N7 day was fruitful for Mass Effect fans, as Mass Effect: Andromeda officially got a big reveal trailer, along with a bunch of other news about the game. It started off when Best Buy leaked some details of Mass Effect: Andromeda on their site earlier on, and Bioware released more information throughout the day.
The main event for N7 day was the official Mass Effect: Andromeda cinematic trailer, showing off the game's frostbite engine in action with what are likely in-game cutscenes. The trailer itself gives us a look at the male protagonist this time, as well as a hint of what may be the new big bad alien race at the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyZw_oqk7Q8
The trailer itself doesn't reveal a whole of new information, but it is the second trailer, the first of a series of "Andromeda Initiative" trailers, that does. To help with this theme of recruitment, the official website has set up an Andromeda Initiative section for potential players to "join up" on the trek to the Andromeda Galaxy, complete with a series of videos detailing every aspect of the game in the coming months. The first video, titled Orientation, is also found there, and players willing to sign up through an EA account, and view all six videos in the coming months, will be given an in-game item, the Pathfinder Grade Helmet.
Several backstory details are revealed about Mass Effect: Andromeda, starting with backstory on the Andromeda Initiative. According to the narrator, Jeanne Garsen, the Initiative was formulated in the year 2176, and is a civilian, multi-species project that is designed to send scientists, colonists, and explorers to the Andromeda Galaxy, in what is described as a one-way trip. The goal of the program is to establish a permanent presence in the Andromeda Galaxy, and in the future create a reliable route between it and the Milky Way.
What is curious is also the wording of the orientation, describing the fact that multiple, powerful benefactors are lending their support to the Initiative, which has since grown in scope since it's inception. We also learn that the Ark ships; the main transports being sent to Andromeda, leave in the year 2185, the same year as the events of Mass Effect 2. In total there are also four Ark ships, each harboring a separate species from the game (with the other three already hinted at as being Asari, Salarian, and Krogan) and the main ship, the Nexus.
We also learn the names of the Ryder family through both the videos and other discussions out there. The original Pathfinder for the ship Hyperion is Alec Ryder, an N7 marine and the father of the two protagonists of Mass Effect: Andromeda, Scott and Sarah Ryder. Alec is an Alliance veteran and one of the first men to discover the Mass Effect relays back in 2149.
Finally, the Initiative video hints at what the next videos in the series will showcase, including an overview of the Arks and Nexus, weapons and firearms, establishing colonies and finally, first contact protocols for sentient life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjfIPkv4WDY
One final detail is about the Nomad, the new Mako vehicle for the game, which also got a separate leak of it's own, a die-cast remote car model that was revealed by Gamespot. The remote control version of the Nomad will go to retail for $200, comes equipped with a camera and can be driven using Wi-Fi support and a mobile app. Interestingly enough, this remote control car does come with a steelcase book for the Mass Effect: Andromeda disk, but no game itself. There is also a $100, non-remote controlled version of the Nomad, and a $10 mini die-cast model available as well.
In addition to all of this, a new interview by Game Informer also sheds light on more details regarding the game. The story will involve the Hyperion, where all of its passengers will be left under cryo-stasis for 600 years, losing contact with the other Arks in Andromeda, while the human crew meets with a new sentient lifeform known as the Kett, who call Andromeda their home. Most of the information there also focuses on talking points by BioWare creative director Mac Walters, who discusses how the game brings back loyalty missions from Mass Effect 2. This time around though, the missions are not required to complete the game but are instead side content for players to pursue.
“The big difference between this and ME2, where you did a loyalty mission and that all impacted the ending, is that they’re much more optional in this case,” stated Walters. “If you don’t want to engage with them, you don’t have to. If you want engage with them after the critical path is done, you can do that.”
IGN also goes into more detail about the Kett and the Nomad, including some of the possible side content that will be seen in the game on the many planets players will be able to explore, such as the desert planet Elaaden, including side missions, mini-bosses on the planet, and mysterious vaults to unlock.
Other big game changes are also discussed, including automatic cover and the use of the jetpack, which is now taking the place of a combat roll, and the control scheme focusing on an "action-oriented" style that is no longer "pausing and aiming with the wheel up." according to producer Fabrice Condominas. Character customization is also more free-form, with players being able to mix and match abilities without assigning Ryder to a specific class, although players who specialize in certain sets of skills get additional bonuses. Finally, the dialogue system will no longer use the Paragon or Renegade system, removing the binary system and replacing it with a tone system instead.
All in all, N7 day was very fruitful for Mass Effect fans. The official release date for Mass Effect: Andromeda was not released, but the game is slated for a Spring 2017 timetable for the PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
What do you think about all of this info for Mass Effect: Andromeda? Leave your comments below.
