So, I started playing this in the lull between game releases since it was on EA access, and it's not all bad. The good parts are the settings, vistas if you will, and the combat. If it wasn't for how much fun the combat is and how cool the settings look I wouldn't have gotten very far. The bad parts are the character animations and the writing. I'm only 3/4's the way through the game, but I think that's enough to do a decent review. Not that anyone cares at this point.
Writing:
The thing I keep asking myself is why they moved to Andromeda if these are the stories they're going to tell? It's a complete waste of the setting. Even the big bad is just a knock off of the reapers. It's like someone had a cool idea how make a new Mass Effect game that gets away from Shepherd and the Reapers, then they passed that idea off to some incompetent writers who could only copy themes from the original Mass Effect. A complete waste of the new galaxy setting. Last night I was doing quests out of a bar that's just like Afterlife, doing the same kinda quests. We're in a new galaxy, doing the same shit. Why bother with the new galaxy at all?
And The stories around the new species are a hodgepodge of nonesense. They're supposed to be a species war weary resistance fighters, on the edge, fighting a brutal war with the bad guys, but too many of the stories are generic BS that doesn't make any sense. Also, They're so ugly it's distracting.
I played as derpface and her responses to a lot the things in the game don't make any sense. And there's absolutely no nuance in the choices. For instance you have to decide on the fate of a guy who was charged with murder, but he didn't actually commit murder because the guy he was trying to kill was killed by someone else a few seconds before he could kill him. So, the guy is innocent, and your chose is to let him free because he's innocent or wrongly exlie him. These writers apparently don't know anything about attempted murder being a crime, or malicious intent in general. Everything is black and white with no grey areas. These people are supposed to be on the edge of exploration, on their own. And they're acting like it's business as usual at the Citadel. The people who wrote this game are inexperienced or just bad writers.
Characters:
The character stories have ranged from almost good to disappointing. The Turian(Vetra) and the Krogan(Drack) are the best companions by far. Cora is an asari wanna be. Liam is your generic white dudebro character, but in this game he's black, so score one for being progressive. Peebee, is actually not as annoying as the trailer made her out to be, but she's pretty obnoxious. I will say that she's much better than her Dragon Age Inquisition equivalent Sara. And finally, Jaal is just boring. The companion quests are entirely forgettable.
Character Models and Movement:
The models are pretty bad. They never fixed botox face, and talking to her is unintentionally hilarious. The worst of it is the new species, the angaran. They look like cross between a twi'lek from star wars and a goat that should have been aborted. The orignal trilogy game and unique and interesting races, and this is the freakshow they create for the new game.
Vistas:
They're amazing. It's everything I'd want from a space scifi game.
Combat:
It's the same as previous games only with a vertical and side jet pack thrust, which is really fun. Playing a biotic space wizard is as OP in this game as it is in the previous game.
Final verdict is a 3/5. The gameplay and vistas carry the game. If you're the type to skip cutscenes and story you might enjoy this game, and it's free with EA access right now.