Mass Effect Andromeda Release Date Announced!

In all the excitement of the Steam Winter Sale and trying not to buy anything I would regret later, I got distracted from the Mass Effect:  Andromeda news.  There was some big news today, namely a release date for the next chapter in my favorite space drama.  For gamers in North America that date is March 21 and for everyone else it's March 23 (sorry everyone else, you have to wait two days).

I was shockingly surprised at such an early release date because I thought I had seen a date that was in November.  Something I've learned though...release dates tend to be more like release "guidelines."  I'm not expecting this date to actually happen and am using my powers of clairvoyance to say that it gets delayed and comes out in mid-June.

The male and female versions of Andromeda's hero, Ryder.

A few things to remember before freaking out:  1.) Patience is a virtue.  If a game doesn't come out the exact moment when it was originally stated it would be released..it's not the end of the world.  2.) I would rather have a finished, polished product than a buggy, crash-y pile of poo.  Wouldn't you rather wait through a delay to have something released in a stable and playable state?  I realize that isn't the business model of today's game companies...but it would be miraculous.  The Witcher 3 was delayed, but when it did finally come out it was immaculately playable--I don't think I had any bugs or crashes.  That's what I want--an amazing game that isn't a hot mess on release.

In this post, Aaron Flynn of BioWare explains the release date and the progress they have been making on the game.  He also brings up the use of a new engine to power the amazing graphics that we got to see in the N7 day trailer.  I am hoping that my PC can handle it!  There was also another post about improving the facial animations--something that many people noticed was a little bit off in the most recent video.

So, with this exciting bit of news we can all suffer the excruciating wait for March 21 to roll around.  In the meantime, check out the Andromeda Initiative to learn more about story elements related to Mass Effect:  Andromeda.