Did someone say Andromeda?

Posted on January 31, 2017

With no shortage of details and content being released in the lead up to Mass Effect: Andromeda, it’s time to collect up some of the latest as we prepare ourselves for exploration in a strange new galaxy.

Of course, the headline should read ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda second cinematic trailer announced’ but as this is the seventh video they have teased us with since the initial announcement trailer a year and a half ago, it may be time to skip that formality. For those who have yet to explore, without further ado:

With the release date less than 2 months away, these videos are beginning to come through thick and fast, and for those of you hoping to maintain a pristine first time experience, you’ll have been keenly avoiding the gameplay footage released at the beginning of December:

Unlike the first official cinematic trailer, which was released for N7 day last year and filled expectant fans of the series with wonder and dread as to what was to come in this new frontier, the combination of the latest two begins to bring into focus what we can expect from the new galaxy. And it seems that in this galaxy combustible fluids are plentiful; and with it, so is the firefight. Not only does the gameplay trailer showcase plenty of pyro-maniacal weapons, but lead designer Ian Frazier  teased in a recent tweet that he was currently playing through as a ‘pyromaniac Ryder’, a new character class for the series.

But, if all of this has only added to your urgency to get your hands on Mass Effect: Andromeda, you aren’t alone (also, sorry) and there is good news, for some.

It’s also been announced that a 10-hour ‘Play First’ trial will be available from March 18, five days before the game is released here in Australia. Save games can be transferred to the full game on purchase, effectively providing early access for eager players. The trial, however, is only available via subscription to either Origin Access or EA Access on PC and Xbox  One respectively. This means that PS4 players unfortunately will have to wait for full release.

Providing ‘Play First’ or early access trials appears to be a growing trend for EA. FIFA 17 providing a similar offering, while the Battlefield 1 trial was available a day prior to the game’s release.

Subscription to Access also provides a 10% discount on digital EA titles purchased, meaning that a single month at $4.99 would net you a $5 discount on the game purchase IF you were to be buying the digital version from their store anyway, which tends to be priced less competitively than through retailers. Purchase via the EA store isn’t required for save-game transfer however, so those who have pre-ordered or plan to purchase physical copies can still take part in the digital trial, if they are a part of Access or purchase a single month subscription.

Mass Effect: Andromeda comes out March 23 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.