Really? It's been a while, but I distinctly remember thinking at the time I liked ME1 more than ME2. Except for the planet scanner thingy, which was a huge pain in the ass.
Gaming Mass Effect: Andromeda (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Thread starter Shane88
- Start date
Depends on if you prefer an RPG or action game.
My favorite of the whole series was actually ME3 multiplayer.
The debate whether ME1 or ME2 was the better game depends on the genre you're more inclined towards. I've noticed those who prefer RPGs prefer the first game whereas shooter fans prefer ME2.
First one was superior in all regards save for graphics probably. Combat was just too easy, too spammy, and too cover...y in part two. When you take a peek through a sniper scope and you see krogan or rachni chargin' at you at full speed in the first one, you feel like Jim did when Stanley charged at him on the beach in The Office. In second one, krogans are neutered. Like pretty much everything else...
Planet scanner thingy was in second one. Another plus for the original game then?
Which also had a resources (and some other stuff) collection quests, but save for experience and money, there was really no drawback in not doing them. Second one needed them for upgrades...
Planet scanner thingy was in second one. Another plus for the original game then?
Which also had a resources (and some other stuff) collection quests, but save for experience and money, there was really no drawback in not doing them. Second one needed them for upgrades...1 > 2 > 3
but still the 3 of them are enjoyable and playable.
Not too impressed with the last andromeda trailer by the way. Hopefully they work on a good story.
but still the 3 of them are enjoyable and playable.
Not too impressed with the last andromeda trailer by the way. Hopefully they work on a good story.
I thought the complete opposite. On the hardest difficulty ME2 was a bit of a challenge whereas you could just stand in a doorway and hold down the trigger to kill everything in ME1. Looking back ME1 had shocking mechanics even for an RPG, but it was carried by fantastic story and world building. It was neither a good shooter nor a good RPG, yet somehow still a great game. It was better than the sum of it's parts.First one was superior in all regards save for graphics probably. Combat was just too easy, too spammy, and too cover...y in part two. When you take a peek through a sniper scope and you see krogan or rachni chargin' at you at full speed in the first one, you feel like Jim did when Stanley charged at him on the beach in The Office. In second one, krogans are neutered. Like pretty much everything else...
Planet scanner thingy was in second one. Another plus for the original game then?
I am not aware of that tactic.
Dunno, to me it feels quite opposite. On insanity the enemies in first one are not only hp sponges but use powers kinda competently. They rush you, and run around you, and those blasted snipers can one shot kill you. Commandos and krogans use immunity often, and they are hell to actually finally kill. My shields got overloaded, weapons sabotaged, biotics dampened...they got me in stasis, and knocked me over with...throw? And I enjoyed doing the same with my companions to them. And with longer 'refresh', it didn't feel as spam.
In second one, everyone just shoots at you basically. Disappointing.
By the end I was just using a high end assault rifle and mowing everything down with little thought. The last boss was a bit of a challenge, but everything else I just steam rolled. I definitely died a lot more in ME2, although I do agree they basically just shot at you the whole time it was definitely weaker in that department.I am not aware of that tactic.
Dunno, to me it feels quite opposite. On insanity the enemies in first one are not only hp sponges but use powers kinda competently. They rush you, and run around you, and those blasted snipers can one shot kill you. Commandos and krogans use immunity often, and they are hell to actually finally kill. My shields got overloaded, weapons sabotaged, biotics dampened...they got me in stasis, and knocked me over with...throw? And I enjoyed doing the same with my companions to them. And with longer 'refresh', it didn't feel as spam.
In second one, everyone just shoots at you basically. Disappointing.
The correct answer.
When it comes to difficulty, I think that it was 1 > 3 > 2. 2 was easily the easiest of them, while the third game had some of the most difficult missions in the series (the last mission, that one against that Cerberus arsehole etc). First one had the most challenging gameplay overall, although not that difficult compared with many other games.
I think that I died twice in the second game, and one of those deaths was going out of the shield in the suicide mission.
