Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Review

For years, fans have been begging BioWare and EA to remaster the Mass Effect trilogy. The long silence and few whispers during this time left many in despair, but that only made the announcement of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition that much sweeter. Sometimes, remasters are little more than a new coat of paint and make promises they can’t keep. Remasters find themselves in a weird place where they don’t amount to a remake, but expect them to be more than a re-release as well. If a remaster doesn’t do more than slightly improve the graphics, it can fall flat. That’s absolutely not the case for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, though, as it’s everything fans loved about the original and then some. Players once again step into the role of Commander Shepard in a galaxy set to be destroyed by the Reapers. The strengths and weaknesses are well known to veterans of the series, while newcomers are encouraged to discover them for themselves, so nothing more needs to be said about its story. The companions are also as adorable as ever, if one’s favorites are Garrus, Liara, Wrex, Jack, and others, and they’re all sharper than ever. Those who loved it will still love it, and those who have never experienced it will never find a better way. Mass Effect’s many story beats and companions connect more with some players than others, so overall, playing the trilogy for its story and world-building is an easy recommendation. It’s the kind of game where players walk away with mixed feelings about certain aspects, and that remains true. However, what stands out isn’t what the game is, but how this collection of remasters truly took a series released between 2007 and 2012 and made it feel at home in 2021. Looking at everything to offer, no shortage of quality or quantity, putting the entire series on a higher pedestal than it is held today. Playtime of Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, and all associated DLC can easily put players in the hundreds of hours, but it’s worth every ounce of lost sleep. This is because the quality of the content matches its quantity, and while there are differences in quality between the three games, the overall improvements make them stand out from their original counterparts. BioWare is doing a lot of work to smooth out differences in character creation, weapon scaling, and more, but there are still elements that are stuck in the past. For example, Mass Effect 1 is still a very clunky game. Despite all the touch-ups, Mako changes, and so on, it’s still the game from 2007. There’s not a whole lot to change in that ground-up remake, but it doesn’t have to go far either. Mass Effect 1’s clunkiness in movement, in controls, and even in Mako are all parts that add charm to the game rather than take away from it. At the same time, major changes including the cover system, the sprinting system, the weapon handling system, and more all receive tweaks that subtly make the minute-to-minute gameplay more engaging. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition’s version of ME1 is better than the original, and it makes the 2007 game more enjoyable in 2021 without sacrificing any of the original’s charm—though some of the clunkiness still remains . RELATED: Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Claims Top UK Boxed Sales Spot at Launch The graphical improvements in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 really work, unhindered by ME1’s technical limitations. If the graphical overhauls for ME1 bring the game from 2007 to 2021, the improvements here make it look like the 2021 releases with a specific aesthetic. Even though ME1 doesn’t look good compared to its sequel, the exact difference isn’t night and day either. It’s clear that all the little details were really put under a microscope for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, and in these titles the benefits of the Legendary Edition are clearest. While most remasters aim for a fresh coat of paint, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition redesigns the entire house. This is true also thanks to many smaller changes. Character creation is streamlined so that players look consistent across all three games, but it also doesn’t prevent major class or appearance changes between games. Morality has been made more consistent, relieving some unnecessary stress on making choices in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, and in general, many changes have been made to narrow the massive quality divide between ME1 and ME3. Load times across the board have also been improved, with the added option to skip elevator rides. This makes the game more streamlined and moment-to-moment. Although there are no definite improvements in the next generation, the benefit of the PS5 hardware cannot be underestimated either. Load times in each game are no more than a few seconds, and the benefit of just backing out of the game and jumping back into it is quite refreshing. This cuts out a lot of menu frustration when the game can be brought up immediately instead of diving into the hub menu and then into each game’s menu. The total inclusion of all Mass Effect DLC except Pinnacle Station only reinforces all of these upgrades, especially given how much expertise is packed into these remasters. There were bugs throughout the trilogy that were ongoing or new, of course, but the ones we encountered were never overwhelming or troublesome. For the most part, this seems like a plethora of smaller things to expect from even the most polished release. The game crashed on us once and an encounter had to be reloaded, but every other hiccup was a “blink and you’ll miss it” situation. Basically, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition advertises itself as taking the popular trilogy, bringing it to modern consoles, and giving it smart improvements. It does a lot to improve games without diminishing the core experience, and that’s saying something. The first game is 13 years old and the third game is 9 years old at the time of this writing, and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition makes them feel fresher and more recent. It’s hard to imagine making the original trilogy better, but these remasters certainly make them fresher. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Today Technology reviews Mass Effect: Legendary Edition on the Neuron 4000D from Origin PC. Origin offers a variety of customizable PCs that can meet any gamers’ needs. Read more about Neuron here. MORE: Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Fixes Decade-Old Bug By Swapping Character Races