andromedas pacing of the game did not help with that as well.

I also thought the writing was really poor at times, like seriously bad and I tended to skip conversations because all I could do was cringe. The only character I liked was Cora, I thought she had a good background and I really wanted to get to know her. Peebee was ok I guess but because Liara was my favourite in the trilogy she was never going to compare.

The story itself on paper sounded great but I think pacing really let it down and it really takes until the end for it to pick up but another big gripe for me was the Kett. They were just horrible as an enemy, just was not feeling them. The remnant intrigued me and I thought it was good concept but as an enemy they got boring after a while as well.

I also didn't really enjoy the change in game play either, it was kind of fun in multiplayer but got real boring after a while. I realised how much I missed the cover shooting back in the trilogy, minus Mass Effect 1 which was a little bit different. I think if they stuck with that formula/gameplay from Mass Effect 2 and 3 for Andromeda I would have liked it a lot more.

Another thing I missed in the the trilogy was the different set classes that also came with Achievements/trophies, it made great replayability for the games and I didn't like the new style in Andromeda. You could pretty much do them all in a single play through this time, as you could switch powers/classes on the fly.

At heart though it just did not feel like Mass Effect to me, I did not get that excitement or feeling I got from the trilogy. I did give it a chance honestly and I was hoping it would hit me sometime during my play through but sadly it did not come. I think the lack of music also added to that as it was missing big time, the music from the trilogy is so iconic and it was strange for them not to use it more often in the game.

Outside Bioware games, I enjoy story driven games like the Last of Us, Beyond Two Souls, Heavy Rain etc The story always comes first for me then game play second. Love most rpgs but I can not stand open world games like I said before, I used to like them when I was younger but just find I get easily bored with them now. I think that is why I like the trilogy so much, because it was not so open compared to Andromeda. 

1. Mass Effect
2. Dragonage 2
3. Mass Effect 2
4. Mass Effect 3
5. SWTOR
6. DAI
7. MEA



That's right I said:)

1) Baldur's Gate 2
2) Mass Effect 3 (without the last 15 Minutes)
3) Dragon Age: Origins
4) KotoR
5) Mass Effect 1
6) Mass Effect 2
7) Mass Effect Andromeda
8) Dragon Age Inquisition
9) NWN
10) Jade Empire
11) SWTOR
12) Mass Effect 3 (with the last 15 Minutes)
13) Dragon Age 2

And yes, I'm serious regarding ME3. The ending really, really ruined the game and nearly the whole trilogy for me. All my hype and fandom vanished into a giant black hole of apathy. I really wasn't interested in anything regarding Mass Effect or Andromeda until it was released. Never had anything like that happen to me before with a game. Hope I will never feel like that again.

So it seems the open world aspect seems to be where our tastes deviate.  I prefer games that give the player more freedom.  Where I don't mind a main story being on rails like many of MEA's main missions and loyalty missions, I enjoy the discovery aspect much like that in Fallout, Skyrim, Arkham city/Knight, Red Dead, Zelda BOTW, Horizon, and Witcher 3. I like being thrown into a world, even in more linear worlds like Dishonored 2 and Dark Souls 3 where the game doesn't hand hold a ton nor restricts my play style too much.  Dishonored 2 does make you choose between one of two characters at the beginning, but you can completely level up any ability you choose specific to that character.  You can also drop into a level with a main objective but deviate for side stuff if you choose at any time.  And you come across little tasks without any story pointing you there.  Like MEA and even better in Witcher 3, I could be out driving to take out Kett Base or Do a Vault and come across a cave or group of bodies.  Usually reading or scanning something would lead to a quest organically instead of forcing me to choose a mission from my ship and only do said mission.  In MEA, I had the freedom to choose what was most important to me at that time.  Although many of the quests never get fully fleshed out with diverse battles, little cutscenes, and epic conclusions like some of the side missions in the original ME games, they still allowed for me to craft my own agenda and typically read/ learn a little more lore.  Yes, they absolutely need to be improved in terms of pacing and conclusions as well as the gameplay in between, but the experience as a whole felt more organic and immersive than any linear experience.  In Horizon Zero Dawn, even the fetch quests were fun because one small encounter could turn into a 30 minute battle for your life.  MEA had the foundation for this with some survival aspects but it all needs to be fine tuned.  The gameplay from point A to B needs to be full of diverse, interesting gameplay to keep things fresh.  There needed to be more alien wild life on each planet, more interesting treasures with unique loot to go find, more mini bosses in the open world instead of the same 10 foot soldiers, and more random events that make the game more fun.  All the while having sidequests where discovering a data pad or body leads to an epic adventure with a rewarding conclusion.  There are some quests that almost nail it, but I agree that many do feel MMOish.  

