Maybe you've heard: There's a big new "Mass Effect" game launching next week.
"Mass Effect," if you're unfamiliar, is one of the most popular game trilogies of all-time — the first game launched in 2007, while the trilogy concluded in 2012. In the original trilogy, you play as Commander Shepard, a man or woman (depending on your choice) charged with saving the galaxy from powerful aliens and sentient machines bent on destroying it.
This new game, "Mass Effect: Andromeda," features a completely new cast of characters, and takes place hundreds of years in the future. Many of the alien races remain the same, but this time, you've left Earth and are leading a team looking for a new home for humanity.
I've only played a few hours of "Mass Effect: Andromeda," so I can't judge the entire game based off my experiences thus far — but while I sometimes like what the game is offering, there are too many occasions that make me frustrated for one reason or another. And as I play, I've been taking notes on what issues have been bugging me since I first booted up the game earlier this week. Take a look:
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1. Facial animations are abysmal.
Now, the original "Mass Effect" games weren't exactly known for their stellar character models and facial animations, but despite "Andromeda" being released roughly a decade after the original trilogy, conversations and dialogue feel more rigid and plasticky than they've ever felt.
Mind you, I didn't go replay all three "Mass Effect" games before jumping into "Andromeda," but having played "Horizon Zero Dawn" and "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" recently, the facial animations in this game feel woefully behind the competition.
Mind you, most of the game is beautiful. Settings and aliens are done exceedingly well.
But human facial animations aren't a big deal for most video games — this is a "Mass Effect" game, where the real star of the show is the dialogue. Conversations — informative, dramatic, or humorous — have been the staple of the series, and unfortunately, the robotic-looking facial animations too often take me out of the experience.
2. Movement in the game is also frustrating.
Walking around in "Mass Effect: Andromeda" takes some getting used to. You can walk slowly or run in a full sprint, but this game also introduces the feeling of inertia, where you'll continue moving forward even if you stop moving the joystick on your controller. Maybe it's more realistic-looking, but in gameplay terms, it leads to imprecise actions and unwanted movements — you'll get dangerously close to cliffs, for instance, or too close to other characters you just want to talk to. Again, it takes me out of the game.
3. I just don't care about the characters.
Without spoiling anything, you play as a new character (man or woman) named Ryder, the son/daughter of your military's Pathfinder (sort of a "Chosen One" type). After a few events unfold early on in the game, you quickly gain the mantle of Pathfinder, which means you're in charge of finding a new home for humanity.
The downside: I just don't care.
Being the potential savior of human civilization sounds really exciting! But it just doesn't come through in "Andromeda." A ton of characters are introduced up front, but there's such little time to develop who they are that — when the pivotal moment comes, and the Pathfinder title is yours — I couldn't care less. It feels like a rushed action, when it should have felt much more momentous.
But that's just one example. The other characters I've met in my "Andromeda" journey also don't fascinate me in the same way as they did in past "Mass Effect" games, so I care less about the side missions as well. Perhaps I'll like these characters after more time spent with them. But, so far, it's really tough to care when the dialogue is flat and the plot is nakedly prosaic.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider