REVIEW: Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the trilogy remastered into a definitive edition

Launched over 13 years ago, Mass Effect was one of the hits of BioWare, a developer that would continue to produce sci-fi and fantasy RPGs ever since. The first game explores time and space travel, putting you at the head of a military team in a fight against extinction, where any choice made by the player has an impact on their final balance. Shortly after, we had the acclaimed sequels of 2010 and 2012 – arc that concludes with a controversial ending.

Mass effect legendary edition arrived this month as a remastered compilation of the trilogy, completed nearly a decade ago, uniting the games' expansions into a single package. It's the perfect model for anyone looking to relive this third-person shooter adventure and serves as a gateway for the gamer who's spent an "entire generation" of consoles waiting for a remaster.

From subtle visual changes to fast elevator rides, we were able to check out this game and tell you about it here in this review our experience with Mass effect legendary edition. Remembering that All images below were captured by me, unedited, on Xbox Series X. The game copy was provided by EA for the review.

what changes in Mass effect legendary edition?

Mass effect legendary edition sums up in: the trilogy, now in 4K. From a graphics point of view, it is clear how there is a marked presence of the traditional atmosphere of games from the 2000s. This is not a remake , the resident evil ou final Fantasy, but we see subtle lighting details that make it all more palpable. O flare cinematographic works “really” and the reflections of N are more realistic. There are certain new additions to room decor as well, including object repositioning and reworked textures. A well-deserved round of applause for the BioWare.

Curious that Mass effect legendary edition works as a launcher for the games. For each of the games we have about 20, 30 and 40 GB, respectively. By downloading the digital version of Legendary Edition No. X series, I noticed the option to install or uninstall any of the three at any time. This selection in the menu, functioning as if it were an expansion itself, was something practical and designed for those who want to have the freedom to choose which game to play – and it offers better control over the storage of the installed device.

Being a trio that adds up to more than 120h of duration, due to the fact that I had (partially) played the games before this reissue, on the date of publication of this text I will still be enjoying the journey of Mass effect legendary edition looking to finish all the stories. In this review the focus is on the changes of each game and, at the end, we have a discussion about whether or not the compilation is worth it for first-time gamers. My first impressions (with a dozen hours in game) were divided between the three games, counted below.

Mass Effect

The unconventional intro shows the mature tone that Mass Effect would have, from the first minutes. Political intrigue, extensive dialogues and non-linear story are the formula to pique the curiosity of those who commit to diving into the first title of Mass effect legendary edition. It's shocking how each character has the depth/personality to convince the player to investigate each dialogue variable, sometimes bumping into a new side quest.

No remaster we get subtle color correction and better balance overall. Body animations and facial expressions have not had any corrections, making it clear that this is a game made over a decade ago. In certain scenes we have the inclusion of light points and even repositioning of the sun to facilitate visibility. The biggest difference that also applies to the other two titles is the speed of loading compared to the last two generations: fast travel between locations is consistent in taking an average of three seconds.

Right away, I saw the change in HUD (Health, shield and ammo indicators) as a great improvement. It is indisputable that the positioning and layout it was dated then Mass effect legendary edition did well to have reworked the distribution of information displayed on the screen. Even with the improvement, you depend on the cooldown of the weapon instead of having to worry about ammo – proof that “combat” was not the focus of the first game in the trilogy.

Regarding combat and gameplay, a standard across the three titles was to standardize individual team commands. Here we have what was explored in the sequences, with the directional arrows (left and right) ordering the positioning of each member of the party in individual. Another gameplay consistency was taking the female version of Shepard from Mass Effect 3 for the first two. Because you can import your skin from the previous game directly into Mass effect legendary edition, personalization will be even better.

We see that when a game developer proposes to re-release a game years later with few changes, many problems can persist. However Mass Effect had everything in favor of elevating him as a pioneer in the genre, glitches and the roofing system are still a huge inconvenience. By the way, there is also no class limitation for handling weapons. The Mako (vehicle) continues to have steering problems, but now you feel the “weight” better with every turn.

Who wanted to play the first one and saw the flaws in gameplay dated as the biggest obstacle, you can (and should!) celebrate, because the moment to play Mass effect legendary edition taking the whole story “from scratch” is now. It serves as a great incentive to consecrate the first game, leaving it even above the other two. Again, nothing compares to a job of remake with a new graphics engine could achieve, as we have seen in recent resident evil e final Fantasy, but everything serves as an invitation for you to give the first one a chance ME.

Mass Effect 2

the second game of Mass effect legendary edition shows how the Mass Effect 2 The original “borrowed” everything that was based on the first. Today, in the future, it is obvious that the work of BioWare was much smaller in remaster. In direct gameplay comparisons of the original, the improvements still exist, now in a subtle way. Effects, textures and time loading are changed, but need no further study.