The couple of things that caught my intrigue from the trailer were this brief scene-
Most likely something predictable like a ship decision to 'space' a former crew member, from which he develops into a key antagonist. It would be cool if the act was some form of insubordination, or the person being cast out was actually the Protagonist. I like the idea of really having to earn the loyalty of the crew, rather than just buttering them up and solving their life problems for them.
Also really hoping
isn't a copy-paste of the Asari's discovery of the Citadel.
Also really hoping
It's Bioware. Loyalty will be gained through agreeing with them until they send you to murder a bunch of people to resolve their daddy issues, then they will get their baps out and be loyal forever. It's now how I build friendships.The couple of things that caught my intrigue from the trailer were this brief scene-Most likely something predictable like a ship decision to 'space' a former crew member, from which he develops into a key antagonist. It would be cool if the act was some form of insubordination, or the person being cast out was actually the Protagonist. I like the idea of really having to earn the loyalty of the crew, rather than just buttering them up and solving their life problems for them.
Also really hopingisn't a copy-paste of the Asari's discovery of the Citadel.
The first one has one massive weakness which stopped me from replaying it: the fecking Mako missions. Thank feck they got rid of those in the sequels. Awful controls, boring planets, usually with a base that had the exact same layout as every single base in every single sidequest.
I've got a few problems with some gangster types who say I owe them money...
I can dream.
You haven't agreed with me enough for us to even have this conversation. I need 5 agreements, then we can speak about this and after it's done one of us has to get their tits out then the awkward dry humping begins and we are friends forever.
Agreed, this makes a lot of sense.
*LEFT TRIGGER*
*arm on shoulder* It's okay, I know that you're just acting distant to hide your pain. But you don't have to anymore; I miss The Golden Girls as well. We can share our pain together.
I've actually just finished replaying ME2 and ME3 on the PS4... They both still hold up really well, and are two great feckin' games. ME2 is definitely the better of the two... even if the story is as dumb as shit, the missions are all great, with the loyalty ones all being brilliant, and the side missions are so much better then the side missions in ME3.
ME3 is still really good fun, though seemed a lot shorter and is really not that much of an advancement on ME2, which is especially noticeable when you play them back to back. The story is still a bit garbage, but that's because of the hole that ME2 put it in... and the ending still isn't the worst thing ever in the world ever, despite what some people might tell you.
ME3 is still really good fun, though seemed a lot shorter and is really not that much of an advancement on ME2, which is especially noticeable when you play them back to back. The story is still a bit garbage, but that's because of the hole that ME2 put it in... and the ending still isn't the worst thing ever in the world ever, despite what some people might tell you.
Still pissed off all my hard work saving the Geth was for shit unless I decided everyone should be technomidgets.
Which ending did you choose?
Yeah, 1 hasn't aged well. It was my favorite for sentimental reasons. 2 was basically a bunch of side quests, but the character interaction was good and Bioware is better at banter than storytelling. That's why it came off so good.
On 3 they lost some writers or producers or something and it showed. Same as Uncharted. They lost some people for 3 whilst working on TLOU, and there was a drop off. Then they got them back and 4 was amazing again, just like 2.
I found ME3 a lot better on my 2nd playthrough with all the DLC. They really help, especially Citadel which is a great send off to all the characters.
You'll find out if I approved after 4 more attempts.
I chose the half man half robot ending... which made the most sense for my character (it was a complete paragon playthrough, so she loved Geth and whatnot). The extended ending did help the experience massively I think, I'd only ever finished the game once before with the original ending.
New trailer. Still saying Spring I was half expecting a delay and a solid release date but good to see it's not been delayed as of yet.
Also Mass Effect 2 & 3 are now backwards compatible on Xbox which is great news.
Edit: and they have put them in the EA access vault! feck yea
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Yes please.
Looks brilliant. Can't wait.
Main bloke looks like a bellend, will have to edit.
Am I the only one who thought that looked a bit meh? I mean its only a cinematic trailer, but I was hoping we'd explore new settlements, cities and really grow the Mass Effect universe.
Granted it could obviously still have those things, but that trailer made it look like yet another generic space marine survival shooter.
Granted it could obviously still have those things, but that trailer made it look like yet another generic space marine survival shooter.
