Mass Effect Andromeda Review "Buy, Wait for Sale, Rent, Never Touch?" 

the stiff animation is because Shepard chose to combine Synthetic and Organic life at the end of ME3. This is the result

"Trotting through Mass Effect groin first, with your compass always pointing to ass" Is it possible for someone to earn a Nobel Prize for Literature because of a RU-vid video?

Your review of ME Andromeda has 1.5 times more views and likes than IGN'S and Gamespot's combined. See you in a year when you reach that 1 Million subscriber Milestone.

Mass Effect: Andromeda -- 60 hours of nut flicking

I'm finding that I'm increasingly checking your reviews before considering a game buy. Excellent review.

A fair and well-written review. Despite my disappointment at the outcome, I must confess to finding myself nodding to your points. ACG is now part and parcel of my 'mandatory checklist' for new games. Thank you!

God fucking damnit what is Bioware's problem? On top of everything else, they also do the whole DA:I thing of not playing the fucking soundtrack through like 70% of the game? Maybe for some people it's not a big deal, but the music in a game (especially open world/exploration) is so crucial in immersing me and making it memorable. I mean what would Skellige in TW3 be like without that epic and beautiful soundtrack playing as you make your way through the forests and mountains? It's so stupid and lazy.

Anyone else remember when games were released without patches?

Just found out about you.. appreciate the honest reviews. (and the humor) Will keep following em!

Thanks to K for the Retail sources of the game. While there is good to be had the game has a large enough number of issues. Also the MP isn't PVP its team based with a ton of different styles. Sorry I made it sound like a new mode was added

I would have preferred if they left out the multiplayer mode and had a fully polished single player game

2017 was shaping up to be the year where hyped games live up to their hype with proper polish and comes in to amazes everyone. WTF bioware?

It's a shame that after 2017 surprised us with so many great games in a row, Mass Effect had to be the one that really put an end to that streak.

You've become my most trusted game reviewer. Thank you.

Another case of Developers desecrating a great formula in favour of fast combat to appeal to a larger audience and adding more micromanagement to chew up time. Mass effects strength was always the Story itself and the characters you were so invested in. Facial animations have always been on point and Ground breaking. The bugs were secondary to the immersion this once great game had. Dragon age inquisition absolutely dropped the ball for me compared to the previous titles and this (Mass Effect) tragically has gone the same path. Big thumbs down to the directors of this latest iteration for getting it so wrong. The blame rests squarely on Bioware's shoulders integrity should have been your first priority.

Most honest and in-depth review I've watched so far. While I don't agree with a few of the points you've made, I am definitely subscribing to watch future reviews before I purchase any games. Reviewers that's are passionate and professional seem to be few and far between.

My face is tired.

marauder shields died protecting us from this game. :(

Right, this has convinced me. I'm cancelling my pre-order. I was stupid to fall for the hype.

So basically this game is to the mass effect series what fallout 4 is to the fallout series. Shame.

"Sure it's offer 60 hours, but i can fling my nuts for 60 hours - it doesn't mean i want to" - died a little there :D Nier will probably stay my GOTY, probably not even Persona 5 will push it from that place.

Ah, but would you pay $60 (or whatever it costs) for someone ELSE (in this case, devs) to flick your nuts for 60 hours? $1/hr seems pretty good value for that sort of work.

It's really sad to see how far EA has let this franchise fall..instead of giving it to Bioware Edmonton (who actually made the trilogy) they gave it to a B tier studio just to make a new Mass Effect game because "there had to be one". Thanks for the review Karak, but this time (in my case) I already preordered it "because it's Mass Effect game". I have tempered my expectations and my hype has deflated to an all time low, but deep inside I still kinda want to play the game myself. With that said, I think EA got greedy on this one and it's even more baffling that after 5 years in development Bioware haven't managed to create something better than their previous games or even the ME trilogy like a better character customization creator and facial animations (in DAI). This is always what I feared it will be..."DAI in space".

Your metaphors and descriptions of games are the fucking best 😂 "I can flick my nuts for 60hrs but doesn't mean I want to" Bahaha 👌

can't remember the last AAA game In the last 10 years i have played that has such large issues with VO and animations. completely ruins the immersion for me as one of the most important aspects of immersing myself in a game is the dialogue. thanks for your time on these videos

"There just isn't a Garrus or a Wrex here" You know this point probably makes me bummed the most surprisingly, I can accept everything else but if this is meant to be a new trilogy it's going to suck not having its own staple characters that we develop an attachment to. Thanks for another great review.

Always a great source for reviews. Was always planning on at least waiting for a sale on this, but glad to check out this review. And fair point on the fun factor. Just because something can offer a lot of hours of gaming....doesn't mean it's worth getting on release. Those have to be fun hours. Plus no offense to ME....but I'm just biding my time for Persona 5.

