Mass Effect Legendary Edition Improvements Help Original Game the Most
BioWare has revealed some of the big improvements and changes made in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, with the original 2007 release seeing the biggest shift. The remaster was first announced last November as part of the N7 Day celebrations and there have already been some indications of how the remaster will enhance the visuals of the original games. A brief video released at the beginning of 2021 compared the graphics of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition to its predecessors.
Over the last few months, BioWare has slowly released more information about the remaster. According to game director Mac Walters, Mass Effect's Pinnacle Station DLC will not be available in the Legendary Edition. This is because the original code has been lost and adding it would require more than six months of extra work for the small team responsible for the game's development.
More information about the changes in the upcoming Mass Effect: Legendary Edition has been revealed in a preview video from IGN. The footage clearly shows that the original Mass Effect game has received the most amount of attention from developers, an unsurprising move given the fact that it originally released way back in 2007. The vast majority of improvements are to the visuals of the game, with new character models, better quality textures, and more advanced lighting on show throughout the preview. Certain areas also seem to be have been reworked so that they look more impressive. However, BioWare has also made some changes to the gameplay, with notable additions such as an updated HUD and reticule, no class restrictions for weapons, and a more efficient inventory system. The team has even created a better character creator that has a wider variety of customization options.
While the original Mass Effect has obviously received the most attention, the video also revealed some of the enhancements made to both Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. According to BioWare producers, the remaster includes improved reflections, new textures, and better visual effects. In terms of gameplay, the experience has largely been left untouched outside of some bug fixes and technical improvements to things like load times. The developer made the least amount of changes to Mass Effect 3, fearing that any significant alterations might ruin the experience or change things just for the sake of it.
The footage is the first good news for BioWare in some time. Earlier this year, the studio confirmed that it had officially canceled the planned overhaul of Anthem that had been in the works since the game's release in 2019. The developer cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a driving force behind it dropping the project, as well as a desire to focus on Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
With the release date for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition just a few weeks away now, it is likely that fans will get more looks at the improvements made in the remaster. From what has been released so far, it appears as if the title will not disappoint players and may even become the definitive way to experience the trilogy due to the improvements made across all three games.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition comes to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on May 14, 2021.
Source: IGN