Same here. Although, BioWare really shines at the launch trailers and I guess that it will be brilliant again (Mass Effect 3' launch trailer was the best trailer ever made, while I cannot even remember the trailers of Mass Effect 3 before it; Mass Effect 2' trailer was a beauty too).
Hoping that the next trailer has some Two Steps from Hell music.
Looks pish.
New trailer. Still saying Spring I was half expecting a delay and a solid release date but good to see it's not been delayed as of yet.
Also Mass Effect 2 & 3 are now backwards compatible on Xbox which is great news.
Edit: and they have put them in the EA access vault! feck yea
I've been waiting ages for them to do this. I started playing Mass Effect when it became backwards compatible but stopped because 2 & 3 were unavailable at the time. People give 3 a lot of stick because of the ending but it's still got some fantastic moments in it. As a trilogy it's one of the best game series out there.
I hope this new entree will incorporate the RPG aspects of 1 with the notable gameplay improvements of 2/3.
But, like Final Fantasy, I'll try not to get my hopes up too high...
But, like Final Fantasy, I'll try not to get my hopes up too high...
What a game.
That would be ideal. But unfortunately, I think that it will be more similar to Inquisition. A good game, but very different to the Bioware games I love.
I really hope that there won't be a thousand pointless repetitive side missions which add nothing of value, like there were in Inquisition. In a game like Skyrim which is all about freedom that is fine, but BioWare games have always been about the story and the overall experience on it. At this point, I would even take a Mass Effect 2-like experience which had a genuinely bad story but more than compensated for it with the amazing companions and their loyalty missions. But we can still hope for a story like ME3 (minus the ending), or even Mass Effect. That would be amazing.
A poster on Neogaf has picked out some game details from a cover story for next months (I think) Game Informer magazine.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=223412495&postcount=1
Backstory
-Around 2185, at the height of galactic progress, unaware of the impending Reaper invasion (though after Sovereign), several species band together for the "Andromeda Initiative"
-4 Arks, each carrying a different race, are built, housing thousands of individuals to chart a course to Andromeda
More on the Andromeda Initiative:
"Founded in 2176 and launched in 2185, the Andromeda Initiative is a civilian, multi-species project created to send scientists, explorers and colonists on a one-way trip to settle in the Andromeda Galaxy. With powerful benefactors lending their support, the program has grown substantially in scope since its inception. The Initiative’s ultimate goal is to establish a permanent presence on the seemingly resource-rich frontier of Andromeda, and eventually create a reliable route between it and the Milky Way Galaxy."
-Turians are confirmed in the game
-The Heleus Cluster is noted as having a significant amount of "Golden Worlds", or planets ripe for life
-Each ark is led by a "Pathfinder"
-The Pathfinder, recon teams and others onboard are in cryosleep, unaware of what transpires in the Milky Way after they depart
-You play as either Scott or Sara Ryder (you can change your name), the children of Alec Ryder (pathfinder of the human ark)
-Alec Ryder is voiced by Clancy Brown
-Events at the start of the game occur that pass this role down to you, you are untested and unproven, unlike Commander Shepard of the previous trilogy
-This doesn't mean Mass Effect is Ryder's story from now on, they want the game to feel like a complete story (while teasing other stories that could happen)
-More customization options than previous games
-You can customize your father and your sibling, though not as extensively
-The "Nexus" is basically a forward command center staffed by multiple species that arrives in Andromeda early to pave the way for the Arks
-The Hyperion (humanity's ark) arrives at an incorrect location that's volatile and loses contact with the other arks and Nexus
Inspiration
-The (much improved) Mako of ME1, the loyalty missions of ME2, the multiplayer of ME3
Combat
-Global cooldowns are now replaced by individual timers
-Powers are instead hotkeyed for quick use, no longer pausing to bring up a wheel and aim (you can still pause the combat but it's not how BioWare intends combat to function)
-Dynamic cover system (ala TLOU)
-Still a cover based shooter with a goal to get the player moving around the battlefield more
-Jetpack allows for more movement variety; you can quick dash instead of rolling
-Jetpack has a hover function that allows you to hit enemies seeking cover or survey your surroundings
-Less emphasis on linear, clearly telegraphed environments that tell you a combat encounter is coming (though linear areas are still in the game)
