#this is mostly to remind people that a LOT of people get liara's me 2 + me 3 personality wrong.

[cobaltswriting]

Mass Effect 2: World and Culture Building

So, I recently got the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition on PS4, and I've been having some fun with it.

Like, the first game didn't 'wow' me as much as I was expecting from the hype (but I was kind of expecting it to underwhelm me a little, I'm used to games failing to completely live up to the hype... *side-eyes Smash Bros Brawl*) but it was a functional game. If a little buggy at times, but I can attribute most of that to me constantly jumping in and out of the main PS4 menu and leaving it on rest mode a lot.

So then, afterwards, I moved onto Mass Effect 2. First, just in case people are interested, or if it makes any real difference, I'll say what the choices I made in Mass Effect 1 were, the ones it reminds you of when you start Mass Effect 2.

I recruited everyone

My Shepherd was far more Paragon than Renegade

The game seems to think I romanced Ashley, but I did not. Her anti-alien feelings put me off her, honestly, but I guess the game thought I was more interested in her than in Liara.

I choose to let Kaiden die on Virmire... which might have contributed towards 'romancing' Ashley, come to think of it.

I calmed Wrex down, rather than killing him.

I THINK Garrus might be more renegade than Paragon, but I'm not 100% sure

I let Tali have the Geth data, for her pilgrimage.

I saved Zhu's Hope and Shiala.

I spared the Rachni Queen.

I spared Rana the Asari scientist on Virmire

I destroyed the fliers, meaning that Captain Kirrahe survived Virmire

I was kind to Conrad, although due to a bug, which I thought had been fixed, he said that I waved a gun in his face.

In 'Bring down the sky', I spared the hostages over killing Balak, and also spared Balak's second in command.

I let the Council die. Honestly, I wasn't really too interested in saving them considering all the stuff they'd done thorough out Mass Effect 1.

I chose Anderson over Udina for a place on the Council. Similarly to the Council, I wasn't interested in giving Udina any more power than he had before.

Apparently, that's all the important choices, so let's move on to Mass Effect 2 and what finally clicked for me, about why Mass Effect 2 is so loved. Although, if you read the title, you may already have guessed.

In Mass Effect 1, there is some information on the alien races, but it's mostly in text. You hear about the Quarian's flotila, you hear about the genophage and how a lot of the Krogan are more 'blood knight' characters who value strength above all else... I can't actually remember if you directly learn anything about the Turians, but I think it's implied that they are a race that is great at mechanics and engineering, and are also partially responsible for the genophage that all Krogans are infected with. You also learn a bit about the Asari but...

Honestly, it was kind of hard to care for quite a lot of it. Because it was just text. You get told, you don't get to experience any of it, partially because you're just a human.

In Mass Effect 2, this changes.

You encounter groups of Quarians twice, with Tali leading both groups. Tali is later on accused of treason, and you visit the Flotilla, which gives you a lot of insight into how Quarian culture works, as well as the trial itself. For instance, learning that a Quarian's last name comes from the ship they are from, or, if they are banished, the ship they currently inhabit, as displayed by Tali's name 'legally' having been changed to 'Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy' from "Tali'Zorah Vas Neema", and Tali commenting that it's like they've banished her already. You are then tasked with defending Tali, since you are the leader of the ship she is on. And you learn more about what the admirals want to do with concerns to the Geth, and learn more about what Tali's father was up to.

You also encounter a lab-made Krogan called 'Grunt' whom needs to go through the Rite of Passage. Since I spared Wrex, Wrex was the leader we encountered on the Krogan's home planet, and thus the one we talked to, and he greeted Shepard as an old friend. From what I've heard, if you killed Wrex, the leader instead is Wrex's brother, and he is a lot less... progressive, than his brother, and not as intelligent.

However, you find out that Wrex has managed to bring about quite a few changes, and is trying to basically unify the Krogan for their people to thrive. You find out about many rites, especially in regards to their shaman, who apparently does rites for himself every morning and every night.

It helps you see the Krogan as a lot less than the dumb muscle that they can be seen as in Mass Effect 1. While the Rite of Passage is basically what you would expect (fights against various creatures, ending with a fight against a Thresher Maw, which you would usually fight with a vechicle in Mass Effect 1) and also against a bunch of Krogan who were initially against Grunt going through the Rite (I shut them up by headbutting their ringleader, which, considering Wrex did it to them earlier for basically the same sort of reason, I assume is a show of dominance, basically a 'shut up fucker') wanting to recruit him for their clan, intent on overthrowing Wrex's clan who were trying to unify the Korgan, as mentioned.

You also get a lot more information on the Genophage, since not only is one of your crew members a Salarian, but is one of the scientists who made changes to the Genophage to made it more effective at controlling the population of Krogan. While he says that it was 'necessary', it's fairly obvious that he has guilt over it. You encounter him running a clinic for people who had been infected by a 'plague' on Omega, and he mentions his work on the Genophage often.

His loyalty mission (each crew member you recruit has a 'loyalty' mission, which ensures their loyalty and unlocks a new power for them) involves saving one of his former crew members, who has alledgedly been kidnapped and forced to do research on a genophage cure.

When you research the abandoned hospital, you find various corpses that show signs of having been experimented on, and a lot of dialogue choices where you can tell Mordin that he was wrong to do this, or that he was right to do so. And it does result in some... interesting information.

For example, the genophage was not meant to kill Krogan, just limit their population, for fear that if their population was allowed to grow too large, they would wage war upon all other species in the galaxy.

On the other hand, it's a pretty shitty thing to do.

You also find out that Mordin's former comrade was doing it voluntarily. Which makes Mordin very angry, saying that this wasn't what he taught his former coworker to do, and certainly not the way he taught him to do it. Basically, Mordin is more upset about HOW his former coworker did it than the why. If your Paragon score is high enough, you can stop Mordin from killing them.

By the end, Mordin doesn't seem to really know what he thinks about it any more. A lot of research that was done was at least viable, but it was done under terrible circumstances. You can either destroy the data, or you can save it.

I told Mordin to save it to help the Krogan. After all, the people who died during the research couldn't exactly be brought back by destroying the data.

Basically, in Mass Effect 2, there's a lot of world and culture building, especially in the three missions I've mentioned (Tali, Grunt and Mordin's loyalty missions respectively) and I can see now why people love Mass Effect 2.

The graphics are good, the gameplay is VERY solid, even if there are many other games that have similar gameplay styles (one that sticks out in my mind, oddly enough, is Gears of War, which I have never played but have seen gameplay off, and Shepard charging forward and taking cover definitely makes me think of it) that do it just as well or better, but the world building and culture building of other races in Mass Effect 2, especially with how it was in Mass Effect 2, is just *chef's kiss*

It's definitely gotten me invested enough to keep playing and to go through Mass Effect 3, even though the issues with the ending to Mass Effect 3 are... let's be nice and say 'infamous'.

Basically if you haven't played Mass Effect, I HIGHLY recommend it. While I would say to play the first one first, it DID turn into a bit of a slog near the end, so I wouldn't blame you if you decided to just start from Mass Effect 2 instead.

One last thing, although this is not necessarily as important as the rest of it...

Tali is a precious baby and must be protected and loved and cherished.

Also Garrus is a bro and I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to romance him.

That is all.

#Mass Effect #Mass Effect 2

[torntruth]

i  like  the  balance  between  shepard,   kristen  +  liara.    i  was  asking  @tornsavior  her  renegade  vs.  paragon  scale  just  to  make  sure  i  was  reading  everything  right,   which  is  probably  why  this  whole  entire  poly  ship  is  working  out  SO  WELL.   kristen’s  far  more  renegade  than  liara  +  kristen,  but  if  we’re  tbh,   it’s  actually  shepard  that’s  the  most  paragon.   liara’s  being  watched  by  asari  high  command  because  they’re  slightly  worried  that  she  may  go  off  the  deep  end    ...    that  means  they’re  kind  of  afraid  of  her  power.   i  love  that  so  much.    but  liara,  even  angry,  is  extremely  level-headed.    her  kindness  is  absolutely  never  her  weakness.   but  if  you’re  her  enemy,   there  may  be  zero  mercy.   whereas  kristen,  while  she  thinks  about  civilians,  probably  would  crash  her  way  through  innocent  lives  to  end  cerberus  or  the  reapers.    shepard  would  never.    liara,  as  shadowbroker,  may  deploy  her  shadowbroker  agents  -  one  of  which  is  kristen -   to  specifically  do  dirty  work.    kristen’s  personality  resembles  jack’s  in  angery,   kristen  is  just  a  lot  more  suave  and  less  open  about  her  anger. 

#KRISTEN DURUS » i'm the bad guy. #11. I COULD START A WAR — LIARA T'SONI. #09. SHIP: THE BAD. THE GOOD. THE INFINITE. — SHEP + LIARA + KRISTEN. #this is mostly to remind people that a LOT of people get liara's me 2 + me 3 personality wrong. #lmao #also i need liara to use 'bondmate' #about shepard one of these days. #fulfill my heart #kristen isn't quite there. #she's more friends with benefits for liara still. #but the fact kristen doesn't really want flings with anyone else is the deep part of this.

[fanfoolishness]

Interview with a Fic Writer

Tagged by @novantinuum, thank you!

__

How many works do you have on AO3?

242 works. The actual fuck??? Wow, me. Of course, this does span about 9 years, so I guess that's not that insane?

What’s your total word count on AO3

549,737! But that averages out to only 2271 words per story, haha. You got me! I think I have less than 10 fics that have more than 1 chapter. I love one-shots, what can I say?

