Multiplayer
It’s safe to say that not a lot of people were looking forward to Mass Effect 3 having multiplayer. Traditionally single-player games have had it tacked on before, with all the indications of being a forced addition, and it didn’t seem like the sci-fi action RPG was a good fit for that. Surprisingly, the four player co-op won a lot of players over with its fast gameplay and compelling rewards system. With nearly every key species in the series history covered under the different classes–how did we get to be a Volus, but not a Hanar?–and a ton of free content, even the most staunch folks against the idea of multiplayer were won over.
Thankfully, it’s making a comeback in Mass Effect: Andromeda. It won’t be as intimately tied to the single-player as it was in ME3, which is either good or bad, depending on your point of view. Still, you and three friends will be performing missions all across the new galaxy. Unlike in the previous games, your powers and abilities all run on individual timers rather than the same one (this mechanic applies to the single-player as well), which will no doubt be invaluable during those Gold tier missions. The blind card packs from last time return, along with a store that sells limited time loot that rotates frequently. If Andromeda’s multiplayer is anywhere near as fun as ME3’s, that’s all we can hope for. The beta has sadly been canned, but the fact that DLC will be free yet again heals some of the pain.
Having gotten a chance to play it at PAX East this past weekend, we can indeed confirm that the fun in Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer has transferred over to Andromeda. If you were worried about that, you don’t need to after you’ve read our thoughts on it.
