It’s not really new info, and there’s not much else they’re saying about it at the moment.
Thanks, so still ways off.
Despite some assertions to the contrary, Bioware was never going to abandon an IP that they had invested millions in to create.
Mass Effect Mobile I’m sure. Game of War with a Mass Effect skin.
Bioware might not. EA has a track record of doing exactly that. It’s a question of how much separation there is.
I’m sure they have a few people working on some early conceptual design stuff, but it really sounds like Bioware put all their eggs into the Anthem basket, and it’s easily their number #1, #2, and #3 priority right now.
And if Anthem tanks, everything else is moot.
Thanks, we need to be reminded of this every dozen or so posts apparently.
Well id agree they need the reminder every few minutes! :) this exclusively banking on MMO crap needs to be slapped out of their delusional heads.
I agree. I got no interest in that crap, which is a shame. Bioware used to be a favorite ‘I’ll buy everything they make’ studio for me.
Now it has turned 180, I have no plans of buying anything of theirs again.
Luckily for you guys, we’ve got an Anthem thread set up specifically so you can tell us how utterly disinterested you are.
What Craig M said.
I’m still interested in Anthem, and I’m generally ok with creative types switching things up and trying something new. It might be cool, it might not. I’m open to finding out.
On this we agree. Better phrased from me:
I am now jaded by Bioware’s weak-as-gruel efforts these last 4-5 years, and have zero expectation that they will make a product that will appeal to me. But I am always ready for a completely unexpected pleasant surprise.
That better? :)
It’s not really about wordsmithing or what opinion you carry about the game. There’s really not much to argue at this stage, I don’t think. I know what Anthem looks like, what it might be. My hope is that Bioware can use their core strengths, which I think of as great characters, great world-building, and usually pretty strong storytelling and slap them in this new thing and make a game that I want to play.
Now I also recognize that I often have opinions that are not commonly held by the majority. It doesn’t bother me too much, but I get that lots of people just see Destiny Lite or something when they look at this. Well I think Destiny has been pretty poor at characters and story and maybe average at world building, so I think there’s a shot they could beat Bungie at their own game. Then again, maybe not.
And here I am talking about Anthem in the Andromeda thread again. Hey did I mention how pretty darn cool I think Andromeda was lately?
That’s my thing. I was way more disappointed by ME2 and DA2 than Inquisition or Andromeda, so while I have issues with both and I doubt Bioware is ever going to be solidly where I want them again, I am certainly willing to consider future ME and DA games. I wish Anthem had a different focus, but if it plays to their strengths I will probably get it too.
While I was not a fan of the over streamlining of inventory in ME2, combat felt a little more linear as well.
However, I really thought the game was overall better. The side missions for your people, the consequences of your actions/or lack of in the end game where a big step up from ME1. It felt, dynamic. In the game you found yourself somehow working for the bad guys, and it even made sense why you were. You found out the bad guys had good people in them, people of depth and you end up caring about.
Andromeda, biggest issue was the lack of depth in the story about …EVERYTHING. The bad guys had no depth, no interesting reason to be bad, the story itself was you are building colonies and generic bad guys are trying to stop you. That’s it. Previous ME’s were steeped in moving lore that felt rich and alive… that felt like it was part of a movie, a really good movie…not Star wars prequels.
I could have this argument again but it doesn’t really go anywhere. Suffice it to say that I disagree with your assessment of both games and would rank Andromeda well ahead of 2 on most counts.
I assume most people here like early Bioware best, but I much prefer the Bioware of the past decade or so. The Pre-ME Bioware games were either much improved by Obsidian sequels (KOTOR and NWN) or were the Baldur’s Gate games which, despite trying my best on multiple occasions, never did anything for me (sacrilege, I know). I don’t have much interest in Anthem but wish it the best, especially if its success means more Mass Effect, especially since I wasn’t expecting to ever see another new Mass Effect.
For me, Mass Effect 2 was such a significant step up from the first that if I were to replay the trilogy, I would start with 2. The inventory management, Maco segments, and repetitive level design (granted something 2 isn’t entirely exempt from) make replaying 1 something I have no interest in. 3 was very good, but I disliked how it sidelined nearly all the interesting characters from 2 in favor of boring retreads from the first (hello Ashley) and nondescript new characters (hello soldier dude whose name I can’t remember). I suppose that’s the consequence of 2’s ‘suicide’ mission gimmick. However, I liked Andromeda, flaws and all, and still don’t quite get why it was such a commercial failure and seemingly loathed everywhere but QT3. I would rank it after 2, ahead of 3, and WAY ahead of the first. Certainly, I would rather a new Mass Effect be more like Andromeda than the original trilogy at this point.
Dragon Age is fine, but I can’t say I’m excited about playing a new one. I liked the first the best, never played the second, and have mixed feelings about the third. Its MMO combat wasn’t to my liking and the quest design felt like busy work more times than not. Plus, it’s always linked in my mind to Witcher 3 due to coming out at roughly the same time, which isn’t a comparison it can win. However, I enjoyed the characters and world from Inquisition more than the first.
Man the first is my favorite, and it’s not particularly close.
Now this is highly specific to what I like. The broad strokes story? The tone? The world building? All were best in ME1. I will readily admit I far prefer the ensemble of 2, but there is something special about the style of Space Opera of ME1. It’s not something there is much of in gaming, far too much tilt towards the space adventure style.
But I love that type of sci fi in novels as well. Dense and introspective. The further it moved towards Shepard: action hero, the further it moved away from something I really love, but don’t usually get in games.
I understand preferring the tone and story of the first, but everything else felt so clunky and underdeveloped to me. The combat and inventory especially. Despite my preference for the second, its main story was the weakest of the three (some of the loyalty missions were great though) and it often felt like it was spinning its wheels. Frankly, I think that in terms of story, the trilogy could easily have been condensed to two games since it seemed that nothing major happened in the second that couldn’t have been shoehorned into the first or done away with entirely. But, again, the characters and gameplay were so much better in the second.