For over a decade, it seemed BioWare could do no wrong. Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect trilogy - it was classic game one after the other. Five years after Mass Effect 3, BioWare is back with Mass Effect: Andromeda. Crucially, this time without Casey Hudson helming the project.
Based on EA's flagship Frostbite 3 engine, Mass Effect: Andromeda (MEA henceforth) looks, sounds and feels fantastic. The graphics aren't quite cutting edge as the latest Battlefield 1, using the latest iteration of Frostbite 3, but this is still one of the best looking games out there. Except those facial animations, of course... The combat feels great, the gunplay as solid as any dedicated shooter game. There's quite a lot of variety with combat too, with a diverse range of powers and effects. Little of it goes beyond standard sci-fi RPG fare though.
Beyond the technical achievements of Frostbite 3, MEA features some stunning world design. Mind you - there's nothing particularly innovative here, but it's all extremely well done. As you'd expect from a galaxy hopping sci-fi tale, there are planets of various kinds, and exploration can be genuinely engaging - if only there was other purpose to it.
MEA is set in a completely different galaxy - Andromeda. It's disappointing, then, that MEA brings very little new to the table following the original Mass Effect trilogy. It's all a retread of the same themes and plot. I suppose we knew that from the earlier previews, but it's a massive opportunity lost. This could have been a completely new galaxy with a completely new lore, style and storylines.
There are some great moments, to be sure, but overall the whole storytelling is safe and by the numbers. It's pretty much every other sci-fi tale. There's very little consequence to your actions, and there are no hard choices. It simply isn't as engaging as The Witcher or Fallout 4. So to the characters are pretty uninteresting, the villains are lame. Some of the enemy design - particularly the Remnants - are fun, but it's not enough to add any freshness to the whole affair.
In the end, Mass Effect: Andromeda is not a bad game. It's just very safe and uninnovative, and offensively so. Beyond the slick presentation, this is a game which is lacking in creativity. Do play it if you're a fan of Mass Effect, but don't expect it to evoke the sense of wonder the original trilogy did.
(Images courtesy of VG247.com)