The introduction suggests being told in an interactive comic book format, from the Dark Horse, showing the choices made in the first game. This goes between ME2 e ME3, by the way. Most of the cutscenes are in real time, but a contrast we have here is when they are pre-rendered on old graphics. I know the look of remaster forces these problems, however, the Upscaling in 4K it fails at these times.

As this is considered responsible for the most action-packed turn in the franchise, a slight change in commands was to be expected. There's nothing too drastic, but you can see how everything is more responsive. This differentiated fluidity is one of the points that we partially noticed in the other two games of Mass effect legendary edition. Conversations in the elevator, for example, continue as a point of distraction among members of your family. party, but in this version of the game there is the possibility to skip these sections - which makes you miss out on funny chats and, in return, saves you from waiting for the loading of the new area.

The big news of puzzle more creative than simple quick time events (i.e, prompts of buttons to press at the right time) increases your interest in exploring the universe. Mass Effect 2 It features tutorials and reward methods in a superior way to the first, as well as secondary objectives and collectibles. At the end of each stage, you still have the quest summary to recap all your progress.

A problem that remains remaster (and it's also in the first one, but I only noticed in ME2) is the wheel of powers, weapons, and orders for your party. This breaks the rhythm of the game and could be better remapped in the directional commands. Another break in rhythm, which was only fixed in the third game, was a quick access map. Pausing to select the map option could be boiled down to a simple “hold” of the pause button.

In general, this and the other games of Mass effect legendary edition have better integration of access to DLCs. At the ME2 I found a recruitable character within the first few minutes of the game – a mere fluke in Citadel explorations. Guns, on the other hand, are scattered throughout the stores. A final highlight for RPG-worthy customization is the option to import costumes from Mass Effect 3, something only possible in this combo-remaster.

Mass Effect 3

Among the three titles included in the Mass effect legendary edition, Mass Effect 3 it's the only one I checked out in its entirety, in full, before this reprint. One of the few games Xbox 360 that I still have stored, in the same pile of other post-fever Kinect. Voice commands were new and, thinking that an RPG with choices as vast as Mass Effect 3 enabled this technology, I feel a bit of the nostalgic effect that many will have with Legendary Edition.

Here we have more evolutions of the other two. The objective guide in three-dimensional space, for example, became normal in RPGs released at the time. However, playing all three ME in sequence, it becomes more palpable that this change took time to happen in the trilogy. So, added to the colorful map and with better explanation about points of interest, navigation in this game surpasses its predecessors. Thinking that movement is an essential element of the genre, everything improves in this title.

Since there are no more elements of multiplayer, your score Galactic Readiness will be based on progress in the first two games. This point turned out to be the biggest flea behind the ear for anyone who played ME3 and I knew that Legendary Edition would completely eliminate the multiplayer system. Well, your decisions in the predecessors will affect the outcome of the third. This also implies that you will have a harder time coming to a good conclusion if you decide to ignore them and start straight with the ME3.

I strongly suggest that they be played in the sequel, even because there is a character import to make the protagonist's arc more acceptable. For anyone wondering about the controversial conclusion of Mass Effect 3, which required an expansion to the “true” end, in Mass effect legendary edition We have the full version at no additional cost.

Mass effect legendary edition worth it?

It is undeniable that the gameplay of the first Mass Effect It hasn't aged very well. Except for the construction of a dense universe and captivating characters, only fans who are willing to put mechanical gags aside were able to replay the original without any major problem. For those who lived through the Xbox 360/PS3 generation, proposals of this type were not common. Two generations later, Mass effect legendary edition reintroduces the classic trilogy as a great guise for those who wanted an extra reason to play Mass Effect.

The remaster is faithful and with that, we have its strengths and weaknesses. A lot has been fixed and a lot still reminds you that it's a game released over 13 years ago, due to the truncated gameplay. Of the three, the first game was the most polished in terms of Legendary Edition, which is in line with what the BioWare stated throughout its extensive dissemination of this package. ME2 e ME3 had subtle changes indeed. However, the first game is still the main reason for you thinking about acquiring the Legendary Edition.

Mass effect legendary edition is available for Xbox One (optimized for Series X/S), PlayStation 4 and PC (Origin e Steam) for about R$300. The most obvious math results in a positive balance: paying R$100 per game, accumulating over 120 hours in total, is a rare thing to find in the current industry scenario. If you're a fan or missed the "Train of hyping” (and wants to understand what is so interesting about Mass Effect), don't think twice and get it now. If you want to relive the first game only and exclusively, it's worth waiting for a promotion.

So, did you like the changes Mass effect legendary edition? Which of the three do you most want to play? Tell us in the comments below! be sure to check it out Falcon 6 also if you like space strategy games.