Mark Darrah Calls Mass Effect: Andromeda a 'Deeply Flawed' Game - Mass Effect: Andromeda - MMORPG.co

SBFord · June 2018

Mark Darrah Calls Mass Effect: Andromeda a 'Deeply Flawed' Game - Mass Effect: Andromeda - MMORPG.com

Mass Effect: Andromeda News - BioWare has had little to nothing to say about the critical "failure" of Mass Effect Andromeda (though it sits at a respectable 72 rating at Metacritic). However, in a new series of Twitter posts, Anthem & Dragon Age Executive Producer Mark Darrah entertained questions about whether or not Mass Effect Andromeda "got a fair shake".

Read the full story here

MidPrincess · June 2018

I suppose this put me into some sort of minority but I enjoyed MEA. No, the story and characters weren't as good as previous ME games, but the added mobility in combat made it fun for me. And I didn't find the crafting or inventory to be as troublesome as many others. I actually wish they wouldn't have given up on the thing and would have released some additional DLC or something, but I guess that ship has sailed lol.

Aeander · June 2018

Mass Effect Andromeda has a lot in common with the unfortunate Devil May Cry reboot. It was on okay (but not great) game with the misfortune of being part of a much greater franchise with a different legacy to what the game had to offer.

Mass Effect Andromeda needed to be a new IP. It needed to be a traditional 3rd person shooter with light RPG elements, because that is what the game is. It isn't Mass Effect. Its strengths lie in its combat, while its weaknesses lie in all aspects of its writing; Mass Effect fans were never going to be satisfied with that, nor should they be.

SBFord · June 2018

MidPrincess said:

I suppose this put me into some sort of minority but I enjoyed MEA. No, the story and characters weren't as good as previous ME games, but the added mobility in combat made it fun for me. And I didn't find the crafting or inventory to be as troublesome as many others. I actually wish they wouldn't have given up on the thing and would have released some additional DLC or something, but I guess that ship has sailed lol.

I agree with you 100%. It is my least favorite ME game, but I think that's more due to missing Shepard. But once the initial hate train had left the station, the game came in at a solid 72% on Metacritic. It could have been "fixed" or continued to be improved upon as many, if not most, games are these days. Abandoning it utterly is...sad.

Honestly, after the way the post-release of MEA was handled, and its subsequent shelving, I have little to no interest whatsoever in Anthem. Every time I look at Anthem, I just see the MEA that might have been.

TheDarkrayne · June 2018

I really did think ME:A was poor and it's the only one I haven't completed. At first, it seemed pretty good. Once I got to the third planet and I had to do the same thing all over again I just lost interest and moved on to something else. It felt like grind to get to the story.

The problem is the characters are not interesting or likeable, the pacing is all wrong and the overall story is very generic sci-fi and weak compared to the other three games.

All that plus the absolutely horrible game engine and performance problems stopped the game living up to even low expectations. They just got everything wrong except for the combat, but the performance issues ruined that as well.

alkarionlog · June 2018

sure if the problem of the game was only the lack of a good story and bland characters, combat was meh, the research thing to craft become annoying from start and a little lesser in the end when you are sure about the load you will use, the several bugs it have, and in the end most of the game become a chore you want to rush to skip most of it because its already tiresome, also even on higher difficult the game is too easy, the lack of skill you can use during combat is also annoying, only 3...., also some minor changes who again fuck the lore who was put on the whole mass effect universe

Lastlaughlol · June 2018

MidPrincess said:

I suppose this put me into some sort of minority but I enjoyed MEA. No, the story and characters weren't as good as previous ME games, but the added mobility in combat made it fun for me. And I didn't find the crafting or inventory to be as troublesome as many others. I actually wish they wouldn't have given up on the thing and would have released some additional DLC or something, but I guess that ship has sailed lol.

I agree. The game seemed to be missing the 'polish' stage of production. But it was still a Mass Effect game at heart, with improved combat. To be honest, the premise for the story was way more interesting to me personally than the premise for any other ME game. Traveling through space in hopes of colonizing, now thats awesome.

Aeander · June 2018

SBFord said:

MidPrincess said:

I suppose this put me into some sort of minority but I enjoyed MEA. No, the story and characters weren't as good as previous ME games, but the added mobility in combat made it fun for me. And I didn't find the crafting or inventory to be as troublesome as many others. I actually wish they wouldn't have given up on the thing and would have released some additional DLC or something, but I guess that ship has sailed lol.

I agree with you 100%. It is my least favorite ME game, but I think that's more due to missing Shepard. But once the initial hate train had left the station, the game came in at a solid 72% on Metacritic. It could have been "fixed" or continued to be improved upon as many, if not most, games are these days. Abandoning it utterly is...sad.

