#like people can blame ea for this but it's so clearly a bioware problem as well

[yappacadaver]

wild to me that they still have epler and busche doing PR for this studio like you can not show me anyone more trite, annoying, and inconsistent in a public facing role like this -_-

[haravikk]

Do We Need Mass Effect: Andromeda 2?

I know I’m late to the game, two years late in fact, but I speak now as someone who has just completed Mass Effect: Andromeda, and loved it, and wants more.

Mass Effect: Andromeda had a rocky start, with major issues on release, and even two years later many bugs and oddities remain unpatched. But considering the game more than covered its costs, and was still popular despite its problems, did it ever make sense to completely axe its promising DLC, and its sequel(s)?

Technical issues aside, the game is, in my opinion, among the most solid in the series. It has some great characters, easily the best combat of any Mass Effect game, a streamlined dialogue system with some hard choices to be made (and real impacts, both immediate and long term), and so it’s a real shame that such a solid base has had such a poor, and undeserved, reputation.

Yes it was broken on release, but I don’t blame BioWare for that, I blame EA.

For me, Mass Effect: Andromeda was everything I love about Mass Effect, but most crucially captured something that the first trilogy always toyed with but never really succeeded at; the sense of exploration. It was there in the Shepard trilogy, but always on the backdrop of a bigger, much more immediate threat, so ended up feeling out of place.

But in the Andromeda galaxy, exploration was not only the primary mission, but it was a necessity, as with so much unknown, you couldn’t just sit back and hope for the best. While the story had a big-bad, with threat of more to come, the more immediate threat was simple survival, requiring colonies and resources, and that was such a liberating feeling to finally explore. 

I loved flying through new systems, I loved exploring new worlds, and I loved roving around in the Nomad. The main problem was how to also make it exciting, and tell a gripping story, but while it had its faults, I felt Andromeda did a good job of it. Its main problem was the pacing of side-missions, many of which are sprung upon you in batches when you have more immediate concerns.

This a common problem with single-player RPGs, which could really do with taking a look at MMO’s, by having a clearly designed end-game. Give us a pressing concern, let us build up as much or as little as we want to in order to face it, then once we’ve prevailed, cut us loose to enjoy the aftermath (the lull in the conflict, the fresh discoveries etc.). Players who just wanted action can stop if they want, while those who want to explore can be rewarded with more to do.

Andromeda is a game that can be played in this way, but only by knowing in advance which quests you can safely ignore for later; more often than not, these are quests that shouldn’t be put in the player’s way to begin with, as they can easily wait until the “end”.

The worst thing for me about Mass Effect: Andromeda 2 being in limbo is the lack of conclusion for its DLC.

It isn’t much of a spoiler, but upon completion of the game there is an ominous signal pointing to trouble with the Quarian (and Drell, Volus, Hanar etc.) Ark.

What happened to it? Will we ever find out?

It was such a squandered opportunity, as no matter how rough Andromeda’s start was, a solid piece of real DLC, alongside additional fixes and patches, could have encouraged skeptics to buy Andromeda, or early adopters to give it a second chance. Good DLC has saved games before, and with Mass Effect being such a popular series, Andromeda deserved the chance.

But maybe there’s a future yet?

Maybe it’s just a pipe dream, maybe not, but I want to see a Mass Effect: Andromeda 2; not just because I’m curious about the lingering plot threads of the first part, but because it was a genuinely good game. While there are rumours that BioWare wants to revisit Mass Effect, these remain sketchy.

Mass Effect as a series has always felt unique to me, despite its clear influences, it captures sci-fi immersion in a way that no other games for me ever have, and Andromeda, in spite of its flaws, was a worthy addition, and can still serve as a great foundation. One that managed to cut ties with the messy Milky Way storyline and the frankly abysmal ending of ME3, while retaining everything I loved about the first two games.

For me, the hope is that BioWare will recognise they can’t just throw it all away, not when there are real fans of Andromeda, and its characters, and not when they could so easily win back the fans of the Shepard trilogy as well.

Releasing the Quarian Ark DLC, with fixes and patches to polish up the main game, could pick up the new trilogy and propel it forwards by encouraging people to give the game a second chance, or to try it for the first time, ready for a much delayed sequel to drop. With the Quarian Ark launching after the others, it could even serve as an opportunity to bring some surprises, like characters we feared were lost forever.

Like the Andromeda Initiative itself, BioWare needs to stick to its convictions, and not be tempted to go back. The key is in negotiating a sane deadline, and the freedom to push it back if you need to, as Mass Effect: Andromeda’s biggest failure, was being pushed out when it wasn’t ready.

And for I don’t blame BioWare for that, I blame EA.

[kiwi-xeet]

Alright Bioware fandom, we need to have a LONG serious chat about the Bioware DOOM bullshit...

... because this is getting ridiculous. Bioware might be dropped by EA someday, but they also might NOT be dropped by EA. We literally have no way of knowing what will happen. We don’t have enough inside information to predict what will happen.

