Given its origins as a Kickstarter-funded game that has already been delayed to 2017, skepticism about the project can be understood. We've done our best to wring as much information as possible from the available material, but we may have to wait until closer to Andromeda's March release date to get a real sense for how it plays. We've also seen a glimpse of the game's interstellar map and six-wheeled Nomad vehicle, both of which suggest a slightly more open structure. Recent trailers show Ryder rapidly dashing across great distances during combat, adding a frenetic new pace to the action.

The cover-based shooting and planet-hopping exploration return as well, though both have been updated considerably. The alien races, military institutions, and political complications central to the Mass Effect universe return, as do the series' trademark dialogue trees. Even though Andromeda starts fresh-opting for a new setting (the distant Andromeda Galaxy), era (600 years after the end of the previous trilogy), and hero (Ryder, a Pathfinder searching for humanity's new home)-the spirit of the franchise clearly lives on.

Now that we have some real, concrete information about the game, however, our hype level is higher than ever. Mass Effect: Andromeda's been on our radar ever since it was originally announced back in June of 2015, mainly because the original trilogy is just so damn good.

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