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Oh, you want to get into this? All right. We'll get into this:

The X-Files, proto-fandom, ur-fandom, first OTP ever... yeah, 15-year-old me went. WILD. Many horrible Mulder/Scully stories, and some Doggett/Scully and character study stories as well. Mostly not very good, but with occasional flashes of decent writing. Really had a difficult time writing romantic feelings between 30+ year-olds given a) I did not date in high school and b) was 17 and not an emotionally stunted FBI agent.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - not a huge volume of stories, but definitely some very angsty Spuffy and Spike tales.

Harry Potter - just one published fic (Lupin grieving Sirius), and one with Snape and Harry having a heart to heart I could never quite get right.

Then came the dark times (vet school) where I was exhausted and hard at work for a few years and I thought, horribly, I might have outgrown fandom. Thank god for...

X-Men First Class and the undying love of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr! I'd never fallen for a slash ship before but my god I fell hard for this one and wrote my first fandom smut and my first real AU (mutants with zombies) that I never finished.

Then.... let's see...

Quantum Leap drabbles!

Two Avatar the Last Airbender fics!

Agents of SHIELD fics, mostly focused on Coulson and FitzSimmons, and super angsty.

Bioshock Infinite sads (god I love writing the sad bad dad)!

And then the juggernauts of Mass Effect (my longest fic to date with 30 chapters!) and Dragon Age, which were endlessly productive and are still productive given the variety of different protagonists you can create, different choices, and different relationships to canon characters. I'm still working on a Hawke/Varric fic in the back of my mind here.

There's one random Gravity Falls fic (wish I could have got a little more obsessed with it, or gotten into it while it aired) of Stan sads, and one tiny Avengers ficlet of a sad Tony and Peter.

There's one Wheel of Time fic! Dammit I wanted Rand and Tam to reunite so much sooner than they did.

40-odd Steven Universe fics! So many SU fics!

One random Schitt's Creek fic of David and Patrick!

And finally, The Mandalorian, with 47 fics. Phew!!!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. The Invitation, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin finds himself in dreams that seem realer than real, reminding him of his loss, but he begins to find a sense of hope again. A promise is kept.

2. The Outstretched Hand, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin is a man of action, but sometimes, the quiet finds its way in. Din reckons with the aftermath of the events of Chapter 14, the Tragedy. (My very first Mando fic!)

3. Not the Sentimental Type, Steven Universe. Priyanka Maheswaran has long prided herself on keeping her emotions in check. But a mother's love can only grow, and sometimes it expands to people she never anticipated. Like the Universe boy.

4. Translation, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin was a man of few words, but many languages. Some might have thought the Child had no language at all. Din Djarin and the Child grow to understand each other.

5. Full Disclosure, Steven Universe. Just as the world begins to recover from Spinel's attack, Steven starts having nightmares. The more he ignores his fears, the worse they become, until he's left with no other choice but to ask for help. (My thoughts on what would drive Steven Universe Future, and I wasn't far off.)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I really try to! Even sometimes years later if I realize I've missed some. I appreciate each and every one, and have definitely made friendships through comments <3

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, hell... I'm too lazy to link these but if anyone wants to read them let me know or find them on my AO3!

A Stopped Clock from Bioshock Infinite has Booker DeWitt ravaged by Korsakoff's amnesia from his long-standing alcoholism. Is Columbia real or imagined? Hard to say.

The Viscount's Way shows Varric Tethras having become his parent, and a cruel, hard viscount of Kirkwall.

Songs in the Key of Red shows how Cullen fared under the dark future in Redcliffe in DAI, and they write happy endings, don't they? shows what happened to Varric. Both horribly depressing in different ways!

Two by Two, Hands of Blue shows a not unexpected end to lyrium addiction :( Poor Cullen, he got a lot of angsty developments, didn't he?

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

Never really got into crossovers or AUs. Just... meh for me!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, I don't think so.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Charles/Erik, Shepard/Garrus, Shepard/Liara, Shepard/Tali, a mess of different f/f femShep drabbles, and most of my Dragon Age pairings have gotten sexytimes. On the other hand I helped start the NoRomo Mando tag for the Mandalorian to help find non-pairing Mandalorian content. Depends on the pairing and the fandom, for sure.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, thank goodness!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so! There used to be a Spanish-language wiki linking to some of my old X-Files stories XD

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but friends and I definitely will beta each others' things to help with sticky points.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

ALL-TIME? Just, why? So many ships I loved in years past turned out to have pretty damn problematic elements I didn't see at the time, so it's hard to say... Mulder/Scully actually has a ton of issues, Buffy/Spike obviously has issues... so maybe Hawke/Varric (except not canon!) or Garrus/Shepard or Brosca/Alistair.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Still need to finish my Hawke/Varric fic for after Adamant! I have 3 chapters written that I haven't posted. Maybe posting them will help inspire me....

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and POV writing from different characters; I feel fantastic writing Steven and Greg, though totally at sea trying to write from Connie's POV, randomly. But I think my dialogue and emotional beats are what people tend to tune in for. When I do write romance, it's usually very sweet and silly and pulled from life. I also love writing nature scenes and settings to help establish mood. Mood and emotion and catharsis are my bread and butter, and I like my poetic prose.

What are your writing weaknesses?

What the hell is a long, well-thought-out plot? Like what even is that???? My longest fic with 30 chapters is basically "Shepard has PTSD and hangs out with her crew. They have some funerals." THAT'S IT. How the heck people actually come up with plot that ties into the lore of a fandom I genuinely have no idea and it's the biggest thing that's held me back from finishing original work. I can come up with a setting and characters and then trying to make them do stuff that's more than just talking to other characters and deepening their relationships with them... how the fuck???

I also definitely have 10-20 words that I am in constant danger of reusing like every other paragraph, LOL!

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I don't speak any other languages so I always avoid it as much as possible. I've seen people describe sign differently in fics and picked one way to depict it that made sense to me for Grogu, but that's about it.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The X-Files, of course!

What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Towards Another Day, the tale of how Cullen went from being a templar in Kirkwall to commander of the Inquisition, is definitely up there.

Reverberations is one of my rare multi-chaptered fics and one of my favorite for the catharsis at the end. It makes me tear up every time. 5 times Din and Grogu encounter the Dark Side, and one time they find the Light.

Either a world for the birds (Steven develops a closer relationship with his Uncle Andy, learning birdwatching along the way) or on the subject of rocks (Steven and Jasper finally reach a peace) might take the prize for favorite SU fic.

__

Tagging (if you’re super bored and would like a fun thing to do) fellow writers:

@lastwordbeforetheend, @runrundoyourstuff, @honestlyhufflepuff, @art3mys, and @fake-starwars-fan if you would like to play!

#fandom #writing #on writing #fanfiction #damn look at me go #memes

[annakie]

Thoughts on a DW Rewatch & Mass Effect replay.

So I’m in the Eleven / Clara half-season now.

Also I’m now replaying Andromeda.  I have thoughts, about both.  I’ll start with Doctor Who then label it when I get to Mass Effect stuff.

Oh my God this gets long and rambly.  Apparently, I have a lot of thoughts.

So, season 702... I’m ready for it to be over.  I miss the Ponds.  I felt like most of the first half of this season was pretty great, honestly.  I’d forgotten how fun some of those episodes were, I think at the time we were anticipating a new companion so heavily that it was harder to appreciate those episodes?  I feel like there was a lot of criticism levied towards them that now I felt like was a bit too much.  The western episode was kinda meh but still not bad.

I’m not sure what exactly it is about these Clara / Eleven episodes that I’m still not connecting with but I’m in the middle of the Crimson Horror episode (which is a Vastra/Jenny/Strax heavy episode and enjoying it more than anything else so far this half-season.  

*edit later* NOPE NOPE NOPE I’D FORGOTTEN HOW THE DOCTOR FORCES A KISS ON JENNY.  GROSS.  SUPER GROSS.  SHE’S A MARRIED WOMAN, A LESBIAN AND DID NOT CONSENT TO ANY OF THIS.  BAD DOCTOR, BAD.

Honestly even with some excellent guest start acting, the Russian Submarine episode was STILL a slog and the ghosts in the 1950′s episode no better.  Like they still weren’t ridiculous and unwatchable but... just didn’t feel fun or interesting at all?  The Journey to the Center of the TARDIS episode was decent, and I felt like that wasn’t nearly as cool as it should have been..

I remember reading a criticism of these episodes early on where they said that the biggest fault is that they failed to give Clara any real characterization or solid personality other than “girl the Doctor is obsessed with”.  She’s SUPER IMPORTANT but not only do we not know why at this point but it really doesn’t feel... earned?  I don’t recall it ever feeling earned that Clara was supposedly always so important?  “The most importantest companion EVAR!”  

And as someone who stanned the hell out of a character who was hated in the fandom for “replacing” a previous companion I’m checking myself to make sure it’s still not because I Miss the Ponds.  Like, I don’t HATE Clara, I just, at least at this point in the rewatch, can’t find any reason to really LOVE her?  She’s there, she’s fine, Jenna-Louise Coleman is doing a great job with what they’re giving to her but... I don’t know.  It all feels... off.

I had forgotten all about the “the Doctor rides a motorcycle up the side of a skyscraper” moment and something hit me in that moment that made me remember that wow people hated that moment.  It felt really... shark-jumpy somehow.  

I love Eleven, but this half-season isn’t connecting with me, AT ALL. It feels like the writers just went and dug through a bunch of rejected script ideas, polished them up and were likle “let’s just do this until Matt Smith is gone.”  I’m anxious to get to Twelve.