Again, thank you for your excellent review. A Rent review is pretty harsh for a AAA game, and that's why I have more respect for your reviews

So Nier it is, was waiting for the reviews to hit for ME:A, and is not great. I will take the advise and wait for a sale. Thanks ACG :)

Agreed .. not a bad game, not 'never buy' .. but EA (or whoever is responsible) needs a lesson .. lowering sales is the only way ..

For die hard or really passionate fans would you say buy? The series holds a very close and large spot in my heart, but I'm seeing so much negativity for this game. :( Edit: Just in case anyone else is reading the comments and on the fence... Even as a die hard Mass Effect fan I regret buying this game. Isn't worth sixty dollars. It becomes so boring that it becomes hard to finish it (I stopped playing it) and there is more time in loading screens for side quests than anything as they make you hop from planet to planet for one line of dialogue. Waste of money, time, and the Mass Effect brand.

Can we just admit that the Bioware that made good, narrative driven, RPGs is gone? ME2 was the last last true success. The closest we have come is DA: Inquisition, and the best most say about that it was.. OK? I am actually glad they may never make Kotor III now. Bioware won't trod on another great memory.

Bioware is a shell of what it used to be. They haven't put out a GREAT game in such a long time. Shame.. Loving Nier though!! Also, that render distance is disgusting! Wow!

awesome! I can always rely on your reviews. thanks for saving me $60 - I'll wait for a price drop with all the dlc' s on it. I was very worried about the writing and dialogue after the 10 hour period. Thanks again, ACG.

This makes my decision to get Horizon or Andromeda easier. A real bummer to hear but I do appreciate the review ACG, as always, on the top of your game.

I was hopeful. Ignored the negative reviews. After watching rooms full of dead-eyed NPCs move around like puppeted corpses...I returned the game. It reminds me of a 20 dollar independent game. Not a 60 dollar AAA game. The team-mates randomly fight or run. Mission fails because both of them combined can't stop 1/3 of the mobs your character wipes the floor with..and so on. Add to that skin textures that look like everyone just stepped out of a sauna? They had better animation 10 years ago and better fps mechanics since ME2.

Remember how in the original Mass Effect there was this tone of horror and fear? How high and desperate the stakes felt? Remember Dragon Age Origins with it's horror-fantasy mix? Remember how strong the tone of fear and sickness and filth was? Now it's uhhh this looks cool, right? right guys? Bioware is threatening to go full EA-tarded and forget what made them great in the first place.

Damn this guy just destroys all other supposed "reviewers". Very little to compare too. Articulate, honest and realistic. ACG should have more subs than the likes of Gamespot, IGN and whatever other pseudo-reviewers out there. Jim Sterling and ACG are the best there is to find on YT. Well in son.

Phenomenal review. The humor had me dying, and your opinions were pretty much spot on with my own from the trial. It would appear we have similar taste and standards in games. You, sir, have earned a new sub.

How tf are you able to respond to almost all the comments? Dude you're a beast! Thanks for another great review! :D

Really cool that you take the time to reply to your fans, much respect man.

Thanks for saving me some money. I was on the line about it having played the trial. Was almost gonna buy it out of haste. Going to wait for patches/sales now. Subscribed because you and Angry Joe are the only ones that put out (imo) the most well rounded reviews but Joe takes too damn long sometimes (I know it's because he does all those special effects) and doesn't even do a large amount. Keep up the great work. You deserve more than 200k subs.

excellent review. told me exactly what i needed to know. good job man!

I'm very disappointed with what EA has done to ME since the trilogy. That said, I appreciate all the effort you go through to endorse great games or save your viewers from the bad ones. ACG is the first channel I go to for game reviews, due to your authentic enthusiasm and the refreshing, articulate way you break down a game's parts. Thank you for being a great channel. Your success is well earned.

Wow, day has barely broken and your review is up. Nice job, Karak.

Sad to hear about it's issues, I think I'm going to stick it out though and hope the issues just don't bug me significantly. During the 10 hour trial I wasn't really pulled out by the animations and voice acting as much as others seemed to be. Thanks for the honest review, as always.