I also love Destiny, so maybe that's why it never bother me that much.  And I really appreciate the gorgeous worlds that I can just take in.  I always use Peebee's mission as an example. It's world is by far my favorite with all the volcanos and scenery, but it lasts for 15 minutes.  I can never enjoy it again until another play through.  I enjoy having a game where you can sort of exist and live in the worlds.  Space station missions like Liam's side quest is fine for a one time thing.  I wish they would incorporate more Zero Gravity sequences during the outerspace content.  Hell EA owns the Dead Space assets.  

In MEA, I like just revisiting the worlds after Role playing as a Pathfinder helping out the established colonies.  My only gripe is that there is no content, missions, bounties, etc to really do with each outpost afterwards.    

I missed the power wheel at first and the squad commands, but I actually really enjoyed the new ability and leveling system.  I basically did a tech/Biotic mix with 4 favorites for different play styles and scenarios.  And even though you can invest in every ability, I was only able to level up maybe 7 abilities and a select few passives fully in one playthrough that got me to level 70.  That also took me 130 hours and 97% completion.  The game, IMO, is a step up because we can combine any powers with a specific profile, but we are still limited to a certain amount points each playthrough.  Before I could never (i don't think) combine charge with a singularity or a cloak.  Now I can spec a character specifically for those skills and build off of that.  The next go around, I could go more as a soldier.  Or I have the freedom to do new game plus, and play however I want, making different choices like picking sloan over reyes, krogan over salarians, save or kill angara, shoot or not shoot Aksul, etc so those choices will affect the sequel like ME1 and ME2 did.  


I agree that the Kett could have been done wayyyy better, but I got this picture that the Kett were basically the Nazis, the Archon was some religious fanatic nazi leader after an ancient technology, and Scott was basically the smart ass Indiana Jones with a group a rag tag, greenhorn aliens who all somehow grow into heros.  Not to mention that remnant tech like the holy grail basically killed off the bad guy thanks to his hubris just like The Last Crusade.  I also the think genocide by perfect via Bioengineering was a very Nazi thing to me which is something that separated MEA from the OT's death by synthetics.  

I thought I would hate Peebee.  She ended up being one of favorite personalities.  I thought I would like Vetra the most, and she actually annoyed me more than Liam only because she constantly talked about her sister.  


I love The Last of Us, but it's one of those game like Uncharted where I can't replay over and over again.  


Sorry for the long response, but thanks for the honest answer! I will say that even with MEA's bugs and story problems, it still is a unique experience blending linear gamplay, open world gameplay, HUB worlds, story, shooting, etc all into one.  No other game really does that even if Mass Effect Andromeda missed the mark for many people.  It would be sad to see it not innovated and perfected. 

KOTOR 1
ME 1
DA 1
ME 3 multiplayer
ME 2
KOTOR 2
DAI single player
MEA multiplayer
DAI multiplayer
ME 3 single player
MEA single player
DA 2

DA: Inquisition
DA: Origins
Kotor
ME:A
Swtor
DA:2
ME:2
ME:1
ME:3

I haven't played all the Bioware games, but here is my list for those I have:

ME2+DLC
DA2+DLC
DAO+DLC
ME1+DLC
ME3+DLC
DAI
MEA

I don't have DLC for the last two (and won't) and have multiple PT of all except DAI and MEA which I thought were the worst of their respective series.

Have you played Nier Automata yet? I hear the game is awesome. I would also say that MEA does lack some cohesion in terms of everything contributing to the story. The side quests, stories on each planet, loyalty missions all seem disjointed. where all the side missions in ME2 contributed to the suicide mission, all the side content and even the main story contributes to being a pathfinder and establishing new homes. Everything is there to build upon the existing world as opposed to progressing the story. Maybe the next game should have more of a central focus as opposed to many individual focuses in one game

DAO
ME2
ME3
ME1
DAI
DA2
KOTOR
MEA

If you want to try DA franchise, I suggest that you don't start with Inquisition. If you did play and liked ME1, DA:O won't be a problem for you at all by the reason it could be a problem for many folks just starting out in gaming. I would also STRONGLY advise playing through all 6 intro chapters to select the background that appeals to you the most before starting the game. The game does strongly push you to play with a Mage, but some of those backgrounds are great and actually more fun, even if you decide to go with a different character for the full haul.