Mass Effect Stuff

OK TECHNICALLY I haven’t finished ME3.  I still need to do the party and the goodbye scene, (Citadel Epiloge Mod installed) but I’ve gotten all the Stuff and done all the missions in the arena.  I just wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye yet, so I started Andromeda a bit early.

-----------------

OK look I had a point I wanted to make and never quite got where I wanted to go with it right here.  I’m too tired of trying to fix it, so this stands as written.

This playthrough had me ruminating a lot on Kaidan and Garrus.  I really love both of those characters, though in my heart I’ll always primarily love Kaidan, I’ve done the Garrus romance and wouldn’t mind playing that character again to see the romance one more time.  In ME1, I bring Kaidan everywhere all the time, and pick which other companion I bring to the story-based missions based on what I know is gonna happen like I’m sure most people do.  Wrex for Therum, Tali for Feros (though I REALLY wish you could switch before going to see the Thorian), Liara for Noveria, Ashley on Virmire, Garrus for Ilos/Endgame.  I rotate through all five for sidemissions.  

In ME2, Garrus is my always-bring companion, with Garrus + Miranda being my favorite team.  Except after the Omega relay, where characters with Throw really shine with all those husks running at us, Jack holds the bubble, and Miranda and Thane, who both have Warp to help take down the Reaper Baby, are the preferred team.  Also so Miranda can tell TIM to fuck off.

Then in ME3, once the game opens up, Garrus is back on the perma-team, with a preference towards bringing Liara along... until we get Kaidan back.  And then I realized I didn’t bring him to a single thing except a side mission or two until Earth.  Mostly, this is because I’m following the Kaidan Banter guide and it turns out Garrus is a real banter hog for most of the missions.  At leat he’s not James, who I literally never use unless I’m going on an N7 mission and feel bad that I haven’t taken him off the Normandy in awhile.  I mean, even Javik gets more play.  Also EDI doesnt leave the Normandy til near the end when all of a sudden she gets real important.  

But Garrus is always on the team for Priority Earth.  And that always felt like the way the main game should end, with your two favorites.  (Also what kind of monster wouldn’t bring Wrex to the combat-centric areas of Citadel DLC?  I keep thinking I should have runs where I bring other people but... Wrex is my other fave and we don’t get him with us AT ALL since ME1.)  

I love Garrus, so much.  And I was thinking with this whole parallel DW rewatch / Mass Effect replay think I’m doing right now how both Rose Tyler and Garrus Vakaraian are characters that were ruined for me for awhile due to their respective... overly enthusiastic fanbases who a small percentage of were dicks to people who loved other characters.  The Kaidan tag (and from what I understand Thane got some of this too, but not nearly as bad) was a pretty hostile place for awhile (and yeah I used to check the Garrus tag too and there was a small amount of tag-invasion there but uh, like 5% of what the Kaidan tag got) which made loving the character of Garrus a lot harder for awhile.  But when actually watching seasons 1 & 2 / the end of 4 of DW, or actually playing the games, those characters are awesome.  

Fanbases can be amazing or terrible, and time and time again I think you start to realize that no matter how great a fandom is, there are going to be a few people who can only enjoy themselves by feeding on drama, or on lifting up what they love by stomping on other people/characters/plotlines.  Going back through my blog reminded me that even the TAH fandom had some of this, with a small percentage of fans being real dicks to two prominent female characters in favor of their favorite ship, which soured even that just a tiny bit.  

It’s not fair to characterize everyone who loves a popular thing as someone who does this.  It’s also hard to avoid completely because there will always be jerks, or young/new people who don’t realize what bad form they’re showing.  I did learn by trying to fight it for a year or two, that responding might help that one person not do it again, but it’s not going to stop overall.  Maybe yelling a lot about Martha Jones did change some people’s minds.  It still isn’t that good of a look now, even knowing that in general I was pretty polite and logical about it.  I might respond to an odd comment now and again in some favorite character tags, but in general, turns out that kind of fight just isn’t worth it.

And those fights seem so stupid in the light of everything else happening in the world today.

Anyway, don’t be a dick about the things you don’t like.  

-----------------------

I also wanted to say, and I know I said it in a few other posts about this ME3 playthrough, but seriously I cannot believe how much ME3 is a changed game because of the modders.  I cannot imagine ever playing ME3 again without these mods.  There were so many small things that I kept thinking I should take note of to talk about and I’m sure I forgot 90% of them, but there’s things like... adding in mentions of the Andromeda Initiative, closing a few plotholes, mentioning Emily Wong, adding in many more Spectre console options which end up having their own plotlines, adding in an entire plotline about the VI civilization that had previously only been talked about in like, social media or Cerberus News Network posts, having the Normandy be so much more populated, seeing so many more other species on the Citadel with more variety in clothing for those species that have clothing / could have more variety, way more female Turians.... every time I play ME3 the game is more and more like the game we wanted when it came out.  

I am kind of itching to go back and replay it even now.

But hey, instead, its time to talk about Andromeda.

-------------------------

So first of all, yes, mods for Andromeda.  A few appearance mods, a lot of convenience mods.  

After having recently played DA:I and I think Andromeda and DA:I are a lot more similar than Andromeda and the previous trilogy, I had decided it was time to cut down on the stupid stuff Andromeda does, like “Oh, you want minerals?  Spend 10 minutes in each mining zone finding the PERFECT place to gather materials or you’re fucked”  No, thanks.  I’ll mine but give me that “one probe placed anywhere and you’re done” mod.  

Make the modifications and crafting materials I use actually matter. 2% damage increase is nothing.  Make my squadmates not suck because I remember doing 90% of the work myself before and that got exhausting with the number of spawns.  

I tried to not go overboard so things feel like cheating, but there’s enough out there to just get rid of the stupid stuff, and it’s nice.  And works together a lot easier than the DA:I mods did.

One thing I did do was install the Multiple Romance Mod.  I enjoyed it in DA:I, even though ultimately I only did 2 full romances.  I am **NOT** romancing Gil or Cora with the mod, I just wanted to experience all the content available for female Ryders at once, since I’m not going to have the energy to replay this 100+ hour game enough times to see every romance on its own.  So I am poly-romancing Liam, Jaal, Vetra, Suvi, Peebee, Keri, and if it lets me, Reyes when it’s time.  

I’ve only gotten all the way through Andromeda once (where I romanced Liam)  My second playthrough was right after my first and stalled out about halfway through (was romancing Jaal.)  It was one of those “I’m totally gonna get back to this! (She didn’t.)” things.  I’m gonna be honest, I enjoyed the Liam romance and was enjoying the Jaal romance, I’d done a fling with Reyes but not the full romance my first time through and the fling with PeeBee on my second.  Reyes was probably my favorite out of all of them.  So this time I decided.. let’s see which I love the most, all at once.  I don’t know if I’ll do this in the future, but this game is too long to not see all the content I wanna see, TBH.  

And you know, I still really do like Andromeda.  It’s a GOOD game.  And I’m forever going to be mad that we’re not going to see how this story ends.  This story deserved to finish being told.  Like, there are a lot of very legit criticisms about Andromeda, but it didn’t deserve the harshness it got.  And the worst thing about it, and DA:I both is that... there’s just a little TOO MUCH of it.  100 hours is an amazing amount of game but... it’s also just too much.  For now I’m not trying to 100% this playthrough.  My plan is on each planet to get the planet to 100%, take out the Kett or whatever major base, the Remnant Architect, and yeah probably clear out the sidequests that show up on the map, but fuck quests that are like “visit random Kett camps until you find the right datapads that don’t show up on the map!” or “scan random blobs in the forest that don’t show up on the map!”  

So like, do the content, not the filler.  

I still hate the vaults.  The first one is cool.  The rest are tedious.  But they’re mandatory.

I love everyone on this spaceship though.  They did the Tempest stuff SO WELL.  All the companions I think are... good?  There’s no one I don’t like, even the non-squadmate shipmates ship have so much interaction and so much to do/say.  It’s not like “a bunch of randos and Joker, with occasional appearances by Chakwas and the Engineers”  There’s no randos, it’s just a few people you have real interactions with, and its great.

The lack of enough beds in the bedroom will never not annoy me.  There’s 4 beds for... Lexi, Liam, Cora, Suvi, Kallo, Vetra and Gil?  Even if Liam slept on his couch, and Vetra put a bed in her supply room... still doesn’t add up.  What, do Salarains not sleep or something?  Does Lexi sleep in a medical bed?!?  Peebee sleeps in the escape pod, Jaal brings a bed with him, and Drack’s like “Eh I’ll just sleep in the kitchen”.  WHAT?  THE KITCHEN?

I mean sure there weren’t enough beds, even with the sleeper pods, on the Normandy either, but somehow that was less disturbing.  

Also, I know you’re supposed to HATE Director Tann but I love Kumail Nanjiani so I find it hard to be a total dick to him, even if he usually deserves it.  If he wasn’t an anti-Krogan racist I think it’d be easier to like him.  He was thrown into a pretty shitty situation and... did actually hold things together for some time.  He’s not doing anything out of malice.  He’s a dick, but also doing what he needs to do to keep the Initiatiave going.  Oh, except for being a anti-krogan racist.  (Honestly, I also think  “until he turned Cerberus Udina was just doing his job pretty well” too, so...)

Taking some screenshots as I go.  I mostly just take screenshots for me now.  I have a few thousands screenshots from a dozen or more games rotating through my desktop background, and I keep adding to it, and love it.

Anyway, I’ve gotten Eos, Voeld and Havral to 100%.  Time to go save the Moeshe.  I’m having fun.  

*edit from later* I’d forgotten that... idk if the dialog they recorded for Jaal was the first thing they recorded for him or they used a different VA or what but on the Save the Moshe mission his voice is VERY DIFFERENT and oh man, that is still bad.

