Mass Effect Legendary Edition: This Is How You Remaster

Alternate Title for those in the know:

I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite remaster on the Citadel.

Those of you who've read my Top 5 Games breakdown will already know this, but I'm always ready to shout it from the mountaintops: I love Mass Effect. The characters, the lore, the soundtrack, the aesthetic, all of it. Since the launch of the series in 2007, I've logged more hours in this universe than I'm going to share here, because you'll probably think less of me if you know exactly how much of my free time Mass Effect has consumed.

In case you're unfamiliar with the basic concept of Mass Effect...well, don't let me tell it to you, now's the perfect time to go find out for yourself, because after years of conjecture and rumors, the Mass Effect Legendary Edition is finally out, and I can say without any doubt that it's the best remaster I have ever played.

See, most remasters (and I promise I'm not hatin' here, I still enjoy a good remaster) are content to slap a slightly shinier coat of paint on an old game, make it run a little smoother, and call it a day, but Bioware really went the extra mile here. Not only has every texture in the game been up-rezzed to gorgeous 4k, but the whole trilogy has been made more cohesive. In the first game alone we see updated 3D models, updated character and gear textures to match the following games, smoother controls, and a much cleaner UI. Even combat feels slightly improved, with weapons having much more "oomph" to them, both in terms of sound and damage output.

All three games, in fact, look and feel better than ever, thanks to the updates textures, new lighting systems, and bug fixes. It wasn't uncommon for me to be playing and notice (likely because I've played the original trilogy so many times) how much better something was looking, or how I felt like I was truly seeing characters or environments for the first time. These are night and day visual differences, something we don't often see in the standard remaster. I really can't overstate how much better things look in this "new" trilogy.

The fact that Bioware also included every single piece of originally premium content into this remaster is the icing on the cake (we're talking 3 games, and at least 7 pieces of sizeable downloadable content for the price of one modern game), not just because you get to experience the story in its entirety, but because Mass Effect 2 and 3 have some exceptionally high-quality dlc that is not to be missed.

Now, it's not a perfect remaster. These games were always just a little bit janky, and the Legendary Edition hasn't fixed every single issue. Animations can still be a bit awkward, and some designs have aged better than others, but damn if playing through it this time around didn't feel like a completely fresh experience.

That's...really all I have to say about the remaster specifically. For those who have never played Mass Effect and are interested in giving it a shot now that it's prettier to look at, here's a brief overview of what you can expect:

Combat: Varies from game to game, with the first installment being the "weakest". Nothing groundbreaking, pretty standard 3rd-person shooter fare, but consistently engaging, especially on higher difficulties. Controls aren't always top-tier, but varied enemy types and fun player/squad abilities keep things exciting.

Story/Characters: The best of the best. A unique sci-fi story carried by the relationships you build with the trilogies stellar cast, and varied by the decisions you make in each game. While not every decision is life-changing, you'll find it's easy to become invested in making any choice, as even the smallest decision can have ramifications in later games.

Soundtrack: A lot of heavy synth, which is to say it's awesome.

The Universe: Mass Effect is likely one of the most well-realized universes I've ever had the pleasure of playing through. The unified aesthetic and unique spins on sci-fi classics (the blue alien girls, the "grey aliens") create a world that you'll find yourself wanting to delve into. Information that isn't essential to the story is relegated to readable codex entries, and on my initial playthroughs of the trilogy I was so hooked by the amount of detail and creativity put into each facet of the universe I probably lost whole hours just reading them.

The Dancing: Top Tier

I think that'll about do it for this one, short and sweet.

10/10, still a bit goofy, but this remaster reminds me why I love this trilogy so much. The perfect version of itself.