Great reviews so much better than ign or gamespot

A lot of times, Bioware comes off to me as that DIY idea man who scrounges up a semi working design and goes "Good enough". You know the type. Every time you talk to him, he's always saying "What if..." and once and a while he'll give you a fantastic idea. That idea that perks up your ear and makes you sit up right. And you go "Say, that's really good. I don't know why no one has thought of that before. How would you do that?" And they'll go "don't worry about it. I can slap something together". And then you get the duct taped monstrosity that has their name in bright orange marker with a lightning bolt surrounding it 'because it's awesome'. And it functions... for the most part. But you have to handle it just right or it will literally fall apart in your hands. Mass Effect was the perfect meeting ground for the 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars' fan base. I don't want magic in my sci fi, so all my powers are science based. Jade Empire was shockingly a realm of fiction that is rarely touched given how obsessed most of the western media is with kung fu mythology. And despite being jank due to the software/hardware limitations of the day, was really good. I never got into Dragon Age, but I know enough people loved it that there was something good there. And Kotor. The Beauty that was Kotor. Without Kotor, we would have not gotten Dragon Age or Mass Effect. The promise seen in Jade Empire allowed for Kotor, but Kotor was a map placer if there ever was one. But from that point on, while we've gotten quality ideas, I think we're all starting to get a feeling of "Re-create that place setting magic" more than we're getting "Truly Innovate". Just seeing that planet scanner, my instant thought was "Oh, cool, Mass Effect 1". I think Bioware needs to go back and start with another truly new IP to try to get back to it's innovation roots. .... Or they need to give me freaking Jade Empire 2 or I will riot.

You are one articulate reviewer. Great job brother.

Karak, if only EA would contract you to early review the games they publish and use the review to determine whether or not to push it to gold status - Maybe we'd have a few less half-baked cookies from the studios we used to love. Thanks for not beating around the bush in your honest reviews.

I love how people are saying they'll still buy it and AVG is passively saying not too in the comments. "ya it sucked" "lots of issues" lol 😆😆😆

As of this writing, this review has about 90,000 views while the closest other review (IGN and Gamespot) has 30,000. Well done.

Thanks Karak, opened up RU-vid just for this video. You have never steered me wrong! 👍

Light speed traveling refrigerator, yep subscribed!

I always wait for the ACG review, honest and to the point review. I don't trust IGN and the others. Though the game has issues I enjoyed the 10 hour trial and can't wait to explore Andromeda more

I'm enjoying this game simply for the exploration. ME2&3 suffered dearly on that front. Andromeda is a clean slate that merely mentions Shephard in a lengthy side quest. ME1 and Andromeda have much in common and that's what makes for potential greatness.

You're definitely my go to for reviews as of late. Keep it up man!

That last line about 60hrs completely got me. Great review, thank you.

I might not always agree with your opinion. But hot damn, best written and best delivered game reviewer on the entire internet.

lmao when you said "they look like sims characters"

Sex in video games is like mashing two dolls together. It's weird enough on TV but on videogames? C'mon! Lmao

holy shit Gamespot also gave it a 6.As a pc player I was so stoked fr this game as horizan n zelda both turned out to be great games that i cant play and now not only its an average game but an average game with bugs.

I think i found a new go-to channel for my reviews. This wasn't what i wanted to hear as i loved the trilogy.. but i appreciate the time and details you've put into this review. Thumbs up, keep up the good work man.

I actually saw an ad for mass effect andromeda on this video

Dear god man that romance compass comment made my day, thank you :)

I was waiting for your review and I hear what you are saying. Personally the fun combat and Path Pounding will draw me in, and make me wonder how it will improve in the next game...

Bioware has lost it, i could already see it clearly in DA:I, if you compare that game's tone to DA:O it is much less dark and mature, much more cliche and streamlined, no nuance,etc. and the same seems to be happening here, a light game for politically correct kids. On top of that the technical issues, blend dialogues and terrible animations and facial expressions. It is so sad. Back to the Witcher 3 for a 3rd playthrough I guess...

Why did i like this review more than IGN's & Gamespot's ? Its fast, clean, fun thing to watch what includes all you need to know about before buying the game for single player or multiplayer. Professional fast review with everything included. Thnx for this.

Sounds like it should've just been a new IP, where humans begin to expand in order to raise new colonies outside their solar system... then have conflict arise with them stepping on others toes. As is, it sounds like they mainly put Mass Effect in the title to sell the game. Kinda like what they did with DmC: Devil May Cry. Should've been its own IP, could've been alright, wasn't because it had Devil May Cry in the title (twice, for some reason that still escapes me) to sell it. Only recently started watching you, and have come to really enjoy how in depth you go with what the game presents, but also beyond just graphics and sound, as you talk about animation, voice acting and such.

"Sure it can offer 60 hours, but I can flick my nuts for 60 hours it doesn't mean I want to!" - I swear I almost died of laughter when you said that. That comment by itself literally earned you my subscription.

"Finally leaving the Hinterlands" that's too true.

For all those confused about the hate just cuz of the facial animations: About 75% of every ME gameplay..is dialogue amongst characters .. it should be PRIORITY #1 in a STORY & DIALOGUE DRIVEN GAME

Damn I'm sad. Was looking forward to this game as the me trilogy is my favorite game ever. Man to be in the days again where making a good game meant anything to a developer. Amazing review will def tell friends to come here before buying the game. Including my brother.

