First of all, I have to say that I bought the game months after its release. Having completed my first playthrough in 2017 and playing as male Ryder for 90 hours, I was extremely excited. This was due to the hype I had at that time. The game had a problematic production stage, as the team within BioWare that took over did not have experience. In 2020, during quarantine, I decided to play it again on insanity mode and see how the female protagonist was written, dedicating another 60 hours just to the main story. The game had a very good and entertaining combat system, which is its strong point. The graphics are still very beautiful and impressive in certain areas. I would say the story is mediocre to good, but that's because the main antagonist was too generic and lacked substance. We don't learn their motivations, but it was left open for a possible continuation, considering the role of their race in the Andromeda galaxy. Most of the characters, especially the companions, are well-written, but if there's one thing I have to point out, it's that after two playthroughs, the female protagonist has better voice acting and seemed better written. When the game was released, it had many bugs, but I don't remember encountering any at that time. However, despite all the patches, there are still some that may appear. The game is good on its own, but compared to the previous Mass Effect games, I can say it is inferior. It's unfair to compare it in terms of story because the game was intended to have at least one continuation, but EA put it on ice. However, now that its price is around 9-8€, it is definitely worth giving it a chance, but be prepared for a lot of dialogue and slow progression.

Those who truly played the game paid attention to every detail and didn't rush from point A to point B like in other games just to kill enemies. They experience the reality:
Most of the negative things said about this game are exaggerations, some are simply lies, and many others are trivialities that could be said about all games without exception.
The variety of the game makes almost all other games pale in comparison at the moment.
I haven't played such a game since The Witcher 3 two years ago. Of course, it's not The Witcher 3 and its initial release was terrible, but it has significantly improved with updates. The pop-in is still very bad.
The graphics are AMAZING in some parts, but in some cutscenes they may be mediocre (which game is consistently amazing in its graphics? none), the dialogues are simply very interesting as Bioware usually delivers. If someone doesn't like the blah blah, then this game is not for them. But they should try it because such games don't come out often and they will truly exist. There are many more action games out there, and the combat here is definitely the best in the series by far.
In conclusion, other games like Uncharted, The Last of Us, and The Last Guardian are amazing, but let's be honest, there's a difference between 20 hours of action and 150++ in this kind of game where you immerse yourself in its rich world. Few will understand this, and they will rush to give me negative ratings.

Have you not missed the past four years and all the ups and downs and back and forth? Have you not missed the endless dialogues after each mission to activate the next dialogues and relationships? Have you not missed the endless scanning... of minerals? Have you not missed the Bioware bugs, the repeated loading of the track to finally display the mission?! Have you not missed all of this?! Because I have missed all of the above and many other "gems" of Bioware, I haven't been annoyed by a game design in a long time, so I decided to continue the epic of Mass Effect and follow it to another... galaxy!
The game is amazing IF you give it time to unfold. It may seem strange at first for many reasons, even for the fact that you can no longer change weapons and armor for your team!!!! We're not talking about the fact that in order to collect data, you not only have to board the Tempest (the new Normandy) but also go into orbit of the planet to have access to many things, and then land again to continue the mission!! Imagine holding a new Mass Effect 1 in your hands! Many things from the beginning and not the... continuation from where we left off in the trilogy. Many things will be fixed in the second part of the new trilogy... be patient! I recommend it despite the criticism, and this is only due to my involvement with the previous games.

I finished the game after playing for 128 hours and achieving 99% completion, so I'll share some impressions. For Mass Effect fans and anyone interested, below I will discuss my opinion in more detail.

Firstly, I have to say that there was unjustifiably excessive criticism and outcry about the game before it was even released. The world, the fans, and the reviewers had very high expectations for Andromeda (reasonable and logical) considering the legacy left by the previous 3 games. The bar was set very high, and it is difficult for us to be forgiving of any technical errors and flaws. However, the reality is that Bioware is still the same company: one that knows how to write captivating stories and think on a grand scale, but struggles to properly deliver its vision. But if we are open-minded and approach Andromeda as a fresh game, giving it the necessary time, it will reveal its merits despite any mistakes.

The story is completely new compared to the previous games, where you take on the role of a Pathfinder (an explorer) with the responsibility of discovering planets in the Andromeda system that are viable for colonization.

