Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a collection of the three video games in the Mass Effect trilogy: Mass Effect (2007), Mass Effect 2 (2010), and Mass Effect 3 (2012). The games were created by BioWare and released by Electronic Arts. The compilation was made available on May 14, 2021, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. Each game was updated with better graphics, improved technology, and changes to gameplay. The first game in the trilogy, Mass Effect, received more changes than the others, including improvements to visuals, combat, vehicle movement, and how quickly the game loads.
Work on the Legendary Edition began in 2019, led by Mac Walters, who previously wrote for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. BioWare chose to update the games instead of creating new versions to keep the original experience intact. Reviews from video game magazines were mostly positive, praising the improved version of the first game and the convenience of having all three games in one package. Some critics noted that certain changes to gameplay and visuals were not as well received.
Contents
The Mass Effect Legendary Edition includes the main story content from all three games in the Mass Effect trilogy: Mass Effect (2007), Mass Effect 2 (2010), and Mass Effect 3 (2012). It also includes most of the extra content, such as special weapons, armor, and sets, that were added later for each game. These games are action role-playing games where the player controls Commander Shepard, a highly trained human soldier who must lead a group of alien species to fight against powerful machines called Reapers. Players can choose Shepard’s gender, appearance, background, and name. Choices made during the games affect the story and can influence events in later games.
All three games were updated for the Legendary Edition. These updates include better graphics, smoother special effects, and improved technical features. The games now run at higher quality and faster speeds than the original versions. Players can start all three games from one menu and use a single tool to customize Shepard’s appearance for all games. The default female version of Shepard from Mass Effect 3, which was not available in earlier games, can now be used throughout the trilogy. The second and third games have similar gameplay to their original versions but include some changes, such as adjusting the "Galactic Readiness" system in Mass Effect 3. Each game now includes a "photo mode" that lets players take screenshots with customizable settings.
Mass Effect received the most changes of all three games. It has improved visuals, such as added smoke effects and lighting in certain areas. Combat was updated to match the later games, with better targeting, a separate button for close combat, and more balanced weapons. Enemy and squad behavior was also improved. Some difficult boss fights were made easier with larger levels and more frequent automatic saves. The Mako, a vehicle used for traveling, now moves faster and has better movement mechanics. Changes were also made to reduce the time spent in elevators, which were used to hide loading screens in the original game.
Development
Mass Effect Legendary Edition was created by BioWare and released by Electronic Arts. In 2014, BioWare talked about making an updated version of the Mass Effect trilogy, but they did not start the project until 2019. Other studios, such as Abstraction Games and Blind Squirrel Games, helped with the development. Abstraction Games worked on making the games compatible with newer consoles and improved the graphics. The project was led by Mac Walters, who had previously written stories for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.
During early development, BioWare asked Epic Games about moving the games from their original engine, Unreal Engine 3, to Unreal Engine 4. They found that changing the engine would require a lot of work, including redoing many movie-like scenes. They were worried this might change the original experience too much. Because of this, they decided to keep the games on the original engine and treat the project as a remaster, not a complete remake. They also chose not to include the multiplayer mode from Mass Effect 3 due to the project’s complexity. BioWare planned to include all single-player DLC, but the Pinnacle Station pack from Mass Effect could not be added because its code was damaged, which Walters called "heartbreaking."
To improve the visuals, BioWare used an AI tool and other custom programs to increase the resolution of all textures in the trilogy. After these changes, the art team worked manually on character models, environments, and other assets. They reviewed the games and changed some camera angles of female characters to make them less unnecessary or improve their appearance. By spring 2020, the games reached a "baseline" stage, where they were fully playable and had received initial improvements. However, the original Mass Effect still looked less detailed than the other games, so they brought back the game’s original art director, Derek Watts, to add new visual details. The original game also received gameplay updates to make it more modern and consistent with its sequels. These changes included adjusting difficult boss battles, which required help from the game’s original level designer. The collection was sent to manufacturers on April 9, 2021.
Release
Mass Effect Legendary Edition was officially announced on November 7, 2020. This date is also called "N7 Day," a special day created by BioWare to celebrate the Mass Effect series every year. The collection was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on May 14, 2021. It can also work on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S through backward compatibility, but BioWare has not planned to make versions of the Legendary Edition for those consoles. In an interview, Walters said he would like to release the collection for Nintendo Switch, but that console was not part of the project's goals.
Reception
According to the website Metacritic, the Windows and PlayStation 4 versions of Mass Effect Legendary Edition received "mostly positive reviews," while the Xbox One version received "very high praise" from video game publications. According to OpenCritic, 96% of 122 reviews from critics recommend the game.
Critics generally believed that the first Mass Effect, which had more changes than its sequels, was greatly improved in the Legendary Edition. Alyssa Mercante of GamesRadar+ said the updates made the game feel more modern and that BioWare made the game match its sequels better without losing its original charm. Shubhankar Parijat of GamingBolt said the remaster was one of the best he had seen, because of the work done to improve details like environments, lighting, and character models. However, some critics thought the visual changes were too much and made the game feel different from the original, while others said the gameplay updates were not enough.
Reviewers liked Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 in the Legendary Edition, even though these games had fewer changes. Eric Van Allen of Destructoid praised the changes to the morality system in Mass Effect 2, which he said made the game less punishing. Dan Stapleton of IGN said the graphical updates made Mass Effect 2 look similar to modern games, except for how characters' faces moved. Robert Ramsey of Push Square said adding expansions not included in the original versions of Mass Effect 3 made the experience much better. However, Jordan Ramée of GameSpot said the collection did not include downloadable content (DLC) well in the story of each game.
As a whole, Legendary Edition was praised for being convenient, having a large scope, and keeping the original Mass Effect trilogy intact. Jhaan Elker of The Washington Post recommended the collection to both fans and new players, noting some might still prefer the original versions with mods. Thomas Morgan of Eurogamer said the collection showed great effort and called it a "perfect starting point" for new players. Kimberly Wallace of Game Informer praised the Mass Effect trilogy and thanked the remaster for helping keep the series popular and allowing players to experience the full story with all DLC included.
In the United Kingdom, Legendary Edition was the best-selling game during its first week of release, mostly because of digital sales. At the same time, the Windows version had over 59,000 players online at once on Steam, the highest number ever for a BioWare game. On the PlayStation Store, Legendary Edition was the third-best-selling game in the United States and the sixth-best-selling game in Europe for May 2021. During an investor meeting on August 4, 2021, Electronic Arts Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson said the game did "much better than expected," though exact sales numbers were not shared. Legendary Edition finished 2021 as one of the 12 best-selling new releases on Steam. According to The NPD Group, Legendary Edition was the 19th-best-selling game on PlayStation and the 12th-best-selling game on Xbox in 2021 overall.