Well I dont really think it would work for ME RPG clan - I have no issue with smaller, or even "on rails" game play of ME serie, all I wanted is new great characters/story/background lore... couldn't care less about procedural open world in my ME game. The issue with Andromeda is - yes it has big maps, Mako, smooth combat/gameplay, and quadrillions of side stuff to do, but it lacks almost any memorable characters from your crew, it lacks meaningful decisions, and your character is just... I dont care about him/her. I even forgot for half the game that I have a brother/sister there.
Drack and Vetra were OK. Jaal wasn't bad, though I'd rather see Avela Kjar as a squad member. Liam... He's just stupid, especially his loyalty mission peeved me off during my first play-through. Just went through it again and I wanted to shoot and airlock him though I enjoyed the location and ideas for the mission itself. There should be a convo option to at least be very stern with him after that. Cora - for an Asari commando trained soldier she's overly fragile. Someone more like Aeian T'Goni or perhaps Shiala would be nicer. So generally someone with more personality. Peebee... well, she's an Asari, which gives her some extra points and overall she's not a bad character. She's not Liara though. They all have their good moments.
As for non-squad members, I liked Kallo most, others are alright.
But overall, I agree, the characters who tag along aren't as cool as Shepard's team, although for me Ash or Vega would be comparable. And still, they are comparable to ME1 characters, so perhaps, given more time and sequels, they would develop into a more lovable bunch of misfits. If we got to continue with the same characters, because from what I read, BW didn't plan it this way. Which would be a bit odd, as original trilogy owes a lot of its strength to being a story of Cmdr Shepard. Especially if you play it in one go.
As for the Pathfinder herself... She's a kid. Shepard was a pro before becoming a Spectre. In the initial writing there were ideas of Shepard being very unique, with alien DNA and in short, very special. Some traces of that are left in the game in form of her being extremely focused on her goals and extremely strong willed. At least for me. Ryder also has that potential, but the biggest issue I have with that character is randomness of the role. Shepard had a longer road to become a Spectre, had to earn it: in my case Mindoir, Akuze, then N7. Ryder? Ryder has no story other than being one of the kids of Alec Ryder and having a fancy implant. For no reason, no other Initiative members apart from other Pathfinders and Cora seem to have this implant. Perhaps Garson had one or initial brass, but what would help a bit was explaining why actually Alec's kids are issued with that implant, who else had it and what it meant. But perhaps beginning of MEA was meant to be her Mindoir and Akuze. I would also skip the whole having a twin idea. Or left the twin in the Milky Way and make some use of that.
As for proceduraly generated Andromeda, thanks heaven they haven't done that. We'd end up with rather boring planets and forgettable surface side missions, just like in ME1. For a story driven game, like ME, procedural generation is pointless, distracting and I'd say, harmful. As for flying your own ship, I think for ME CIC style of ship control makes more sense.