Positives:
(+) The good recipe of Mass Effect is here. Enjoyable exploration, interesting story, a vast universe, large maps with dozens of side quests, a nice dialogue system, small wow moments, great characters, and endless information in the codex for those who enjoy the backstory.
(+) The combat is challenging and enjoyable (especially on hardcore mode, which I am playing) despite the somewhat cumbersome skill selection and usage system. The addition of jumping adds flexibility, and the auto-cover system generally works satisfactorily (although there are awkward moments when it doesn't do what you expect).
(+) The class system, with the addition of "Profiles" (I won't go into details), provides breadth and great flexibility in how you play. For example, my favorite Vanguard with Charge and Nova can now also have cloaking and use sniper rifles (skills that were previously exclusive to the Infiltrator Class).
(+) The graphics, aside from some minor hiccups in specific areas, are extremely impressive for an open-world game. Those who love space opera settings and space environments will be thrilled.
(+) The story is fresh and focuses quite a bit on new characters, although it doesn't reach the levels of the previous games. The truth is that at some points, the story seems "rushed," but the more you progress, especially after two-thirds of the game, it becomes genuinely interesting and leaves plenty of twists for the future of the series.
(+) The exploration aspect, I believe, is the game's strongest asset. For those who enjoy map cleaning, most areas have many things to discover and see. The graphics also help here, as most landscapes and planets are stunningly beautiful.

Negatives:
(-) The inventory is chaotic and a nightmare to navigate (similar to the first Mass Effect). Countless weapon variations, mods, augmentations, armors, consumables, and resources. When you add crafting/R&D for weapon and armor creation to the equation, the chaos intensifies.
(-) The menu/UI is problematic, with poor design and annoyingly small fonts (I play on a 55-inch TV and often have to go 1.5 meters away to read what it says - no, I'm not cross-eyed!). It takes many clicks and menus to get where you want, the map is not easily accessible, and the way missions and side quests are grouped and separated is dysfunctional (often requiring backtracking or manual choices to figure things out).
(-) Scanning planets has returned even more intense and annoying than ever. Although they have added very nice effects and motion (which is impressive at first), after a while it becomes painfully slow as a process and a waste of time, taking away gameplay time for no reason.
(-) I didn't like that you can only change equipment before the mission and not during it. Also, the fact that you can't save wherever you want in priority missions. So if you fail, you have to start from the previous checkpoint (especially when playing hardcore or insanity difficulty where the death screen is not uncommon, it easily frustrates you).
(-) I left the graphics issues for last, which many complain about. Indeed, there are some mediocre textures on faces, bad lip sync, and frame rate issues (although I didn't see them often), but I believe they don't take away from the overall experience and will be largely fixed with patches.

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For me, Andromeda is as a game where the first Mass Effect was when it was first released. In the "shadow of the trilogy," it tries to introduce a new chapter in a huge open world universe and detach itself from Shepard's imposing story. At the same time, it carries similar technical flaws as the first game in the series did in its time. The main difference is that back then there was no point of comparison, and we were more accepting of the new mechanics and problems introduced by the title. But now, we are stricter critics because there is a backstory and because on our consoles, we have seen titles like Uncharted, Horizon, The Order, MGS5, and many others that visually and technically push the boundaries of photorealism.

In the first hours, Andromeda doesn't have the stunning ingredients that the previous ones had from the start. The fast escalation and strong twists are absent, the graphics don't impress from the first moment, the soundtrack falls behind compared to previous Mass Effect games, and the game "dumps" a bunch of mechanics, tutorials, and endless choices early on. All of this makes it chaotic and lukewarm, which will definitely bother new players and partly even the series' fans.

If you combine these with the issues in the graphics, the bad voice-over, and the hasty writing of the story in some parts, as well as the flaws in the graphics engine, then it's easy to focus on the problems and dismiss it. And if you're not a big fan of the series, you won't forgive them, especially if your first encounter with the Mass Effect universe is Andromeda, then the game certainly won't impress you.

In conclusion, I have to say this: I understand that personally, I might forgive it a lot because I'm a big fan, but the emotion, nostalgia, and excitement that fill me every time I "load up" the game to play cannot be described. This may be worth it on its own for some :)

My suggestion is to bypass the superficial impressions and not listen to those who bury it in advance, give it time, play for 10-15 hours and it will reward you. If after that you still find it "bad", well then Mass Effect is probably not the game for you!