As a genuine fan of the first 2 mass effect titles, and after the mass effect 3 let down, I didnt have high expectations for Andromeda. I'm very glad that I decided to play it despite all the negative reviews. Maybe the reason why some reviewers gave such outrageously low scores is that they had expected to see a traditional mass effect game.
I have played the game for approximately 40 hours and actually cant stay away from it. It offers the same things that I liked about the Mass Effect series such as a good Sci Fi Story, characters, rpg elements, exploration, combat and choices.
Andromeda is a very ambitious game. It takes exploration to a whole new level with huge worlds that are beautiful, open, and immersive. I completely disagree with reviewers that said that Mass Effect is not a good platform for an open world. In fact it's exactly what I had wished for when I was playing the previous titles; to be free to explore and maybe get into trouble while doing so.
The action, while lacking the strategic control of your squad is still better than any previous mass effect title. Enemy AI is decent and can flank and take cover, etc.
The story is pretty good and the idea of exploring a new galaxy is very appealing. Voice acting and the writing is generally good but not as great as we've come to expect from Bioware. My Ryder character is a female and I dont like her voice or dialog or constantly referring to her parents as 'Mom' and 'Dad' like she's a teen. Facial animations definitely need some work but overall the textures are sharp and Andromeda is a nice looking game.
The Nomad is responsive and is fun to drive. This is a huge accomplishment in itself. Other than GTA, very few games have done a great job with the driving feel/physics. Compared to 'watch dogs', 'mafia', 'saint's row' etc. the Nomad feels better and more natural. Wish there were weapons on it though.
The main missions are long and the environments are immersive and detailed; kind of remind me of dragon age. While there are a bunch of repetitive side missions and tasks, they are not mandatory. The main missions however have good stories, settings and action.
The nexus while better than the citadel is still not a really happening place and I feel that they could've done a lot more with it. how about some mini games and activities? real poker? a decent club with shady characters and dancers.
I feel like Andromeda has a lot of missed opportunities and lacks the polish we've come to expect from Bioware but it's usually the publisher's fault when a game is released too early.
Not sure why there's this much hate for this game. I had just re-played mass effect 2 a few months ago and believe me it's very flawed. I also had romanticized the series for all these years and based on my initial impressions. Maybe if they treat it as if it's not a Mass Effect game, they'd give it a better score.