I’m not about to ignore EA’s bad track record. They dropped Visceral like a box of rocks, right? I am not saying it isn’t possible for Bioware to be canned as well. It IS POSSIBLE. You should all be cautious and not get your hopes too high because you never know when a studio is tied to a AAA company (especially EA), but that doesn’t mean immediate doom. Someone in the industry correct me if I’m wrong, but under AAA companies, studios die all of the time. Regardless, the fandoms opinion may influence more than they know, and when people constantly go into the rant of “EA is Palpatine and Bioware will turn into an EA sith machine. Bioware is pushing political agenda. Bioware’s new live shit is all because of EA.” And then spew these posts on Youtube, tumblr or reddit without any forethought towards the consequences, it just kind of makes what we fear... so much more likely to kill what we love, right? Can you see that logic? Stop allowing our uninformed outrage to turn our fears into reality. Bioware has been known to interact with fans far more than other studios. But not just that, Bioware fans can be very polarized and since the Bioware dev community is so accommodating, I worry about that. Do you think the above worries adds to or diminishes the odds of another Mass Effect or Dragon Age being made? IMO, the biggest and most important thing keeping Bioware creators inspired is the support of its passionate fans who have gobbled up their games like candy. So please stop trying to destroy what you love, but don’t stop giving them your opinions and honest critiques. To youtubers and other game reviewers, please be honest about your reviews but don’t bash a franchise for clicks, instead criticize them for the shit they can improve on. Be honest about the faults but don’t do it in a way that sways a viewer to love or hate the title based on outrage, instead point out the good and the bad and let people decide on their own. Your opinions hold significant weight in the gaming community. I’m not saying we should ignore the terrible state Anthem was ‘released’ in. Seriously, tell Bioware and EA that their incomplete mess was unacceptable, because I agree. EA won’t care because $$$money$$$$, but at least the creative part of the team can see what they did wrong and improve upon it. They worked hard and I can tell they love their work. They are passionate about it, and for good reason. Bioware fans and Bioware devs have both felt the pain of EA forcing an amazing title out before it was ready. DA2 anyone? We don’t need to sit here yelling at Bioware devs for the shit they’ve already agonized over. We need to clearly state our problems by saying “I didn’t pay for this, instead this is what I was promised. I love your game but this is what I want instead. This is what I expected and you didn’t deliver, here is where you can improve. And also, I can wait but this is what we need in the future.” So that EA understands fans hate their rushed releases and devs have feedback that actually helps US, as consumers. I’m not clearing Bioware of all blame, but they have been known for listening to fans and fans go with the attack route first. I.e. Mass Effect 3 ending drama. We can’t jump to conclusions about Bioware’s future, because we aren’t directly involved. I'm just a fan but, even if Anthem does poorly, which it honestly... it has already done poorly, according to metacritic. If my opinion matters to you, I think it’ll be a while until we see Bioware’s demise regardless, but that is just my pleb prediction. It has been confirmed that EA already sunk money into Dragon Age 4, so if anything we still have that. Casey Hudson has confirmed they haven’t forgotten about Mass Effect either. Sure... Bioware could close down tomorrow, and if it did... I honestly wouldn’t be able to properly convey how devastated I would feel if that happened, but we aren’t there yet. And if it did close down, that isn’t Bioware’s fault. And if it did close down, who knows, maybe they’ll pick back up and be even better and rise up apart from EA. Trust me, I worry about it too... more often than I want to admit. It’s actually pathetic how obsessed I am with Mass Effect and Dragon Age. If either franchise was destroyed forever, I would be rendered emotionally useless  as far as gaming goes (and that isn’t an exaggeration), but the reality is that... I am just a fan, so all I can do is put hope and trust in the creators who have carried me along the way with what I can only call brilliance. If the franchise died I’ll still remember the times I sobbed. I sobbed when Mordin walked into that tower despite Shepards protests and then recited his song until the end, when legion made the ultimate sacrifice due to Shepards actions and Tali accepted it and mourned a race she once hated, or when Morrigan told my Warden that she was the only female friend Morrigan ever had, or when Fenris warmed up to a mage(friend or romance Hawke) and Hawke helped him through his trauma, or when Dorian (in a romance) was flirtatious but over time realized he could finally be loved without frivolous expectations, or with Solas where he lost all hope in the physical world and you could give him something to hope for outside of his narrow perspective (friend or romance), or Zevran, where you could have killed him but you finally gave him a purpose beyond veiled slavery and now he has a true friend, Varric, who was always a jokester but found his way to a better family that wasn’t blood related, but everything he ever wanted was Hawke and their friendship could never be broken. Edi and Joker, who both survived the war and symbolized what hope could mean in a time of adversity and diversity. Aveline, who felt her fate was tied to your survival at first, but in time Hawke became her only and most trusted family. Trust me, I have emotional investment in what we could lose. Regardless of what happens I do sense that the people at Bioware are invested as we are. Imo, that is the most important aspect.