The news that Bioware won’t be releasing single-player DLC for Mass Effect Andromeda doesn’t make me angry; it just makes me tired of Bioware’s [expletive deleted]. I am what you’d call a hardcore Mass Effect fan. Got the games, got the hoodie, got the t-shirt, got the mousepad. I have the soundtracks on my iPod. I didn’t have a problem with the way ME3 ended, especially after Citadel (which was hours of DLC nigh-perfect fun, and for me the true end of the game). I was even ready to forgive the animation problems in Andromeda, because I figured that they’d fix them.
So when I say that I’ve had enough, I like to think that it means something. IP loyalty goes only so far, and it’s gone far enough. So, no pre-orders of Anthem for me, and I’ll be skipping future entries in Dragon Age. Mind you, I’m just one dude, and I have no illusions that Bioware/EA even cares, or that they even should. And I’m not yelling; I’m just disappointed in the company. They could have done things better.
One worries that Bioware has progressed to late stage EA acquisition syndrome. Make lots of great games, get bought by EA, make some more great games, make some notable not as great games, start losing EA head office support, get micromanaged, make a few notable flops, get reduced to churning out same game with smaller budgets until game is dead, shut down studio and strip it for parts, use studio’s name as brand for some dumb EA online service.
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Bioware isn’t there yet, but you can see it from here.
*sheds tear for Westwood and Maxis.*
*adds Origin Systems to the list*
Eh, I was always of the opinion that keeping ME alive was a cynical cash grab.
Then the spin off company created to run the IP went full SJW.
So to the extent that I care, I’m pleased by how things have panned out.
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That said, I’m hopeful for Anthem.
Not that I’m going to preorder it. The only video game company that I still trust enough to preorder from, is Bethesda.
I am still waiting for my budget for a suitable Fallout 4 platform to refill after the last beating.
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In the meantime, I have finally started reading the “Repairman Jack” series, so .. there’s that.
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Mew
I have no hope for Anthem. It’s a Destiny clone 4 player co-op multi-player. Oh yay.
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I’ll still take a look at DA4, I didn’t think Inquisition was a bad game. It just doesn’t stand up to Witcher 3 well. But then, no Action RPG not named Mass Effect 2 does. But if DA4 is a DA2 level game, I’ll take that as the sign Bioware has succumbed to EA’s assimilation.
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As far as preorders go, I’ll still preorder from Sports Interactive and CD Projekt Red. SI because they give you 25% off the next edition of Football Manager if the previous is in your Steam library on preorder. $35 instead of $50 for a game I *know* I will play north of 500 hours in a year? Yeah. I can do that.
I had lots of fun with Destiny.
Too bad Bungie seems determined to kill it in the name of PvP e-sports.
Slow, weak, and stupid is no fun.
Oh, Destiny was a good game for what it did. Not my cup of tea. But nothing wrong with it. That doesn’t excuse Bioware for making the game they codenamed “Dylan” for being groundbreaking a clone.
I enjoyed ME:A a lot, and I’m pretty upset about this news. Note that I’m also someone who hated the ending of ME3, and lost interest in DA:I before finishing it.
I’m of the opinion that part of the blame for this should go to the reviewers. Yes, there were problems with the game. But following the game’s release, it seemed as if every time I turned around, there was yet another review talking about how ME:A was the WORST THING EVAR!!1! The game had problems, but it seemed as if there was a general pile-on from the reviewing community in order to prove that none of them were EA stooges by saying as many negative things about the game as they could. And I think that the negative reactions to the game that resulted heavily influenced the decision not to release any single-player DLC.
Except that word of mouth was even worse than the reviews.
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The ME fans who who were willing to forgive the ME:3 ending fiasco and pay a premium to be early adopters of ME:A got a Yugo with BMW badges in exchange for their loyalty.
Those I know didn’t take it at all well.
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ME:A had a legacy to live up to.
It didn’t.
And that’s the exact opposite of the opinion of the majority of ME:A players I’ve spoken to. I loved the game. 95% of the people I’ve spoken to who played it loved it. My word of mouth experience is almost entirely positive, and the vast majority of players that I’ve spoken to in one form or another thought that the complaints were exaggerated and overblown.
You’re honestly the 1st person I’ve seen say they “loved” Andromeda. I’ve talked to a lot of people who said, “Eh, it was good enough.” But “good enough” isn’t what I want to spend $50 on.