I actually liked Mass Effect Andromeda, but I’m definitely in the minority. The game is regarded as a shambles and irreparable mess, doing so much harm to the Mass effect brand that many considered it effectively dead.
In a cover feature on Polygon, Bioware bosses have assured that Mass Effect isn’t dead…it’s just resting.
“We’re definitely not done with Mass Effect,” said executive producer on Anthem, Mike Darrah. “There’s a lot of stories to be told. We could pull on the threads we put down with Andromeda; we could pull on threads from Mass Effect 3. There’s a lot of interesting space to be explored.”
“In my mind, it’s very much alive,” added Bioware General Manager Casey Hudson. “I’m thinking all the time about things that I think will be great. It’s just a matter of getting back to it as soon as we can.”
The wait for more Mass effect is going to be a very long one though. Bioware will continue to support Anthem for ages, and is very busy with the next Dragon Age beyond that.
Anthem itself is out later this month, with a staggered launch that begins this week. After the middling reception the beta received, Bioware and EA are going to have to do a lot of work to draw players in, and more work to keep them there.
“With Anthem, we’ve made a bunch of guesses on what we think the community’s going to enjoy,” said Anthem director Jon Warner. “As the live service evolves and grows, we’re going to be listening closely and making adjustments and trying to provide more of what they like and less of what they don’t. And if there’s new ideas, things that are big enough that they require a second iteration, it’d be like, ‘OK, here’s Anthem 2, everybody.’ Then that’s something we would consider doing.”
Last Updated: February 12, 2019
Pariah
February 12, 2019 at 14:53
Header win.
Hammersteyn
February 12, 2019 at 15:02
Here’s a wild idea. Do some marketing research. You know, like every other industry does before pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into a project.
Graeme Selvan
February 12, 2019 at 15:18
I approve of this header.
konfab
February 12, 2019 at 15:02
The problem with Andromeda is they effectively threw away most of the worldbuilding they did in the past.
If they want any success with ME, they need to keep it in the Milky Way.
What I would like to see:
Player character: CSEC investigation officer.
Overarching story: cloning of sentient life (you can tie in Cerberus/Noveria/Reapers/Geth in with this very easily). Lots of ethical intricacies to explore.
Location: Only focus on developed areas in the galaxy: Homeworlds/Citadel/Omega/Noveria/Colonies. Few uncharted worlds.
Squadmates: usual gang of Bioware misfits.
This can be slotted in before ME1.
Guz
February 12, 2019 at 17:15
Hot damn we got a winner right here!
Matthew Holliday
February 13, 2019 at 10:48
The story I always wanted to experience was the first contact wars. Which were left open enough to have a full game and not change the outcome.
I wasnt phased by it not being in the milky way, sure it would have been nice if we could have had that connection to the other games, but that isnt what let the game down.
The game itself had potential, with the whole scourge thing in space and the vibrant worlds and stuff.
But the story telling was shoddy.
The protagonist had nothing going for them, Shepard was an experienced and charismatic soldier who was born to lead and did things the Shepard way. The Ryder twins were SJW millennials whose daddy gave them everything that made them good.
The antagonist, who needed to be Saren 2.0, the ultimate badass, willing to do anything to realize their vision for their galaxy, was basically an indoctrinated drone, a collector. zero charisma, zero motive and zero credibility.
And the relationships were forced and rushed, Liam was determined to be the next Garrus within 5 minutes of the game starting, it took 3 games for even Garrus to reach the level of bro-ness that Liam was gunning for.
Also, tip toeing around conversations, trying not to be too nice to avoid having those awkward “I sorry, I didnt mean we should bang” discussions… really…
For the Emperor!
February 12, 2019 at 23:16
I hope they learnt from Andromeda, and avoid the same mistakes in the next Dragon Age. Though, actually, I think DA2, DAI and ME3 already had lessons they should have learnt but didn’t.
ME3: Coloured endings. I was lucky I only got it after they expanded the ending so never suffered that and loved the game. DAI also felt a bit flat at the end.
DA2: Dungeons were repetitive, but I loved the rest of the game.
DAI: Felt like choices did not matter in the end, but still a decent game.
Andromeda: Story was not engaging at all. Did not care about the crew. Start was totally “who cares about those who died, I did not know them”. All the bugs/glitches did not bother me. “My face is tired” did not bother me. Lazy story writing did.
BradeLunner
February 13, 2019 at 10:57
Man they really blew their load on ME3´s ending huh. They tried to end it in a way we´d remember forever, and I guess they succeeded. Actually for me it´s been a long time since they have hit a home run, ME1,2 and the original Dragon Age (so good!) were the last truly great games from em.
CrAiGiSh
February 13, 2019 at 14:06
Mass betrayal ….