-Game Informer's hands on was positive, feel the game has a clearer identity in combat than previous games
-You still queue up attacks, combos, order your squad, etc
-All key elements are still intact but the studio wanted to encourage more experimentation and wider variety of abilities
-Class system is gone; instead you have full access to abilities from all classes, you can mix and match skills from tech, soldier or biotics
-Goal is to allow players to try different approaches to combat without being locked in at the start
-However, you can still specialize once you invest enough points into a category of skills, you unlock a profile that can get you bonuses for your particular play style
-This is where class names like "Vanguard" (invest in combat and biotics) and "Adept" (invest in biotics) resurface
-Invest in multiple categories and you unlock the "Explorer" profile
-There is a narrative reason that allows you to reconfigure your points throughout the game so that you can try out multiple gameplay approaches without making multiple characters
-You can customize your helmet, chest, shoulders, arms and legs, more extensive than previous trilogy
-Many familiar weapons return, as well as new melee options like swords and hammers
Enemy/Environments/Crafting
-The 'Kett' are the main enemy
-The team wanted players to experience the first time encountering a new alien species vs already having it established in prior games
-Rather than painting them as mortal enemies, BioWare wanted to make them feel foreboding but not ugly as they want you to also empathize with them
-Instead of having "linear slices" of planets that you land on, you explore these planets from the surface to their underbelly
-Critical paths, optional planets, major hubs, loyalty missions return
-Your land vehicle is designated the "Nomad", and the team got special guidance from NFS developers on its handling.
-The Nomad isn't sluggish and cumbersome like the Mako, it's very fast, still boosts and maneuvers much better
-The Nomad doesn't have weapons, you can customize things like its speed and appearance
-BioWare did not want to repeat having things like mineral nodes and multiple identical outposts scattered across planets
-Points of interest include combat encounters, puzzles, narrative beats etc on planets
-One planet, called 'Elaaden', is flagged as a possible habitat zone, however the surface is hazardous (no water, extremely hot); you can be pointed in this direction in multiple ways, for example, a Krogan can request the Pathfinder to find a missing colony ship or you can just choose to land on the planet yourself and see what you find
-On planets, one of your priorities is to scout for drop zones for your crew that drop "forward stations" that establishes a foothold for you
-These stations allow for changing up your loadout, fast travel point, etc
-Planets can have multiple dangers like acid pools, burning wreckage, weather etc that can all kill you
-Most planets have at least one major enemy base
-Planets can have areas, encounters and "super bosses" that are too tough for you to handle at first, encouraging players to come back later
-Since Andromeda is a new galaxy, Ryder can actively scan and discover things in the environments; that gets sent back for analysis and unlocks new technologies for the player
-Scanning and discovering these things also allows you to obtain blueprints to craft weapons and armor for yourself
-You can create a wide array of items, not just ammo types and weapon mods, items that haven't been seen before in the Milky Way (thanks to new alien tech)
-Some plot threads and missions lead you across multiple planets
Squadmates
-Peebee (nickname): Asari squadmate shown in previous footage. Went off on her own after arriving on the Nexus and described as having a "bubbly personality". She's smart and not concerned with social norms and "niceties".
-Liam: Arrived with the Pathfinder, former police officer and described as having a "light attitude", bringing levity to situations
The Tempest (Your Ship)
-Important to harken back to the Normandy as it was a fan favorite
-There are no loading screens as you move through the ship
-Galaxy map returns but rather than piloting a mini ship on a map, it is more immersive, you select a planet, the game gives you sense of traveling towards that planet, and when you back out, you're immediately at your destination
-You don't pilot the ship manually, but it feels seamless as you go from planet to planet and see them from your bridge getting closer in the window
-They wanted a seamless experience from picking a planet to walking down to your cargo hold, hopping into the Nomad and landing on a planet. There is a landing sequence and you get off the ship. No more loading screens and instantly popping up on the surface of a planet.
