Reasons to Replay

speedrun

im focused on mp

there are no reasons to play through the whole game again other than just play the same game again, there are no big choices or big changes, everything will be the same, 
just as tedious as the previous time

maybe i'll start a ng+ with sarah, after some more patches and dlc's

I'm really curious about the mindset of people who say this about Andromeda specifically.  Isn't it the exact same for Mass Effect 1?  Or frankly pretty much any of the games in the trilogy?  Or any choice based game with a sequel in general?  What is so radically different in ME1 on choices or replay-ability that MEA doesn't have?  I mean, pretty much any choice based game is just an illusion of choice anyway right?  It's just personal flavor.  For instance, choosing Anderson as Human Councilor... He's in all of three minutes of ME2 and then Udina is councilor regardless in ME3.  You save Ashley on Virmire, and even romance her, she's in all of five minutes of ME2 and abandons you on Horizon regardless.  There are a lot of side quests that can add content or dialogue in ME2 that you can do in ME1.  I assume the same thing in MEA based on side quests and choices in that region.... only we don't have the sequel yet to see it come to fruition.  Frankly, I think there are plenty of choices you can make differently on subsequent playthroughs in MEA just like you can any ME game in the past.  Are you just meaning that none of your main squad can die?  If that's the only requirement for a game to be choice based or have different choices... well then I'm good with what we got.  I don't need my team to die all the time for me to want to play the game again.

- I have three Pathfinders who can be completely different characters based on my choices.
- I can have the Angaran people praising my every step or staying distrustful of me based on my choices
- I can have the ruling power on Kadara be completely different based on my choices
- I can have one of potentially four ambassadors to the Nexus based on my choices (I'm not sure if you can have more than those four, but I know for a fact two of them probably wouldn't be options based on my choices)
- Like any other game, my LI can be different based on my choices
- My characters personality can be different based on my choices - including my relationships with my family members
- My entire CHARACTER can be different based on my choice - in the original you are Shepard.  Period.  In this game you can be one of two distinct characters with different backgrounds.. and whoever you aren't, is still in the game

That isn't even including other choices in side quests like the Angaran AI, Contagion, making the Andromeda Initiative military or science focused which might have an impact in the next game etc.  

I just don't get the argument that the game is the same no matter what.  I'm genuinely curious.


Anyway, on the topic of the original post...  I just finished the game as male Ryder today.  I'm considering a Sara Ryder playthrough where I make some different choices.  I might end up abandoning this because I never am able to get in to RPGs playing as a female character.  Being male I can't roleplay in that role..  We will see.  I might take a break and play some Fallout 4 for awhile and come back for a fresh Scott Ryder - customized this time - playthrough.

liquidsnake : It feels like you're overstating just how significant those alternative choices alter the in-game story or play out in cut scenes.

Basically I'm of the disposition right now that the story point differences mentioned above aren't by themselves enough to sell me on a 2nd Ryder playthrough. However, my plan:

• Ryder Sex: Going for a Custom FemRyder as opposed to my Custom Male Ryder
• Class/Playstyle: I was full on smashmouth shotgun/melee Vanguard with my custom Male Ryder. Going to go ranged sniping/tech Infiltrator.
• Squadmates: I tend to favor certain squadies and it changes the flavor of the missions/exploration. With Male Ryder this meant I was running with Cora and Jaal for most of the game (with PeeBee and Drak 3rd and 4th). FemRyder would likely be Liam and Vetra since they were my least used.
• Love Interest: Probably leaning towards Liam, or maybe Jaal.
• Dialogue Tendencies: Male Ryder I went more right side (Logical/Professional) so Fem Ryder will go more left (Casual/Emotional).
• Plot Choices: This is the least appealing honestly as choosing kinda scumbag decisions just for the sake of a slightly different outcome doesn't make me want to slog through another 60+ hour playthorugh.

• Mission/Trophy Completions:I clocked in at 86% so I did almost everything except for a lot of what seemed like pretty basic fetch quests "scan all of these X/10" or "place beacons X/5". Basically if the story/premise of the sidequest seemed interesting then I'd do it. Still I suppose I can complete everything while going for specific trophies.
  

So that's where I'm at with it as far as trying to get motivated for another playthrough. Anyone else have something to consider that I might've missed?

Meh, I don't think I am, in my opinion.  Frankly, what decisions in ME1 allow you to see your choices play out in the same game?  Besides choosing someone or other to die on Virmire and the other continuing to be in your squad?  Even huge decisions in the original ME series didn't have any payoff, like destroying or keeping the Collector base. ME3 you end up enemies with The Illusive Man regardless and that choice amounts to nothing other than a few war assets.   In MEA, the Pathfinders I rescue show back up.  Sure they could be swapped with their alternate, but I saw Vederia in the final mission and not Sarissa and I knew that was because I chose to have Sarissa fired as Pathfinder.  It wasn't like in ME1, if I saved the Rachni queen she swoops in to fight the Geth and Saren with me in the end of the game.  Maybe I'm overstating it.  Maybe I'm misremembering the OT because it's been a few years since I've had a playthrough.  I just actually felt like I was seeing some payoff for my choices in the game I was playing and not waiting for everything to factor in in the next game.

Sounds good for your new playthrough.  I would branch out with your squadmates a little more though and not confine yourself to just primarily two.  You'll miss out on a lot of dialogue in the Nomad between various people if you don't take combinations.