Thanks for the review!!! I was unsure whenever to buy Andromeda or not but now i am clear of all doubt, it is in a poor state and not worth of 60. I was also unsure whenever to buy Fate Extella Umbral Star but i bought it after watching your review, been having tons of fun with it so thanks!!!!!!! :D

'Eh, maybe subcribe' i love this line so much

I like that you pointed out the enviroments, for all the shit that the animation rightfully got all critics seemed to not mention the beautiful enviroments, to the point where even the enviromental mistakes were mostly forgoten

Fuck, I knew it looked too wooden. Great review once again. I got Horizon Zero Dawn and love it

Great review, but it makes me sad. It feels like this game could have been exactly what I wanted out of Mass effect if the bugs and the writing were just a little better.

Things may not work at launch, but god dammit, make sure micro-transaction works from before day one. Because, Money!

IMO the MP makes it worth it. I am currently farming gold with my buddies and if you didn't find MP challenging my guess is you didn't try gold difficulty. It's very tough, until you get to lvl 15+ with good gear and characters. I also like the SP, but it's got its issues. I think people who can look past issues to see the good in a game will like it. I think people who are super bothered by the animations just shouldn't even bother.

Honestly, the only thing I want from a bioware game is good writing and they seem to keep getting worse at it each release :(

I heard a lot of people saying this game was going to be the new Witcher 3..... I only set my hopes as high as Fallout 4 and this couldn't even top that.....Truly a sad day for gamers, I expected so much more, IDK what it is with so many sequals being just OK....Watchdogs 2, GOW 4, FarCry Primal, Titanfall 2, Just Cause 3, etc, and some our worse than others....Our only hope may be RDR 2.

Nice review. I was thinking bargain bin after reading everything coming out today. It's too bad, I think we all really wanted this game to deliver. Just insane and sad what happened. But back to HorizonZD.

this is probably a wait for a sale, as most AAAAAAAA new titles are nowadays..packed with bugs, released early due to corporate pressure..its still a Mass Effect game, if not THE Mass Effect game. I watched half its playthrough so far on youtube, and the game looks like its really good

I appreciate the honest review for both pros and cons.

As always, ACG has one of the most solid and reliable game reviews.

Your reviews come in at the speed of light man. I always admired your consistency :D I have to admit that I didn't have any technical issues playing the trial on the PC, but I've seen plenty of console footage that didn't run so well and had all kinds of bugs. I know it has it's problems, but I've had so much fun during these 10 hours I was completely lost in its story and the world so I had to pick it up. Another great review, thanks man!

They should have never steered away from the Unreal Engine. This game would look just as good, if not better on UE4 and it's ability to optimize is for slower rigs is unmatched. Switching to the frostbite engine, which is new to them, for such a valuable IP that seriously needed a win after the #3 ending fiasco, was a mistake.

Damn good review. I didn't find anything to care enough of to avoid buying the game. I love the new combat mechanics now days. I loved me3 and i know the connection will get patched. I just hate how ammo types are consumables now in singleplayer. Hated the potion system of dragon age inq

Love the review, even if it's not what I wanted to hear. I'm still gonna give it a go anyway, because I'm a die-hard ME fan. Hopefully they can iron out some of the issues to make it more manageable. Keep up the good work!

Just got the game for sale on PSN for £6.50. Must be worth that price, surely?

In spite of the bad points raised in reviews, I think I'm still gonna have to buy this game. Mass Effect is just one of my favourite series of all time and if it only gives me a little of the feeling I got playing the OG trilogy then it's worth it...

Best game reviews on the internet!

Wow, this was actually a really informative and helpful review! I hope to see more reviews from you in the future!

A very solid review with a notion of perfectly timed comedy. I love it!

This game made a lot more sense when I realized it was actually a QA simulator where the player goes around and collects all the bugs, polish checklists, and outright missing elements. I found the flaw system rather interesting, I think my character had the 'narcolepsy' and 'pantemporal awareness' flaws since it felt like I must have been blacking out for snippets of the story and kept finding references to events that hadn't happened yet. I gave Mass Effect 3 shit for releasing in "Beta". Apparently EA and BIoware are trying to capitalize on the Early Access craze with Andromeda. What they have released shows promise, but its clear it needs at least another year worth of development. /s

Boy, are people in the future made of rubber or something? What the hell is up with every single animation, everyone is so bouncy.

Rockin review bro, but sad as hell. ME1 was my first game on the 360, fell in love with the consequences and gains this game brought to the action genre. This is a prime example of the unpopular trashing a good thing.

Really great review, man : ) Thank you.

You got a subscribe as I've watched 10-odd reviews and a shitload of bugs and other videos yet this video answered more questions I had and many I didn't know I had more than every other video put together. Big kudos! I'm still torn about whether to buy it - I'm a PCMR person. However the nuances in the information provided from this video have helped me in my decision making process far more than I can give credit for... Thankyou!