Might take a break for when Onslaught comes out for SWTOR, though.  I haven’t really played SWTOR in months. Oops.

#personal post tag thingy #annakie's mass effect stuff #doctor who stuff #hey this gets REAL RAMBLY sorry not sorry

[crassussativum]

Mass Effect Asks Masterlist- Cato

(Originally posted by thenerdcommander, credit where credit is due.)

1. What would their recruitment mission look like? ((Cato’s recruitment mission, if it even can be called such, would be after Menae. Primarch Fedorian has fallen. Cato finds Shepard on the Citadel after that mission and demands to come along with them. Shepard might be reluctant at first, but eventually allows it.)) 

2. Would they be a romance option?  If so, who would the option be available to and what would their romance look like?  Would there be any special scenes? ((Cato is a shy thing in the ways of romance and sex. And another species? That’s just too confusing for him).)

3. If there is one, what would their sex scene look like?  How would the scene change if Shepard or Ryder turned the sex down? ((On the off chance, we’d get to see a naked turian that’s probably never had sex before and certainly never with a human lol it’d be awkward but sweet with a quick fade to black.))

4. If left unromanced, do they hook up with another character?  If so, who is it?  Is it a canon character or another OC? ((Nah, probably not.))

5. Would they be available as a fling option?  What would that scene look like? ((Also probably not))

6. Is there any way Shepard or Ryder could get them to turn on them or betray them?  How?  Is there any way to get them to back down once the betrayal is triggered? ((Shepard would have to do something big and horrible for Cato to betray them. Like genocide big. And yes, not doing the right thing with the Shroud mission, but then how would Cato know that?))

7. What would their loyalty mission look like? (Cato’s loyalty mission would be simple. All he’d want is a day to pretend the galaxy might not actually be ending, a day to be normal. He’d want to go somewhere the Reapers haven’t touched yet and while that may be hard, he’d just need Shepard to pretend everything’s okay with him for just a little while.))

8. Is there any way to lose their loyalty after it’s earned?  How? ((No, I don’t think so.))

9. What would their relationship with Renegade Shepard look like?  Paragon Shepard?  If they’re from Andromeda, what’s their relationship with Ryder (pick any two alignments)?  ((I think Cato would greatly look up to a Paragon Shepard, the always doing what’s right would speak to him on a Spiritual level. Renegade Shepard would probably rub him the wrong way because sometimes doing what’s right in the moment in a way that’s not right is a grey concept he just doesn’t have the experience to grasp.))

10. What phrase(s) would they shout during combat? ((“Incoming!” “Outta the way!” for biotic attacks/charges. Otherwise I think he’d be verbally keeping count of enemy positions.))

11. Any squadmates they don’t particularly get along with? ((Honestly? I think it’s less that he wouldn’t get along with Jack but that she would scare the hell out of him. He’d find how powerful she is totally fascinating, and that her body is her own canvas would intrigue the artist in him. But she’s outwardly abrasive, crudely spoken, and volatile. Waaaay too intimidating for Cato. I think, were he to go along on her loyalty mission, he’d view her as something more of a kindred Spirit, but still be too skittish to make friends. ALSO since ME3. Javik. Javik would terrify him. He’s mean, he’s battle weary, he’s bleak and he finds no joy in the little things.))

12. Are there any instances where rivalries between them and another squadmate could potentially jeopardize their loyalty or views of Shepard or Ryder? ((Maybe? Like I can’t think of anything right now, but I’m sure there’s something. Cato mostly just follows along with the flow, but he’s moody so... it’s possible.))

13. Which squadmates are they likely to make friends with? ((Everyone but maybe Javik. Tali he’d adore. Garrus is a role model. Liara is asari and he loves their artwork and history so much. James I think he’d warm up to fast. Ashley/Kaiden are in the air but I don’t see why not.))

14. In which game would they be introduced to the franchise?  ME1?  ME2?  ME3?  Andromeda? ((In ME3))

15. Would they make multiple appearances throughout the games or are they limited to one installment?  If they reappear, do they remain as a squadmate or do they become an NPC? ((He’s just a squadmate in ME3 but maybe we saw him as an NPC in ME1 or ME2. He’d have been on the Citadel a lot then.))

16. Which skills are available to them?  If they’re from the OT, pick four active powers and one unique passive class power (ex: Turian Agent, Asari Commando, Turian Smuggler, etc).  If they’re from Andromeda, pick three active powers and two passive (one of which should be a unique class power). ((So... this is hard. Cato’s an Adept, so his top four biotic moves are: Warp, Shockwave, Throw, and a Biotic Charge just for fun. Idk what passive class powers are, sorry.))

17. Write a quick exchange of banter between them and one other squadmate of your choice.

Cato: “I could use my biotics?”

Mordin: “Yes. Turian biotics, burn bright, burn hot, strong in bursts. Sufficient.”

Cato: “Or you could reach up there and pull it down. ‘Cause you can reach.”

Mordin: “….Small for a turian youth. Still growing? No, stunted. Lack of nutrition? Genetic mutation? Hmm Could take samples….”

Cato: “No samples! Spirits, I’m still growing, everyone says so….”

18. What weapons would they use?  Pick 1 minimum, maximum of 2 firearms, 1 melee weapon, and/or 1 special or unique weapon. ((Cato’s got an M-3 Predator, a Phaeston, and an omniblade for close quarter emergencies.))

19. Name one thing that players would remember them most by (ex: Garrus’ calibrations, “Lola”, Mordin’s singing, etc).  (Folks would remember that Cato’s the baby! He’s so young and idealistic, kind and caring. Like… he’s great as a squad member bc biotics and small arms fire, but… but he’s still a kid that wants to do kid things. Like go somewhere and eat nothing but junk food, or hit the movies or whatever. He would always need to be supervised bc he has no impulse control either.)

20. If they’re from the OT, what ways could they be killed on Virmire, during the Suicide Mission, or the events of ME3 (pick one)?  If they’re from Andromeda, are there any ways they could die?  If so, how and how could Ryder prevent it if prevention is possible at all? ((So ME3 and I think he could maybe die during the final battle on Earth, but only if Shepard didn’t do his loyalty mission which reminded Cato “normal” was what they’re fighting for.)) 

21. Can they be Indoctrinated or Exalted?  If so, what would they be like?  What options would Shepard or Ryder have to handle the situation?  Would there have been options to prevent it? ((No, I don’t think so))

22. How would they react to other squadmates, Shepard, or Ryder being Indoctrinated or Exalted? ((Aghast confusion. Sadness, fear.))

23. When on the Tempest or Normandy, where do they like to stay?  Do they roam around?  What about on the Citadel or Nexus?  ((Cato likes to hang around Garrus or the galley on the Normandy. Turian biotics are always hungry and Garrus is another turian that he can look up to. On the Citadel, he either loiters near the embassy in hopes of visiting with his grandpa -pre 3- or he’s down at the docks praying to see someone he knows. ))

24. Do they have an opinion on the way Shepard drives the Mako?  Or how Ryder drives the Nomad? (At first, Shepard drives the Mako way too recklessly and fast…. but Cato is still a child in many ways and I think he’d gradually have fun with Shepard driving, if Shepard was willing to teach him how.))

25. Are they vocal about their opinions of the Council or Nexus Leadership?  If so, what is their opinion?  Do they make a passing comment to another squadmate or do they say it to Shepard or Ryder directly?  (I’d say Cato is vocal about his opinions. His grandpa’s the Primach, he kinda has room to be, lol. And I’m sure he’d willingly talk about it if asked. He hates how the Cabal/biotic turians are ostracized, he doesn’t really understand why. He hates how barefaced and outer colony turians are looked down on. He’s sure that the Turian Councilor has turian people’s needs in mind but how can you see the scope of the big picture if you’re not looking at all the pieces that make it whole too?)

26. What decisions could Shepard or Ryder make that they greatly disapprove of? ((If Cato was aware-somehow- that Shepard put the fake cure in at the Shroud mission, he’d really disapprove of that.)) 

27. What decisions could Shepard or Ryder make that they greatly approve of? ((Doing that mission for the new Primarch and SAVING Tarquin. Fight me on this. My biotic Shepard could’ve saved him, damnit.))

28. Would they have any special scenes or dialogue in the Citadel DLC or for Movie Night? ((Maybe to Shepard in regards to their clone and is that like having a sibling? Cato always wanted a sibling. He probably drinks too much at the later party and ends up passed out in a cozy, secluded spot.))

29. Would they have any special scenes or dialogue in the final battle against the Reapers or the Archon? ((The final battle against the Reapers, he wouldn’t be able to just sit on his hands, he’d be on the ground driving whatever vehicle transported the survivors to safe locations.))

30. How would they react to meeting Shepard’s clone?  Or Ryder’s twin? ((Much confusion. By that point, I like to think Cato would’ve intergated himself into Shepard’s day-to-day. And why doesn’t Shepard talk to him as warmly? Or joke with him the same? Clone? Oooohkay then.))

#ooc #cato #mass effect asks #masterlist #just for fun #long post

[lairofsentinel]

Ok., I'm back.

I've been… drowning myself into Mass Effect Andromeda. And man, it's a painful experience. I don't have the minimun requirements, mostly in my graphic card. :( I have a nvidia gt520 of 1 gb. The minimun required is around gt 700 with 2 gb. I have to play in narrative difficult :(. It's not much of a challenge, but when the encounter is tough (meaning, a lot of objects around and a lot of enemies) my screen freezes sometimes :(. I cry so much for this. I want a new computer T_T.

