The Mass Effect Andromeda review embargo lifts on Monday 20 March, where we’ll finally discover from the critics whether the latest instalment in Bioware’s sci-RPG series has lived up to expectations.
If you’re preordered the game, then you can preload Mass Effect Andromeda now ahead of its March 21 release date.
This week, there was a big leak on the game’s romance options and the trophy list, and we got our first in-depth look at Mass Effect Andromeda multiplayer.
The first Mass Effect Andromeda reviews are due to launch at 2PM GMT (6 AM PT, 9 AM ET) on Monday, and so far the signs are mixed. Coming mainly from players on the Early Access on Xbox One and PC, here’s a selection of some of the impressions so far:
PC Authority.com writes: “The game hangs together wonderfully, the learning curve of new systems and ways of playing really pays off that first time you can call in a new settlement one a newly reclaimed world. In true Bioware style, even this is all about choice – you can decide the direction these colonisation efforts take, military or scientific, thus shaping who the Andromeda Initiative will move forward in its further explorations of its new home.”
GadgetsNDTV writes: “The Mass Effect series is best known for its enthralling plot and sense of wonder, and that’s where Andromeda let us down. Without spoiling much, Mass Effect: Andromeda’s weak and cliched characters, along with tired dialogues, do little to inspire confidence. In fact, Mass Effect: Andromeda made us fire up the first game on the Xbox One, which made us realise that despite dodgy combat, it holds up quite well even today.”
RockPaperShotgun writes: "Side quests feel like something from a 2004 Korean MMO. Just complete nothingness, running from map icon to map icon, scanning objects with your scanner when told to, and then AI companion SAM letting you know that, yup, the source of the defects has been found/animal has been captured/toddler reunited with rabid tiger, despite your actually doing nothing relevant to the tissue-thin narrative."
UKBusinessInsider writes: Walking around in "Mass Effect: Andromeda" takes some getting used to. You can walk slowly or run in a full sprint, but this game also introduces the feeling of inertia, where you’ll continue moving forward even if you stop moving the joystick on your controller. Maybe it’s more realistic-looking, but in gameplay terms, it leads to imprecise actions and unwanted movements — you’ll get dangerously close to cliffs, for instance, or too close to other characters you just want to talk to. Again, it takes me out of the game.
Eurogamer writes: “There’s a natural symmetry in Andromeda being both your character’s new stomping grounds and, as a fresh start for BioWare, the Mass Effect series’ new home, too. Even after a few hours, the game shows heaps of promise – strong foundations and characters you’ll want to spend time with. Here’s hoping the rest of the game builds upon that.”
Click on the homepage for our Mass Effect Andromeda review.