Also, make sure to take companions that make sense for the region, if you didn't do that in the first playthrough.  For instance, Jaal has a lot of first hand knowledge of Voeld and dialogue with people you encounter.  Drack has the same on Elaaden.

With ME1 there was a promise of a trilogy. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think there's been anything definitive about what happens next. Some people clamor for return to Milky Way. There might be a new protagonist, if the devs decide Ryder wasn't received well enough. If a sequel with our characters was promised, or even a DLC, there might be more incentive, but now we don't even know when the next patch hits. I remember a lot of people making different characters in anticipation of, say, getting to see Rachni warriors to fight Reapers in ME3 before the game came out.

Exactly, but a promise of a trilogy isn't a guaranteed trilogy.  If ME1 hadn't been received well, there wouldn't have been a sequel either.  So some of the complaining basically is that we just don't have the sequel already to see where our choices lead?  If that's the case, poppycock I say.  Thanks for explaining though.

The way the story is set up I find it highly unlikely that Bioware will NOT continue with Ryder, the crew of the Tempest and Andromeda in general.  There are far too many plot points set up that are very specific for Ryder that wouldn't make sense to continue in the next game.  For instance, SAM is entirely unique to Ryder.  No one else has the unique functionality he or she does.  Also, the reveal at the end of Ryder Family Secrets is inconsequential for any other character outside of the Ryder twins, but it's still a substantial reveal in the game.  

I don't know about a sequel, but I think regardless of criticism for this game, we will still see these characters as the lead and this story's continuation for a sequel.  The pressure will just be on to make changes and make it better (seriously hoping we don't get narrow, tight knit corridors like ME2 over ME1 after the open-world complaints).  Mass Effect is far too big a brand in the video game world that it will be shelved after this game, especially since a lot of online reaction came from the early-access and a patch already went out to address a main complaint.  More people are going to be getting the game or already got the game that just don't voice their opinion online.  I'm sure sales were relatively solid.  EA just might tell them they better make improvements to address backlash or else they may consider internal changes in Bioware's hierarchy, but I highly doubt they will scrap Mass Effect as a franchise or move away from the massive investment that was Andromeda.

I'm replaying on NG+. The only glaring bug that involves quest items carrying over is Movie Night, but you can always save the final scene for later, which is what I'm doing.

I'm enjoying it so far, and you can really turn Ryder into a powerhouse with the level X crafting that becomes available. The 3 power slot thing can be an annoyance, but I'm using it as an opportunity to easily switch between power sets for fun by filling different powers. I changed her and Scott's appearance and romanced someone different, too. I'm also making different choices to see how it all plays out.

Same here. It simply isn't fun to do the same quests over again and still expect the same result. Andromeda is not a pick-your-path adventure. It's a checklist. You knock things off the checklist, whether it's fun or not to push the narrative. Once it's done, the mystery is over. There is nothing to compel me to redo it all over again because one ride was enough. As it is, my speed run is my canon run because I aborted my 100% OCD run a few days ago. With all the bugs, having to go back and reload saves because shit is just broken is something to akin to a stress test. They better hype the DLC to add new branching storylines and patch the game. Even after 1.05, there are PLENTY of issues that need to be addressed. It's too bad, the game had serious potential, but once again I'm disappointed and waiting out until the collector's edition arrives.

To answer your question, the original trilogy was centered around the Paragon/Renegade concept along with competent AI companions that can support or supplement your character build. In Andromeda, you have some limited abilities in each class, but with the current AI companions, it's like playing solo. When they do help, it's absolute luck in my opinion. Most of the time, they're just bullet-sponges. To me, most of the side quests aren't necessary because my speedrun proved that. The ending doesn't really change. Once the mystery is solved, it's a done deal. There was a lot of mystery in every title prior to Andromeda, including Inquisition. Some of the side quests in Inquisition were poorly implemented and did nothing to change the course of the events in the game (the war table felt like it was pushing a narrative, but it really wasn't) and felt little more than filler. Also, I'm no masochist. I'm also not going to read through EA's horribly maintained tech support site. My question is still unanswered 23 days later. They will probably "resolve" it without telling me. But yeah... it's pretty much a one and done unless you're really into the combat portion of the game. For me, I get more kicks out of combat playing Far Cry 4 where mobility is varied. I also don't want to relive: the pathetic, wussy Krogan fight, failing Steven Segal style theatrics with the pirates (I can't even remember her name), every time Liam opens his stupid mouth and the whole Mom thing. You see, it's those things that I remember because the bugs and glitches reinforce that. The bar fight... would've been a shining moment, but instead I leave the scene and the PS4 can't load the next one. 

Well, if I did have technical problems, I'd be less inclined to replay. But I do not, and I really enjoy the rhythm of the game, the quests, the combat and the locations. So, watching Ryder turn out differently is fun for me, even though Inquisition provides me with species diversity and Andromeda does not.
N
I think it's just what bores you that makes the game unplayable.

The only DA game that to me is replayable is DA2, and tbh it reminds me of Andromeda, in that it relies as much on loyalty missions, caring about your main a great deal, and going with the rhythm of fairily eventful quests with some character development in each. Inquisition never supplied the rhythm or anything memorable in the quests to me, they were anticlimactic because you did not get to fight anyone interesting & judgments/wartable just weren't my thing. I am way more entertained by planet hops, journal prompts, talking to characters I meet, and weeee! battles.