Even playing it in the lowest quality I can't do it in a smooth way. I played all the mass effect series in the hardest mode T_T to enjoy the adrenaline, but I CANT NOW T_T. It's so sad that they can't make a game for low spec. computers, with the same tech that Mass Effect 2. I don't know, but that game looked marvellous and so easy to deal with in most computers… meh.

I'm playing MEA most of the time with 5 fps. Horrible, because I can't see many animations, and when chars speaks, they desynchronizes with the sound, so … you finished listening Jaarl but then, his animation goes sloooooowly in the middle. Sad, Sad. And man, Havarl is just madness… with all that vegetation. I can heard my computer swearing at me.

I hope some day I will buy a better computer, or upgrade this one to replay this game.

Spoilers Ahead

About the game and my impressions.

So far I've gone, I spent like 50 hours in this painful experience.

Got 100% viability of Eros, Havarl and Voeld, and now I've visited Aya to talk with people around and be bbf with Evfra, but senpai is so mistrustful haha.

Fist the first: who the fucking shit suggested to give us a fucking Mako?? I lose so much time trying to go somewhere with this shitty vehicle with crazy directions and being a total bullshit to climb a land a bit steep. Argh!!!. I’m so angry with this shit. More considering you can’t go, like in DAI, without the fucking horse and enjoy the view and the banter while walking. No, you have ice or radiation AND lag as fuck to worry about. Meh.

About companions?. Hey, I knew already who were going to be of my like: Jaal and Vetra. Vetra is just so… awww. The way she open her … thigns beside her jaw. Little precious badass Vetra. **Smooch**.

I don't get along much with the humans. Cora reminds me soooo much of Casandra and the disappointment of coding a straight char as a lesbian. She even has hard crushes on the Asari, but hey… no girls. When Asari are… you know, blue women.

Gil is weird. I don't know if I like him or not. Most of the time I don't get what he is talking about. But I truly love his interaction with Kallos. I think that, being in my Pathfinder's shoes, I would stress a lot more about those two, because this is not only theoretical disagreement. Man, Gil makes modifications in the core of the ship and then Kallos undoes that…. That's pretty dangerous!!! fuckers. Stop playing with our ship like kindergarten children!.

Liam is another char I don't know much what he talks about. He is specialist in crisis, and I thought it was something related to crisis in battlefield. I didn’t see any of that. Then I thought he was kind of psychologist working with the stress of the crew, which could make sense with all his suggestions to make the crew work in a smooth way… but man, he is more stressed than anyone else – well, probably not as much as Gil -

Peebe is a meh so far. I'm a bit tired of Asadi, I guess.  I wanted Liara's father. A Half-krogan Asadi would be much better.

Vetra, I love her. I'm waiting for Reyes to check, otherwise, I will go with Vetra. She got my real-life-heart already.

:( Jaal being straight is another disappointment. Well, not much. I mean, I usually don't like to romance Aliens. It feels weird to me. Like… I love Vetra but… gurl, I can't caress you, that exoskeleton of you is so turning off, lol. Plus, you may give me a deadly allergic reaction. Less tempting.

But well, Jaal should be bisexual. I mean, all aliens willing to go into a relationship with a human should be, because as I said before, if you are into aliens, what the fuck bothers you a gender that may not follow your species' rules?. Gender across species is completely useless, because culturally and socially, different species have different perceptions. But well, there you got your highly repulsion towards gay relationships. Mass effect has been always known by that. (cough cough, ME1, ME2, and barely fixed in ME3)

Jaal being so open and free with emotions could be a nice thing to see in a gay relationship. It would be fresh air.

Suvi makes me irk. This is completely biased of my part, I know, but man… I detest creationists. One thing is to believe in something, even though you respect science. Another thing is mixing both just to fit your beliefs (something that nowadays it's such a sensitive topic). Like creationists.  

They lack of real understandment of how science works and how evolutions works. And the worst of it is the fact that she is a scientist. Not that I never heard about scientists with beliefs. I know a bunch of them, but they do not go to say this thing of “God is who created everything. I explain him because everything is so perfect, and perfection can't exist without a creator”. Like.. no. First, what we know of the world is that clearly it's not perfect. (Check DeGrasse Taylor's video on youtube talking about the stupid design of the life. It's a gem.) The good things that we see today it did it ONLY through natural process: if you can survive, you sum points into the evolution scale. You can't survive?, die. Stop  spreading your failed genes. Simple as that. Nothing of “perfection” exists here. It's basically “natural eugenics”.

But well, probably some people would like her. I feel so lack of options when talking with Suvi that I can't deal with her. Like… c'mon, I've got this conversation thousand of times, and my arguments are not even here to choose!!. hahaha. So annoying I am.

Plus, Bioware is always so worried about the “butch lesbian” stereotype, but they give a fuck about the “mystical cherry lipstick lesbian” stereotype. PFFFFFT. Another lesbian char that disappoints me :( so far. Beside, extra negativity to her because she lags like hell when I talk to her… it seems her hair has a lot of rending and my computer hates her. Haha.

Drack is so lovely. I loved 2 krogans in ME series: Wrex and this one. Besides, I feel that Drack allows you to explore a nice bound that we don't see much in videogames: the grandpa/granddaughter relationship. I still don't know how his loyal mission goes, but.. he is so wise and… you can feel his years in the way he speaks, but also that gentleness that comes from a grandparent. I love him.

Man, about the ketts and the remmants. I don't know. I feel everything is reapers.

The ketts are like a cult to reapers, to that “superior one” that the Archor itself has to follow. It seems.

Remmants looks like ancient AI, in vaults UNDER the ground. This sounds to me “the seed we planted to harvest later”. Fucking reapers. There are also many suggestion all along the game related to “how weird people felt” once they were attacked by remmants. Like…. Indoctrination!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (playing a prequel makes you play it so full of biases t.t)

Also, Angara are SO fucking similar to Prothean. I wonder if they are not protheans that evolved in another way in Havarl. They even have prothean's sculptures all over the planet… like.. please, bring Liara here, I need to talk to her about this!.

And you also saw that thing of “remembering past lives”. This is the object that Javik used to have in his room, when he asks you what you would do if you would see all the past times, the dead people alive, the old ancient skies, all again but then, returning to reality, you would be shocked by it, because all that is gone. That's exactly what that “family heirloom” does. I'm totally convinced angara ARE protheans. A different evolved branch though.

Also… did you see that fucked reaper in Eos?. The one that came up from the ground?. Fuck shit. I put s settlement in Eos, as the game forces you, but now I regret it. That fucking reaper asshole is orbiting around Eos, SCANNING it!!! WTF!!!!

But well, I will continue playing all these days ahead and keep sharing my thoughts about this.

I need to find Reyes before Vetra got me completely (I want to see if Reyes is worthy a shot, probably I won't replay this game until I have a proper computer because lag is super painful), and I have no idea when or where I will find him.

I'm still in the quest of bringing hope to the Angara and working most of the time in 100% viability in the planets I can land. I've just  been allowed to go into Aya because I saves Moshae.

I hate to work (in real life lol) and break my beautiful daydream of playing without stop.  Haha.

I will sleep so bad these days.

#mea #mass effect #Me saying silly things about mass effect

[liaragaming]

Uncommon OC Questions

I finally finished this, and holy crap it’s 12 pages in my Word doc. This turned out to be a great character exercise to flesh out my characters Inan Lavellan, Abigail Hawke, and Liara Tabris. I even added a few questions that occurred to me while writing. I mostly did this for myself, but if you’re interested, you can find all questions under the cut. Original meme can be found here.

1. What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

Inan – She can sit still forever. She finds it very peaceful, especially after she becomes Inquisitor. She just cherishes those rare moments where she can take a breather. Bet her she couldn't sit still for days, and she will take you up on the challenge.

Abigail – She's a mover. She likes to get up and go. The only time she really sits still is when reading a book or getting a drink or just laying in bed with Fenris.

Liara – She really likes the sound of being able to sit still and do nothing. But an idle elf was always sure to draw suspicion from the humans in Denerim, and she's never allowed herself to make that mistake. Even after becoming a Warden, it's hard for her to shake the habit.  

2. How easy is it for your character to laugh?

Inan – Very easy. Humor is like a balm to her.

Abigail – there are days when laughter seems hard, but with her friends around it's very hard not to.

Liara – when she's comfortable and with the people she cares about, laughter comes very easily.

3. How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

Inan – just goes to bed, plops under those covers and that's the end of that.

Abigail – has trouble sleeping without someone with her (either Dog or Fenris).

Liara – she likes to stay up chatting with someone before she goes to sleep. If no one is available, she'll write in her diary. Both are ways for her to wind down.

4. How easy is it to earn their trust?

Inan – She's pretty willing to trust.

Abigail – She needs to get to know someone before she's able to fully trust them.

Liara – She's always hesitant around humans because of her negative experiences with them. But she finds as long as they don't prove to be an ass with their first impression, they're generally okay. Other than that trusting comes easily.

5. How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Inan – It's hard. She's generally pretty forgiving.

Abigail – One mistake and that's all it takes.

Liara – She understands the world is complicated and not everything's black and white. She can be understanding if not fully forgiving.

6. Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

Inan – flexible

Abigail – flexible

Liara – flexible

7. What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

Inan – The smell of lavender and finding halla really bring her back to her clan. For the most part, it's a comfort, but sometimes it's hard. She misses her family.

Abigail – Memories of Lothering are hard. They bring up everything that happened after, losing her father, her brother, and her mother. She doesn't like to think about it and prefers to keep herself focused on the present.

Liara – Talking with Alistair, Wynne, and Leliana reminds her of her friends and family back home. It's a good feeling, makes her feel like she keeps her family with her.