Honestly, after the way the post-release of MEA was handled, and its subsequent shelving, I have little to no interest whatsoever in Anthem. Every time I look at Anthem, I just see the MEA that might have been.

I take a different stance on Anthem. The parts of Mass Effect Andromeda that I liked were the excellent TPS combat and the build customization system. I did not like the elements (story, characters, freedom of story choices or lack thereof) that define it as a Mass Effect game. Thus to me, it isn't Mass Effect at all. This is an easy enough view to have, as they went out of their way to remove the story far from the Mass Effect universe.

In Anthem, I see a potential for the same style of combat and flexibility at a hopefully higher degree of polish. I also see the same potential for exploration and that same "brave new world" feeling from Andromeda. I do not care that it is not Mass Effect, because Andromeda was not Mass Effect to me either.

TEKK3N · June 2018

MidPrincess said:

I suppose this put me into some sort of minority but I enjoyed MEA. No, the story and characters weren't as good as previous ME games.

I guess you liked the animations then?
Kidding.

ME wasn't too bad, the problem is that it wasn't up to the usual Bioware high standards.
It marked a decline in production quality just after Bioware founders left, it was a red flag for all Bioware fans.
Basically people freaked out, they associated ME problems with the departure of the 'two doctors', hence fearing Bioware would be cannibalized by EA, like they did with all the other companies they bought before.

some-clueless-guy · June 2018

For me MEA had the same issue Inquisition had: I found myself running the last mission without realising it was the last mission "Wait. Why is this quest taking so long? Is this the last one?"

The fact that it brought up this reaction from me I think speaks volumes on how poorly the story is laid out in their newer games. In the first two Dragon Age and the original ME trilogy you could feel the story building up to a climax and you were preparing for it. In Andromeda it is as if the main focus of the product were the side quests — none being particularly memorable or impactful — and the main story ends before you start enjoying it.

Frozenyearround · June 2018

There is a common denominator here. If you look at multiple entertainment areas that are seeing a sharp decline like broadcast TV, movies (Star Wars), sports (nfl) and video games like ME:A they all had one thing in common. They were all trying to shove SJW crap down the consumers throat. If you want to push sjw crap that's fine but keep it out of entertainment because it fails every time.

alkarionlog · June 2018

some-clueless-guy said:

For me MEA had the same issue Inquisition had: I found myself running the last mission without realising it was the last mission "Wait. Why is this quest taking so long? Is this the last one?"

The fact that it brought up this reaction from me I think speaks volumes on how poorly the story is laid out in their newer games. In the first two Dragon Age and the original ME trilogy you could feel the story building up to a climax and you were preparing for it. In Andromeda it is as if the main focus of the product were the side quests — none being particularly memorable or impactful — and the main story ends before you start enjoying it.

feh playing andromeda made it looks like it was inquisition, but worse.

the reason for that is after you finish teh main story you can still play around and keep doing other things, and they hoped to make cliffhanges to sell DLCs, but the game had so bad views, they just decide to cane it and let it go, no way in hell tehy would amke a new FREE DLC to fix they mistakes again, better let go the ones who was working on it and move on(too bad I doubt the people who made this mess was fired)

jmcdermottuk · June 2018

Apart from the much maligned animations and the questionable dialogue, MEA had to contend with poor writing and an Antagonist that was never going to be comparable to the Reapers in terms of threat, menace or consequence.

Add to that the emotional investment players had in their Shepard, and their absence, and the deck was stacked up against MEA before it even released. This game was going to have to be near perfect to satisfy the hard core ME fans and it just didn't cut the mustard.

I don't think it was a bad game. It was fun in parts, the combat was decent, driving around was fun and it looked spectacular but it was poorly optimised, the interface was clunky, the story was lacking, the dialogue was atrocious, the enemy was kinda boring and Shepard was missing.

Nuff said.

Alomar · June 2018

This was the first Bioware game I haven't played in many years, since they were once my favorite developer in the days of Kotor. At this point after having been disappointed in the previous 4 or 5 titles before ME:A, I might be skipping many more to come.

SBFord · June 2018

jmcdermottuk said:

Apart from the much maligned animations and the questionable dialogue, MEA had to contend with poor writing and an Antagonist that was never going to be comparable to the Reapers in terms of threat, menace or consequence.

Add to that the emotional investment players had in their Shepard, and their absence, and the deck was stacked up against MEA before it even released. This game was going to have to be near perfect to satisfy the hard core ME fans and it just didn't cut the mustard.

I don't think it was a bad game. It was fun in parts, the combat was decent, driving around was fun and it looked spectacular but it was poorly optimised, the interface was clunky, the story was lacking, the dialogue was atrocious, the enemy was kinda boring and Shepard was missing.

Nuff said.

So much this. Thanks for saying so. *hugs*

JeffSpicoli · June 2018

Why did they make all the characters so fugly looking in this one ?Was that deliberately done or were the graphic artist just bad ?

