But conceivably since the reapers hibernate in dark space it stands to reason that they could be sent between different galaxies. I always kind of assumed that the reapers were reaping more galaxies than just the milky way, but I guess I could be wrong there since they were created in the milky way and I don't recall any actual evidence to support my theory. A shepherd that controls the reapers might send them out to scout out the other galaxies, though I would think. I guess that since there is such a large amount of space/time between ours and andromeda galaxies that even the end of ME3 might not affect events in andromeda. Maybe the reapers are incapable of making it to another galaxy (but somehow humans manage to pull it off) Maybe all that is part of what the player has to discover.
The Andromeda Galaxy is moving towards us. So could be a case of original programming excluding it or that it only recently has become practical with the level of technology in play.
Today the Andromeda Initiative Website was launched, which includes a new cinematic as well as a training hub in which you can subscribe to "complete training" and unlock some goodies (in-game cosmetic items as far as I can tell). Looks pretty nice, and extra stuff is always welcome
Not exactly excited about the open world scavenging stuff. It's in almost every game nowadays and very few do a good job at it. The characters are the heart of the original trilogy at least and vast wildernesses aren't really filled with interesting encounters.
I do like the idea of being a pathfinder being lost in some more shady parts of the universe and having to operate on your own, but I'm not sure if mainstream AAA title can really embrace that properly. At least the trailer scanning bit looks pretty strong with its hand holding. Hopefully it's not that straightforward outside the trailer.
Interesting to see how the combat works. I don't think the ME cover based system is that good for random fights in open spaces.
Overall, the original three felt like just enough of Mass Effect for a while. I'm not really hungry for more at this point. Probably going to wait for some reviews and see how it goes from there.
the scanning looks like it could be tedious, but something similar worked with the batman arkham games (seemingly so at least) so it has potential. I'm looking forward to seeing how the multiplayer stacks up because i fucking LOVED the multiplayer for 3, so I'm super hype to see how it goes
Open world scouting sets off alarm bells. It's Mass Effect... if I'm playing it, it's because I want to be making decisions that impact the storyline dozens of gameplay hours later in surprising ways. Combat is necessary for the plot, but that's mostly its function. There are real shooters to play if that's what I'm going for. I want to make gut-wrenching decisions that cause characters I care about to die horribly. And occasionally to talk down mass murderers by asking them to think hard about their life choices.
But after 3 mass effect games you know thats not the case in this series. But the exploration part was skipable in all 3 mass effect games. So it had something for for everyone. Though this one seems even more shifted into the exploration direction which is pretty cool for me personally. But I don't need to play more then 1 checklist game a year. Atleast there should be no Radio towers if you can teleport anywhere you want.
On December 03 2016 04:35 FeyFey wrote: But after 3 mass effect games you know thats not the case in this series. But the exploration part was skipable in all 3 mass effect games. So it had something for for everyone. Though this one seems even more shifted into the exploration direction which is pretty cool for me personally. But I don't need to play more then 1 checklist game a year. Atleast there should be no Radio towers if you can teleport anywhere you want.
Eh. If the exploration is about meeting people and interacting with them, that's cool. If it's rock collecting I gave that up in the second grade.
The Mako bits in ME1 were tedious except when you found a settlement that actually had a story going on. And they more or less cut the exploration minigame to a shell in the subsequent games; and it was even less of a thing in 3 then 2. Which was a good shift.
I mean Andromeda is set in the ME universe, but it's not Mass Effect 4. The game does not need to follow the same patterns as the trilogy, in fact I expect quite a lot new/altered features (like the greater focus on exploration, which makes sense as you're playing as the Pathfinder). I think the devs had enough time to figure out the exploration and not make it tedious or too simplictic (fingers crossed).
One thing I'm happy about is the comeback of the coop multiplayer, I loved that shit in ME3 (still love it in fact).
On December 03 2016 05:23 PoulsenB wrote: I mean Andromeda is set in the ME universe, but it's not Mass Effect 4. The game does not need to follow the same patterns as the trilogy, in fact I expect quite a lot new/altered features (like the greater focus on exploration, which makes sense as you're playing as the Pathfinder). I think the devs had enough time to figure out the exploration and not make it tedious or too simplictic (fingers crossed).
There is a legitimate theory to both corporate core competencies and consistent branding. That is, when you buy a Star Wars game, there are certain things you expect: blasters, the force, lightsabers, shit about loyalty and friendship, and a bit of moral dualism. Lose too much of that, and customers will feel ripped off (or the studio will give up and fail to renew the copyright). You make a Diablo game, and people expect to cut through hordes of monsters. You make a ME game, and there's some expectations there, and most of what Mass Effect offered was the choose-your-own-adventure game wrapped up in a (fairly simplistic) cover-based shooter.
As far as companies go, Bioware is mostly known as a maker of RPGs. And we all have fond memories of at least one, and try really hard not to notice that on a chart of quality against year of release, they just don't look great.
Trends change, companies change. Mass Effect games were still tons of fun even if they were not your oldschool RPG games we all used to play in the past.
