Why Mass Effect Andromeda Being Bad Is Not So Bad

Mass Effect Andromeda is bad in some parts. It's a fact that we as fans of the series have to face. However, even though there are some severe technical issues with Andromeda, and the facial animations and voice acting aren't exactly up to par, there is plenty in the game that Mass Effect series fans will enjoy. I've bashed on ME:A for its flaws and our review-in-progress does a great job of pointing them out, but how is the game from the perspective of a longtime fan? I'll take you through some of the reasons you may actually like Mass Effect Andromeda, even if the overall package has issues.

Some Glitches, Animations, and Voice Acting in Mass Effect Andromeda Are Hilarious

For some people, the visual and technical issues in Mass Effect Andromeda will be completely immersion-breaking. However, if you're a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, then some of the schlockiness of Andromeda's plot and characters may be a blast to lampoon for you. I'm a meme-a-holic, and for as much as I've loved hits of the year like Breath of the Wild and Resident Evil 7, they just don't have the meme potential that Mass Effect Andromeda does.

The unexpected timing and effect of glitches in the game can end in frustration or hilarity. Above you can see where an NPC on the Nexus had a bugged out movement path. If I had just seen him doing his same old routine, that GIF would have never been born, and that's just sad. Mass Effect Andromeda glitches can be infuriating and result in reloads and lost time, but for me, the game isn't challenging enough to negate how much fun finding programming weirdness has been.

There's a Ridiculous Amount of Stuff to Do In Mass Effect Andromeda

In a way, Mass Effect Andromeda's greatest strength, the immense amount of things to do, is also its greatest weakness. While I wish that BioWare would have perhaps narrowed their focus and polished the core game experience instead of making a massive amount of side quests and world content, there's a lot of quality content to be had in Andromeda.

Each of the Golden Worlds you visit has a unique main quest line which branches into tons of side quests. They're not all just simple mini-quests either. Most quests in the game feel at least a little important because they're typically involved with directly helping a colonist or contributing to solving the mystery of the kett and Remnant. There are still a fair amount of fetch quests, or "go here scan this" requests from NPCs, but that's an issue with almost every open-world RPG.

Mass Effect Andromeda Brings Plenty of New Mass Effect Lore

If you loved the universe created in the original Mass Effect trilogy, you probably have been clamoring to know more about how it works and the history of the various species inhabiting it. Mass Effect Andromeda brings plenty of new info on the backstories of the different races of the Milky Way. Regardless of how hamfisted the plot can sometimes be, Andromeda does further develop the Mass Effect universe in a meaningful way, though at times it seems more like an interesting side story than a full entity unto itself.

Mass Effect Andromeda Looks Good When it Tries

I played Andromeda on PC, and as one of the few titles that support 10-bit HDR on PC, it looks great. I'm a sucker for HDR, and in my opinion, the wider color gamut was put to good use by the developers. The odd thing about Mass Effect Andromeda's graphics though is their bipolar nature. There seems to be an issue with texture loading and lighting that make the game look uglier sometimes than it should.

The high-res textures for Andromeda look great. Characters have realistic looking skin, and it really does a lot to make up for their lackluster animation. However, for whatever reason, those textures aren't used all the time, even if all the graphics settings are maxed out. Instead, for a lot of conversations, when the zoomed-in camera makes higher-res textures essential, the regular walking around lower-res textures stay loaded. Additionally, the lighting in some areas just isn't dynamic, which makes shadowing weird. When everything is working correctly, though, ME:A looks awesome, and perhaps with a few patches, it can show its true colors all the time instead of just under certain conditions.

Don't Get the Wrong Idea

I don't want to seem like an apologist for BioWare at all. There are major issues with Mass Effect Andromeda, and I don't think I'd recommend it at full price. However, just because Mass Effect is bad doesn't mean it's all bad. Andromeda is a great game hiding in the shell of lackluster, rushed content. If you look for it, you'll find it. More than likely, Mass Effect Andromeda will become a bargain bin darling, and that's okay because the game does have issues that make liking it hard–especially at MSRP.