The continuous pop culture reference gets tedious after one point. To be honest, I enjoy the references. But when this style gets in the way of narration (inner monologue, storytelling), its disruptive. 
 The content is derivative and that's okay. What's not okay is the plaintive way Cline treats the characters and the circumstances they are in. The protagonist was just any other teenager from countless "teenager-saves-the-world" movies where things escalate from zero to hell in one point two seconds. One moment the protagonist is in class and in the next he is fighting for mankind. 
 Comparing this to Ready Player One is inevitable. The book in itself was an ode to gaming - a quest, that the reader goes along with the protagonist. It was fun. It was captivating. It had moments where the reader got pulled in and rooted for the protagonist. 
 Armada, isn't all that fun. It sure does has some stand out moments but they are few and far between. 
 Umm...yeah. No..