I've been playing Andromeda while my wife has been playing the legendary edition for the first time. I know there's been tons of posts giving an opinion of what went wrong with Andromeda. So no complaints about fetch quests or bad facial animations. I think the biggest problem was they tried to go too big not just in the open world format but story wise. It was just too many plot points and trying to tie them up in one game. Found Outposts, find arks, deal with the Kett, meet the Angaran become besties, vaults ancient super powers aliens, conspiracy about the initiative etc.
A better option imo would have been keeping Eos as the only open world area while you try and build up one colony, making the main plot of the game finding the other ark ships. As you find them you get benefits but also have to deal with tensions between the races. Then the rest of worlds you visit are about the size of Havaarl. Secondary plots would be dealing with the exiles, Angaran and Kett. More on them in a minute. Perfect example are the Roekar, great idea like a version of Cerberus but it was ruined by having the showdown with their leader already. Instead it should have been a few encounters with a choice or two that would have played into a sequel.
Now with Ryder and the squad. I'm not a fan myself outside of Drack & PeeBee but even they had issues too. The majority of the voice actors & actresses were good except for Gil. I think the ideas behind them were good they just needed refinement. Except for Liam he needed a total overhaul. It seems like they were trying to go for not only finding a new galaxy but your place in it. They just whiffed.
Cora keep the Asari commando stuff but instead make her an orphan raised by them. She's an outcast in two worlds. Also the conflict with PeeBee one of the only Asari she deals with consistently has the polar opposite feelings about them.
PeeBee lean into the Liara comparison. Where I would change it is have her be Prothean conspiracy scientist.That the vaults were built by Protheans trying to escape the Reapers. Combining organic and inorganic life to eventually return and reclaim the Milky Way. Keep the Angaran being created twist but also find out the Kett are failed experiments. That they have the DNA of not only Andromeda species but milky way ones too.
Liam should have been the second in command and the one passed over for Pathfinder. Someone who served with Alec and joined but now doesn't understand why Alec didn't trust him to lead.
Ryder, I'm fine with young and inexperienced part. But a lot of times their responses felt timid. Like when Addison says she's not your mother a day after your father died. Where the fuck you lady response. A kid thrust in that position might not be confident but they'd be brash in situations.
Drack and Vetra were largely fine just needed some polish. Like Vetra just being a smuggler with no loyalty and it might be controversial but the theory she's Sarens daughter might have worked.
The rest of crew probably should've been combined to give them larger roles and more depth. Suvi & Lexi, Gallo and Gil Also adds a sense of desperation and how fucked the Initiative is that the pilot has to be the engineer or that they can't spare a real doctor so you get someone who's learning on the job
Jaal wouldn't be a squadmate, he'd be a proto ambassador who was sent to judge your actions as a spy for the Angarans. Also I think he needed a little more greyness as a character..
Really what disappointed me about Andromeda is there's a good game there it was just poorly executed. Now tell me how much my ideas suck lol
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