Relationships/Characters
-There are more relationships in the game than any other Bioware game (as they noted fans make a big emphasis on romance in the games)
-The squadmate with the least amount of lines in Andromeda has more lines than the squadmate with the most amount of lines in ME3
-Due to complications in the awakening process, your sibling won't join you in combat but you can interact with them and build a relationship
-Many of these dealings are optional, and discovering more about the Ryder family is a plot thread
-BioWare is confident the details of this story are what differentiates it from a traditional "hero's journey"
-Loyalty missions return but they are not critical to the ending of the game; you can complete them after you complete the main story path for example
-Emphasis that relationships don't just culminate in a sex scene, but rather characters can just want to get in the sack, while others are interested in long term relationships and others still aren't interested at all. Bioware wanted to capture more "shooting bottles with Garrus" moments in the game, of which there are plenty
Multiplayer
-More evolved and refined form of ME3
-Card based economy where you earn XP and credits
-There are microtransactions but no real world money is required, you can unlock normally
-You still set the map, enemy, as before but you can also activate modifiers that can give you decreased health (for greater reward) or more damage (less reward)
-Bioware also plans to release custom crafted missions with unique modifiers that players can't change themselves
-These custom missions give you a 3rd currency, "mission funds" which allow you directly purchase items and weapons vs the mercy of random card packs; however these items are only available for a limited time in the store and can change often
-In MP, you play as the "Apex Force", a militia strike team from the Nexus
-Different enemies require you to use different tactics (some are shield heavy, some use heavy biotics etc)
-Playing MP will have advantages for the single player but it absolutely does not affect the ending of the game
-New "Prestige" mechanic added: With several types of characters, you earn regular XP and prestige XP. The prestige XP goes into every character of that 'type', for example 'tanky' characters. Earning enough prestige can grant you added health for all tank characters, etc.
Choices
-No more Paragon/Renegade system
-They want more nuance and subtlety and giving the player more opportunity to express themselves
-You can agree or disagree with someone without being punished or cornered into a paragon or renegade choice
-Dialogue option tones: heart, head, professional and casual.
-These don't affect you or sway a meter one way or another, rather they allow you freedom without worrying about unintended consequences
-"Narrative actions" (previously "interrupts) return but rather than giving a "red"=bad or "blue"=good choice, it can say "shoot", leaving more ambiguity to your choice
-Decisions aren't necessarily obvious "right" or "wrong", there are pros and cons to each and you'll just have to play the game the way you want
The future
-Mass Effect: Andromeda leaves the door open for more games (obviously)
-New game+ mode allows you to change your gender if you choose
-BioWare is coy about multiple endings; "it's a suprise", "it's different than the trilogy"
Backstory
-Around 2185, at the height of galactic progress, unaware of the impending Reaper invasion (though after Sovereign), several species band together for the "Andromeda Initiative"
-4 Arks, each carrying a different race, are built, housing thousands of individuals to chart a course to Andromeda
More on the Andromeda Initiative:
"Founded in 2176 and launched in 2185, the Andromeda Initiative is a civilian, multi-species project created to send scientists, explorers and colonists on a one-way trip to settle in the Andromeda Galaxy. With powerful benefactors lending their support, the program has grown substantially in scope since its inception. The Initiative’s ultimate goal is to establish a permanent presence on the seemingly resource-rich frontier of Andromeda, and eventually create a reliable route between it and the Milky Way Galaxy."