Obviously I don't expect them to change too much of the core Mass Effect experience, but I feel that focus might be a bit different in certain areas. Anyhow, I'm excited
On December 03 2016 06:35 PoulsenB wrote: Trends change, companies change. Mass Effect games were still tons of fun even if they were not your oldschool RPG games we all used to play in the past.
Obviously I don't expect them to change too much of the core Mass Effect experience, but I feel that focus might be a bit different in certain areas. Anyhow, I'm excited
Mass Effect was very much the standard Bioware formula. They've always played around with the combat mechanics between all their releases, but the core RPG mechanics of Mass Effect are no different than Jade Empire, or KotoR, or Dragon Age, or Baldur's Gate...
Not that's it bad to want something different. Just that Bioware is very much a formula company that doesn't stray far.
Gameplay looked solid enough in that trailer IMO. Lots of maneuverability, a bit more open space to maneuver in, and action packed. The player pathfinder looked like a vanguard-type in that trailer, with the charge and bionic pulls. I played Vanguard in ME1 and it was crazy fun, but for ME2/3 I switched to infiltrator and never looked back. When firing The Widowmaker, I always felt so satisfied, even if it wasn't a 1-shot kill on the highest difficulties.
I imagine they'll keep the classes more or less the same, thematically, with some skills added and others overhauled. 1 straight forward "soldier" class, solider-bionic, solider-tech, full-tech, full-bionic, and maybe a mix of bio and tech? I always liked the variety to choose from even if I always had my favourite.
As for exploration, I wish they'd make it really meaningful and open. I.E. having the option to visit like 5 planets at a time with expiration dates on missions, not only 1 or 2, and some bonus hidden planets that you'd have to find along the way, that'd have tech that is not essential but could ease up some of the future missions.
On December 04 2016 18:43 Latham wrote: As for exploration, I wish they'd make it really meaningful and open. I.E. having the option to visit like 5 planets at a time with expiration dates on missions, not only 1 or 2, and some bonus hidden planets that you'd have to find along the way, that'd have tech that is not essential but could ease up some of the future missions.
As it is a Bioware game the extra planets/locations would likely be tied to companion quests. It is a good way to do them and at the same time fleshes out the companions.
On December 04 2016 18:43 Latham wrote: As for exploration, I wish they'd make it really meaningful and open. I.E. having the option to visit like 5 planets at a time with expiration dates on missions, not only 1 or 2, and some bonus hidden planets that you'd have to find along the way, that'd have tech that is not essential but could ease up some of the future missions.
As it is a Bioware game the extra planets/locations would likely be tied to companion quests. It is a good way to do them and at the same time fleshes out the companions.
Of all things that have become a trend with Bioware, this is the one thing I'd wish they'd change back.
Everything up to and including ME1 had the companion development tied closely with the rest of the story. Even when it involved random sidequests, it was sidequests that were on the way or built into places you were already exploring.
ME2 onward all have a clear separation between main quest and side story, which ends up taking a lot away from the main storyline.
The trailer looked cool. I'm excited, it got me to fire up ME3 (haven't played much of this one yet, completed the other 2).
I just wish they'd remove the ammo system. It just sucks, I'm not playing a single player RPG to worry about ammo management. Bring back the heat-up system from ME1.
On December 05 2016 09:01 ZenithM wrote: The trailer looked cool. I'm excited, it got me to fire up ME3 (haven't played much of this one yet, completed the other 2).
I just wish they'd remove the ammo system. It just sucks, I'm not playing a single player RPG to worry about ammo management. Bring back the heat-up system from ME1.
Since it is single player, just cheat/mod the ammo to stay at max. Or whatever else you want to change to make your experience better. People seem way too focused on the base experience of the game most of the time instead of removing annoyances for them.
I might do that. I'm just not used to cheat or mod anything in my games, usually. I even play TES games at their most "vanilla".
I'm not saying ammo clips completely ruin the experience, but it's certainly not fun mechanics. For one, the way they just litter the floor everywhere makes no sense. For two, after each fight, instead of rushing ahead to follow the action/narrative/whatever at a nice pace, you just look around everywhere on the ground for a good minute to find ammo clips... Actually in my current ME3 playthrough I'm thankfully much more reliant on cooldown-based dps (powers) rather than ammo-limited dps. I used to play Infiltrator in other MEs so it was less of an uninterrupted power-spamming fest.
Well, you can play the Lancer assault rifle in Me 3 with the citadel DLC. Does not need a reload.
I think there are some more weapons with infinite ammo in the game via the multi-player DLC.
But in the end, I rather played Infiltrator with the ammo. Instead of waiting for the cooldown (or overheat) a sniper rifle with 1-2 shots, just kick out the heat mag and play on. Reloading took less then time then waiting for the cooldown with sniper rifles and there were plenty of mags everywhere anyway. Especially in ME 3, where these boxes of mags have been put over all maps.
For me, combat, weapons and character have been the very best in ME 3, while they fall over their story telling and characters in that episode.
But now for real, in ME 2 and ME 3 Infiltrator was super OP, or? With the invisibility that gave you +100% headshot damage, you could oneshot kill almost anything except banshees.
EPT
