Mass Effect Andromeda

As many people who know me are aware, I have a love of RPG games and particularly the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. The latest of these games to come out is Mass Effect Andromeda.

My excitement for getting this game was not hidden. I had been waiting for this since they released a trailer for it on November 7th (N7 day) 2015. The gameplay video was released, slight information was released, bad guy information was released, and I was becoming more and more excited for this game.

Mass Effect 3 was released in 2012, so five years later, the next installment came out. I had it on pre-order via digital copy so I could play it on release day just after midnight. As it happens, anyone with EA Access could have a ten-hour preview before hand.

I started playing the game and I loved it. Then I saw people complaining about glitches, graphical anomalies, and other issues. Some faces looked like they had botox overdoses, others looked skittish, and some heads twisted in weird directions.

I have come across some of these, and some are just plain funny. Talking to an Asari Pathfinder and her eyes are going left and right as if she is hiding something and wants to get out of there.

People out of stasis are looking upwards while leaning over so their heads are the opposite way round, some dialogue is out of synch with the mouth.

Some of the voiceovers sound like they are being read. Thankfully this is not the case with the main characters.

There are six characters in your squad, seven including you, or eleven including the ones who never leave the ship.

RYDER: You. Your name is Ryder, you can be either of the twins, Scott or Sara. Either way, the other character is in the game and controllable at one point. You can design what both characters look like, and your father has a mixture of both faces. You take over from your father as Pathfinder, looking for places to settle and colonize planets. Sara/Female Ryder is voiced by Fryda Wolff – voice actress on a number of games including Evolve. Scott/Male Ryder is voiced by Tom Taylorson – voice actor from Octodad.

COMPANIONS

CORA HARPER: A female biotic who used to be a Huntress working with Asari Commandoes. Cora is romanceable by a male Ryder. Cora was part of the team that was on the Human Ark going to Andromeda. Haper is voiced by Jules de Jongh – vocal performer on the US version of Thomas and Friends.

LIAM KOSTA: A male who starts the game with you. I detest him, and from the forums, so do a great many people. He used to be a cop and then a Crisis Responder. He dislikes the Turian, Vetra. Liam is your first companion when you land on the first planet in Andromeda. Liam is romanceable by a female Ryder. Kosta is voiced by Gary Carr from Downton Abbey.

VETRA NYX: The first non-human to join your squad. Vetra is a Turian smuggler who knows where to find things and who has what. She can source items that you didn’t even know you needed. She joins the crew just after you gain the ship The Tempest. Vetra is romanceable by either male or female Ryder. Nyx is voiced by Danielle Rayne from Penumbra.

PELESSARIA B’SAYLE: An Asari nutcase who joins you on the first planet after you reach the Nexus. Peebee is a Remnant expert – as far as one can be in a new galaxy. She has a carefree attitude and is a bright side for any party. Peebee is romanceable by either male or female Ryder. Peebee is voiced by Christine Lakin from Family Guy

NAKMOR DRACK: Drack is a very old Krogan who joins you at the end of the first planet after getting the Tempest. A friend of Vetra, he is reluctant at first to join, but after an intense fight, he decides to go against his gut and joins the crew. He is the oldest character in any of the Mass Effect games at 1400 years old – give or take a year or twenty. After 600 years in cryosleep, he is effectively over 2000 years old. Drack does not have a romance option with Ryder, but Lexi may stand a chance with him. Drack is voiced by Stanley Townsend – vocal actor on Cars 2

JAAL AMA DARAV: The first proper alien to join your crew. Jaal is an Angaran from the planet Aya in the Heleus Cluster of Andromeda. He wants to learn how people from the Milky Way react under stress and to see what they really want. Jaal has a romance option for female Ryder. Jaal is voiced by Casual actor Nyasha Hatendi

CREW

SUVI ANWAR: Suvi is the ship’s science officer with an awesome Scottish accent. She is friendly and warm to either Ryder. She is a romance option for female Ryder only. Suvi is voiced by Fallout 4 voice actress Katy Townsend.

KALLO JATH: The only Salarian on the crew, he is the pilot and helped build the Tempest in the Milky Way. He is very protective of his “baby” and gets into a few heated arguments with Gil over upgrades and adjustments to the ship. Kallo is voiced by Garrett Ross, known for … well … Mass Effect Andromeda. His voice bears a striking similarity to Charles Hawtrey.

GIL BRODIE: Engineer on the Tempest, and he loves his job. He tries to fix the ship to give it the best possible ship and to give it the best possible abilities, much to the disgruntlement to Kallo. Gil is romanceable by male Ryder only. Gil is voiced by Game of Thrones’ Renley Baratheon actor Gethin Anthony

LEXI T’PERRO: Lexi is an Asari doctor aboard the Human Ark, and then the Tempest after the original Doctor, Harry, is injured on the first planet. Lexi is voiced by the talented and beautiful Natalie Dormer of Game of Thrones fame. Lexi is not romanceable but does have a very soft spot for Nakmor Drack.

There are some very annoying bugs and glitches in the game, and at times they are aggravating. I am hopeful that these will be fixed in the near future. It does not detract from the game being a good game with good enemies in the Kett and the Remnant. There is also a “post-credits scene” that changes a lot of what you have seen and also leads perfectly into either the next game or DLC for this one.