-Turians are confirmed in the game
-The Heleus Cluster is noted as having a significant amount of "Golden Worlds", or planets ripe for life
-Each ark is led by a "Pathfinder"
-The Pathfinder, recon teams and others onboard are in cryosleep, unaware of what transpires in the Milky Way after they depart
-You play as either Scott or Sara Ryder (you can change your name), the children of Alec Ryder (pathfinder of the human ark)
-Alec Ryder is voiced by Clancy Brown
-Events at the start of the game occur that pass this role down to you, you are untested and unproven, unlike Commander Shepard of the previous trilogy
-This doesn't mean Mass Effect is Ryder's story from now on, they want the game to feel like a complete story (while teasing other stories that could happen)
-More customization options than previous games
-You can customize your father and your sibling, though not as extensively
-The "Nexus" is basically a forward command center staffed by multiple species that arrives in Andromeda early to pave the way for the Arks
-The Hyperion (humanity's ark) arrives at an incorrect location that's volatile and loses contact with the other arks and Nexus
Inspiration
-The (much improved) Mako of ME1, the loyalty missions of ME2, the multiplayer of ME3
Combat
-Global cooldowns are now replaced by individual timers
-Powers are instead hotkeyed for quick use, no longer pausing to bring up a wheel and aim (you can still pause the combat but it's not how BioWare intends combat to function)
-Dynamic cover system (ala TLOU)
-Still a cover based shooter with a goal to get the player moving around the battlefield more
-Jetpack allows for more movement variety; you can quick dash instead of rolling
-Jetpack has a hover function that allows you to hit enemies seeking cover or survey your surroundings
-Less emphasis on linear, clearly telegraphed environments that tell you a combat encounter is coming (though linear areas are still in the game)
-Game Informer's hands on was positive, feel the game has a clearer identity in combat than previous games
-You still queue up attacks, combos, order your squad, etc
-All key elements are still intact but the studio wanted to encourage more experimentation and wider variety of abilities
-Class system is gone; instead you have full access to abilities from all classes, you can mix and match skills from tech, soldier or biotics
-Goal is to allow players to try different approaches to combat without being locked in at the start
-However, you can still specialize once you invest enough points into a category of skills, you unlock a profile that can get you bonuses for your particular play style
-This is where class names like "Vanguard" (invest in combat and biotics) and "Adept" (invest in biotics) resurface
-Invest in multiple categories and you unlock the "Explorer" profile
-There is a narrative reason that allows you to reconfigure your points throughout the game so that you can try out multiple gameplay approaches without making multiple characters
-You can customize your helmet, chest, shoulders, arms and legs, more extensive than previous trilogy
-Many familiar weapons return, as well as new melee options like swords and hammers
Enemy/Environments/Crafting
-The 'Kett' are the main enemy
-The team wanted players to experience the first time encountering a new alien species vs already having it established in prior games
-Rather than painting them as mortal enemies, BioWare wanted to make them feel foreboding but not ugly as they want you to also empathize with them
-Instead of having "linear slices" of planets that you land on, you explore these planets from the surface to their underbelly
-Critical paths, optional planets, major hubs, loyalty missions return
-Your land vehicle is designated the "Nomad", and the team got special guidance from NFS developers on its handling.
-The Nomad isn't sluggish and cumbersome like the Mako, it's very fast, still boosts and maneuvers much better
-The Nomad doesn't have weapons, you can customize things like its speed and appearance
-BioWare did not want to repeat having things like mineral nodes and multiple identical outposts scattered across planets
-Points of interest include combat encounters, puzzles, narrative beats etc on planets
-One planet, called 'Elaaden', is flagged as a possible habitat zone, however the surface is hazardous (no water, extremely hot); you can be pointed in this direction in multiple ways, for example, a Krogan can request the Pathfinder to find a missing colony ship or you can just choose to land on the planet yourself and see what you find
-On planets, one of your priorities is to scout for drop zones for your crew that drop "forward stations" that establishes a foothold for you
-These stations allow for changing up your loadout, fast travel point, etc
-Planets can have multiple dangers like acid pools, burning wreckage, weather etc that can all kill you
-Most planets have at least one major enemy base
-Planets can have areas, encounters and "super bosses" that are too tough for you to handle at first, encouraging players to come back later
-Since Andromeda is a new galaxy, Ryder can actively scan and discover things in the environments; that gets sent back for analysis and unlocks new technologies for the player
-Scanning and discovering these things also allows you to obtain blueprints to craft weapons and armor for yourself
-You can create a wide array of items, not just ammo types and weapon mods, items that haven't been seen before in the Milky Way (thanks to new alien tech)
-Some plot threads and missions lead you across multiple planets
Squadmates
-Peebee (nickname): Asari squadmate shown in previous footage. Went off on her own after arriving on the Nexus and described as having a "bubbly personality". She's smart and not concerned with social norms and "niceties".
