Mass Effect Legendary Edition (Computer)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Release Date (NA): May 14, 2021
- Release Date (EU): May 14, 2021
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Developer: BioWare
- Genres: Action, Role Playing, Shooter
- Also For: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Game Features:
As a trilogy, Mass Effect represents one of BioWare’s finest works. Across the three titles, you play as Commander Shepard and witness him/her evolve from a badass space marine to a legendary hero while donning the iconic N7 armor. Aboard the Normandy, Shepard and his/her crew embark on mission after mission on numerous alien worlds to avert a greater threat aiming to jeopardize the stability of the galaxy.
Gameplay mixes RPG elements with cover shooter mechanics and fantasy-esque biotic skills for some intense combat sequences. On top of controlling Shepard, you can also issue commands to your two other squad members for some strategic counter attack maneuvers.
While it does rely on the AAA shooter trope, the Mass Effect titles are also heavily narrative-driven and those looking to experience an original and expansive sci-fi lore will be served with one that is highlighted by some stellar voice acting. Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 in particular have strong intros that are among the most memorable in gaming history. Your interactions with the unique cast, each with their own personality and backstory, impact how your relationship with each evolves. In addition, you will be faced with moral choices that influence your character’s personality and even the games’ endings. Each title of the trilogy will deliver on such an experience, with the later entries executing it with even greater polish.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition still delivers on such a journey as you play the complete story of Commander Shepard from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 just like when they were released in 2007, 2010 and 2012 respectively. And essentially, Mass Effect is an expansive story split into 3 games. The ability to play them back to back while carrying your saves and decisions is how the games should be played, and is how this remaster lets you experience it.
In addition, this collection features over 40 DLC (including all promo weapons, armors and packs), so you can easily expect 100+ hours of intergalactic adventures. However, the multiplayer mode in Mass Effect 3 is missing as is the Pinnacle Station DLC from the first Mass Effect since the latter’s source code was corrupted.
What has changed in this remaster though is a number of quality of life improvements across each game that make for a more harmonized and cohesive experience. This is what the review will focus on as the games’ plot have remained untouched as they should be in a proper remaster.
On PC, you’ll get to download all three games at once, where they're accessible through the unified launcher. However, I personally think it would be better to allow players to choose which titles they want to download/play as the Legendary Edition’s download size amounts to no less than a whopping 100 GB, which is not ideal for those with slower connections and not planning to play all 3 games simultaneously.
Most changes have been made to the first Mass Effect entry, which is quite noticable. ME3’s iconic female Shepard is the new default female option in all games, but you can also still have fun with the character creator which now has the same customization options across the three games. Additionally, the same creator code can be used across all titles, so you can easily retrieve your custom character in the other games as well.
Of course, being a remaster, the visuals have been improved and here is where the changes are more apparent in 2007’s Mass Effect. The game’s characters and environments have not been redesigned but have had their textures, shaders and models updated in such a way that they still look like they did in the original, but still pack a modern touch. ME2 and ME3 also bear such visual upgrades but they might not be as striking as with ME1.
In a side-by-side comparison, those changes indeed look striking but when playing the game - where you likely won’t have the original running in parallel - the graphics still look dated; especially compared to today’s standards. Some facial and environmental textures are bland while facial animations look odd--and again, these are most apparent in ME1 (I’ve had some weird character pop-ins while riding the elevator with this one) but still noticeable in the other titles. In general, the visual improvements could be summarized as having some reworked assets while brightening everything else and adding so. much. lens. flare. This is a recurring and overused feature in each of the remastered titles and it's flagrant and often distracting. I don’t know who decided to equate remaster with lens flare but this has to stop.
That would be less of an issue if you could fiddle around with the graphical settings but these are extremely limited in Mass Effect Legendary Edition, especially since I played it on PC. The settings, which are the same in each game, lack “advanced” graphical options that you would expect in any AAA game. There is no FOV slider, no resolution scaling, no quality sliders. You’re stuck with only a handful of (but welcome) graphics options that you can toggle on/off. This lack of graphical options on PC is frankly disappointing and visuals will not live up to be as legendary as the title would imply.