8. What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child?

Inan – She'd just wonder off sometimes because she felt like it. She likes being in the woods.

Abigail – She picked on Carver a lot when she was little. She liked reminding him she was oldest, especially as he liked to pretend he was.

Liara – She really liked to practice the knife skills her mother taught her and was told to stop many times.

9. Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

They all swear occasionally, Hawke perhaps a little more than the others. As for first words:

Inan - “Shit? Maybe?”

Abigail - “Fuck.” It wasn't it, but she's going to tell people it was.

Liara - “Does 'damn' count? Because it was most likely that.”

10. What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

Inan – The first year she was transferred to Clan Lavellan, she told people stories about her parents. It bothers her that she can't remember if those stories were lies or not. Mostly, she doesn’t think about because she has other family, but when her birth parents are brought up, it does bother her a little.

Abigail – There was something she said to Carver after their father died. She was trying to step into her father's shoes, be the head of the family, and Carver was trying to do the same and they butted heads. She doesn't remember her exact wording, but it was something about him being too selfish to be man of the house. It wasn't true. She was just frustrated, and upset, and angry. But she thinks Carver took it to heart, and she never got to apologize for it.

Liara – Lied many, many times about practicing with her mother's knives. She doesn't regret those as it meant she got to continue practicing, but looking back there were some risks it was foolish of her to take and she could have gotten a lot of people in trouble.

11. How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

Inan – she worries about keeping up appearances as the Inquisitor, so she will smile and nod and then later ask one of her companions, especially with instances where they're in Val Royuex and she doesn't understand what those people want.

Abigail – she will straight up tell people she doesn't understand or that they are not speaking clearly

Liara – she completely shuts down, especially around humans. She doesn't want to appear as the “dumb elf,” so she nods and then gets the heck out of there as quickly as possible. She doesn't even think to ask her friends for clarification, she just wants out of the situation.  

12. How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

Inan – She has to deal with it immediately in whatever way she can. If that means using her staff like a scratching post, she'll do it.  

Abigail – grits her teeth and ignores it

Liara – asks someone she's traveling with to scratch it

13. What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color? (changed to) What colors do they like to dress in?

Inan – likes to dress in earth tones.

Abigail – likes red or bold colors.

Liara – likes blue or soft colors.

14. What animal do they fear most?

Inan – Fade spiders

Abigail – “Do undead count?”

Liara – Blighted animals. At least Darkspawn look like their own species. It’s easy to forget they were once people before. But blighted animals remind her they used to be something else. She doesn't like encountering them.

15. How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

Inan – Will definitely rehearse with Josephine if she's meeting someone important for the Inquisition.

Abigail – just says whatever comes to mind. Life's too damn short to do otherwise.

Liara – She'll often rehearse when she's nervous about an important meeting or discussing uncomfortable topics, but she gets so nervous she usually forgets what she rehearsed anyway.

16. What makes their stomach turn?

Inan – Being with her people again and encountering their stories and traditions. There is so much she's learned that the Dalish don't know, and she can't just come out and tell them about Mythal or The Dread Wolf or the vallaslin. She's certain they wouldn't believe her, that they'll think being with the humans has changed her against them, especially since she had her own vallaslin removed. She loves encountering her people, but if myths and traditions come up in regards to stuff she knows and can't say, she will legitimately get sick to her stomach and have to excuse herself.

Abigail – necromancy

Liara – Thinking about the alienage where she grew up. She will always feel like she abandoned her people, that she didn't do enough to help them. Knowing the purge happened because of her actions, that Tevinter came and took people away, that friends and family died from sickness… she will always feel that was her fault. It’s difficult for her to go back there, and she mostly avoids it.

17. Are they easily embarrassed?

Inan – no

Abigail – no

Liara – yes

18. What embarrasses them?

Abigail – hearing about stupid stuff she did while drunk.

Liara – anytime she thinks she may have made a mistake or done something wrong.

19. What is their favorite number?

pass

20. If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Inan – romantic love is when you want to give someone every piece of you and receive every piece of them, platonic love is when you trust someone to always be there for you and you for them, familial is when you care for and respect someone enough to associate them with familial roles.

Abigail – romantic love is when you care for someone so much you want to know how well your bodies fit together, platonic love is when you care for someone a lot but don't want to see them naked, and familial love is when you may not like the person but care for them anyway.

Liara – romantic love is when you want to spend everyday of the rest of your life with someone, platonic is when you want to spend a lot of your time with someone, familial is when you love the people you were born to.

21. Why do they get up in the morning? 

Inan – because someone's gotta save the damn world, and shit it's her.

Abigail – isn't sure some days and just rolls over and pulls the covers over her head.

Liara - Leliana

22. How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? 

Abigail – seeing other women flirting with Fenris often has her either telling them off or stealing him away.

23. How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? 

Inan – seeing happy couples or Dalish clans makes her wistful and sad.

Abigail – seeing older adults happy with their parents or siblings makes her a sad/angry ball of frustration and she has to leave the area.

Liara – She envies people with expensive things, can't stop admiring them, and then she feels guilty about wanting those things.

24. Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom? 

Inan – she will freely discuss it with whomever if the topic comes up in conversation.

Abigail -  she'll talk about it with whoever, sometimes when no one asks.

Liara – she's comfortable talking about it with Leliana, but that's it.

25. What are their thoughts on marriage? 

Inan - “Would love to get married someday, but the man I love right now is trying to destroy the world, so...”

Abigail – “Would love to, but living on the run kinda puts a damper on things like that.”

Liara – “Would love to, but I don't know how many years I have, and with Leliana's role with the Chantry… I don't want to do anything that might reflect badly on her.”

26. What is their preferred mode of transportation? 

Inan - walking

Abigail – Anything but a boat. Maker, please.

Liara – whatever is going to carry her home fastest.

27. What causes them to feel dread? 

Inan – makes some internal joke about The Dread Wolf. Laughs to herself, then bursts into tears.

Abigail – undead, boats, and uncle Gamlen

Liara – darkspawn and demons

28. Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? 

Inan – “Always tell me the truth no matter how terrible. Always.”

Abigail – “I prefer the truth but sometimes… never tell me the odds. Just lie to me.”

Liara – “I'd rather my friends and family be honest.”

29. Do they usually live up to their own ideals? 

Inan – “I did let Celene die so I could Briala in charge. That was… well…”

Abigail – “You know… I think I did okay.”

Liara – “I did let Morrigan talk me into a ritual of questionable circumstances…”

30. Who do they most regret meeting? 

Inan – No one.

Abigail – “Well Bartrand and his expedition was a huge mistake. But where would I be if that hadn't happened? And Quentin – well, I had to find him to kill him, so… If I had never met Anders… I don't know… pick your poison, I guess.” 

Liara – “Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if Vaughan hadn't shown up at our wedding. But then I never would have met Leliana, and that was the best thing that ever happened to me, so...”

31. Who are they the most glad to have met? 

Inan - Solas

Abigail - Fenris

Liara - Leliana

32. Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? 

Inan – Throws in a story about some Dalish tradition that still holds meaning for her or someplace she's traveled.

Abigail – She's listened to some of the stories Varric tells about her. She usually uses one of those if she needs an ice breaker.

Liara - “A human walks to a tavern, and there's an elf there. And she says, 'I don't…' Well, I don't know how the rest of it goes. Oghren was too drunk to tell me, but I keep hoping I'll tell it and someone will know the rest.”

33. Could they be considered lazy? 

Inan – *glares*

Abigail – “Say that a little closer so I can punch you in the face.”

Liara – “I killed the archdemon. What more do you want from me?”

34. How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? 

Inan – she's usually able to shake it off, doesn't stop it from coming around again though.

Abigail – orders herself a dink or two, maybe three

Liara – usually needs Leliana to talk her out of it.

35. What do they feel guilty about and/or biggest regret? 

Inan – not being able to return to her clan as the person she once was.

Abigail – not being able to save her mother

Liara – not being able to do more for her alienage

36. How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? 

They are all usually very supportive, but they all have that one friend...

Inan – She's apprehensive whenever Sera comes to her excited about something but is usually supportive.

Abigail – She will never trust anything Anders comes to her for ever again. She’s always uncertain whenever Isabela comes to her.

Liara – Ogrhen always concerns her, but she tries to support him.

37. Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap? 

Inan – Mix of both. She makes her feelings known upfront, then allows the other person time and space to respond.

Abigail – She is pretty obvious in her advances and is not afraid to make them multiple times.

Liara – Literally had to wait for Leliana to confess her feelings before she so much as hinted about hers because she didn't think finding romance for herself was possible.

38. Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)? 

Inan – puts it to a Dalish song

Abigail – she asks Fenris. He's better at that sort of stuff.

Liara – writes it down and tries not to lose the paper.

39. What memory do they revisit the most often? 

Inan – She likes to think of the early Inquisition pre dragon attack. Things were simpler back then.

Abigail – A lot of memories are painful for her. She doesn't like to dwell. If she does think of the past, she thinks of time spent with Fenris or Bethany since they're still alive.

Liara – She likes to pull out her memories of the alienage. Not that it was always a happy place, but it was good enough to her and there were people who she cared about. Thinking back on it makes her feel like she's honoring the memory of what it once was and the people who were lost.

40. How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people?

Inan – as easy as it is for her to forgive them.

Abigail – Depends on how much she likes the person.

Liara – usually makes a point specifically of ignoring other people's flaws.

41. How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

Inan – sometimes when she's stressed, she gets snappy. She normally doesn't realize it until she offends someone, at which point she apologizes and goes find something to calm herself down.

