Mass Effect: Andromeda was under development for quite some time, but was ultimately met with both mediocre reviews and even underperformed on the market compared to its predecessors. Many simply didn't find the spark, the creative spirit that used to dominate the franchise, and there may be a very good reason for that - the main bulk of the game was built in just 18 months.
Kotaku has published a very in-depth report which states that development was bogged down by a director change, several re-scopes, technological challenges, and more, influencing development negatively.
Apparently, the game was partly procedurally-generated up until the end of 2015, when the team realised that proper space exploration didn't work. The project was then re-scoped to include 30 planets, and that number was again reduced to seven.
Ultimately, part of the problem was also that the Frostbite Engine was difficult to use for basic RPG purposes. The game was then rebuilt and reshaped in just 18 months.
Do you think Mass Effect: Andromeda deserves the criticisms it receives?