Mass Effect Legendary Edition: My Experience

Introduction: “Retro” gaming rarely captures my attention. Games I so passionately love when I’m playing, as time passes, and newer iterations and experiences improve on gaming, don’t feel as great when played years later. Lately, I have been replaying favorites that aren’t that old, mostly to appreciate the FPS Boost the Xbox Series X provides. Then along came the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, a masterful remaster that breathed new life into an older, beloved trilogy of games. Clearly, this is one exceptional exception!

Mass Effect Legendary Edition charts an epic sci-fi saga through a trilogy of role playing games that ambitiously carried decisions from the first game to the second, and again to the third. The Legendary Edition has remastered each game to support up to 4K and 60 FPS, integrated nearly all of the DLC missions as regular side missions, and unified the game mechanics and user interface across all three games as much as possible. I have posted three separate reviews, one for each part of the trilogy (ME1, ME2, and ME3), and I have more to share about my experience!

Technical: Mass Effect (1) was developed by BioWare and first launched as an Xbox 360 exclusive in 2007, and was later ported to PC and PS3, as were Mass Effect 2 (2010) and 3 (2012). A fourth game, Mass Effect Andromeda, was released for Xbox One and PS4 in 2017, but that is not part of this trilogy and is not included. (Stay tuned for a post about Andromeda!) Between these staggered platform launches, DLC releases, platform exclusive content, and mini games made available to bring PS3 and PC players up to speed, the condition of Mass Effect was a bit of a mess. Remastering and unifying all that content, and employing hundreds of minor tweaks and quality of life improvements, presents the Legendary Edition as an amazing experience from start to finish.

Consider one of the more amusing changes for the remaster to appreciate the depths that BioWare went through to unify that experience. Although players could always choose either gender, and either modify the character’s appearance or play as the default models, the default male version of Commander Shepard didn’t share the marketing spotlight with the female version until the release of Mass Effect 3. Believe it or not, the marketed version of “FemShep” (as fans like to call her) looked different than the default version in ME1 and ME2. For the remaster, BioWare took the opportunity to update her appearance so she more or less looks the same in all three games.

Note that the Legendary Edition may be a more unified and user friendly experience, but the fundamental game designs are unchanged. The shooting and cover mechanics in ME1 have been improved, for example, as have the all-terrain “Mako” vehicle driving sequences, but the ratio of exploration, role-playing, and combat remains the same. Each game has its own unique inventory management systems, and even player progression changes from game to game. I like to think of the improved Mako driving segments as a good analogy for the changes overall: the quality of life changes are welcome and the games are more fun to play, but you still have to drive the Mako. Or put another way, you still have to put in the work, and sometimes, for very little reward. Fortunately, that ratio also changes from game to game; as the narrative escalates towards the dramatic conclusion, so does the emphasis on action vs role playing (and resource gathering).

My Experience: I played the Legendary Edition as if it were one 100+ hour game, separated into three unequal parts. This is absolutely the best way to play Mass Effect. When consumed this way, the differences in each “part” more apparently match the narrative and tone of that part. Naturally, the most dramatic, exciting part is also the most fun to play, but that’s not taking anything away from the first two parts. Each part is fun to play in their own ways, and I can’t stress this enough, that it’s best to play them all at least once so the emotional weight is truly felt later on.

Part One tells how Commander Shepard becomes aware of a threat to the galaxy, and is only granted permission as a “SPECTRE” to investigate with impunity and little actual support. It makes sense, then, that Shepard’s time building relationships, outfitting the team, and investigating the nature of this threat is only occasionally interrupted by combat. In terms of gameplay, the player has to travel from planet to planet, drive the Mako across unforgiving terrain, and either find mission objectives, artifacts, clues, or leads to other missions, or enter a small base, take about two minutes to clear out the enemies, leave, and move on to the next destination. During this part of the story, Shepard’s team are more or less on their own, which means Part One has a traditional “shoot, loot, upgrade, repeat” RPG mechanic – and the most inventory micromanagement. There is also a lot of exposition and character development, as the history of the galaxy is revealed to the player. Even the extra DLC missions are pretty simple.

Part One is relatively short and easy to play (I’ve already played it twice), but don’t skip it, as it is a great introduction to the series and it is best to experience everything at least once. Most importantly, there are some fundamental choices to be made that will carry over to the next parts. However, thanks to the cool “Genesis” digital comic mini-game, it is possible to make those major decisions during player creation in Part Two. This is especially handy for making dramatically different character(s) for repeated playthroughs.