Abigail – *flips two fingers*

Liara – Over sensitive. Second guesses herself a lot. Leliana has helped with that, though.

42. How do they feel about children? 

Inan – she loves children, and would love to have some someday or at least have some she's in charge of caring for.

Abigail – Part of her would love to have children. The other is terrified of having something else to lose.

Liara – Even if she could find a cure for the blight, she isn’t sure she wants them.

43. How badly do they want to reach their end goal? 

Inan – “Pretty damn fucking badly! What kind of question is that?!”

Abigail – “I'd just like to not have to deal with everyone's shit anymore and not have to worry about losing the people I care about. But how likely does that sound?” *Smiles through all of it*

Liara – “I want something I might not ever have, so I try not to think about it. Does that change how badly I want it?”

44. If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so? 

Inan - “I like men.”

Abigail - “Hmm. It would be easier if you suggest things, and then I'll tell you yes, no, or maybe.”

Liara - “I like women, and sometimes I like sex?” *shrugs*

45. What are their thoughts on religion? (I added this one) 

Inan – After Trespasser, she doesn't even know anymore. She's given up on the elven gods entirely and has replaced some of her oaths with Andraste-isms, such as “Maker!” instead of “Creators!” but she's not sure she believes in anything right now.

Abigail – She thinks she believes in the Maker or tries to. She doesn't believe in the Chantry's interpretation of the Maker. It's never sat right to her that the Chantry believed her sister had to be locked away. She will go to service sometimes though with Fenris if he asks.

Liara – she believes in Leliana and by extension supports her beliefs.

46. What are their thoughts on alcohol? What kind of drink do they like? Do they drink with friends or alone? What kind of drunk are they? (I added this one too)

Inan – Before the Inquisition, she only drank Dalish wines, which are floral based and consumed during celebrations. While with the Inquisition, she mostly drinks with her companions but would sometimes get a glass by herself just to relax. She still likes floral wines, but will try whatever Dorian recommends for her. She's developed a liking for a few signature Teventer wines.

Abigail – She goes lighter when she's out with friends as she's looking to have a good time and wants to remember it and not make a fool of herself. Alone though, she drinks whatever is strong enough to have an effect, usually because she's upset about something. She prefers hard liquors or ales.

She and Fenris will have casual drinks together, and sometimes they will get drunk with each other for the fun of it. They have discovered they cannot drink together when they are both upset. That ends very, very badly. So, they've made a pact not to do that. If one of them is drinking because they're upset, the other has to stay sober and make sure they don't do something stupid.

Liara – She sips whatever Leliana or another friend orders, then makes a note of the things she likes. Usually sweet things. She only drinks if she has someone to do with it. She doesn't really care for the effect, so she'll drink what she likes the taste of and stop when she starts feeling floaty.

47. Any scars or tattoos? (added)

Inan – Has a scar over her right eyebrow. It's not a very glorious tale. She was exploring the woods one day, tripped, and smacked her head on a rock hard enough to split the skin open.

Abigail – Has taken up getting tattoos for her family members. (I haven't decided what all of them are) She has something for her father, mother, Carver, and Bethany. She got something for Fenris too. She's debated about getting one for Gamlen but isn't sure what she'd choose for him or even if she wants to make that commitment. But she does throw the thought around.

Liara – Has various scars all over her hands and a few on her arms from dropping her knives repeatedly. Leliana likes to trace them with her fingertips.

#so long #so good though #dragon age #my ocs #abgail hawke #inan lavellan #liara tabris

[game-refraction]

Game Review: Mass Effect - Andromeda (PS4 Pro)

Right from the start, Mass Effect: Andromeda felt lazy. The shift to a whole new galaxy with the dream of exploring strange new worlds and interacting with elements never before seen in a Mass Effect game held such promise. This dream, however, never comes to fruition as Andromeda never attempts to carve new ground or offer us new gameplay experiences and plays it far too safe for its own good. While the game can certainly entertain, and the final few hours are nothing short of breathtaking, the journey there is filled with a mostly “been there done that” approach, not to mention the technical shortcomings that are apparent everywhere, no matter your platform.

Mass Effect: Andromeda sees you play as one sibling of the Ryder family, choosing either a male or female lead. This choice will mostly dictate your relationships in the game as I never felt that my choice as playing as a female Ryder had any weight to the core story or my interactions with characters throughout the journey. The character creation system is fairly bare bones and just attempting to craft anyone even remotely attractive was a chore that took me almost an hour from start to finish, mostly due to the fact you create both male and female siblings. Once I was fine with the customizing of the Ryder family I set forth to do my part in the Andromeda galaxy.

Andromeda begins on the Ark Hyperion, a ship containing thousands of individuals in cryostasis as they made their 600-year journey to the Andromeda galaxy, specifically the Helios cluster. Your Ryder character is brought out of cryostasis as you approach a golden world, a planet that is suitable for supporting a new way of life for those aboard the ship. Certain events occur early on when you find one of these supposed golden worlds and you suddenly become the Pathfinder, an individual charged with tracking down new locations that can play host to settling down new colonies. You are also gifted an AI called SAM that is crucial to the work the Pathfinder needs to do, and a relationship that offers new discoveries that will lead to the very survival of the Andromeda Initiative itself.

Eventually, you’ll gain control of your own ship and can traverse the Helios cluster to explore these strange new worlds and seek out new civilizations, but you’ll soon discover that this large open map is mostly a sham, giving you only a few select planet’s that you can actually explore and the vast majority is there just to scan for resources. When I found my first derelict ship I was heartbroken that I could only scan the vessel for resources instead of boarding the ship and seeing what dangers would await me. Sure, you’ll come across a few ships that you can actually board but those are mission specific and not part of any free-formed exploration. This large sprawling space map is made even worse by the excessive loading times of panning out from one planet to the next, and while a recent patch has made this a bit more bearable, the 60 hours I spent pre-patch would slow the game to a crawl when I would bounce from planet to planet to scan for resources. There are even a few side quests that involve tracking various things through space and they are the most tedious activities I’ve ever seen in a Mass Effect game.

As you explore the Helios cluster you’ll encounter the Nexus, a central hub that is designed as the port for other Ark’s containing various species like the Asari, Salarian, and more. It is here that you’ll discover that not everything about the Andromeda Initiative is going as planned and frankly, they are shocked when your Ark actually shows up. You’ll visit this location so often that it tends to lose its charm after a while and you begin to notice how lifeless this game can be. You’ll rarely see NPC’s walking about or doing anything constructive. Sure, you’ll see dozens of people standing around, but that’s it, they are just standing around. There is much talk in the game about how the people that are unthawed from cryostasis are specialists and are important to the Andromeda Initiative, but you’ll see the same guy sitting on the same couch for the entire game.

Once you are given the task to find new golden worlds to colonize, you’ll start to be able to set down outposts on planet’s that can support life. The first planet to allow you to do this is Eos, a planet covered in various levels of radiation. Eventually, you’ll discover the Nomad, a six-wheeled vehicle that can shield you from most of that radiation, but not all of it. The Nomad is a blast to drive around and a huge upgrade from the Mako from previous Mass Effect games. As you explore Eos you’ll discover the Remnant, a race of sentient robots that look to protect locations called vaults. These vaults are crucial in making planets viable for life and are unlocked by solving sudoku style puzzles that can become fairly tedious to solve after a while. The vaults are large sprawling locations that are very enjoyable dungeon-like experiences with a few puzzle mechanics thrown in here and there. When a vault has been completed you will start to see the planet’s environmental hazards lessen and this is true on every planet you’ll visit that contains a vault. This will then open up more of the planet to explore after a while and give you more to do. I did find it odd that you only ever set up one outpost per planet despite the sheer size of said planet. I would have loved the ability to scan the planet from space and set down outposts on sections of the surface that showed high concentrations of certain resources, even if I couldn’t visit them. I feel this would have made the Andromeda Initiative feel more productive than what the game currently offers.

It was going to be impossible for a new protagonist to rightfully follow in the footsteps of Commander Shepard, and they more or less did an ok job here with Ryder. With the removal of the paragon and renegade system to dictate the path of your Ryder, the changes here are small differences in dialogue, but this system tends to fall flat. Ryder just isn’t consistently interesting and the dialogue doesn’t always convey what is actually said when picking certain options. There is even a dialogue choice with Suvi later on where both responses mean the exact same thing. This fumble with the dialogue system makes Ryder feel less like your own creation and more like a scripted strict-canon character. There are some strong moments with Ryder that make me hopeful the character gets better treatment the next time around.

The original Mass Effect games contained some of the most memorable and compelling characters of any video game franchise. Characters like Garrus, Tali, Liara, Mordin, and Thane, were just amazing and I could easily spout out half a dozen more. Even side characters that you couldn’t equip to your squads were impressive and felt like real people, fleshed out with well-written dialogue and believable interactions. Andromeda just doesn’t compare with even some of the series more bland characters and easily has the worst cast of the entire franchise. There are Cora and Liam who are by the book generic human characters who rarely have anything worth saying and never made me care about them at all. The Turian, Vetra Nyx, started off really impressive but started to fade and become less interesting the further the game went on. Nakmor Drack is the typical grizzled old Krogan and echo’s much of what we’ve seen before with a Krogan companion. I will say that Nakmor paired with certain people on a mission can result in some fun and often hilarious conversations, especially about a certain someone’s parentage.