While Mass Effect Legendary Edition supports 4K displays, I played it on the AYA NEO and it might have been for the best. The dated visuals would be more flagrant on a 4K screen but playing on a handheld made for a personally more enjoyable experience as each title runs flawlessly at 60 fps or close. But those visual let downs are the quirks of remastering (rather than remaking) a 10+ year old game (but we’ve still seen better with the likes of Saints Row The Third).
With a remaster, visuals are the main draw but Mass Effect Legendary Edition leaves you wanting for more, even with its better-lit scenes, higher-res characters and overabundance of lens flare. You’ll likely get better visuals with mods for the original games. But thankfully, this remaster is not only about visuals.
Most prominently, the first Mass Effect’s gameplay has been modernized to play smoother and more like the other entries to the series. The game’s combat system has received a major overhaul with better weapon aim and accuracy, significantly reduced cooldown period for weapons and medi-gel, and a new HUD that matches that of subsequent entries to the series. You can also use any type of weapon right off the bat, irrespective of your character’s class. Overall, combat handles better and is also more balanced when facing enemies thanks to those improvements.
Like in ME2 and ME3, you can now order individual party members to move to specific points with the D-pad in ME1. However, this welcome feature doesn’t change the fact that the squad AI simply sucks, leaving you to do most of the shooting.
Oh, and there are notable improvements outside of battles as well. For one, you’ll find that elevator rides are faster and you can finally skip the interminable dialogues altogether (a feature we would all have appreciated back in 2007). Shepard also finally learnt to sprint outside of combat(!), although this is limited by a stamina bar. All these improvements and some more minor ones condense to make the first Mass Effect no longer a skippable title as it does mostly play as a contemporary title.
As for Mass Effect 1’s most divisive feature, the battle-ready Mako vehicle, it has also received some quality of life improvements. It now has a separately-controlled boost and jump feature, doesn’t lead to instant death when it gets in contact with lava and is in general better to control. That said, the Mako will still occasionally get stuck or flip, and the parts where you get to use the vehicle are still the same old boring segments that get you from point A to point B while shooting at the occasional enemy and riding long distances.
Aside from the first Mass Effect’s gameplay improvements, the second and third installments also come with some new additions. When starting ME2 and ME3, you have the option to “read” the Mass Effect: Genesis comics and input key choices of your preference from the events in the previous games.
Since the multiplayer mode is absent, Mass Effect 3’s Galactic Readiness scale, or how its ending is influenced, has been rebalanced. It now only relies on your progress across the entire trilogy, as opposed to depending on other transmedia content (like the multiplayer and mobile game) with the original game. But if you want to start right away with ME3, BioWare points out that, for the best ending, you’ll have to complete practically every bit of content in the game.
Of note, all three games in this remaster also include a Photo Mode. It can be accessed at any time during gameplay from the pause menu. While not a spectacular addition, it can prove to be fun to play around with as it lets you adjust camera/lens variables, show/hide scene elements and, of course, add filters for some nice shots.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition indeed delivers the full space marine experience with a more unified approach to its gameplay across the trilogy. However, despite the notable improvements, it still leaves players wanting for more when it comes to visuals and certain gameplay elements as well; especially considering the $60 price tag. But if you decide to pick it up, this remaster will deliver an enjoyable sci-fi RPG experience and represents the best way to play the Mass Effect trilogy, at least from a gameplay perspective.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition – Official Launch Trailer
Verdict
- Convenient and harmonized way to play all of the Mass Effect trilogy, including DLCs
- Quality of life changes make for a more contemporary gameplay experience
- Significant improvements to Mass Effect 1’s gameplay
- Fun photo mode
- Limited graphical settings on PC
- Textures still look dated for today’s standards
- Lens flare. OMG SO MUCH LENS FLARE
- No multiplayer mode in Mass Effect 3