Part Two opens with a bang and shakes things up considerably. Shepard has to ally with the Illusive Man and his shady Cerberus group, as nobody else believes the Reapers are real. This gives Shepard access to more characters to recruit, leads to follow, and hopefully the means to protect the galaxy, but Cerberus doesn’t quite have the resources that a fully cooperative Galactic Alliance would have. This means the player has to constantly be on the lookout for their own resources, including playing the “planet scanning” mini-game. Personally, as I said in my review, I prefer planet scanning to Mako driving, as it is a little less tedious. It also ties more directly into upgrading my entire crew’s gear, which also leads to far less inventory management.

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Most of the game design changes for ME2 are for the best, and it already looked, sounded, and played better than ME1 before being remastered. The controls are better, the Paragon/Renegade mechanic is better, and the galaxy is more dynamic than ever. With ME2, BioWare delivered a deep, complex galactic playroom, full of nuanced ethics and characters reflecting that complexity, and provided the player with interesting relationships and impactful choices throughout the game. Ultimately, it’s easier to have different experiences with each playthrough, and Part Two is arguably the most balanced part of the series.

Curiously, after completing Part Two, there is an option to replay the game, keeping all the levels, resources, and upgrades gained in a “New Game+” mode, but only if that exact same character is used. If you want to switch genders or class, you have to start over from scratch. I would be far more likely to replay ME2 many more times if the New Game+ allowed some changes to the player character. Put another way, the balance of role-playing, resource gathering, and combat in ME2 feels pretty good – for the first playthrough. After that, I have less patience for some of the tedious busy work.

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All that work is almost worth it, however, to run through the perilous, infamous, nerve wracking, climactic “suicide mission” again. Upgrading the ship and crew to their max levels, and building “trusted” relationships with every crew member, is totally necessary if they, and Shepard, have any hope of surviving the final mission. There is nothing quite like choosing a crew member to escort the wounded back to the ship while you and others are engaged in separate conflicts, and the tension of waiting for confirmation that they made it back – or not. And yes, even Shepard could fail, ending the saga right then and there. Mass Effect is very, very good at revealing the consequences of all your choices!

Part Three doesn’t open with a bang, it opens with Armageddon, and is relentless through to its shocking conclusion. ME3 is obviously my favorite part, as it is the most consistently fun and eventful. Every game in the series does one thing really well: seamlessly and organically introducing side missions and activities that feel discovered instead of forced. Observant players might be talking to a diplomat and notice that a nearby terminal can be hacked, and that information is added to the mission journal automatically. Or, while searching for clues on one planet, an audio log is discovered that leads to another planet that had nothing to do with the original mission. These are usually optional missions that add more color to the experience, and sometimes have surprise consequences of their own. Part Three applies this organic approach to inventory management, as players can either find new gear and upgrades throughout their missions, or simply use the armory shop to buy them directly. Narratively, I like to think of it as the Alliance finally, fully supporting Shepard, freeing the Commander from menial tasks like Mako driving or planet scanning.

Skipping to Part Three is not recommended, as the emotional weight and full appreciation for all that Shepard has to accomplish will be missed. One of the major goals of the Mass Effect saga is learning about these disparate races, cultures, and companions, getting them over their troubled pasts, and pushing them to work together for a common good. I can’t imagine enjoying ME3 as much without engaging with those eccentric cultures and personalities on the way. Even small details, like surprise reunions with minor characters met in side and DLC missions, feels so satisfying. It is also rewarding to see some of the companion characters go through their own journeys! The added DLC missions in ME3 are some of the best stories, too!

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After I complete the entire saga one more time the traditional way, I’m going to use the digital comic “Genesis 2” mini-game to make different decisions for repeat playthroughs. I’d love to see other games implement something like this! (Warning: A lot more happens in ME2 than in ME1, and the mini-game isn’t as comprehensive at catching all the major decisions and possible outcomes. Use at your own risk!) As much as I praise Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, I can’t imagine replaying all 120 hours again! With the ability to replay all or any of the “three parts” of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, it’s a no-brainer to include it in my top echelon of games.

Conclusion: Playing through the Legendary Edition isn’t just the best way to experience Mass Effect, it’s now one of the best gaming experiences, period. I love that the remaster improvements aren’t just cosmetic, as smoothing out some of the rough edges makes the game more fun to play than ever. Fundamental game designs haven’t changed, so opinions may vary on which part is the best. Taken as one continuous game, Legendary Edition is greater than the sum of its parts, but don’t overlook those multiple award winning parts! Mass Effect has some of the best narratives, characters, voicework, and music in gaming history. I’m usually not one for nostalgic gaming, but I’m so impressed with this incredible remaster that I can’t recommend it enough!

• Developer: Bioware
• Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios (2007) Electronic Arts (2008-Present)
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4; Xbox Series X/S and PS5 using Backwards Compatibility
• Rating: M for Mature for Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, and Violence
• Release Dates: May 14, 2021; TBD 2021 for Xbox Series X/S and PS5

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