The last two members of the team are Jaal and Peebee and are the only two characters that really stood out for me. Jaal is an Angara, one of the new races of aliens you will encounter in your travels. While he can feel written like this game’s version of Javik from Mass Effect 3, he becomes our window into the Angara race and one of the more interesting parts of the game. Peebee, however, stole the show for me and joins the ranks of characters like Jack, Mordin, and Thane. I flat out loved Peebee and she was never removed from my party since I first gained access to her. I’ve loved the oddball female companions in the past few Bioware games like Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition as characters like Merrill and Sera brought a somewhat fresh personality to an often bland genre. Peebee was fun, often hilarious and I would literally hang on her every word. She’s interested in alien tech and this can lead to many great discoveries like a little alien robot that can be added to your attack skills and can act as a fourth member of your three man team.

You also have a few other companions on the ship that serve as the remainder of your crew. There’s Kallo, Suvi, Gil, and Dr. Lexi T’Perro. These few characters can have a lot to say and can be fairly entertaining from time to time. There are Gil and Kallo’s arguments over the repairs to the ship, or Lexi’s constant reminder for you to watch your health, not to mention she’s voiced by Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer, who is just amazing here. I would have romanced Suvi as her accent is just to die for, but the final romance scene with her is just beyond disappointing. While many characters are able to be romanced in the game, complete with some very revealing scenes, there are so few characters that get the attention they deserve and it becomes very apparent that Bioware had clear favorites and spent far more time on a few characters than spreading the love around.

The main threat this time around is the Kett, a race with an origin deeply tied to the core narrative of the game. While the Kett can be an imposing threat and attack in large numbers, the basic design of them is lacking and not as well conceived as prior series villains. The Archon, for example, has a face that is almost hilarious to look at and I couldn’t help but smirk when we are first introduced to the character. Thankfully, it’s only the basic unit Kett and the Archon that suffer from a mediocre design as the remaining Kett all look rather impressive and look and feel threatening. I thought the way that the Kett were used here with regards to the story to be a refreshing change from the previous trilogy and with how the game wraps up, I’m eager to see what is in store for them in the future.

I also found it rather odd that when you meet the Angara for the first time that it is this huge deal and a rather important moment in the history of their race, but it never delves much into the fact that they are meeting not only humans but Asari, Krogan, Salarian and more, all at once. The game just sorts of skims over it like we are not supposed to focus on that and just move on with the story being told.

Despite several bland characters and some recycled game mechanics from previous entries, the combat here is absolutely fantastic and the best the series has seen so far. Each encounter is thrilling and fast paced and with the added use of a jet pack, it offers some interesting ways to combat the likes of the Remnant, Kett and the odd group of Scavengers. The combat isn’t completely revolutionary as it does feel like a more finely tuned version of what we had in Mass Effect 2 and 3. You have various Biotic skills and abilities to hotkey for instant use in a crucial moment of survival, or simply to just pick up an enemy with pull and then slingshot them over the edge of a mountain with your push ability. You can swap shoulders quick enough and can equip various guns that you’ll either find, buy or craft with blueprints and resource items you track down, each with varying levels of rarity. The jet pack allows you to dodge left or right rather quickly, or take to the skies in a temporary moment of vulnerability. You can also equip various melee weapons like Asari swords or the large, but slow, Krogan hammers. I never tired of the combat and the Remnant and Kett always had a trick or two up their sleeve to make battles intense and action packed. The game also uses a dynamic cover system that works without a button press and it can be a bit hit and miss in its execution.

You are equipped with a scanner that you’ll frequently use to scan various pieces of tech, vegetation, and organic life. These scans, as well as a few other methods, are the way you’ll unlock points to buy blueprints for new armor and new weapons, as well as augments needed to make them more powerful. There are various categories of goods to craft that each visually look impressive and have stats that can work towards your playstyle. Once I had enough points in my Remnant research I crafted a whole Remnant set that looked incredible and the guns were as equally impressive, not to mention you get to rename your creations. You can also change the color of the armor anytime you want in Ryder’s quarters aboard your ship, something I didn’t know until a few dozen hours into the game. The materials needed for crafting are easy to come by as long as you are paying attention while you explore. It’s not a drastically deep system but it functions well enough to be useful. You’ll also unlock perks that give you more inventory space and the ability to earn research points faster and more efficiently. I did find that inventory space was way too small as a maximum 60 items was just downright pitiful, but thankfully the game’s latest patch improves that to 200 items and makes collecting a set of each armor more realistic.

I’ll point out as well that despite the cool looking armor and guns that you can equip to Ryder, none of it can be equipped to your teammates, making them box-art perfect for the entire experience. You don’t even get a new flashy look if you complete their Loyalty quests. During combat, you can give them targets, but you cannot instruct them to use their powers in ways that you deem fit. I found the AI to be lacking and they’d stick fairly close to you unless you pressed the left or right of the d-pad and gave them targets to focus on. Thankfully, you can upgrade their own skills should you want a certain character to have access to certain skills or particular stat increases.

Accepting side quests and completing missions is as it has always been in a Mass Effect game. You’ll talk with your crew between missions to unlock their loyalty quests, various NPC’s standing around on planet hub’s that need something done, and important markers on the map that show which quest is active. The main core missions are well designed and very entertaining, but the side quests are what vary in quality and can drag down the experience here. There’s a side quest early on where you track down the truth behind a murder that while fun in execution, has a complete blunder of a resolution and that seems to happen for a lot of the side quests here. Each time a quest would see me travel from planet to planet or scan the various planet’s in the cluster would see me roll my eyes and let out a few choice curse words. There are, however; several side quests that take place entirely on the planet that are extremely well designed and thoroughly fun that I wish there had been more like them and less of the fetch quests that artificially make the game longer.

Multiplayer is back here and feels very much akin to what was offered the last go-around. You join a team of a few players and battle wave after wave until the dropship comes in and picks you up. You’ll level up various classes that have a specific set of equipment and skills and use those characters to earn points to unlock reward chests in the hopes of unlocking new gear, items and cross your fingers, more characters. I’ve played a few rounds as I already knew what to expect and it can be a solid good time with a group of friends, but I do feel it lacks staying power in its current form.

There has been much talk about the visuals in Andromeda and I’ll get the good out of the way first as the game is a pretty mixed bag. Environments look solid and planets like the ice covered Voeld or the jungle filled Havarl are gorgeous to look at and explore. Each location is packed full of detail and even large open areas like the deserts of Elaaden are interesting to explore, even if some structures on the map feel generically placed here and there. The creatures and non-humanoid aliens are remarkable and species like the Krogan and Salarian look really impressive. I found that differences between the PS4 Pro and Xbox One versions were that the Pro delivered better visuals for the environment and small subtle things for characters and their clothes, but nothing really drastic that makes one clearly better over the other, but for graphical purists, stick with the Pro version for now.

The game, however; fails to impress when you are dealing with any humanoid characters like the Asari and well, humans themselves. Before the current patch, eyes looked awful and characters had awkward stares and looks of disinterest or shock. Facial animations are also lackluster and in some cases, painful to watch. I’ve had small moments that were meant to be touching and heartfelt ruined because the characters arms were flailing around or they had no eyelids because of some sort of glitch. I’ve had characters drop from the sky when I would exit the Nomad to my companions walking through walls or falling into the floor. There were several times that I would see textures failing to load (see picture) or kept loading during an entire conversation. There were several times that I would shoot a single enemy and multiple more enemies would just suddenly appear to phase out of him, it’s bizarre to see. I’ve seen videos on Youtube of characters curling into a pretzel or crab walking up stairs, essentially what I am saying is this is not a polished game in any regard and feels like a step back from even Mass Effect 3.

Voice acting is pretty decent but somewhat hit and miss in several areas. I only found a few characters to really stand out and come off as providing a strong effort. I was also disappointed in Ryder, as while my experience with the game was as a female Ryder, I felt she lacked an authoritative voice like that of female Shepard in the previous trilogy. The gender of the Ryder you don’t pick is somewhat present in the game and you get a good amount of dialogue from them as well, giving me an idea of what a male Ryder would have sounded like, and man does he ever sound like Nolan North, which he isn’t by the way. Characters like Peebee, Lexi, Suvi, and Sloane Kelly were easily my favorite and it was really interesting to hear so many female Krogan as well. Bioware usually is heads and shoulders above the industry when it comes to voice acting, but Andromeda felt like a step back with what we usually expect from the studio.

Despite my issues with the game, and my god there are issues, I still enjoyed the core gameplay elements of Mass Effect: Andromeda. The story is ok at times and it wasn’t until you-know-what hits the fan that the game really got interesting and I was thoroughly enjoying myself. The first half of the game has some awful dialogue and piss-poor writing but that tends to go somewhat away after a few hours until the fan fiction level of quality rears its ugly head again from time to time. Andromeda definitely has the weakest cast of the series with only a small handful of them really being a solid effort put forth by Bioware and that translates into the effort I feel was put towards much of the other elements in the game. Andromeda is beyond glitchy and made me question if this game had even been play-tested at all. While the studio is hard at work correcting and fixing most-if-not-all of these glitches, that first impression is a sour taste for sure. Exploration can be enjoyable but I can’t help shake the feeling of it being semi-scripted in many ways. Mass Effect: Andromeda is a fun, but vastly flawed game that provides the bare minimum effort needed for it to feel like a new entry in the Mass Effect series while not offering us much of anything new. I enjoyed my time exploring vaults with Peebee as she’d talk about her family and the fact that her dad is a.. well, I guess you’ll just have to find out yourself.

Mass Effect: Andromeda was reviewed with a retail copy of the PS4 Deluxe Edition and played on a Playstation 4 Pro and all screenshots were taken via the share function via twitter. Xbox One comparisons were based on observations of the game being played.

as for that Pretzel animation? Enjoy.. or cringe.. either way..

Game Review: Mass Effect – Andromeda (PS4 Pro) was originally published on Game-Refraction