The video game industry is a cruel, cruel, mistress. That doesn’t take anything away from her sweet embrace, however, as she also happens to be very capricious. One day you can be the industry’s sweetheart, praised for your storylines, complexity, and creativity, and the next you can become the most hated company in America.
Of course, I’m talking about EA games and the unforgivable stunt they pulled with Mass Effect 3. Even though the company lost the ‘most hated’ title in two years, gamers are still mistrustful of EA ever since, and have become much more critical in their appraisal and expectancies in regards to video games.
Despite multiple attempts, the company has repeatedly failed at making up for the hugely disappointing ending of Mass Effect 3. However, they do have a chance to make it right. If the upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda turns out to be good and if the series doesn’t end on as bad a note as Mass Effect 3, EA might finally be redeemed.
But that’s going to have to wait more than eager fans were anticipating, as EA delays Mass Effect: Andromeda to early 2017. Hopefully, this will yield an overall improved gaming experience, but if the company follows the usual triple A company standards (and we all know it does), the developers simply realized that the game is too full of issues to be ready this year.
The game will be set in the same universe, although in a completely different galaxy – most likely in the Andromeda galaxy. The game will be similarly focused on storytelling and on the rich backgrounds of your companions, and it’s going to feature none of the previously encountered friends or foes.
According to Mac Walters the Creative Director of both Bioware and to Aaryn Flynn, the Bioware General Manager, it’s exciting to start a new adventure with a new set of characters.
I think it’s fair to say that’s a hallmark of Bioware. It’s a hallmark certainly of the Mass Effect franchise and something we’d never stray away from. I think one of the most interesting things for us when we started looking at what we were going to do with Andromeda was knowing this was going to be a whole new set of characters and a new adventure and all the great stories we were going to be able to tell because of that and what their journey is going to be like.
Sadly, the game is most likely going to be mediocre at best. Knowing how these companies make their games, EA is going to try to simulate the illusion of having depth by filling the game with pointless side quests, the narrative will fall short of all the hype, and the side characters will be underdeveloped and just there for the ride.
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