Has MEA became COD?

As much as I loved the first mass effect, I never saw any difference with the planets, they felt the fucking same, it was actually so same feeling that it was a chore to do when in some playthrought I tried to do everything. When I landed on one, I was like "Hey already been there and... ah it has a different name. well if the game tells me its a different one, it means it is a different one... yeah..."

At least in MEA, planet have Identity, Havarl is a jungle world where vegetation has taken back its places, voeld is the dark forzen world, eladen is the desert world that reminds me of sahara, Kadara feels a bit like some landscape of africa, Eos is the rock desert world that I admit feels a bit like Eladen but puts enough of the rock to make it feel a bit different.

They're definitely aiming for the Dorito audience.

If i compare it to the trilogy it compares favorably. If i compare it to ME 1 it compares very favorably. I do not know why us people who like the game should be afraid of comparisons to the MET. Bring em on

It certainly isn't the worst game, but ME:A has officially shifted my trust in Bioware. I will never preorder a game from Bioware again - unpolished, horrid writing, and an extremely undeveloped story.

Quality rebuttal. Well thought out!

Maybe Ithorian? : starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ithorian

Mass Effect 1 when compared to ME:A as a standalone was just better in many ways.

- How they introduced you to the game. Anderson talking about you, then you walking through the Normandy to the theme, reaching the bridge and revealing your character before you go through the Mass Relay for the first time. Hooked you right away. ME:A opening was just Meh in comparison.

- How the characters were introduced and acquired. Ashely comes running last person defending the base. Garrus the C-Sec officer investigating Saren, Tali had the evidence to out Saren, Liara was the Prothean expert who was going to help you make sense of the visions you had just seen, all acquired as part of the main story. In ME:A Drack is just there in the middle of the desert in the spot you want to put down the outpost, Peebee just appears 10 feet from you unnoticed by anyone and runs up to tackle you. Vetra is just on the ship, no real story related reason for anyone, on thought put into how you meet them.

- Your Job - You become a Spectre and are told what a Spectre is, what your authority is, what it is that you do. I still have no idea what a Pathfinder is. At the end, Ryder says Pahtfinder is what you make it. But you trained, trained an apprentice, prepared for this trip, what was your purpose supposed to be? I still don't know.

- Saren was a well written antagonist. I went from hating him in the beginning, to feeling sorry for him on Virmire because he thought he was doing the right thing, having no clue he was indoctrinated. I finally was happy that he broke free and was able to go out on his own terms. In ME:A, the Archon was just kind of there, he was a very weak antagonist, especially when compared to Saren.

- Memorable moments. Opening scene of ME:1, seeing the Citadel for the first time, when not only you, but your squad was excited, running to window to see it. Talking about the Destiny Ascension as you approached. Talking with Sovereign, which was perhaps the best dialogue exchange in the series. Becoming a Spectre, the hold the line speech, the fifth fleet coming in the save to council. When you smash through window, and look down the shaft, and then run outside seeing Sovereign in the distance. There were just so many. I can't think of many in ME:A.

- Choices - Kaiden/Ashely choice on Virmire, Rachni Queen, Wrex, whether to save Kirrahe and his commandos. You decided the fate of four people on Virmire alone, and it was more powerful because they actually built up Kirrahe and his men at the camp. When you're leaving you see the person you left behind fighting to their last breath defending the bomb. Then you get back to the Normandy with the somber music playing and see the effect on your squad in your team meeting.

- The story in ME1 was better.

Obviously ME:1 has an advantage because you were seeing all of this for the first time, but at the time, ME:A could have done anything they wanted, they had a blank slate and played it safe. With the characters, with the planets, with the story, and then they borrowed from the first game to highlight to differences. The Nexus is a Citadel 2.0, the Tempest is a Normandy 2.0. One human male and one human female as squadmates. One asari who studies ancient tech, a Krogan, and a Turian. The protagonist runs across old tech left behind by some ancient race and somehow becomes the only person who can use said tech. They could have made what amounted to a new IP and introduced you to a new galaxy, but they played it safe.

Ah yes, Africa. I have always wanted to visit Africa in a sci-fi space opera Mass Effect game. Good job, EA BioWare.

In MET main species are quite similar to humans (Turians, Asari, Quarian, Krogan) because otherwise they would make awful companions\NPC's. Even Legion had to be more human-like for that reason, even though the Geth are very "alien" aliens

My problem with Angaran is that they are supposed to be emotional but you can see it only in Jaals loyalty mission. Jaal himself is rather stoic, speaks very slowly and other Angara are pretty much colourful humans. Also, what Jaal's sister did was more impulsive than emotional- if they were to behave like that all the time, it would make them unable to live in society.


...and Elcor are an elephant-like race but the way they speak is quite distinctive

No I would say that other angarans are quite brutally honest about their feelings, their merchants who send us finding is merchandise in the galaxy will be honest that he feels betrayed by the fact that milky way raiders attacked his shipment, even if he knows Ryder is not responsible his feelings of betrayal bypassed it and he clearly says that he does not wanting naything to do with ryder, even if the human pathfinder just worked harsh for him.

And jaal is more stoic because well he is more stoic, the fact that he does not express all of his emotions does not means he hides them all underneath, it maybe be cause he does not feel them immediatly. He is really honest when he admits he does not know what to do about the whales that lives in voeld, should we let the female angar hire more poacher to help her people or forbid the hunts of the sacred beast despite the fact that it could help other angara? He is pretty much open what he feels at the moment and tells to the world is insecurity in the face of the situation.

And also what jaal's sister did was because of the situation she did not know what to do, Angara can totally live like that, its just that most of them are not in a situation of conflicting loyalty between family and an organisation like jaal sister was.