#so yeah. you can call this plushie mr krabs too

[stereoberryes]

crab I made a little while ago because I was bored. I named it June

[belovedblabber]

I got EA so I could give y’all a nice Andromeda review before launch

No spoilers other then some stuff about the crew and my opinions on them.

More below the cut

Firstly, yes the facial animations are weird. Not all the time, but yeah, they could use some work. HOWEVER, it’s usually not as bad as people are saying. One thing I notice the most is weird eye movement. I think it’s to add a sense of fluid facial movement (as opposed to the more static eyes of Shepard) but sometimes it gets odd. Also sometimes the mouths are real weird. No walking glitches though, and sometimes the faces get some real movement and emotion across.

Now, that said, the environments are absolutley gorgeous, and exploring them is a blast.

The CC is limited, but i still managed to spend hours getting a Ryder that was just right. While the lack of options sucks, it also allows for some nice faces that fit well with the people around you. My Ryder is cute af.

Ryder is not Shepard, which is bittersweet of course, but nice. You really get the sense of Ryder being a young person who’s in over their head but trying their best.  The dialogue wheel is great and allows  for a lot of roleplaying. (And I’m saying that as someone who really did like the paragon/renegade system)

Voice acting has been great so far on all counts.

As for writing, the only weird convo I had is that one with Foster Addison that’s been going around. yes, it’s baffling and awkward, but so far all other conversations have been in line with what we’re used to with Bioware.

Combat is  fantastic and it’s a total blast. I love my jump jet. Auto cover has been working well for me, and nothing beats hovering mid air, shooting down a few enemies as you float, and then crashing to earth in a biotic charge.

The nomad takes some getting used to, but it’s pretty fun. I didn’t get much of a chance to use it (again, spent a lot of time in the cc) Some frustration with controls, but I think it’s probably gonna be pretty cool once you get used to useing it.

Companions and crew so far are great. Cora is a lot warmer than I imaged, and she’s almost acting like a sort of big sister figure to my Ryder. She has some great stories and serves as a cool head in contrast to Liam and my Ryders more hot headed approach. Also, she hangs out in the bio lab to water the plants. Cool plant mom.

Liam as an angel. I love him, 10/10 best friend material. Honestly sweet and funny, and always makes an effort to check in with you and see how you’re doing. Cutie pie. Also, he’s really physically affectionate. At one point Cora was upset and he had his hand on her shoulder, and he frequently pats you on the back or like grabs your shoulder. A sweet touch. What really made me love him was a conversation where he and I discussed leaving the milk way behind, and he mentioned that he cried every night. It was honestly such a sweet and honest thing for him to say, and I love him. I love Liam. I love Liam Kosta and will protect him. Best friend to share a drink with.

Gil seems like a real angel as well, and I’m looking forward to getting to know hum. he called to Vetra and Suvi  his girls, which was really cute. Seems like there’s a lot to learn about him.

Kallo is a sweet tall nerd and I love him (and did I mention that Salrians are super fucking tall?! Changes everything)

Suvi is a sweet science nerd and I like her a lot. Cute accent.

VETRA sweet jesus, Vetra. Legs for days, that voice, and a wheeling and dealing get it done attitude. Let me kiss her please, 10/10 space girlfriend, will climb her like a tree.

Lexi is 10/10 best doctor, calm and experienced but also witty. I like her and I trust her and I also have a bit of a crush on her.

SAM seems cool, and is very tied in with the Ryder fam (won’t say more)

Peebee seems really cool. My trial cut off literally just as a met her, but she tackled me, and then shot a robot, all without breaking a sweat. I’ll admit it was kinda hot. Her eyes did a weird thing tho.

The tempest is awesome. Really nice design, and you can explore the whole thing without having to deal with load times. The Normandy is the ship of my heart, but the tempest has some  perks. It’s really open, and it feels lived in. Tons of nice little details, like the crewboard, and the living area.Somebody has plushies on their bed, and Vetra has a bunch of snacks including Blasto cereal. Feels like home. Plus i got some sweet new clothes in my room. And windows everywhere, so you can look at that sweet sweet space. Honestly a very gorgeous ship and I loveed exploring it and talking to my crew.

As for the writing, so far it seems pretty solid Some corny dialogue  but that was true for the original trilogy too. The main plot and the reason driving your journey could go either way at this point, but I’m exited to learn more. Plot starts out fast and has to rush into things, so right now I have a lot of questions, but hopefully the story will handle them well. As I said, I barley started so it’s hard to tell. Very exploration based, and focused on the whole find  new home aspect, so it doesn’t have the grand space opera feel the of original trilogy, but I was barley into the main quest and there was some build up to a greater story and a lot of mystery, so I’m exited to learn more. Wish my trial hadn’t cut off.

NAKMOR KESH is coolest krogan ever and we shall be friends

Kandros is cool too, seems like a fun dude. 

Dad Ryder is different than expected, distant and a bit of a hardass, but actually seems to care for his kids and he and Sara had some genuinely sweet banter. Also voice is both uncomfortably attractive, and uncomfortably mr krabs. In game everyone talks about how he was hard to work with, but Sara and he had lots of sweet moments. 

So in conclusion, strong start and I’m looking forward to more. Don’t let the negativity get you down, this has potential to be a really fun addition to the series. Also, so many aliens to kiss