The Internet Needs to Calm Down About Mass Effect: Andromeda

Hey there internet, I see that you got your hands onto Mass Effect: Andromeda. I did too, and you can check out what I thought about the first few hours right here, and the multiplayer over here. I mention in there that the game looks gorgeous and plays well, while still mentioning some things that are worrisome. As it’s a preview based on what will likely be the worst part of a 40+ hour game, I didn’t go too in-depth on those things. Others did, and now that more players have the game the negativity is spreading far and wide. But I’m here to tell you that you all just need to calm down a little bit about Mass Effect: Andromeda.

I’m not saying the game gets better, I’m not saying it gets worse. I’m not basing this on any extended time with the game. Instead I’m just here to tell you to calm down, assess the footage that you’ve seen and the impressions that you’ve read, and decide whether the game looks like it is worth your trust. After all, that’s what a pre-order is, it’s a sign of trust. And really, if you have any doubt at all about whether Mass Effect: Andromeda will be worth your $60 you should not have a pre-order in.

If all we’re looking for is the bad stuff we’ll miss all the good that Bioware has surely worked into this game

Reviews for Mass Effect: Andromeda won’t be out for a few more days, but they will be available before the game hits store shelves. Wait until then, when reviewers have played the game beyond these opening hours and can give a full assessment based on more time. And if those are still questionable then wait longer and see how the community truly reacts. Again, I’m not saying these will be glowing praise for the game, it does have issues that are apparent in these first few hours such as facial animation and some dialogue troubles. Still, those things could be overcome by later developments in gameplay or story.

We saw this before with many games, but also within this series. Mass Effect 2 is, to my and many others estimation, one of the greatest games of all time. Yet its opening was pretty worrying to me. “Killing” Shepard and bringing him back, putting him with a new group and essentially getting rid of all of his old crew mates, and a few other things left me very concerned that ME2 wouldn’t live up to the first experience. After finishing it, not only had it lived up but it surpassed it in a number of ways.

Will Mass Effect: Andromeda do the same? No idea. All I’m saying is, let’s not set it up for failure. Let’s not latch onto any possible negative, and ignore anything that’s positive. Bioware and EA are asking for your money, and to earn that money they need to deliver a solid and enjoyable experience. I’m not saying you should put your money down right now and not think about it. I’m saying to calm down, ignore the more extreme levels of criticism and praise, and look at the game objectively once all the facts are out.

And for the love of God, can we all agree that taking a single screenshot of a horribly crafted character and comparing it to the wonderful, handmade models from the previous games is just unfair? Some things in Mass Effect: Andromeda don’t look great, that’s true, but lots of stuff looked bad in ME1-3. Taking the best of one and comparing it to the worst of the other is unfair and disingenuous. It’s cheap and is just trying to stir up controversy.

When Mass Effect: Andromeda finally arrives on March 21st, after five years of waiting, we all might praise it as the second (or third) coming of Shepard and the Mass Effect series. We also might have some serious problems with it. But what is certain is that no one knows right now, and all the negativity flying around the internet is a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. If all we’re looking for is the bad stuff we’ll miss all the good that Bioware has surely worked into this game. Let’s wait and see if it’s enough to earn your $60.