I think that's correct; you can't change squadmates' weapons. Or if you can, it's news to me.
20 hours in and... Yikes, there is SO much to do in this game! You can't take two steps without picking up a new sidequest, a squadmate wanting to talk, etc. It's nice to have so much choice but at times it almost feels overwhelming... I'm landed on a new planet, do I proceed straight to the main story quest first, work on a squadmate loyalty questline that happens to be nearby, or explore randomly? All in all it feels MUCH more like Mass Effect 1, especially places like Noveria, than a corridor cover-shooter like ME2 or 3. Sometimes this game feels like a lost sequel to ME1 that could have happened if ME2 had never taken the series in a different direction.
Combat feels good, but... loose? Cover almost feels like an afterthought in some fights, while you're zipping around in every direction with the jumpjets. I like it, but also something feels lost compared to the tight, strategic spaces of ME2. The enemies can be pretty tough, even playing on Normal, and oh boy do they love to rush your position, just like in ME3. Firing off powers and combos feels as great as it ever has. I think I may still need a little bit of time to get used to how much faster combat is now compared to 3.
Animation and lip syncing could definitely have used more polish. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's noticeably bad. It's certainly barely improved from the 360 games, if at all, which is a bit disappointing since it's been 5 years and a console generation since then. It's not tanking my enjoyment of the game or anything but it would have been nice if they could have reached a more consistent level of quality.
The story... well, I like it. Everything is just very Mass Effect. I love that on the surface everyone is talking about the bright new start in Andromeda, but underneath, the same political battles are playing out and Milky Way history is repeating itself. Walking around a place like the Nexus and exhausting everyone's dialogue trees learning the lore of the place just nails that Mass Effect feeling. It does seem like Ryder has limited personality choices compared to Shepard; you can't really be much of a jerk with him! It's more of a choice between funny/casual and by-the-book professional in most conversations. In some cases I would like the option to insult someone or tell them off but Ryder is rarely able to do that.
I like the squadmates. So far Cora, Drack, and Jaal are favorites. Liam is the only one I haven't connected with much so far-- I think the curse of every game having one bland human dude has struck again unfortunately. The amount of dialogue they have and the range of specific circumstances they can respond to is awesome. I was taken aback yesterday when Cora, who I'm pursuing a romance with, expressed concern that I was flirting with Peebee too much! Guilty as charged Cora! I guess I need to be careful what I say because word gets around the ship.
I also really like Kallo Jath, it's always great to have a salarian on board.
All in all I'm still glued to the game and I probably will be until I 1000/1000 it and beyond.
There are some things about it that I wish they had done better, and sometimes I miss the more focused, linear experience of ME2 and 3 compared to the more ME1-style openness of this game.