-Liam: Arrived with the Pathfinder, former police officer and described as having a "light attitude", bringing levity to situations
The Tempest (Your Ship)
-Important to harken back to the Normandy as it was a fan favorite
-There are no loading screens as you move through the ship
-Galaxy map returns but rather than piloting a mini ship on a map, it is more immersive, you select a planet, the game gives you sense of traveling towards that planet, and when you back out, you're immediately at your destination
-You don't pilot the ship manually, but it feels seamless as you go from planet to planet and see them from your bridge getting closer in the window
-They wanted a seamless experience from picking a planet to walking down to your cargo hold, hopping into the Nomad and landing on a planet. There is a landing sequence and you get off the ship. No more loading screens and instantly popping up on the surface of a planet.
Relationships/Characters
-There are more relationships in the game than any other Bioware game (as they noted fans make a big emphasis on romance in the games)
-The squadmate with the least amount of lines in Andromeda has more lines than the squadmate with the most amount of lines in ME3
-Due to complications in the awakening process, your sibling won't join you in combat but you can interact with them and build a relationship
-Many of these dealings are optional, and discovering more about the Ryder family is a plot thread
-BioWare is confident the details of this story are what differentiates it from a traditional "hero's journey"
-Loyalty missions return but they are not critical to the ending of the game; you can complete them after you complete the main story path for example
-Emphasis that relationships don't just culminate in a sex scene, but rather characters can just want to get in the sack, while others are interested in long term relationships and others still aren't interested at all. Bioware wanted to capture more "shooting bottles with Garrus" moments in the game, of which there are plenty
Multiplayer
-More evolved and refined form of ME3
-Card based economy where you earn XP and credits
-There are microtransactions but no real world money is required, you can unlock normally
-You still set the map, enemy, as before but you can also activate modifiers that can give you decreased health (for greater reward) or more damage (less reward)
-Bioware also plans to release custom crafted missions with unique modifiers that players can't change themselves
-These custom missions give you a 3rd currency, "mission funds" which allow you directly purchase items and weapons vs the mercy of random card packs; however these items are only available for a limited time in the store and can change often
-In MP, you play as the "Apex Force", a militia strike team from the Nexus
-Different enemies require you to use different tactics (some are shield heavy, some use heavy biotics etc)
-Playing MP will have advantages for the single player but it absolutely does not affect the ending of the game
-New "Prestige" mechanic added: With several types of characters, you earn regular XP and prestige XP. The prestige XP goes into every character of that 'type', for example 'tanky' characters. Earning enough prestige can grant you added health for all tank characters, etc.
Choices
-No more Paragon/Renegade system
-They want more nuance and subtlety and giving the player more opportunity to express themselves
-You can agree or disagree with someone without being punished or cornered into a paragon or renegade choice
-Dialogue option tones: heart, head, professional and casual.
-These don't affect you or sway a meter one way or another, rather they allow you freedom without worrying about unintended consequences
-"Narrative actions" (previously "interrupts) return but rather than giving a "red"=bad or "blue"=good choice, it can say "shoot", leaving more ambiguity to your choice
-Decisions aren't necessarily obvious "right" or "wrong", there are pros and cons to each and you'll just have to play the game the way you want
The future
-Mass Effect: Andromeda leaves the door open for more games (obviously)
-New game+ mode allows you to change your gender if you choose
-BioWare is coy about multiple endings; "it's a suprise", "it's different than the trilogy"
New trailer. Still saying Spring I was half expecting a delay and a solid release date but good to see it's not been delayed as of yet.
Also Mass Effect 2 & 3 are now backwards compatible on Xbox which is great news.
Edit: and they have put them in the EA access vault! feck yea
Never played them, intrigued a bit by this new one, going to play them all through ea access though, well atleast give them a go, hope they hold up well.
Sounds good. Though I wonder how travel is done around the galaxy map, given there'll presumably be no mass relays? Or will there...
The first one is v good and many people's favourite but to me it feels like an old game now. The gameplay and performance is a lot better in the newer games. Might be worth playing through quick on easy just for the story though.
I started playing ME2 last night and it's as good as ever. Going to try replay 2 & 3 before Andromeda.