Tag Archive | Mass Effect

{Please note: this column was originally published on 13 July 2018 in the Centralian Advocate}

Advocate Column – Mass Effect Andromeda 13 July 2018

Mass Effect Andromeda was released on 21 March 2017, more than a year ago now, it’s a lot cheaper than it was at its initial release and that’s due to a couple of reasons, not all positive either.

The Mass Effect series is a juggernaut amongst the gaming industry – the fandom surrounding the franchise was huge and intense – the fans were rabid with in their passion for the series! The first 3 games, titled Mass Effect 1, 2 & 3 respectively, were not only a commercial success, but the games created a polarising community of Mass Effect super-fans. These fans would defend the series against any negativity in online comments threads and created large chat websites and forums to discuss important aspects with other super-fans.

It’s an understatement to say people loved the series, so you can imagine the fever pitch of excitement when Mass Effect Andromeda – the fourth game in the series – was announced and then eventually released in March 2017. That excitement turned quickly to anger as the Andromeda’s previews were trickling out and players were getting their hands on the game.

I played the game around the time of launch and really enjoyed my time with it. I actually found it strange that the general consensus was negative. The game was introduced as another part of the Mass Effect series, and it had an awesome premise – the player (and all of its crew, including multiple massive transport space ships) is trying to settle a new galaxy, damn cool. What it made me realise though, I think that expectations were heavily impacting Mass Effect Andromeda, those expectations skewed perception of the games quality.
Now don’t get me wrong, Andromeda wasn’t as enjoyable or strong as any of the first 3 Mass Effect games, sure, I conceit that. But it doesn’t mean that it was bad game at all.

Like I said, I enjoyed my time with the game; Bioware, the Developer of the series (including Andromeda) are really good at making quality RPGs (Role Playing Games) with epic and incredibly well told narratives. The developer also incorporates decision making and branching story paths into the game – and this is the part Bioware and Mass Effect fans adore. The decision making gives players a real ownership of the story and game that engages people for further immersion. Andromeda still has all of that, it’s just that it wasn’t as good as the first 3 Mass Effects.

What I will say is if you have none, or very little experience with the series, you can still enjoy Mass Effect Andromeda. It’s a great game, it has deep systems and is highly entertaining. The developers added features that weren’t present in the original 3 games as well, each planet you colonise, players can invest time completing side quests to build up and ultimately gain benefits from that colonised location. If you’re a die-hard fan, well you would have already made your mind up, if you’re interested though, I’d recommend picking up Andromeda.

The game is well over a year old, so you can very likely find cheap copies of it anywhere, and if you do see the game, it’s a worthy purchase now. It’s good for gamers to be aware of not only quality games, it’s great to be aware of games that are amazing and at an appealing price tag.