Sure, it’s not quite like the Mass Effect trilogy, but so far I’m loving Mass Effect: Andromeda. Here are a few things I’m enjoying about it as I play. =)
You can also read my game diary as I track my progress and experiences in the game here! I’d love to compare notes!
Thanks for watching! =)
— Ashley
Funny, we seem to be opposites with how we play our characters. In the original trilogy, I was hardcore paragon. In Andromeda, I’m going with mostly emotional or professional dialogue choices. I almost never take the sarcastic choice, except in situations where it’s really warranted.
I feel like I’m getting near to the end of the game now, but it’s hard to say for certain. I still have at least one planet that I haven’t visited at all. For the most part my feelings on the game remain the same: I’m not without complaints, but overall I’m enjoying myself. I think it says something that I’m always stunned at how high Origin shows my played time to be — it doesn’t feel like that much at all.
What I’ve been mulling today is how differently Andromeda is handling companion content. It took me a while to realize it, but it’s actually a lot different this time compared to other Bioware games. There are much fewer conversations back on your ship, and there’s much more going out and doing things with characters in the world. There’s the loyalty missions, of course (which are lengthy and surprisingly good — Cora’s loyalty mission is my favourite part of the game so far), but there’s also a lot of shorter companion missions. Right now Jaal wants me to go to Havarl to meet his mom…
I have mixed feelings because on the one hand it’s nice to have more diverse and active interactions with your companions, but right now it feels like it’s resulted in a net loss of companion content, especially for non-squad characters. I think I’ve had all of two or three conversations with Suvi so far, which is disappointing. I’m not done yet, so it’s entirely possible the deficit will be made up, but right now it does feel like less companion content than most Bioware games (though still a good amount relative to gaming as a whole).
Interesting. I have really enjoyed getting to know the characters and feel that there are a lot of conversations to be had with them, though pretty on par with past games in my opinion. Haven’t tried a lot of the companion missions quite yet, just because I’m still too early in the game I guess. I have Peebee’s on my list currently. But it’s interesting to hear your thoughts on how all that compares to other Bioware games! Also how you are handling your character/role-playing. I’m really being pretty “myself” in the game and have chosen the emotional option a few times when dealing with, say, someone grieving or something where that feels more appropriate than just being practical. I just love the sheer number of options and how they click together into a unique personality. Having fun with it so far! :)
I’ve found so far that companion conversations are pretty front-loaded. There’s plenty early on, but then they kind of peter out. Again, I still haven’t finished the game, so things might change again, but that’s how it’s felt so far.
The quality hasn’t slipped at least. I did Drack’s loyalty mission today, and while short, it was quite delightful. Also I’ve been paying more attention to the party banter that pops up while driving the Nomad. Spent a while last night literally just driving in circles on Voeld so I could listen to PeeBee and Jaal chatter. Spend some time driving around with PeeBee and Drack when you can; they have an interesting relationship.
Ooh okay. Yes I am really enjoying the banter in the Nomad too. I do understand what you mean about the conversations sort of tapering off after you get to know a character early on. A little pacing would be nice there.
Hey Ashley!
Love your post and was initially skeptical myself before buying. As a HUGE fan of the original trilogy, I was a bit disappointed when the game came out and there was such a huge backlash from the ME fan community.
However, after a close friend and fellow ME enthusiast of mine bought it, he said that I really needed to play it for myself to understand that it really wasn’t as bad as everyone was making it out to be.
Well I did and can honestly say I am extremely pleased with my experience so far! In fact, I started my own blog dedicated to the Mass Effect.
The first post was about how Andromeda Doesn’t Deserve all the Hate it received – https://masseffect.blog/2017/04/14/mass-effect-andromeda-why-it-doesnt-deserve-all-the-hate/
Hi there,
Welcome to my cozy corner of the web! I’m a long-time gamer, indie author, and toddler mom on a quest to level up IRL. Whether it’s a fantasy book or an RPG, I’m always exploring new worlds—usually with coffee in hand.
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