On March 21, “Mass Effect Andromeda” was released on XBOX ONE, PS4, and PC. Can it stand among its predecessors as a new chapter in legendary franchise?

Well, to be honest, no. I don’t believe the game is as great as the previous three games, but at the same time it’s not as bad as people perceive it to be. Yes the game is riddled with technical bugs, which makes people question why they spend $60 on new games, anyway. But at the same time, the game contains features that make it a pleasant experience.

The new open world style areas of the game are just some of the most beautifully designed areas in any “Mass Effect” game. These areas feel so organic and real it’s as if the player is actually there in person, with the sound resonating crisply as the wind blows around you. It gives the sense of being an actual pioneer, exploring and making discoveries for the first time on new foreign planets. The home base also gives the feeling that your decisions matter; it changes and grows based on what choices you make in the game.

However, the same can’t be said for the character models and some design choices. The characters’ facial animations range from not total garbage to absolute nightmare. I can’t take these character models seriously. They feel unpolished, which is just unacceptable for a AAA development team. Granted, it was the C division, the new programmers, who designed the game, but still. The game also suffers with texture and frame rate issues on consoles, and the draw distance takes a hit from the lack power. Similar issues are also report on the PC version, but patches are being made to fix them.

The gameplay is a completely different story, however, and it feels as if this was the primary focus for the developers. This is the biggest plus to Mass Effect Andromeda—the combat is the punchiest, most fast paced, and most fluid I have experienced in any “Mass Effect” game. The guns rev like motors as they fire away, and the Biotic Arm can be used in impactful ways as well. You can also map your abilities to the left and right bumpers of your controller, making the use of abilities fast to keep the game in motion.

Although not as great as the original trilogy, the story for “Mass Effect: Andromeda” is decent enough to hold its own. It wouldn’t be fair to compare the whole epic tale of “Mass Effect” games one through three to “Mass Effect: Andromeda,”  but what can you expect from a game written in the same literal universe?

What I can say about the story without spoiling too much is this. Before the events from the first “Mass Effect” game, a group of humans and aliens were selected to be launched to the Andromeda Galaxy. They were put in cryosleep for about six hundred years; gameplay—and trouble—begins when you wake up as the leader of the expedition.

All in all, “Mass Effect: Andromeda” is not a bad game, to say the least. It does suffer from technical flaws, but if you look past these flaws you will find a very enjoyable game.