Xasapis · June 2018

thunderC said:

Why did they make all the characters so fugly looking in this one ?Was that deliberately done or were the graphic artist just bad ?

It was deliberate. They went out of their way to uglify female default player model in particular.

SBFord · June 2018

Xasapis said:

thunderC said:

Why did they make all the characters so fugly looking in this one ?Was that deliberately done or were the graphic artist just bad ?

It was deliberate. They went out of their way to uglify female default player model in particular.

Oh stop it. This has been a civil thread without misinformation about why MEA failed. It was not a purposeful design decision to make unattractive models (Scott was no great shakes either). It was a game that suffered from a plethora of game design decisions and developer churn that was rushed out the door far too quickly.

Read what happened here:
https://kotaku.com/the-story-behind-mass-effect-andromedas-troubled-five-1795886428

Don't bring that stuff in here please.

[Deleted User] · June 2018

The user and all related content has been deleted.

blamo2000 · June 2018

I think mechanically MEA was far superior to any of the other ME games. It had way better rpg systems and I thought movement and the jet packs were a lot of fun. But I liked the ME trilogy because I liked my Shepard. I could make him look tough, and could come off as tough, and the game allowed me to play him how I wanted. In MEA I did not like the protagonist, I could not make him look like someone that look anything close to tough, and he could not be played as anything besides an obnoxious young millennial peacenik.

I generally dislike games that force their character on you - from Gothic to Kingdom Come. I have no desire to play some mild mannered, soft spoken, milky white guy without the full and correct suite of chromosomes.

I think it comes down to casting. If you are going for an interactive movie don't cast the guy that played Harry Potter for the role of Dutch in the Predator. Or the guy from Ready Player One as King Leonidas in 300.

In DA:I you could make a tough looking character, but your two choices for voices ruined it - one sounded exactly like Seth Rogen. Seth Rogen is hilarious and all, but that's just bad casting for the role and tone of the game. The other voice sounded like it belonged to a small, unassuming young bank teller from the English countryside.

Xasapis · June 2018

Not sure why you object on something pretty obvious. The male default player model is an exact replica of the actor they hired. The female was not. That's all I ever said on the matter.

As for kotaku, game activism does not interest me, so I stopped checking that site.

SBFord · June 2018

Xasapis said:

Not sure why you object on something pretty obvious. The male default player model is an exact replica of the actor they hired. The female was not. That's all I ever said on the matter.

As for kotaku, game activism does not interest me, so I stopped checking that site.

Then you only cheat yourself. It's an excellent investigative piece with tons of inside sources and information about HOW the game failed without any judgment or ostensible "activism" whatsoever. *shrugs* But whatevs.

Moirae · June 2018

I was disappointed in this game but I have to admit that alot of that was due to more cosmetic things. Like how ugly the characters were and how badly animated they were.

Arglebargle · June 2018

Bioware is now just EA with a slightly different coat of paint. The Bioware name has no draw for me anymore. EA routinely destroys the studios it buys after milking them of all their creative juices.

Didn't buy Andromedia due to in depth reviews which told me that I wouldn't like it anyway.

"...but it was poorly optimised, the interface was clunky, the story was lacking, the dialogue was atrocious, the enemy was kinda boring...." -- This screams no fun to me. And no money for them.

alkarionlog · June 2018

SBFord said:

Xasapis said:

Not sure why you object on something pretty obvious. The male default player model is an exact replica of the actor they hired. The female was not. That's all I ever said on the matter.

As for kotaku, game activism does not interest me, so I stopped checking that site.

Then you only cheat yourself. It's an excellent investigative piece with tons of inside sources and information about HOW the game failed without any judgment or ostensible "activism" whatsoever. *shrugs* But whatevs.

if it was the truth, with I don't belive so

as for why the characters are bad? incompetence, don't need to go more then that, even to make ugly char require a good work, but since ME3 it like they are outsourcing all design to a fresh from college group (or are leaving that to the intern to do) and this time they haven't a pre set model to use

Xasapis · June 2018

Their loss is your gain, I do like this site much better overall.

That particular piece I did read. At the time it seemed reasonable. In hindsight however it also felt like an apologia of the fired Montreal games director and all his bad choices. Mark Darrah of your main article seems to also agree with this assessment.

Howdy, Stranger!

Mark Darrah Calls Mass Effect: Andromeda a 'Deeply Flawed' Game - Mass Effect: Andromeda - MMORPG.co

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Comments

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Aloha Mr Hand !

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Mark Darrah Calls Mass Effect: Andromeda a 'Deeply Flawed' Game - Mass Effect: Andromeda - MMORPG.co

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Comments

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Aloha Mr Hand !

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다

¯\_(ツ)_/¯