2) A Story, First And Foremost
Why is there such an obsession with multiplayer? I don’t understand why it needs to be shoehorned into every game we play — especially one of this ilk. The story of Shepherd – and now the Ryders – is about exploration, the delight of discovery and untold tales of a galaxy far, far away…
The series has never done multiplayer well, frankly, and it’s always seemed like a concession to the suits upstairs rather than a real addition to improve the single player experience. More galling than that, though, is the way Mass Effect 3 handled the synthesis of the two, initially forcing you to take part in its online modes in order to access all the endings in the campaign proper (until the Extended Cut DLC landed, anyways). For those who didn’t want to — or didn’t have an internet connection — things became a lot trickier.
In Andromeda, let’s hope for multiplayer that actually makes sense within the framework of the story. Or none at all.